I don't know who I thought would have been watching - we are not even slightly overlooked and our only neighbours live a little way up the road, but I am more self concious than Neil who has totally embraced our situation and happily walks around the garden naked to get in the pool or letting the chickens out - although he may be a bit more wary now the electric fence is on more regularly!
The pigs are growing quickly, we don't notice it so much as we see them all the time, but visitors do and I must admit that I wouldn't want to pick them up by their hind legs and carry them, which was the easiest way to handle them when we bought them. I'm having a real inner tussle with how much to handle them. I don't want to get too attached but at the same time we need to be able to get close enough to deal with them. Last night I held a scoop of food for them to eat whilst scratching their backs. I think I am managing to keep looking at them and thinking 'bacon', but I am enjoying having them and watching them progress.
You have to keep saying bacon, bacon, bacon and handle as little as possible. I know the feeling from breeding rabbits.
ReplyDeleteNeil has the right idea, (when the weather is warm enough!) we are not overlooked and why wash clothes when it is not necessary:-) No white spots on the tan looks so much better!! Diane
According to the novelist Marice Genevoix, wherever you are in rural France you are being observed from under the visor of a cap.
ReplyDeletePeople pop up in the most unexpected places, in my experience.
Thanks for your comments on mine....I still can't activate the reading list thingy for people following my blog...but I'm not moving just yet...not till visitor season is over!
I think my body needs covering up as much as possible diane :)
ReplyDeleteHelen - is that the French version of streetview - I'm not suprised, nothing gets past the French!!
I came back from shopping once to find two guys in a rubber boat...river inspectors..inspecting a young female guest who was sunbathing on the terrace...
ReplyDeleteriver inspectors - that old chestnut!!
ReplyDeleteI walk about here in the nuddy early morning, from the bedroom caravan to the house. It's lovely, but wouldn't risk doing so from eight onwards - builders might turn up and wouldn't want to give them a fright! As for the piggies. I think they should be handled because they will have to be slaughtered and it makes it easier for them if they are used to the close contact of humans. The lesson of attachment is a hard one though, and we have got round that by seeing our pigs as the parents so we can get attached to them, but their offspring we see as food and therefore should stay detached. Same as with the sheep. The chickens probably the same. But this is only theoretical at the moment because we have no babies, only the parents who are busy, at this time, trying to make the babies! The thing is, Roz, that its the same for all of us who are on the smallholding learning curve, so you are not alone in your dilemma of getting fond of your piggy.
ReplyDeleteAre you all registered as an elevage of piggies Vera - it's something we may consider further down the line at some point. Just wondered how complicated it is!
ReplyDeleteI'm more cautious than Steve about walking about with nothing on, but that's a female thing I think... the farmers wouldn't turn a hair if they tractored past us and saw him! I'm glad your pool's cleared.
ReplyDeleteNo, we aren't registered yet, but, like you, will do so later on. We have the Cheptel number for the sheep, and that was quite easy to get - just visited the Chambre d'Agriculture and they filled in the necessary forms. I think the Cheptel number also applies to the Tams but we haven't actually registered them, mainly because it was closing time and the woman filling in the forms decided that since we only had two it wasn't worth the bother of registering them. But when there are piglets we definitely will register. Makes things easier when it comes to selling them on. One step at a time, heh Roz?
ReplyDeleteJan it looks like you haven't got neighbours for miles at your place - it looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteVera - Even one step can seem pretty daunting. It's pretty tempting to plead ignorance on the registering front, but I suppose we should all try to be doing things above board - even if our neighbours don't bother!! Good luck, I'm really impressed with how you are doing xx
I'll bet Jude Law is regretting stripping off in rural France....
ReplyDeleteanother thing to google!!
ReplyDelete