Raining - pigs and ducks

It's that time of year again......Nothing but rain, rain and more rain. Mud, mud and more mud. Horses wade through squelchy globs of the stuff on their way to and from their field. Pigs puddle up their pens in ever greater degrees - yet still manage to rootle down to some dry stuff each day - not much of which is ever apparent when feeding time comes round and we wade in to find their bowls! The chickens have taken to spending most of the day in the Poultry Palace and only the ducks and young piglets truly seem to be enjoying themselves.
Despite the conditions, or maybe even because of them, The Big Boss decided Friday last was the time to move The Puddings (aka Delila's weanlings) from the stalls to the Big Outdoors. The gundog and I got home from our days' work to find the job done and the little ones safely esconced in their new quarters. Surprisingly (!??) they were not all that keen to leave the dry, if boring, indoors and a couple had to be
Linda-handled into the trailer before the rest could be persuaded! But once out they wasted no time in getting truly dirty and now they all look like little chocolate puds..... (Strangely, pigs and chocolate are a "theme of the moment"....... but more of that another day).

The brood of late ducklings too have lost all their fluffy down and grown into beautiful young birds so I decided today that it was time they left the safety of the baby-pen and joined the rest of the flock.
After some initial shyness they were quickly into the deep water and spent the best part of the day with mum paddling gaily around and thoroughly enjoying themselves. But at dusk they still retired to sleep in their familiar broody coop: it will be a few days yet before they are brave enough to join the others in the Poultry Palace. In no time at all though they will be indistinguishable from the others, although I am hoping that the lovely pale colouring which four of them have will remain as they grow up.......