Call me.....

...Irresistable......

(One (of ten) Little Star (s) aged one week)....

"Anything you can do........ "

It's Linda's Birthday this week and she's gone off for a much needed break.

Unfortunately that meant she was likely to be away if Delila farrowed on time : "But" said Linda when she left here last Friday "I've had words with Delila and told her that if she is to have piglets whilst I'm away, then she must have them on my Birthday".

"Right" I said as I waved her off, knowing how Delila always pays good attention to Linda, being Her Special Pig and all that!

Funnier things have happened...... I expect.....

With The Boss being laid up with a bad dose of 'flu this past week Precious's piglets have continued - despite our best efforts to contain them - gaily scampering all over the place introducing themselves to the rest of the herd and the other animals.

"Hmmmm! Can't have that Precious and her lot stealing all the limelight" Delila mused to herself. If indeed pigs muse!

I reckon she must have communed with the Great Porker Above All Porkers whilst she was dozing in the sunshine.

"How to make an impact?" that was the question.

It is widely accepted that Mangalitzas generally have between 5 and 8 piglets per litter. Precious, therefore, has already astounded the world by having not one but two super-large litters of 10 and 9.

"How to beat that?" Delila pondered as she wallowed in the wind....

"Not impossible ...... there are ways and ways........."

I thought she was looking pleased with herself at tea-time on Monday as she came purposefully grunting over to me.

Tuesday morning I came in from the breakfast round and remarked to The Boss that her feed bowl had 'disappeared'.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, knowingly "The feed bowl!It's the pig's most precious possession. She'll have taken it into the ark. We know from Mangal that it's the sign they use when they want to show they are great providers."

"Sooooo?" I enquired.

"So she's probably going to have her piglets today --- as instructed."

Some people around here probably think we are already up with the fairies; conversations like this make me feel they may well be right.

Anyway, The Boss left his sick bed to go visit some potential Pig Custodians and I went off with Rocco for a training session. Delila had eaten her breakfast as normal so I didn't bother to check her before leaving. And the farrier had already arrived when I returned a couple or so hours later. So it was probably about 2pm when it occured to me that Delila, who usually watches everything that's happening on the yard, was missing.

"Surely not!" I thought to myself..... "Sows don't farrow to order!" and went to peer over her fence into the ark from which emanated the unmistakeable commotion and squiggling and low pitched grunting of just-being or just-been born piglets!

So -- Happy Birthday Linda --- What a wonderful surprise! (The surprise being not that she had the piglets but that she actually had them as instructed!!!).

When I checked later I was amazed to see not 6 or 7 (Delila's usual litter size) but 10 piglets.... Happy Birthday again.....and the real icing on the cake? The very first swallow-bellied piglets to be born here!!!

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday!

And if that doesn't take the wind out of Precious's sails ---- one of the little swallow-bellied ones was already out and exploring this afternoon ---- at barely 24 hours old! Can't blame Delila for keeping a close eye on him 'specially when a couple of the others quickly followed his lead ...... She soon decided that was enough and took them all back indoors...................for now...... Stellar Stuff indeed!

St Patrick's Day Adventure

Precious's Little Gems continue to explore the boundaries of their 'world'.

Fine weather is clearly going to their heads and giving them courage....

Whilst most of the civilised world was watching events unfold at The Cheltenham Festival, they decided that a little bit of a trot around on the turf was probably good for piglets too.... so, through the fence they squeezed and trotted all over the place saying 'Who are you?' to all the other pigs.

Then they got really bold and trotted off in the direction of the Rectory Field to enquire which of the major races Ritz, Max and Rocco were going to be running in during the week..... but Ritz was having none of their impertinence and soon shooed them under the gate and back to the Church Field. Where they pretended to get a little confused and gaily gallloped about in all directions.

Luckily Gunner was on hand and quickly adopted the role of Guardian of the Piglets (who, though they'd never admit it, were really just a teensy bit lost and worried), eventually nudging them home to Mum - who was not in the least perturbed by her offsprings' adventures.....

If truth were told, she was probably relieved to be rid of them for a little while.

Nonetheless, when they did eventually find their way back home again - under the fence - she didn't waste too much time ushering them back into the safety of the ark --- and then stood guard outside the doorway to discourage any more bold behaviour..... It's a relief they grow quickly cos soon they'll be too big to squeeze under and through things.....

