La Chatte Gitane (or The Gypsy Cat) was the name we chose for our cottage in France at the time. We chose it while on the road, moving house the first time round, from Ireland to France with 2 dogs and 7 cats in the car.
This blog began its insignificant life as a recipe book for friends and family who would ask me repeatedly for a recipe of this, that and the other.
Since then it has taken many different directions, like we did and like gypsies tend to do. Sometimes making a U-turn and revisiting familiar roads and taking a break when necessary.
You'll find recipes here, but also musings about the places we've called home, the gardens that we've established, not always successfully, the homes we've improved and the environments we've lived in. Currently, after yet another stint in Ireland, we're back in France @ Le Mas d'Ayen

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Mourning Their Leaving

But also joyful that they've been in our lives for five weeks.
We dropped off Mikaela and Keegan  at the train station in Killarney on Friday noon. Not waiting for the train to arrive and seeing them get on it, leaving us behind, we opted for saying our goodbyes on the platform and had them waive us out.
Am I getting more emotional as I get older ? After having had so many volunteers over the years (close to a hundred, or maybe more), this goodbye was the saddest for me. Still, the majority of volunteers hold a special place in my heart.
Before they left they gave us a box of chocolates (all eaten now) and a postcard. I hope they don't mind me showing you the card.







They sent me these photos from the train. Munching their bacon butties which I made for their lunch.
Is it just me or do they look really tired and exhausted in these pictures ? Maybe it's good that they got away.


In other news, the piggies have been let outside. This happened a week after they arrived here. 





They are in a restricted area until they are big enough not to be able to fit underneath the electric fence. They love being outside.

I've planted all the tomatoes, peppers and chillies in the tunnel today.


 Oh, and the tangled up  the runner beans. Hopefully they'll find their way up.
In the back I have four cucamelons, I am curious as to what the results are going to be.





The chickens are driving me around the bend. Three out of seven are broody, so we placed them in the barn in a separate enclosure from the pigs. That was on Thursday. Today the white one decided she'd had enough of the holiday and made her way back home.
She's sitting inside the hen house on zero eggs.


The other four and the cockerel thought that was a great moment for them to get out of the coop and wander around a bit.

All fine and dandy, until I found them going hell for leather in the raised veggie beds.



That particular bed wasn't planted up, so I hope they found some leatherjackets and slugs. But they have ruined my radishes and rocket in another bed. The little feckers !

Patricia xxx...x

3 comments:

  1. Hard to say wether they look tired or not, I expect that the lighting inside the carriage was not conducive to photo's ?
    So the hens are keeping you on your toes and perhaps they are showing you that they really want to be free range chickens :)

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    Replies
    1. Our chooks are semi-free range. They have a large compound to scratch to their hearts' content.
      Sometimes I do leave the gate open so they have a bit more freedom. No more ! It's the first time they were going crazy in the raised beds.
      They are still little feckers ! :)

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  2. They do look tired .... but maybe they were just emotional with leaving you and your lovely place behind. Love the card they gave you.

    Chickens are quick to find areas you don't want them in aren't they. Fingers crossed they just ate the bad bugs and not all your juicy worms!!

    ReplyDelete

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