Sheep in woolly fold - being rounded up for their annual injections. Note how steep their pasture is. The red thing is my coffee cup!

I have uploaded my photos from the visit to Flickr at last - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lornapics/
Here you can see many activities and some stunning countryside.

I went out to the coast today with Aidan, which made me feel better about being back for the sea was also stunning. It was not windy enough to fly a kite, but the sun shone and I ate too many chips and drank a lot of tea and coffee - so a bit back to normal. Determined to be more back to normal tomorrow.

This is one of the things I thought about in an historical way - le châtaigneraie (the sweet chestnut grove) and the paths up to it - - -

A view uphill through the chestnut grove.

 Such groves were a feature of traditional farming from the 18th century - they diversified the rural economy of tough landscapes like this. These seem to have been planted in the late 19th century (the house is dated 1898) and there are well constructed paths up into the woodland. They were harvested by the previous owner but the trees and undergrowth have probably not been nurtured for some time.

The way through the woods - -

The well made path to the châtaigneraie

The woodland also yields some very large mushrooms - -

Mushrooms from the chestnut grove. In France you can get them identified in any pharmacy - stops people eating the wrong ones

I did not eat them - undue caution - -

This is one of the things I did - - - no slackers on the farm - - the background shows how high it is from the valley floor beyond. 

I weeded the vegetable patch and the paths - note the heavy boots - .

I enjoyed doing this although it is quite hard work. I trudged off (up hill) to an area that had been cleared by the pigs and then planted with beans, sweetcorn and some other vegetables (some we ate and they are excellent). It seems pretty fertile - but the weeds (herbes maivais) do well too. Here I am attacking them with a hoe - but I found a better method was to sit down and pull them out with a trowel.

Another area cleared by pigs and not planted yet - - the idea here is to plant a vetch to grow over the winter to improve the soil - and then lay it out for more vegetables.

A terraced area where the pigs have cleared (ie eaten)  the vegetation ready for the land to be cultivated. Their present home is in an enclosure in the woods.

You can see the roof of the farm to the right - which indicates the height of the vegetable patches - and that they have been previously well terraced - probably in the 19th century.

You can see the pigs being moved on the farm web site http://laviealapetiteferme.blogspot.fr/2012/09/moving-pigs.html

This is where I have been - -

Rhoda and Doug's farm house in Pyrenees

The horrible hedge is due to be cut down. I will post my adventures (such as they were) on separate posts. I really like France and the farm; I am now plotting how to get back. It was a very exhausting journey but I did get back in one go. There was sun and heat all the time apart from the last day, when it rained as if we were in the Lake District.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I am heading off here to see Rhoda - by way of seeing Aidan in London and flying to Toulouse on Wednesday. I have been tested for flying and am apparently 'fit to fly'.  I may be offline but I am hoping to get an internet connection there.

Map of the area around  Rhoda and Doug's place

Rhoda lives near Bagnere de Bigorre, which is where the main roads meet. I think their place is about where the word Bagnere is on the map. This is rural living, with vegetables, trees, chickens, sheep, pigs, dog and cats, not to mention the wildlife and vermin. The weather is said to be forecast to be good. Their adventures are here - http://laviealapetiteferme.blogspot.fr/
A bit different from urban living.

Stratigraphy of the Pyrenees

The weather here is unmentionably awful - so although I have picked up my improved sail and have all the fittings to make Lookfar easier to handle - I have not ventured out to do the work on the boat.

Instead I have searched for material on the geology of the Pyrenees and tried to understand it. This has taken time and all my energy - I have barely heard the rain lashing the windows and have merely glanced at the tele.

Why? Rhoda is now living there and their place seems to be in a geologically interesting area ( a bit south of Tarbes - near the small N-S fault there, near the dark strip (which is metamorphic rock). I have yet to locate her place exactly on the map above). The one below shows they are near a seismic zone - their place is a bit to the south of Bagneres - where the large dots are.

Cool or what?

 You can follow Rhoda, Doug and the pigs - not to mention unwary visitors (including Aidan) at http://laviealapetiteferme.blogspot.co.uk/