Anyway, The Festival finishes on Saturday so the Turf will lose its attraction and Other Adventures will no doubt beckon.

Oh to be a piglet in spring.....

Mother's Day? My money's on the white one....!

It's Mother's Day here and we've celebrated with an Open Day - having a most convivial time supping the occasional sip and sampling new (delicious smoked) or favourite (slightly spicey Curlies) products with like-minded people and talking all things pig - all day long and well into the evening ......

Meanwhile, outside, the latest bunch of children have been giving their mum a treat too.

Having spent the first couple of weeks in their cosy ark whilst the rain and the wind and the frost made the outside world A NASTY Place, Precious's Little Gems have been making up for lost time in the well overdue sunshine.

They may have been slow starters but it wasn't long before they discovered that they could get to the grass that the big pigs can't reach - easy peasy when you can slide between the hurdle and the post - just!

And then when Mum grunts they quickly scoot back and then start playing the round and round and round and round the ark game.

You can see in the second picture that the little pigling at the back is telling the others that his money's on the white one.....

And sure enough the white one won.....

......and he must have got a little too pig-headed about it cos the others decided they'd had enough and turned their back on him

At which, he got most upset and trotted up to Mum to seek a little reassurance.... (he's only three weeks old, after all....)

...And she of course told him that he was the Sweetest, most wonderful little piglet in the Whole Wide World (until the next one asked the question of course - but isn't that what mum's are for??) and he felt a lot better after that and off he went to ruminate with his litter mate in that special little pile of dirt they'd noticed under the straw a while earlier......

In our own way we each and all enjoyed our day........................................

Happy Birthday!

"Flies!" I exclaimed

"What flies?"

"Well might you ask, young man" I said to The Bestest Gundog in all the World yesterday.

"Certainly, the pigs don't - yet."

"Pheasants do... and partridges do too" he said "and ducks and woodcock and snipe... " he continued, warming to his theme.

"But rabbits don't; nor do hares" he went on in a puzzled tone.

"I've got it!" he suddenly exclaimed.... "only 2-legged things fly"

Didn't I say he was smart?

But not that smart.

"Humans can't fly and they've got two legs" I said

"How do you explain that?"

"Well" he said in his best let-me-think-about-that-for-a-moment voice.

"I've got it?" he said in a happy tone a little while later....

'This is a bit like mental retrieving' I thought to myself.... set him a puzzle and he works it out and gives you the answer - just like finding a lost bird or hidden dummy.

"OK you clever thing" I said in my best 'praising' voice.

"Tell me what you think"

"Well.......... if humans could fly they might get shot out of the sky.... and I don't think I could carry a human back to you!"

Definitely smart!!

"What a clever dog" I replied... in the way I always say it when he'd done something extra good "But actually, what I was talking about was time"

"What's that?" he asked quizzically

"It's what's been passing whilst we've been talking" I said

"But I didn't see anything.... and I didn't smell anything" he said, slightly confused.

"That's the thing about time --- it's invisible and doesn't smell and we only know it's been when it's gone"

"Pardon?" he said

"Don't worry" I said, because he does when he doesn't understand something "I'll explain it when I understand it myself. Meanwhile, it has flown"

"How do you know if you can't see it or smell it?" He asked

"Because today you are suddenly three years old and it seems like only yesterday when you first arrived here!"

"Ohhhhh" he said "I think I know what you mean..... and I know what three is too 'cos you always carry three dummies when we go out and about every day".

Now that is really smart - but maybe it's only learning by association after all?

Anyway, fact of the matter is it was Gunner's 3rd birthday yesterday....... How time flies......

And by the time we had finished talking about it it was sunset and time for dinner..... next to hunting, probably one of Gunner's Most Favourite Things........ and there were lots of really yummy bits in his birthday bowl.........
Happy Birthday, Happy Dog......

Mavis & Maud

"The charmed sunset linger'd low adown in the red west..... a land where all things always seemed the same.......

Then someone said 'We will return no more'.. our island home is far beyond the wave; we will no longer roam.....'!"

(from Tennyson: 'The Lotos Eaters')

They were a wonderful pair of gilts to have around: even in the midst of the coldest, miserablest winter gloom Mavis and Maud invariably found a reason to dart and dash about their pen with the sheer joy of life. We said goodbye to them on Monday. They will be missed. They were our first "Partner pigs": we hope the Partners enjoy them as much as we have.....