La Basse-Cour was a working farm until it came into our hands. Although the rest of the land that originally went with the farm was sold separately, we still have one five-acre field.
Originally the field would have been an orchard, filled with trees producing apples for cider and calvados. Ten years ago there were just two trees left standing. Now there is just one solitary, ancient tree. It still produces a good crop of apples every year, but they are far too bitter to eat.
A couple of forays with a metal detector have revealed small items probably left over from 1944, but also revealed that the land has never been ploughed. The topsoil is very thin, with slate and rocks not far beneath the surface. As a result it drains very quickly.
Just about the only disadvantage of owning the field is what to do with it. We have loaned it to a local smallholder who used it for sheep and another local farmer has been mowing it for hay twice a year.
Now, however, it is to become home for a few Carmargue horses. They're not in residence yet, but the owner has spent some time taming the wilder parts of the field and it's now looking immaculate.One corner had grown waist-high weeds over discarded bits of corrugated iron and fencing, left by our erstwhile sheep farmer. The other farmer didn't want to risk his machinery by mowing where he knew these discarded bits and pieces were lying around, so nature took over. Now, though, it's open again and we can see the wall that divides our field from the garden of our neighbour.
