What is the weather like there? General Chat

We are having all seasons in one month.
Hot, torrential rain with thunder and lightening, overcast but warm, now sunny but the heating is on. Never know what to put on!

The last time I went into Villefranche de Rouerge our nearest town was just over 2 weeks ago and the time before that was about 3 weeks. the last visit the town was quite busy and hardly anybody wore a face mask. The only other time I go out is to take Tootsy for a walk, that's every other day. We are very remote so I never come across other walkers which is fine by me.
We tend to grow our own fresh produce in our veggy plot. We aren't that good at it, never managed to grow a good carrot in my life, but do get a reasonable amount of home grown. We also have chickens and our newest members of the family 4 baby chicks. We did have 8 but the mum accidentally squished 4 of them. The remaining 4 are pretty strong now so hopefully there will be no more squishing.. I will try and take a couple of photos....NOT of the squishing…. of the garden....
Help needed...Tootsy keeps getting Tics. There are fields nearby where they keep sheep, I think this is where she acquires them. My way of getting rid of them is to gently part the hair around the tic then very quickly pinch and pull it off. I had a special tool but that was rubbish. 80% of the time I get the heads out but occasionally one gets stuck in. Has anyone got any good removal ideas , NOT including flea and tic removal treatments which I have used in the past but they never seem to last for long and I don't like the idea of dosing Tootsy up with strong chemicals all the time...

We don't get ticks round here but I have a pair of tick tools just in case. I bought the green plastic ones but wish I'd waited as there is a metal one on Beagle Welfare shop, which looks neater and fits onto your keyring! I am told that the secret is to always twist them in an anti-clockwise direction, but can't claim to have done it!
The only tick I have ever had to remove was almost 40 years ago. It was on my daughter's chest, and I'm sorry to say that I scorched it with a cigarette - which I now know could have been very dangerous! My poor kid was terrified.

I live in a very wooded area, so ticks just come with the territory. I give my dogs NexGard, which kills fleas and ticks, once they bite the dog. I am feeding them poison but without it they would have many swollen ticks on them. I don’t feel great about giving it too them, but I feel like it’s better than the alternative. I don’t do it year round, just during tick season.

The only time there is a risk of ticks is if my yards have not been sprayed and the weeds start taking over - as the yards are unfenced and there are loose/stray/dumped dogs wandering around they might bring them in. So I have two types of tick removers - the normal plastic ones which come in sets of two sizes, and also a couple that look like ballpoint pens. You push down one end and a very fine nylon loop comes out of the other, which you place round the tick. When the push down thing is released, the loop tightens like a noose, twist and the tick is removed.

But I have never had to use either type as I used Frontline Spot-on on both Lexi and Pereg, doing it on the 1st of every month except for December and February. Tikva's coat is too short for me to get the drops on her skin, so she gets a Bravecto tablet every three months. It does not seem to bother her and so far she has not picked up any ticks or fleas.

The only time mine used to get ticks was when we went on holidays, we just used tweezers and gently pulled it out.

I hate Tics...……..

At just gone 1am the temperature in my salon is 29°C and I have the a/c on. Tomorrow's forecast is for 40° and they reckon this heatwave will go on until next weekend.

The forecast for this week:

• Monday will be partly cloudy or clear, with heavy to extreme heat around the country.
• Tuesday, there will be oppressive to extreme heat around the country, and there may be haze.
  
• Wednesday, the heat will be oppressive to extreme around Israel, and there may be haze in most areas of the country.
• Thursday will see a slight drop in temperatures along the coastline and in the lowlands, but the heat will remain oppressive to extreme around the country.
• According to the Israel Meteorological Service, the heat wave will continue until Friday, and will only break on Shabbat.

Come back winter, all is forgiven.

I'm presuming that it must be very warm in Israel!
It is still variable here, it can be very warm in the sun, but soon obscured by cloud.
Ideal dog walking weather.

Carole - it is bluddy diabolical, and it is only just half way through May.

Report from the J-m Post [the previous one was from Aruz Sheva]

Tikki rushes out to pee or poo then rushes back in again. The concrete must burn her poor little feet, and no grass in my yards either, only rock solid earth and stones.

A couple of photos..... Tootsy and chicks....you can only just see the chicks.....back garden... Tootsy on back wall...

Can you see the man in the background of the Tootsy on wall photo. That's Allain our hamlet neighbour scrumping cherries, I didn't see him there when I took the photo.... and yes I went and scrumped a load of cherries too, they were luvly….

One more for luck... they don't seem very sharp, I have shaky hands.. and a nice shot of the washing line too...lol...

In the first photo you can just make out the mother, she is a Brahma chicken, a very large breed. She has big fluffy feet, ideal for stomping on baby chicks. You'll be pleased to hear the remaining 4 are all doing really well....

I've tried to enlarge it so you can see her a little better.... Sorry I know this isn't a chicken forum but Carole asked for a photo....

What a lovely corner of the world you have found Andrew. Lovely pictures of Tootsie too, she is gorgeous.

Wonderful pictures Andrew, thank you. Tootsie is as adorable as ever and I am green with envy of your glorious garden - especially of the shady parts!

How are the chicks doing - I hope big Momma has not stomped on them,

It must still be very hot outside as it feels nice and cool in my salon with the a/c temperature set at 28°C! The rest of the bungalow is like an oven but I cannot afford to put all the a/c units on - I am not sure whether my single-phase electricity could handle it if all were on at the same time, although I will put the kitchen one on when I go in to sort out my [very late] lunch.

Wow! A little cooler here today, 21° in the shade.

As the forecast promised, the heatwave has broken and it is comfortably warm-but-not-too-hot. The problem today is wind, blowing in dust and sand which seems to get everywhere.