Tuc de la Messe 2443m

It seems like half a lifetime since we've been in the mountains. Heat, drought, mountain fires, caring for the sheep, and FCO have all intervened. Finally we decided to get out and up. Tristan and Agi were going to join us but their dog injured it"s paw. We too have more sheep ill with FCO, but finally we decided to go.

Not too early a start but quickly up the climb from Col de la Core

Amazing light pinpointing a fisherman at the Etang d'Eychelle

Col de le Crouzette - hardcore

Pressing onto the summit 

still pressing on! 

Almost there... 

On the top....good going

We were caught up and over taken by a couple of runners just below the col de la Crouzette, but changed places several times during the day. Below are some photos for you.

Just when the summer couldn't get much worse.....

Blue-tongue (or FCO) has hit SW France again. Our sheep have been vaccinated against FCO 1 in March and FCO 3 on July 24. Unfortunately it takes 4 weeks for full immunity and even though we're at 3 1/2 weeks that hasn't been enough to protect William who has a temperature of 42 and is laid low isolated in the barn. We're treating him with anti inflammatory injections and keeping him hydrated with honey and water but we lost 6 sheep in 2024 to the same virus.  

Sasha was under the weather 4-5 days ago but her temperature was normal and she seems fine today. Nouie was looking a bit lethargic yesterday and coughing this morning so we're treating him as a precaution and keeping a close eye on him.

Hoopoe

We don't often get Hoopoes here at Quélébu, but I spotted one hanging around the last few days and managed to get some photographs.

using its long bill to prob for grubs...

...got one!

Not so well camoflaged in the trees.

 

Augusts compared

2017 (after cutting hay in July)

2016 (without any cutting)

2026 (without any cutting)

Dry

Another ten days have passed and we've had two small showers, the temperatures remain in the high thirties....is there no end to this??

We've managed to get the sheep to stay in a field overnight so at least they have had some room rather than being shut in the bergerie. It's taken lots of evening walks to find forage, the promise of regular sheep nuts, better electric fences and me barking like a rabid dog to keep them in! 

Little has changed in the last two weeks since the previous post. The weather remains hot, there's been no rain and although the fire at Uchentein was put out another has started at the Col de Pause. The sheep have been in the bergerie living off hay and supplements for the past two and half weeks as there is nothing to eat in the fields. Rain is forecast this week...we 're keeping our fingers crossed, but it will be a long time before the scorched fields recover.