Day 42: A local walk

Just going for a walk around the local area - can't believe how quiet it is on a Saturday afternoon. I can count the number of people we pass on two hands! At one point we walk through the area where the market is held every Tuesday, but today it is empty except for a single goat wandering in and out of the empty stalls (which are just roughly constructed from pieces of bamboo tied together in a haphazard fashion). The goat stares at us, then turns and walks away, bleating. How did it get here? Why is it here? Why is there only one here and not more? The mind boggles. It is quite eerie walking through this place today when it is devoid of any activity - usually it would be oozing with life, the sound of animal noises competing with each other along with the shouting of the stall holders, the smells of lunch being cooked on open grills wafting through the air, seemingly thousands of people and sheep banging into each other as they go about their business. But today there is Nothing....

The site of the market

A solitary goat

We head along various paths which give us a view over our town and the mountains beyond, and then head back home through the fields adjacent to our home. I'm sure we can hear wild boar in the bushes...but it turns out to be some local lads having a laugh at our expense! Maybe one day we'll get to meet one - not face to face hopefully! As we enter the field at the bottom of our garden, we see the tractor which overtook us on the road. Said has arranged for a man to bring his tractor and plough attachment so the field can be ploughed ready for sowing seeds to be harvested next Spring. There is no ground frost here and winter is very short, so seeds are  planted in January/February. Now is the ideal time, therefore, to till the soil. To our surprise, there are many Egrets seemingly chasing behind the tractor. Said explains that when the soil is ploughed, it brings with it many insects to the surface on which the Egrets then feed. All new and interesting information to a city gal like me.

Tractor and Egrets

Looking for insects

Said's next job today is to chop the tree he felled this morning into pieces so we can have wood for our wood burner. He does not use a chainsaw for either the felling or the chopping - but simply an old grubbing mattock (not even the correct hand tool) which he uses to hack away at the tree trunk. Again we are reminded how easy we have it back home! He coaxes Mart to have a go - but after a few whacks he's had enough and leaves it to the expert.

Mart has a go

Leaving it to the expert!

Now we have our stock of wood - should it be needed - and are ready for winter. I almost wish it was colder so we could try the woodburner out...but not quite!