Knit, natter, milk, etc....

My parking space between 2pm and 4pm on a Thursday afternoon, and a very precious time it is too because all I do is sit and knit or crochet with other like minded ladies, and chat about all things relevant in our lives, including smutty, serious, funny, sad, and happy sharings.

This shop is called Nostalgic, and is in the high street of the nearby town of Plaisance.
I do not have a hunt among its many bric a brac pieces, nor amongst the large rail of vintage clothes on offer, because I am on a budget, but the choice is extensive, and it is well worth a visit if you are in this area of SW France and have the time. During the summer you could even spend a tranquil few moments having a cup of coffee out on the back patio of the shop.

We sit in the back part of the shop, which is a small and cosy space so therefore very friendly.
Very little craft work is done. We don't concentrate much. Just chat. Laugh. Unwind/
It is the Thursday afternoon Knit and Natter group.
It is a joy to belong to.
........

All has been well with the sheep but an unfortunate incident last week left the flock minus one of its lambs and with an expectant ewe badly mauled. We are now minus one of our dogs, who was the perpetrator of the mischief.

With the grazing on the main fields being so abysmal this year we have had to let the sheep out onto the side paths and far field to graze. Normally we would have seen the start of the Spring push of green growth by now, but it is not so this year. It has been too cold. Most unusual for SW France. The fields are now all grazed down, and it is fortunate that we bought in a lot of bales of hay in advance of the 2017 / 18 winter to feed the cows with.

A neighboring farmer stopped by this afternoon, and we have given him Milly, our youngest cow.

It is not the right time of year to sell large animals, and we need to reduce the number of cows we have because of Lester's online work load, and we want her to go to a good home anyway. This is not  for sentimental reasons, but with Lester now working we can afford to choose where she goes rather than being forced to sell her to earn money from her. 

It is a fine line when it comes to looking after animals for the food table. Fortunately we can choose where Milly is to live, even if the farmer can't afford to pay us. We are also giving him two bales of hay to help him get through to Spring. 

So we are now down to two cows again, and both giving us milk, bless them. I had to gentle Lissie down this morning. I stood at her head and made a fuss of her. She is in heat and did not much enjoy having Lester milk her, so was continually protesting. He does not have time in the mornings to put up with frisky cows as he has to be online at 9am. 

Bonny is also milking out and has the hugest udder which takes over thirty minutes to empty. She stands quietly. She will be in season over the next few days, then she will be fidgety too, but by then Lissie should have calmed down. It does not help that most days they are still indoors because of the rain, and they are getting bored. The feet of cows really mess up the surface of field which is soaking wet which is why they have to stay indoors. A chewed up muddy field will not grow a full head of grass when warmer weather does eventually arrive.

We have priced up a portable milking machine so I could take over the milking if Lester is unable to do it. They cost 1,700 euros. So we shall continue with hand milking.

---and the cows on a rare sunny day....

....and a long view of the lower boundaries of our farm, with the early morning sun catching on the Pyrenees mountains. It is the first time since we have been here that I have had such a clear view of the mountains. It was a magical sunrise.

And now I must say bye for now. I need to unwrap a cheese I made yesterday which has just come out of the press. On first inspection it looks alright, even though I made an error in the temperature I processed the cheese at. I forgive myself though. A lot has gone on since I last made a cheese, and a few nibbles of the curds that did not stick to the wheel suggest that it will be OK to eat. 

Vx