Not bad, not bad! It's obvious when you know - it's a ferradou, of course!
Here's the sign: < http://www.web-options.com/Ferradou.jpg > It says "This device or ferradou was used for shoeing oxen. It is situated on the fairground, near the public weighscale, where Florac's 13 annual fairs used to take place. There you could find 'beasts with horns' (bovines) and 'beasts with wool' (ovines), pigs, horses and all sorts of merchandise. In earlier times these fairs attracted the farming population from the surrounding area and made up an essential element of the economic and social life of the country. They were a place of exchange between neighouring regions. These days cattle are no longer traded in this way, but more modest fairs remain each month, such as a weekly market on Thursdays" Here's one in use in the Basque country in the 1970s, as photographed by William Albert Allard and published in his book "A Time We Knew": < http://www.web-options.com/Ferradou-1.jpg > Bob > > My first thought is that it is a milking station, but the location > seems odd, plus the structure is a bit too tall. And too complicated - > it shouldn't need that many adjustment points. Something having to do > with animal restraining though. > > stan > > On Jul 5, 2010, at 4:16 AM, Bob W wrote: > > > ...if you can identify this thing: > > > > < http://www.web-options.com/Boeuf-1.jpg > > > < http://www.web-options.com/Boeuf-2.jpg > > > < http://www.web-options.com/Boeuf-3.jpg > > > > > Hint: it's nothing to do with executing royalty, French, British or > > otherwise. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
