The way through the woods - not closed

One of the paths up to the chestnut groves

The strange thing - I am a really urban animal - I have lived in the centre of towns of various sizes for most of my life. Yet I totally miss the woods, pastures and gardens of the farm.

So I have not settled back to 'normal' life yet, although I have done a few normal things, like watched a high spring tide creep up on the footpath by the caravan cafe. The weather is getting colder although no rain and even some sunshine.

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