Spending a bit of time in the Dordogne area with a cousin who has property here. Surrounded by Limousine cattle on very bare pastures. Apparently it has been hot and dry for some considerable time. They are feeding winter feed now.
Not only are they concerned about the drought here, but they are fed up with Brexit too!
Jack Caley
Jack we visited the Cantal in mid August. The volcanic mountains were short of rain then but nothing like the corridor of land from the Massif Central north to Paris. The latter hardly had a green shoot in sight. Cattle, mostly Charolais, were browsing hedge rows and being topped up with forage. Some of maize crops looked to be struggling.
The grain maize crop here is about ready to harvest, quite dry but small grains.Originally Posted by essexpete
We had some rain the other night, but not enough to have much effect.
We are enjoying ourselves, my cousin now have many local contacts, having bought a property to renovate here about 4 years ago. It is interesting and very fulfilling to be able to meet with ordinary people. There is however one overwhelming topic of conversation, regretably, that of Brexit and frustration with the political class. They are already very fed up with Makron who has removed some local taxes to gain central control. One gains the impression that similar to our referendum, ordinary people voted instinctively and democratically but are being betrayed by the political class , afraid of losing power and corruption.
It is an interesting journey, we move on to Italy very soon to see my sister in law, who also has very extreme views on Europes destruction of Italian economy.
Jack Caley.
a view from the other side of the pond - isn't Germany the driving force behind the EU? since they didn't succeed in dominating Europe with WWI and WWII, are they succeeding with the EU?
Germany is off course dominating Europe financially especially since the advent of the EU, but it is also unelected politicians from Poland, Luxembourg, and France who are calling the shots.
Countries like Hungary, Italy, Spain and Greece want more decentralised power, but are weak in terms of votes.
Jack Caley
Sounds like "Muttti" is having a few problems this week with her hotch-pot new government, might not be long before there's another German election followed by yet another long period of horse trading to form a government?
The best thing about Facebook is the logout button......
The fact is that Southern Europe has always relied on the North so supply the finances so they can have their siestas. There has long been a desire in Northern Italy for independence from the South. this has been averted by Rome politicians blaming Germany for its ills but the truth is that the south has always been undeveloped and of course the Mafia are under every stone.
Ixworth Solar Farming Ltd.
We have moved on, and we are now in the middle of Italy, near Perugia and Assisi. Staying with my sister in law, enjoying the different cultures of Italy against that of France. We got involved in the detour around the Genoa bridge, which cost time and 42 euros tolls!
We do feel at home though in rural Italy, the local roads are even worse than those at home. We have lost a rim embellished off, it is so rough!
Just up the road is a crop of sunflower waiting to be harvested, along with maize grain. They had started maize in France.
As regards the poverty in Southern Italy, it was ever thus.
As we drive back at the weekend, we are calling at the Caravaggi factory to spend some time with my young, (58), friend and business colleague, Valerio, who we have dealt with for 36 years. An exceptional man, innovative and a broad minded thinker.
That area still derives part of its heritage from the Hapsburg dynasty, and is or was the true industrial part of Italy.
Shall enjoy my visit, it is about 12 years since I was last there, my son now does the trips to Italy, you might even see him on Facebook, he was here last week collecting a couple of mill/mixers.
Report again soon,
Jack Caley
Thanks for your travelogue Jack; I'm enjoying reading them. I remember seeing some sunflower crops as we travelled by train from Rome to Milan a couple of months ago, a very enjoyable journey.
JV
Agtronix - the home of the Weedswiper
Another thumbs up Jack.
Thank you, not to go on too much, but I am enjoying travelling around, although it is a little difficult in my disabled state.
As I travel I reflect on the huge improvements that Europe has made in the last 50 years. It has recovered from the devastation of the Second World War and has moved on mostly from being a medieval state.
It is a great pity it was not allowed to be satisfied as a Common Market, but has carried to be a political plaything with all its restrictions on individual state freedoms to conduct their own economies.
Everyone I meet is totally sick of the infantile behaviour of power mad politicians.
I am reading a book as I travel that describes the great escapes of the war across the Pyrenees and across the mountains just south of where I am, the tales of supreme endeavour and sacrifice of ordinary people. Ordinary people, just like the ordinary people who voted instinctively on Brexit.
Oh well we have done just under 1600 miles up to now, in our German car, we start to travel back Friday, through Italy, France, and Belgium, we shall miss Luxembourg, even though it flouts all the rules and flogs cheap fuel!
