A quiet week - almost

It's all been very quiet this week since Jemima went back home on Tuesday evening. No problems this time with getting her to go --- she's a clever bird so probably understood the conversation about The New Pond when young Jack and his Ma came to fetch her. She certainly livened up the weekend and it was lovely having her come waddling speedily across every time I called her name - but I did think for a while she was going to disappear down the Church Field -- she spent so much time gazing through the fence!

Anyway, with the promise of The New Pond, off she went and we await reports.

Meanwhile, every day this week we have been muttering that now familiar refrain:"Must be any moment now!" Every morning The Big Boss has been greeted with the same question on coming in for breakfast: "What? Still no piglets!" As the days passed, our incredulity and anxiety mushroomed. Delila surely couldn't possibly go on any longer and by comparison, Lily is at least weeks away from farrowing.

Linda's first question when she arrived at 1 o'clock was :"Any news?" Nope. Not a sausage!

So at 2.15 pm I took this picture and, on showing it to the Boss, said "I cannot believe she can go a minute longer!" and then got on with exercising Gunner (hunting practice for Sunday). Still no piglets. So I got on with making the marmalade.

Just got to the critical part: "Add sugar and bring to the boil stirring continuously" when Linda came to the back door and yelled something that sounded a bit frantic. Radio was playing loudly and marmalade bubbling so I thought she said something about Pilot's leg doing something! So she repeated herself. Still we didn't get it! Decided to switch off the radio.

"Delila's having her piglets!" she said excitedly.... "saw a little red one......" That was the end of the marmalade for a while!

Off we all went to 'have a look' - and to exclude Samson from the scene of the action. He wasn't too pleased at having the connecting gate between what is now Delila's, and his, pen shut. But we placated him with fresh eggs and grass, which went some way to keeping him quiet. And then we peered tentatively at Delila's ark.

"She's got three little red ones.." Linda exclaimed in awe. But then we all got worried about a little one in the straw near the front of the ark and well away from the milk-bar.

After some worried umming and ahhing it was decided to have a go at putting the piglet back to Mum.... Linda got the job (she being the most agile.. and the only one who seemed totally unworried about proceedings.... must come from having worked for many years in a Vet. practice). That job done we all left Delila in peace......

And spent the next hour or two wondering "How many" there would be when we looked again. And Linda muttered something about it being a good job she was having to come back on Sunday to take care of things whilst we're off with The Bestest Gundog........