6 May 2015 - A pig, donkeys and wildflowers - life in rural southern France.

Blue skies greeted us and Tim and I were out for a walk before the clouds came over.  Two unusual things happened.  Firstly, as we were accosted by the two big white labradors barking at us we heard a strange echo to their barks.  We then saw a large pig in one of the old barns at street level grunting on the offbeat of the bark.  The next unusual event was being greeted with an English "Good Morning" as we walked along the road past a beautifully restored farm house.  It would be a very wonderful place to retire here in Videix and surrounds.

Walking along the road on his hands ...cos he can!!!

If only my front garden at home could look like this, with such ease!

 Luke's bean growing experiment officially came to an end after 10 days today!  He is eager to continue growing the beans which, to his surprise, are doing well!  Luckily we had a jar, some tissues and were given a few beans!  He might even plant them somewhere here before we go!

Day 10 of bean plant growing!

 The kids are great friends, sharing games, picnics and imagination!  Tim has helped Luke put together a little stop motion animation which had the kids enjoyed.

Pancakes outside for morning tea!

At the suggestion of our hosts we ventured down the fields, through the long grass and wildflowers to a pond, a marshy area and a little stream which was easy to cross. There were a few nettles, well quite a few nettles, but the other trees and undergrowth were quite easy to wrestle with until we came out into an open field and emerged near a little hamlet called La Vayrie.  There are so many little hamlets like this scattered throughout this region and it is so very tempting to rescue every little derelict cottage.  Where are the people?

Not much of a path to follow!

Through fields of long grasses and wildflowers.

Through the forest to the pond feeling like characters from a fairytale discovering a new world!

Three little coypu playing - sorry if I bore you with them but they are so cute!

This little cottage looked loved: so many around here don't.

 We were reflecting on why this region is so devoid of people.  It seems that there are no jobs and without people there won't be jobs so it is a vicious cycle.  The young people leave to pursue work and the little businesses get absorbed by the big businesses and slowly the little towns die.  There are many more dead people (in the local cemetery) than there are living here!  Maybe it will turn around as the British retirees move in but maybe it won't.

Two donkeys in a paddock of five - so gentle.