Swallowed whole

 Still in the clearing up phase of a month in France.

Disappointingly, the weather was not idyllic. Lots of rain.

Soggy fields, some with standing water where they adjoined the stream. Seems weather in France is just as odd as it is in England. It meant we had lots of log fires in the big log burner, and lots of  walks close to the house in case of sudden showers. We did quite a lot of gardening in between said showers, because it was pleasantly warm (in spite of the rain) and there were very few insects to annoy or bite us.

Everything grows at a fantastic rate  over there. There is heat, there is water and what more does a plant need to succeed? The soil is maybe stony and limestone in the Dordogne but that doesn't seem to matter.

We had some adventures with the local wildlife. Because the mill is set in the middle of rural fields and woods, there is a resident mouse population just waiting for the opportunity to break in. While the mill has been closed for quite a while, they had seized their opportunity - no doubt to get out of the rain!

One mouse was asleep in the wrapped up duvet in the cupboard and tumbled out when we unrolled it. Unfortunately for him, our dog leapt on it and we are not sure if she didn't swallow it whole. We found two more tucked up in the depths of the sofa, and this time they shot off at the speed of light in opposite directions, which confused Nala for long enough to make their escape. After that initial "contact" they never came back - that I know of! One was found floating in the pool the day after it was opened for the summer, so I guess there is now one lonely little mouse wandering around all alone. 

We had a fox in the garden that I never saw but Bill got a photograph of it in the middle of the field in the middle of the day. I did see the red squirrel bounding across from tree to tree. The coypu had  junior running alongside and since Bill did the early morning walks he saw a couple of deer.