Up ended cow?…. Attacked by sanglier!
Night time can be a period of rural tranquility. The calm only disturbed by the rustling of the leaves and the hooting of the occasional owl . This summer we didn’t even get our nightingale or night jar serenading us ; perhaps along with the disappearing swallows, they are another casualty of climate change .
We are close to a pop concert venue ( Chateau Valmy ) and previously , for three days in July we were entertained by the luminaries of pop music , from Sting to Elton John , to name but a few ; well I could only name a few! Our generational singers have retired or died out ; except those who continually return on yet another farewell tour . This year the mega event at Valmy too had retired , to be replaced by ‘ Bacchus’ ; renditions of music but supported by numerous wine cellars , and their wine ! What else in France . Wine was good ; not sure about the music .
So then peace returned until the other night , with Valmy playing host to a two day disco rave supported by a myriad of famous DJ s ; famous that is to those under 30 ! Entry was only 45 euro ; but we didn’t need to pay as in the calm evenings we could listen , or rather couldn’t avoid the incessant beat . It gets a bit catchy after the first hour . Then finally the tourists leave and we return to calm ; except that is for the one left behind !
An evening visitor peered in ; is that a dog was exclaimed ! Yes, a Jack Russell ; and what a friendly thing he was too, clearly lost and seeking shelter and companionship. In the absence of appropriate food , he was entertained to boiled rice with Oxo, followed by yoghurt with raspberries , and manchego to finish . This dog was going nowhere else!. The contact number on his collar elicited no response . We assumed perhaps it was disco revellers flaked out , so he settled in for the night . We tried outside , but then after an hour he found his howl ; so yours truly had to sleep on the settee to provide him company . The next day the revellers awoke and with tears of joy reclaimed their pet ; just as well as we were contemplating providing a permanent home for this charming stray.
The following night six more vagrants strayed into our space ; but this time silently . Weighing at 50 some kgs , that was quite an achievement . These were juvenile sanglier who had arrived for their feast , the animal jungle messaging had worked for them . This time they were after our ripe prickly-pear . Earlier that day I had collected a few , very carefully with leather gloves and tongs . They are covered in nasty looking spikes and very aptly named . Dissection revealed a little fruit and loads of seeds. What I managed to recuperate tasted of papaya ; which I don’t like sufficiently to marinate with tequila; as recommended in the P&O magazine. They were left outside the front door , as it turned out as olfactory signal to new guests.
We are surrounded with a robust wire fence which transmits 14,000 volts as an additional deterrent . It works well for humans and other sensitive creatures , but sanglier must be thick skinned ; both inside and out . They crossed it and then decimated the cactus and ate all the prickly pears , spikes too! Searching for dessert they rotavated the boarders and were starting on our apology for a lawn . They ignored the security flood lights , and my flash photography ; but ran off after few chosen expletives were hearled in their direction. They returned again the following night. Have ordered security detectors which bark , hoping that may save the garden .
