Little 'uns and Big 'uns

Turns out there are 9 little Romantics! Clever Precious!

Here they are on Thursday morning snuggling up at the back of the Ark whilst Mum attended to her breakfast. She's being very protective: I managed to take a couple of photos but then she was back, sticking her snout in noisily and counting that none were missing.
So far they have been kept indoors which is just as well in view of the rain and mud outside..... but I bet it won't be many more days before they're out and about visiting with their aunts next door.

On the subject of Aunts, as planned we moved Delila and Samson up to the Woods on Friday. As ever, it was necessary beforehand to do a bit of preparation. Over the past couple of years one of the arcs has gradually been sinking into, and filling up with, mud. In order to dig it out The Boss arranged with a local farming colleague to come and help. Digging out the ark manually would have taken hours but with the help of the farmer's Manitu vehicle it was possible to winch it up in the air, dig the ground level again and then replace the ark - but with its door facing away from the flow of the mud - all within the space of an hour or so. A few snowdrops got squashed in the process but that was a small price to pay for so much labour saved!

And then in the afternoon it was 'all hands to the pump' to move Samson and Delila. Actually we would have moved Samson without Delila but she insisted in loading up first; as soon as we opened the gate to their paddock she trotted very determinedly up the ramp into the trailer before anyone could blink. Samson would probably have followed her but, because of the extremely slippery ground conditions, The Boss was not at all keen on transporting the two of them at the same time. So it was a good job that she was quick and Samson was slow.......

We left her checking out the new accommodation and went back for Samson..... and he was not going to do anything in haste. Very sensibly. He wandered over to the trailer ramp and had a good sniff and then backed off and chewed a bit of grass, then moved forward again and snuffled up some food that was on the ramp - then backed off and returned to the safety of his pen to consider matters in peace. Eventually he approached the trailer again and repeatedly went towards and away from the ramp.... checking out that everything was safe I suspect and, no doubt, enjoying the attention and all the tit-bits that were being used to entice him to do as we wanted. The four 'Good Men and True' and we two females waited patiently chatting amongst ourselves; no sense getting agitated or trying to hurry a 3-400kg chap with fierce tusks - he'd only get upset.... and then we would be in trouble!

Finally, having examined everything to his satisfaction and assured himself that there were no hidden dangers he inched very slowly up the ramp, into the trailer and stuck his snout in the feed bowl.

He was so engrossed in chomping that, on arriving at the Woods, he was oblivious to the ramp going down and the doors opening.

If Tony hadn't said:

"Oi mate, the door's open!"

and banged heavily on the side of the trailer Samson would likely as not quite happily have stayed inside. As it was, he looked round at the noise, saw daylight behind him, turned and trotted happily up to where Delila was still examining their new premises. It may not be the biggest pen but it does have the advantage of two houses...... the Big 'uns will be able to have one each..... luxury indeed.