Cosmopolitan, Yorkshire lad,
Jack Caley
I've just picked up this thread after being too busy this last while to catch up on the BFF. Interesting to hear of your travels Jack and the views and perceptions of people from other nations in the EU. I would assume that if the questions were asked of a wider audience you would get a split like we have in UK with certain areas within the individual countries swinging from one side to the other. Keep the reports coming.
I suppose you are correct, there will be splits, just as the vote in the U.K. Was close.
There is also the fact that our contacts are inevitably not totally random.
However my cousins husband in France was the European manager for Simplex milking machines, and travelled all over Europe. He makes a point of integrating in France, uses local tradesmen and mixes extensively locally, thereby getting a broad based impression. His impression of Makron comes from his relationship with the local mayor. Makron has taken away local taxes and centralised power, as is the European socialist way.
My sister in law idolises the new Italian boss who is definitely anti European. After 40 years in Italy she is now thinking of returning to live in England.
To reinforce what I have said previously, the Europe I travel in now is a credit to Europe, just a pity the politicians are making a mess of it!
Jack Caley
Some reading about the ongoing French Drought - chrome will translate if required.
https://www.reussir.fr/bovins-viande...:097BT2ED.html
French drought -> market opportunity for British farmers?
Hope I am not boring people, but I will add a little to my travelogue.
I am now writing in my hotel bedroom close to the Caravaggi factory in order to have lunch with Valerio, or Gian Paulo Caravaggi tomorrow, and pick up a couple of gearboxes for our stock of spares at home!
We have driven today, about 5 hours, from Perugia, which is about an hour from Rome. The route takes you forever through a mountain range before emerging on the very flat area near Bologna. The last time I drove this route it would take far longer. There is an absolute succession of tunnels some of them problems 6 kilometres long, many of them built recently I think. You realise the contrast from the mountains by the miles of absolutely flat agricultural land, growing a huge variety of crops, including, I think, rice. Maize, sunflower, grapes, some olives but not many, and I think some soya.
We left the mountains but I am not far now from the Alps, again in a tremendous mixture of Industrial Italy and flood irrigated agriculture growing a full two crops a year. The water comes down off the Alps and is managed cooperatively in its distribution.
Years ago land here was £30000 an acre!
The soil has every appearance of being totally exhausted, huge clots, very pale in appearance but it still grows huge crops! Makes you wonder about Mr Gove and his drive to preserve our soils for posterity!
Probably said enough now, again hope I am not boring you all ,and that they are getting on drilling winter wheat at home!
Jack Caley
Got back home on Tuesday morning ferry from Zeebrugge, having done 2800 miles.
Rather tired when we got back, it has taken some time to settle down, and try to get back to normal.
Now I feel like I might draw some conclusions on my trip, I hope I do not bore you.
Overall it has been a wonderful trip, revisiting old haunts, and enjoying new developments.
It has been great enjoying the different cultures and practices. We should rejoice in Viva la Difference!.Belgiums flat lands, brick farmhouses, roads, roads, roads, followed by France. You have got to love the French, they do what they want and know what they want! They want their French bread, their stinky toilets and their beautiful countryside! One downer, I visited Nice about 58 years ago, on a Comet holiday for a week in a gorgeous small hotel on the seafront, travelling by train to Heathrow, including passport, cost me £38, yes thirty eight pounds!
We called in Nice on the way to Italy, what an awful place it is now! Three huge white hotels of about 2000 bedrooms each, terrible traffic, and expensive bed for the night!
Italy is yet something different, we got mixed up in the bridge at Genoa, cost us 42 euros to go round it, but when we got the mountains it is something better with miles and miles of new tunnels. The roads in Italy are worse than our local roads here at East Newton!
My visit to the Caravaggi factory was great, they made me feel very welcome, after about twelve years since I was last there. It now takes about 4 to 5 acres!
Return back through France through all those huge farming areas is swift and enjoyable.
To reflect a little and draw a conclusion, it was sad to come back to all this Brexit shit.
What a wonderful achievement Europe has been for the last 50 years!,
Why should politicians spoil it in trying to make everyone conform and lose their delightful individuality?
I feel really sad, that I cannot take them all up in a bag, shake them all up and then drown them in a pond!
End of story for today, got some good French cheese!
Jack Caley
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