2017 Goals ~ Let’s go with Healthy, Wealthy and Wise… and a couple donkeys

I absolutely adore that the advent of the New Year gives one a sense of renewal, a chance to reflect and consequently focus on ones short and long term goals.  We have lots of changes planned for 2017 and, I must say, yes, I must, that we are very, very excited (and a teeny bit scared).  We will be putting all our eggs into our  entrepreneurial basket and focusing our time specifically ~ Pumpjack’s to our new wine business Terroir au Verre and me, Piddlewick, to my Pumpjack & Piddlewick  Shop and the life that goes on behind it, so our blog will get a bit of a face lift too this year.

Welcome 2017! It’s make or break time.
(Hmmm, maybe not a good euphemism when talking about entrepreneurial eggs.)

Who Says the Countryside is Quiet?!

Life is never dull here.  Who needs the excitement of city life when you have the countryside and all it offers…

We took over the Gardien’s cottage in November 2013 and have been enjoying the dramas of its garden, and animals, ever since.  Every day some new adventure comes our way, but with 8 animals initially, now up to 16, and that’s not including the wild critters who reside in and around, how could there ever be a dull moment?

Building new pallet beds, Part 1 ~ Getting our excuses in early and planting late

If you have followed the weather at all here in France, particularly Northern Burgundy, you will know we have had rain. Rain, rain, rain. Plu, plu, plu. (Don’t you just love the French word for rain? It sounds just like a drop of rain hitting a surface.) Needless to say, all this rain has had a bit of an affect on the garden. Add in a deep frost at the end of April and storms in May, and I have to say I am so glad I have been really lazy this year where the garden is concerned.  Ah, what I mean is… I waited with due diligence until there was an opportunity to truly work on it.

Bad Mummy Duck ~ or ~ Making the Most of Grandparents?

Spring is a time or replenishment. A time to plant the garden, a time of rebirth amongst the animal kingdom, and a time – thank goodness – when we can move some of the off-spring out.

Now I can’t claim to understand, possibly sympathise, but not truly understand what it is to raise children. But I can tell you about ducklings, that is about ducklings that live in your house. Having raised Maggie from her hatching to the hatching of her own brood – of 13! – I can debate with myself that I am starting to get the hang of it. And then I think…. nah.

Mother Nature goes to town dolled up in hat and handbag

This years spring has been like an old woman entering the cold sea, a tentative toe at a time. I’ve been told it is an El Nino year, so hence the strange lengthy cold and wet spell. Whatever the excuse, I am not bothered, I just wish it would come! The odd sunny warm day pops in, like a friendly neighbour for a cup of tea, but once drunk, disappears again and we are back to grey, damp days. And this is France! Tsk, tsk, tsk is what I have to say, pull your boot straps up Spring and get on with it! I am ready to garden.

We’re trying something new in our garden this year, building truly raised beds, using pallets. (No more bending and kneeling, and less weeds. Hopefully.) There will be more details on this in a later dedicated blog, but suffice it to say, its a slow project as I work between boughts of rain. Yup, I am a fair weather gardener and not ashamed to say it.

But what I really wanted to talk about here is how this year Mother Nature has gone mad. The garden may be delayed in its growth, but this has definitely been made up for in animals. We figure it is the colder, wetter, consequently darker days that have made the animals bored and looking for something to do. But, honestly!!!

The Dramas of a Brooding Pet Duck

The last month has been fraught with emotion as our little Maggie (pet duck) has grown up and started laying eggs. It is probably no coincidence it began with the arrival of Meeney, Minhy and Mo, two drakes and a female respectively.

Pumpjack’s Mathematical Gate (for the Chicken & Duck house)

During the summer, the gate to the chicken and duck enclosure gave up its life and collapsed in a heap of rotted wood and chicken wire.  As part of our roles as Gardiens (Caretakers) we fix things as and when needed. This was a big need and great research, planning and detail went into its replacement. This could be no ordinary gate, not where Pumpjack is concerned.

That Sunday feeling – a day in the life of a sunny day with animals

December 21st and the shortest day can’t come quick enough for us, particularly the animals. We normally let them out to roam around dawn, depending on fog. The last few days we have woken up to dense fog. It seems to be settling in like a tired old lady in a comfortable chair, not certain when it wants to bestir itself.  The chickens and rabbits are not happy about it. They don’t like fog. The ducklings are not bothered, but Maggie won’t fly in dense fog, so we have to walk her down to the others, quacking and calling to the others all the way. It’s obviously slower than flying.

Cooking up Pumpkin – Classic Pumpkin Pie

To complete my weekend trilogy homily to the Pumpkin I close with a classic recipe for Pumpkin Pie.  The wondrous thing about Pumpkins, whatever their size, is the will provide you with a goodly amount of pumpkin purée, and with very little effort.  Sure, you can buy pumpkin in a can (in the States), but there is no comparison in taste.  For very little work you can easily make your own purée and freeze in readiness for use throughout winter.

What is it like to have a pet Duck? (Part 2) ~ She can fly!

We’ll blame Gigi, our kitten, for Maggie, our duckling, learning to fly. Gigi loves to pounce, playfully, when Maggie is around. Consequently Maggie got very good at moving away quickly. As running from a playful kitten is rather impractical when you are a duck, the next obvious step was to utilise the wings. First it was a high hop, then a longer hop, and as Gigi loved this new game and would jump with Maggie, the hop became further and further. Both of them were in heaven. Gigi because she had finally found a way to play with Maggie (something she had been searching for since her arrival), and Maggie because, well, she was flying.