It's Tour de France time and of course the spotlight is on the cows of France
(oh, and the farmers' displays, crazy crowds, acrobatic mechanics, homicidal cars, pretty fields, ambulances - and ... what was it ....um....aha! men riding bikes!!).
Here are two stories about non-French cows.
First, the classic inspirational and moooving tale of bovine revolution: Cows with Guns.
Second, a precious story from Peacehaven, Wales (from BBC News* - it has to be true ...)
Runaway cow herd takes over Tredegar street
A quiet street in Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, was invaded by a herd of cows which trampled on gardens and peered into windows, say residents. The 20 cattle escaped from their nearby paddock and decided to feast on front lawns and flowers in Peacehaven.
Residents are used to straying sheep but say the rogue cattle have become a nuisance. Resident Sonya Gould, 70, said: “We are used to having pints of milk delivered to our doorstep but not the whole cow. ”They were everywhere. We are all treading cow muck into our carpets because it’s all over our garden paths.
“We held a fund-raising event to plant flowers around the communal gardens but the cows have eaten them all.” The cows also caused consternation by leaving cowpats on garden paths and trampling over lawns in the incident at the end of last week. Ann Ingram, who was woken up by the cows mooing, said: “It used to be sheep, and that’s bad enough, but cows are a whole different kettle of fish.
“It’s frightening for many of the older people here to have cows walking down the street, peering in their windows, it’s ridiculous. They’re obviously big animals, and an elderly person can’t just shoo them off – there’s no telling what an animal might do.”
People living in Peacehaven have brought in the council in a bid to get the herd to move back to their paddock. A spokesperson for Blaenau Gwent Council said: “We’ve done our utmost to tackle this problem, and have responded to all call-outs. We continue to monitor the situation at least once a week and any roaming animals will be impounded.”
The council added that they may take legal action against the farmer if he is unable to keep his cows under control.
(For this story, thanks to http://www.lesvachesdutour.com - the essential daily guide to the Tour de France.)
