Fencing and neighbours

We have the fence posts and the galvanised netting to construct a boundary around the garden. This is needed before we get the chickens, partly to keep away animals like dogs and foxes during the day, and partly to stop the chickens roaming into our neighbours’ land. We particularly don’t want to annoy the mayor, whose garden adjoins ours.

Also we don’t want to worsen relationships with our other neighbour, whose son we are challenging for the right to buy the additional land. All very complex, but when we went to see the SAFER yesterday, we had a really useful conversation with one of their staff. He suggested that we should try to reach a compromise with our ‘rival’ as the two of us were the only people to have applied to buy the land. He’s intending to set up a meeting with us both next week – so I need to have broached the topic with the rival before then.

Stress inducing, but I guess all will turn out well. The key is to be able to feel positively about whatever the outcome is . . . .

Anyway, we have also found that we can get chickens from the same supplier when he comes to Limoux (only 5 miles away) every Friday morning. This means that the arrival of the chickens has been postponed from this Saturday to the following Friday – and I have more time for the fencing. Very welcome, considering the current heatwave, which makes the idea of hard work outside in the middle of the day very unattractive!

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Walk on . . .


We’re on a roll with the mass walking

This morning we went out again with Duc, Ana and Valentine. They seemed more relaxed – and so were we!

A really pleasant bit of training – and the llamas certainly enjoyed the reward when they got back to the field!

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After the llamas . . . . .


The hens are coming!

Sumi and I have built a mean hen house. Now all we need is some fencing, and then next Saturday we’ll get the hens.

Anyone offering interesting recipes for eggs, courgettes and lettuce? – all of which are likely to be in surplus!

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Success!

The walk was fine!

With three of us, we were confident that we could take all three walking llamas out together. It all went remarkably smoothly . . . They all accepted having halters fitted after they had eaten their customary breakfast. Then, the new bit – leads attached – and all was still calm.

We set off down the track – Val leading with Duc, me in the middle with Valentine, and Sumi bringing up the rear with Ana. We had reasoned that this would be the most settling combination, and allow Sumi to have the smallest and least powerful llama.

This turned out not to be a brilliant idea. Ana has only been walked twice – and both times with me. By the time we reached the wheat field, she was getting pretty jumpy, and giving Sumi a hard time. Although Sumi was incredibly calm, a change was needed. She and I swapped llamas, and we turned them all round and headed for home.

The return went very smoothly, and they were soon unhaltered and relaxing with us on their favourite bit of the field. As you can see in the video, they were not exactly distressed after the first mass walk!

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Let’s go walking!

This morning we are off to take the three walkers out for their first joint expedition. As my daughter Sumi is here staying with us, we have a chance to have all three out at once . . . . .

Who knows how this will work out? More later!

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Tour de France

Today Sumi and I went to see the Tour de France. For me this has become something of an annual event, as it always comes somewhere within easy reach of our village.

It’s an amazing mixture of tatty commercialism and brief sighting of a mass of athletes. But it’s such a French institution that somehow it carries it off successfully, and everyone who spectates seems to have a great time. One of the strangest features is the ‘caravan’ – a succession of bizarre floats advertising the Tour sponsors. From these, you get showered with freebies, like hats, keyrings, bags. And we came home with a shed-load, thanks to Sumi’s enthusiastic dancing and waving . . .

The road is closed for about two hours, and the riders go by in about 40 seconds. And no-one minds!

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