Cast ne’er a clout ’til May is out, so they say. So I perspired all through the heatwave that was May, not casting any clouts. Come 1st June I cast in gay abandon, socks, liberty bodices and vests all put away until November. Hah ! Then Mother Nature played a rotten trick, throwing us back to March so I had to get all my ‘clouts’ out again !! Accu Weather, Weather Channel and all the others, you are getting money for old rope !!
I often get calls from all over France from English speaking people looking to adopt and who just don’t realise the vast distances from one area of the country to another. No offence but often foreigners seem to think that the Lot is just a short drive from Paris. My advice is always the same, if you are not prepared, or don’t have the time, to drive a long way and perhaps even stay overnight (many lovely people in fact do just that), go to a nearby vet and ask for details of a good refuge. Vets often know of dogs still in families but who need another home. This often happens when elderly people go into a home and there is no-one to take care of the beloved pooch.
Adoptions were excellent in June and I just can’t wait for Pheobus and Etain to find great homes, both are really super dogs who have not had a great time up to now, in fact quite the opposite, so they deserve to find happiness. Opale too, she was abandoned when in pup and was, understandably, very wary of humans, only Danielle being allowed to go anywhere near her babies. That gradually changed as the pups got more and more demanding (!) and she is now in need of a home where all the attention will be on her. She is quite happy being the only dog and does not need – or want I think – canine company.
Here at Poorpaws lots of discussions are going on as to the possibility of the Autumn Book Sale. With the current restrictions it is not possible and we have to wait until 11th July to see what the next level of deconfinement brings. In any case we have to take into consideration many things. We would not be able to do lunches, drinks would be in paper -please god not plastic – cups, movement around the hall would probably need to be socially distanced, masks obligatory, gloves optional, hand sanitisers everywhere, the list goes on. Of course the joy of book sales is picking up, flicking through and making your choice so it would be impossible to ensure the cleanliness of the books. We would NOT take books on the day, all donations would have to be with us at least three weeks before. Then, of course, would people come ?! The majority of our customers are in the vulnerable age group – as are most of your book sale team – so are they really going to want to go into a hall with lots of other people ? We muted the idea of a two day sale to spread out a bit, but I think people would want to come on the first day to get a better choice. (This idea gave us another, when things return to ‘normal’ we may have two day sales with just coffee and biscuits on the second day and books half price.) What do you think ?
So nothing decided as yet so keep an eye on the website for the updates. If the sale does not go ahead but the Montcuq Vide Grenier does, we will have our usual clothes stalls PLUS book stalls.
I had a treat last week, Olivia’s sister Willow came to stay for a couple of nights. Stupidly I was sure they would be all over each other, but not so. Willow is taller than Olivia but with shorter fur and had a dreadful experience a while ago when she decided to add garden toad to her diet ! She was dreadfully ill and her owners had a very anxious time, but St. Cadbury was obviously looking over her ! 
Love,
Sue x