dawks in gorre

for about two weeks now we have had a hedgehog comming onto the patio and feeding on the sunflower seeds that fall from the bird feeders, but she has been arriving at about 7.30 pm in full sunshine. last night as i was feeding the baby chicks in the shed i saw her in the leaf mould compost heap suckling two babies both are the size of large hamsters and have thier spines as we are well into september can they survive hibernationclive

Went outside this mourning to inspect the garden and see just how much rain we have had sadly not enough,and the first cuckoo started calling from the woods,summers comming ! not according to the weather forecast they say snow next week here in the limousin cover all the new veg and the blossoming trees still an extra hour of daylight in the evenings after tomorrow we live in hope. Clive.

hi i have sent you an email but had problems getting through but is seems to have gone now hope you recieved it. about hugo he gets on great with other dogs next door had another dog as well as hugo a german shepard they were great mates he has not been castrated, but will go on a lead before she left she use to take him to the poodle parlour once a month for a haircut shampoo and set no problems hes also fine with kids cats and other animals we would have had him he likes our cats but they dont like him.   Clive

Hi yes they still have the cockerel he is very gentle and crows less than any cockerel we have ever had though he has his moments he must weigh over 5 kilos if he cannot find a new home he will sadly end up in a freezer!.   Clive

Hi yes they still have the cock he is very gentle and crows less than any cock we have ever had though he has his moments he must weigh over 5 kilos if he cannot find a new home he will sadly end up in a freezer!.   Clive

Sorry i have not replied before but last weekends storm cut our phone and internet line got it back yesterday, we had a new home for hugo but sadly they changed there minds so he still needs one. on a better note minet and nala have a new home together but beewe and cashew are still looking for one and we only have one month before francois has to move out of the house.   Clive.

my french nextdoor neighbours are sadly getting divorced,and have to sell up and move,she actually moved last saturday telling him she would take the dog and 4 cats with her,now moved and has informed him she does not want them.he moves to a apartment in 2 weeks with no garden,they all need good new homes.hugo the dog is a west highland terrier about 3 years old a lovely natured boy one bad habit he likes to roll in as many cow pats as he can find and there are lots where we live in a small village 30kms from limoges 20 kms from st junien in the limousin. the cats number 1 nala a 13 year old ginger tom very affectionate likes home comforts warm fire and lots of food. number 2&3 are brothers bewee and cashew 2 years old both jet black but bewee has a small white patch on his chest very active they spend all warm days hunting and climbing and all nights snugged up on the sofa. number 4 minet was a stray she is very timid and stays indoors most of the time she is white with grey patches all have seen the vet and been deseeded!.one other animal a cockeral he is enormous but very gentle all are free .  

one for chris maybe winter has arrived and all the birds are back on the tables and feeders, to many species to list but some real gems including 6 cirl buntings today, having been here for 3 winters now i have never seen a coal tit, i live in gorre a small village in the limousin looking on all the distribution web sites they say coal tits are common throughout france, where are they hiding! 

the same thing happened to me last year lost every plant along with every other person in our village,except my neighbours 80 year old dad who was giving tomatos away by the bag full. this spring asked him what the secret was he produced a box vilmorin anti-mildiou i bought mine the next day in a shop called  3 petals in cussac at this moment the toms are in flower and so far no mildew dispite the rain we have had, hope this helps it also works on potato plants. clive.

having read all the threads seems we are all in the same boat, hills on the lawns i can live with even though i have to buy new blades for the tractor mower each year at 35 euros a pop. but in my veg garden they either bury new plants and seedlings completely or lift them out of the ground, any way last week while working in the garden our young cat who does as much damage as the moles if not more was sat over an open hole for at least an hour suddenly plunged into the hole in a way that a polar bear does when catching seals, yes she caught the mole now she has the hang of it shes caught 4 in a week its easy to measure her success as she brings them in and leaves them on the carpet. solution get a french cat, that is if you can stand it digging up all your plants or just laying on top of young ones until they die!. mole problem seems to be solved cat problem? better get a french dog.   clive.

the first year i moved to france got her the end of june did not plant my runners until early july (type lady di),had a wonderful crop the next year planted then the normal time in may hardly a bean, now i always plant them end of june early july the same for my swedes and get a great crop, just try saving some to plant later and compare the results. clive

no coloured wing tags chris, could not see its back as it flew directly over me and then over our woods.on a slightly different topic i feed the birds all year and this winter have seen a brambling, goldfinch,greenfinch and 2 great tits each with one leg totally limp and paralysed.the goldfinch and one great tit are still here the finch sits down on the bird table to eat and the great tit shows wonderful skill hanging on the sunflower feeders at an angle then taking a seed to a branch he puts it under his good foot to open it, is this just by chance or are they escapees from some kind of traps do you know? clive  

sorry live in gorre dept 87 30kms south of limoges. clive

just come in from hoing the garden, you now its spring when the weeds start growing 10 times faster than your veg. anyway just had to say what i saw, the crows nesting in our woods started shouting there heads of and i stopped to look up expecting to see the usual buzzard being harrassed, oh no an osprey! with fish in talons just 30 feet above my head so near i could see it was carring a carp looked like a young bird does anyone no if it was a passing migrant or is there a french population. the only other osprey i have seen was on a large lake near bristol on an island in a big dead tree watched it for 40 minutes it moved its head twice. clive

having horses after winter i am always reseeding fields, last week i found a 10 kilo sack of top quality seed for under 20 euros in leclerc in st junien dept 87 this is enough to seed more than your 2000 metres good luck, make sure you buy a good mower!. clive.