Performing piglets!

Things are getting back to normal again after a hectic 10 days.

As if it was not enough rounding up the ducks who had decided to give Jemima a little more space, we had another bout of 'preparing piglets for the show' and my 3-day equestrian activity jamboree plus, of course, saying farewell again to Jemima at the end of the week.

She was in no mood to leave us this time. Despite her initial scepticism about sleeping in the Poultry Palace, the next evening I was amazed to see her waddling purposefully behind all the others when they went to bed. Straight in the PP, quacking loudly as ever, and there she stayed. Never again to return to her splendid, but solitary, Boudoir. Unlike last time, when she kept herself quite aloof, she palled up with our own White Duck and they were often to be seen daydreaming together in the shade.

So perhaps it was not surprising that she was in no hurry to go home when the Morris family came to collect her. Unusually deaf to their calls, she also turned surprisingly blind - refusing to recognise them for quite a while. Eventually, though, she capitulated and - I'm told - after a night in her own garden-pen, she was back to her old self: loudly demanding her own pond I've no doubt!

Delila and Scratchy performed for the crowds at Walcott Country Day throughout most of Sunday - alternately playing football (Scratchy quickly got the hang of heading and kicking the ball - Delila was less interested - "Not a gilt thing" she said!), rootling and chasing each other around. And inbetween, when the crowds thinned out, they collapsed into a heap and slept the sleep of the just....... fagged out! Delila is turning into quite the Madam; she almost didn't want to leave her paddock for the stalls before the show; took her time ambling into the limousine on the appointed morning and was contrary about who could and could not stroke or scratch her throughout the day ! But when it came to going home time and she saw the limousine draw up she was as loud as Scratchy in her eagerness to get in. Might have had something to do with the fact that their tea was in there I suppose...........

As is his wont now, Gunner escorted the piglets to, and guarded them at, the show. He proved to be quite a hit too and our honorary pighand for the day - young Andrew, who was accompanying his grand-dad (who had a fascinating collection of antique farmyard tools on display) was particularly taken with him. Which was a good thing really because by the end of the day Gunner, previously wary, was quite used to 'children'! I think Andrew would have liked

to take him home, although his first question was: "Are we going to take one of these pigs home tonight Grand-dad?"

(Now that's the sort of customer we need!)

As for the equestrian jamboree - well that's a tale for another day.