Early Christmas

Last week the butcher told Angie he would have a lamb to butcher at Christmas. Today picked  up the spoils. The butcher is happy we take the bones as he would otherwise have to dispose of them in the bin. He only seems to have a lamb twice a year, at Easter and Christmas, I suspect on special order and not for the shop.

Lamb is very seldom seen in a normal German butcher and I only remember seeing a whole leg of lamb in a very big supermarket in Memmingen when it was a Walmart who had more "international" choice than a typical supermarket. It was of course from NZ. Do sometimes see a small pack with two lamb chops. I don't remember seeing it on the menu anywhere. The one and only time I did roast leg of lamb was about 15 years ago.

In the village we had a guy who kept a flock but he gave up 3 or 4 years ago, was probably a good decision but won't go in to that. There are a very few shepherds who are mainly used to keep areas free of growth along rivers or on certain hilly areas not suitable for cows. Seeing sheep is about as rare as seeing a wild boar.

We visited the vet in the morning to get a replacement tube of eye ointment. She said we shouldn't pay for it yet until we had done a re-run of yesterdays walk in the hope of finding the lost bag. Sadly not found. It was a beautiful sunny day with the thermometer trying to hit the 15°C mark! Was a shame we had to walk in the forest instead of tanking up with sun rays.

Back home gave the "dogs a bone" and froze the rest which they will probably get once a week over the next few weeks. The handful of small and broken bones have been boiled up for a sauce which the dogs love on their normal food.

Last year I reported on the 72 year old man from near here who forecasts the weather for the winter based on the state of the Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) flowers on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary which was on 15th August this year. He claimed another winter with little snow and he ruled out the early October snow as well as the late Easter snow we had last year and which he both forecast in August 2013. He says after the Winter solstice we could have a little snow, perhaps the odd 5cm but only enough to annoy car drivers. He claims winter will be finished in March and no snow at Easter, which often happens . Spring comes very late here in Bavaria often end of April.

For those interested the principal is to read the stems from bottom to top of the flower head. The bottom is October, the top April. Flower blooms along the stem show how much snow, full bloom means lots of snow, barely open little. Have to admit I don't remember seeing any blooms on ours this year.