theonlyD800inthehameau
Photography by theonlydeadheadinthehameau
Cellpic Sunday: Just visiting
Posted on September 20, 2026
Down in la France profonde, statistically you’re far more likely to see a sheep than a human being: homo sapiens is very much in the minority around these parts.
Of course, we see (and hear) sheep all the time, but not often at such close quarters as was the case last Sunday afternoon. It being still warm and sunny, as usual we had the back door open and I was a little surprised to glance out and see, no more than twenty feet away, eleven ewes quietly cropping what remains of our grass.
They’re certainly not ours and we immediately suspected that they belonged to our nearest neighbour. They’re usually penned in a field on the other side of the road, but had perhaps decided on such a nice day to go for a stroll in the countryside. Anyway, they mooched and munched about for half an hour or so and then trotted off back to base, as quietly as they came.
Pity they didn’t eat the weeds, though.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Habitat
Posted on July 2, 2024
My regular reader (sic) may recall that where we live in the depths of rural France is very much sheep country. I’d estimate that most of the local farmers have at least some sheep as part of their agricultural ‘portfolio’, so to speak, although none of them do so on what you might call an industrial scale.
Our nearest neighbour and her late husband were full-time sheep farmers, albeit only on a modest scale. Their flock used to graze in our fields, which certainly kept the undergrowth under control. Now retired, she still has a small flock of maybe ten ewes, more as a hobby than anything else.
Their new habitat is a field just across the road from our house, from where they view me, should I happen to pass by, with a mixture of curiosity and contempt, as I wrote about here.
Street scene with stray sheep
Posted on May 24, 2024
This is the road that, about a mile and a half further on, eventually gets to the hamlet that we call Tranquility Base.
The sheep isn’t supposed to be there of course, but it’s not at all uncommon around here to come across one that’s managed to escape from wherever it’s meant to be.
Cellpic Sunday: The Uninvited Guest
Posted on January 28, 2024
As I’ve mentioned on many occasions, out here in the sticks we are surrounded by sheep. They easily outnumber the human population, not only of our commune but all those for miles around.
The nearest sheep to our house are actually just across the road – a small flock of about a dozen that belong to our neighbour. This ewe must have been feeling particularly adventurous, because it somehow slipped through the gate or over the fence (or under – they can be quite enterprising sometimes, although mostly they’re just terminally thick) and came trotting down the side of our house. She cropped some grass and then turned round and went back home.
Mind the sheep
Posted on November 17, 2023
The back road up through Chansigaud can be a handy short cut sometimes, depending on where we’re off to. Sometimes, though, the best-laid plans can be thwarted if the local farmer happens to be moving one of his flocks to a new pasture at the same time…
Lambing Time
Posted on September 8, 2022
Out here in rural France, we’re surrounded by nature of course. That doesn’t mean it’s all idyllic, but it’s hard to take a walk during lambing time in spring and not feel, at least for a minute or two, that all’s well with the world.
March’s Last Photo
Posted on April 1, 2022
Spring is upon us, and in a field next to our local déchetterie (recycling point) here are the lambs to prove it.
Shear Hard Work
Posted on July 30, 2021
A sheep shearer shows off his skills at a village display in nearby Saint-Martial-sur-Isop.
Circulation Perturbée
Posted on March 6, 2020
Down here in la France profonde, the more common causes of circulation perturbée (traffic problems) – such as roadworks or a jack-knifed lorry – are just as likely to be supplemented by finding yourself on a country road behind a local farmer in the process of moving his flock of sheep from one field to another.
The ubiquitous white van is the modern-day sheepdog.
Tuesday Photo Challenge: Common
Posted on December 17, 2019
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