Today was a good day

Posted by Rosie

To begin with, Droopy Drawer's 2 lambs are doing well - they are feeding well, starting to play (so sweet) and their eyes are looking better. Little Ben is also doing well despite being bottle fed and the piglets are getting brave enough to come out and play in the mud now.

Whilst in the lambing pens this morning I saw a car draw up, not one I recognised and it wasn't a local number plate. It turned out to be Tof and Manuji, the couple who were walking with their donkeys across Northern France and who had stayed with us back in the June. They had finished their journey in October and were now re-visiting people where they had stayed. It was lovely to hear all about their adventure and to see their wonderful photos. They also told us about friends of theirs who have a donkey sanctuary nearby and who offer donkey trekking, something that may be of interest to visitors to our gite. (A gite whose booking web page will be uploaded very soon I hasten to add!)

Just after lunch I sent the boys off to see if we had any post. Remember the hassle we were having in our efforts to get French Child Benefit. Today I received a letter confirming that our dossier was now complete and we are eligible for Allocations Familiales to the tune of 123.93€ per month and payments would be backdated to October 2007. Yipppeeeeee. The moral of the story there, don't give up even when you have received a refusal letter. Why it took us so long or was so difficult I will never know but we got there in the end.

It also looks like Simon has been having a bit of fun in England, chopping trees down and playing with his favourite chainsaw and seeing just how much stuff he can cram into a Renault Megane and still be able to shut the door!! I'm not sure even he could even fit in "just one more wafer thin mint!" (With thanks to Monty Python)