The Farmyard offspring.

The track leading to the house we're living in passes through a farmyard, well a small holding is probably more accurate! We save up our fruit and veg peelings and walk down to feed them to the pigs. Two weeks ago we found four new born piglets.... very cute and very pink!

At the weekend as we were walking back to the house we noticed that one of the sheep had had two newborn lambs.  Very fluffy ..... and also very cute!

Is this a sign that spring is on it's way here, or is it quite normal to see piglets and lambs in January?

We were hoping that the winter would be shorter and milder here, but we're not sure. It hasn't been very cold but we've had loads of rain. Roll on the sunshine, I'm sure you'd all agree.
There is also a very entertaining donkey who is more full of attitude than the donkey on Shrek, and two pigmy goats who look as if they've had their legs shortened! No sign of life yet from the bee hives, lets hope the bees are normal when they appear.
Back at the house the 10 year old goldfish, (yes really!) , has had three new goldfish bought to keep him company in his tank. What are the chances of him dying (probably of over-excitement) while we're in charge?  Best check out the nearest pet shop for replacements!!

The Foie Gras and Truffle Festival.

This is where I went yesterday.....

 I had a great day out, mainly watching some of the regions best chefs giving cookery demonstrations. All their recipes featured foie gras and/or truffles, and the best bit was that you got to taste the dish afterwards. Everything tasted wonderful , and looked amazing.

This particular dish I tried was raw fillet of beef, layered with foie gras, garnished with a dice of beetroot and black radish. It was wonderful and needless to say not typical of what we normally eat!

I also got to see some award winning truffles, and learned a bit about them. Will be keeping my eyes open whilst out walking from now on!

This one was about the size of a tennis ball, and the ticket says it costs 800euros per kilo! That's about £660 per kilo!
At lunchtime I  sampled some more foie gras. This time I could choose between foie gras with fig, with champagne, or just plain old foie gras! I chose the one with figs and it was divine!

                                       Just couldn't resist taking a photo before I devoured it.

I finished up having another wander around the beautiful town of Sarlat and took some more photos.

Sarlat la Caneda and Beynac et Cazenac

We had a trip into Perigueux on Thursday afternoon and had a walk by the canal and into the 'old city'. The old quarter around the cathedral was lovely and needs exploring further... probably on market day. There is a cycle track along the river which we'll also leave for another time.

Yesterday the weather was hot and sunny so I took on the role of 'tour guide' and planned a trip to some of the villages that I'd heard about.
First we went to Sarlat la Caneda. It has a small walled centre and is very picturesque. Hard to take photos because the streets are so narrow and buildings are high. Definitely worth going back to once all the cafes are set up with chairs and tables out on the pavements.

This weekend they are having a Foie gras and Truffle festival. I can't resist tasting products like that, and we can't afford to buy such delicacies, so tomorrow I'm going back to watch some cookery demonstrations and to have some freebies!! I may be there a while!! Yum!!

After Sarlat we went to Beynac et Cazenac on the Dordogne river. This is one of  'les Plus Beaux Villages de France' , so it had high expectations, but it certainly delivered!

 

Taken from down by the river... and the view from the castle at the top...

 

 

In my humble opinion ... a completely gorgeous village, but the weather helped too!

 

The Dordogne

On Friday we arrived at l'Abyme, just about half an hour south of Perigueux. The property is
        beautiful and consists of an old manor house, two cottages and a studio apartment.

 Our home until the end of April is in one of the cottages. They were originally veal raising houses, but have been renovated to provide holiday accommodation. No guests are booked in until summer so we have the place to ourselves. There are barn owls living in the roof space, which we've heard but not seen yet.

 

We are helping with a few light gardening jobs like pruning, and laying a few patio slabs around the swimming pool. It's nice to have a bit to do. When the spring comes we'll mow the lawns and paint some shutters, but for now we're Lord and Lady of the Manor and are in charge of two cats and a gold fish! Nothing too taxing! Today I've made bread..... lovely! The owners are very nice people who have made us feel very welcome. We are looking forward to settling in and exploring the region.