Or, at least, it’s the eve of our two-day journey down to all the lambing action in Fanjeaux, France. Being the eve of our departure, the day has been largely taken up by fretting about what clothes to take, packing them, changing our minds and repacking. I jest; it really wasn’t that bad.
The biggest trouble is that we have absolutely no idea what we’re going to be asked to do by farmer Luc. On the romantic side, I have visions of being handed a shepherd’s crook and asked to stand guard over the flock keeping wandering wolves at bay. It can all start seeming very biblical in a mind as demented as mine. Given the time of year, any bright stars in the east being followed by three decidedly dusky kings are going to get me very excited. Should I actually chance to see a wandering pack of salivating wolves, I’ll probably drop said shepherd’s crook and run all the way back to Calais. 😯 Somewhat less romantically, maybe we’re going to be cleaning up the mess after the deliveries. Yukko! Who knows? Well, presumably Luc does.
Whatever we end up doing, we’re pretty excited about it all. Apart from the experience of doing something completely different, we’ll get to see an area of France that we love distinctly out of season.
The farm has wi-fi and I’m hoping we’ll find time in between maternity ward duties to post blog entries. Naturally our cameras are coming with us so there should be a chance for some decidedly embarrassing shots. I’m leaving the wellington boots at home in favour of a pair of steel toe-capped Caterpillar boots. If any ewe drops an overweight lamb on my foot, at least my toes’ll be safe. 🙂
Our ferry is at 9:15 AM tomorrow (Wednesday) and, with the dreadful weather pattern in which we find ourselves firmly locked, it promises to be an uncomfortable 90-minute crossing. However green-looking, it should get us into Calais at about midday local time and we are planning to drive as far as Orléans for our night stop, getting there at about 6:00 PM. If this accursed rain ceases, we may even get to see something of Orléans, which is new to us. On Thursday, Orléans to Fanjeaux should take about seven hours with rest breaks so we’ll hit the farm about 4:00 PM.
The only part of this whole adventure I am not looking forward to is getting up early for a 5:30 AM departure to Dover to board the ferry. Still, needs must.
Now, nurse, where do I scrub up ..?
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