Ferme de la Madeleine

When I told the kids we were going to be staying in a place called the Madeleine Farm for half term break in October, they wondered if it was a farm where the little madeleine cakes came from. No, but that does sound nice! If only little cakes and pastries grew on vines, I might be a farmer, too! But it was pretty cool that we would be spending the week in a place bearing the same name and spelling as our Madeleine. She has become quite the Francophile. She is even learning French in school, her room decor is French-inspried, and she generally loves everything delicately French.



Our experience staying in a charming ancient farmhouse on a real working farm in a tiny village in the southwest region of France, known as the Languedoc, was truly memorable. I have seen the vast majority of France, but we settled on France for this trip because we had such a remarkable experience in France on another trip one October. Europe is truly glorious this time of year. Scott was keen to see some of the south, and since I hadn't been to the southwest we set our sights on the Langeudoc, which sits more or less just between Provence and reaches down towards Spain and the Pyrenees along the Mediterranean Sea. We were able to get out and see many interesting cities and historical sights all over the region, but the farm experience is what really set this trip apart.



This farm and all of the structures thereon predate the French revolution. The couple who let the villa we stayed in own and operate the farm, aka the farmers. She is English, but has lived in France for 33 years. He is French and a descendent of the same family that has run this farm for centuries. He and his mother, who also lives on the farm, didn't speak a word of English, which was actually a fun challenge for me. Everywhere I go in France I muster up the courage to give my rusty French a go, and so often it is met with responses in English that A. totally deflates what little confidence I had summoned and B. makes it too easy to just forget it about and carry on with English instead. Here, I hadn't a choice. I so appreciated this opportunity, and let my guard down and let the rusty French flow out of my mouth all week long. It had me wishing I could spend a year in this tiny town so that I could really fortify my French.



The villa we stayed in has seen a complete renovation since the days when its centuries past resident, Madeleine, lived there. It is perfectly rustically charming from floor to ceiling. I was in visual overload when we first stepped in. Its sole purpose is now a holiday rental to generate extra income for this farming family. It is a massive place with 5 bedrooms, three bathrooms and enough seating for an army. It also has a large outdoor space, and is surrounded by the farm on one side and open farmland countryside on the other. The villa also comes with its own pool and an abundance of outdoor dining and seating. I counted 54 proper indoor/outdoor dining spaces alone! It certainly had us wishing family or friends could have joined us on this trip! The farmhouse experience was about so much more than just the cool house and surrounding countryside. Tasting of real farming life was an unforgettable experience, so trust me when I say the best part of this blog post is definitely being saved for last!












































Views from our bedroom window . . .














Fresh eggs from the farm . . .


















It was a bit too cold for the pool, but the first half of the week it was just warm enough that the foolhardy wouldn't refuse . . .










Wandering the open farmland was so freeing.






















One of our most favourite memories of the trip is the night we played card games by the pool, and then turned the pool lights off spread out on the poolside lounge chairs to star gaze. It's amazing what stars you can see in the country. It was such a cool experience sitting there in the quiet dark under the stars with my family, one of those moments you'd just like to bottle up and keep forever.


We concluded the evening with hot cocoa and madeleine cakes







So this isn't just a pretty house set in the beautiful countryside. It's on a working farm. I didn't know what kind of farm it was when I booked. I really didn't know what we were in for, but boy were we in for a surprise! Walking up to the main farm buildings where the real work goes on it was clear what kind of farm was being run here. Be sure you have the sound turned WAY up when you view this; it's the only way you'll get a true sense of this experience . . .




So I won't be winning any videographer awards with this, but I had to post it. It was so loud in there that you literally had to yell to get anyone to hear you. I have never seen or heard or smelled such a thing. I was taken a back when I first turned the corner into the barn and was faced with all these hundreds of sheep! What was more incredible is that we arrived just at the tail-end of lambing season, so there were hundreds of tiny baby sheep. Without a doubt the absolute favourite part of the trip for the kids was getting to be among the sheep and helping the farmers with their chores. Dallin was in heaven, and was so good to help Trevon who was initially a bit afraid to have any sort of contact with the sheep. Madeleine was a big help during feeding time, and I saw mothering instincts in her that I had never seen before. It was very rewarding to see the kids experiencing such a unique and special opportunity, an experience we never would have had staying at a hotel.






















Hungry little lambs will poke around at anything that they suspect or hope might offer a drink, shall we say, too funny!


Farmer's crack














With farmer Sara learning to feed the sheep


Night feedings begin with pellets that must be kept close to the pens using brooms; the kids were a great help!


Only at mealtime are they quiet!


From what I could tell having a lambing farm is like running a maternity ward! Daytime and nighttime feedings and tending to needy sheep practically round the clock! I have a whole new respect for farmers across the board. The sheer amount of work, even with modern technology's help, is truly unreal.










Lambing is the primary operation here, but the farming continues with goats, pigs, chickens and rabbit.


Oink oink!


The reality of farming animals



More to come on our tour of southwestern France . . .