Butter wouldn't melt....

Not a single rabbit or mouse has crossed our doorstep for the past 10 days. In fact, since I wrote about her misdeeds, Waifa has been been quite the model cat.

She and Puddy Cat don't really share the same perspective on The Ideal Feline Existence - you'd never find Puddy Cat snuggling up to or grooming a dog for instance (one of Waifa's favourite past-times!), nor loudly demanding her dinner (Waifa is firmly of the opinion that if you want something you have to shout and shout and shout for it!); and I don't imagine we'll ever find The Cat who Adopted Us wriggling herself into a cosy spot on our bed for the night, as is Puddy Cat's wont.

However, every now and then Waifa makes a Big Effort to be Friends. You can tell from Puddy Cat's demeanour that this much closeness was not her idea! The Incomer, on the other hand, is clearly quite in charge of the situation.

"Moi?" "Bring the wild life in the House?"

"What Next?" I ask - again............

Butter wouldn't melt would it????

JD's Herd

Andromeda - the most fetching of the infamous Delinquents - having reached her majority, is currently away from home visiting JD who, having been born at Rectory Reserve, now resides some 30 minutes' drive away from here.

Fancying a bit of a diversion from the daily routine, The Big Boss and I decided last week to take a little trip over there to see how things are going.

JD is a handsome chap - as you'd expect of a son of Samson - and we understand he's done his duty by Andromeda so piglets will follow in the fullness of time! I have to say, she doesn't look too enamoured of her new situation but it's probably because she's no longer The Boss, which was a status she'd acquired when she was here! She'll come round in time no doubt.

Andromeda is JD'S No. 3 Mate - No. 1 being Bonnie (from Precious's first litter and sister of Clyde who, in turn is father of Andromeda) and No. 2 - Lotos - (daughter of Ginger and Mangal).

These two between them currently have 17 piglets at foot. The extended 'family' of some 200 pigs comprises an interesting variety.

Saddlebacks are by far the majority but there are also some Middle Whites, some Gloucester Old Spots (and a litter, shown here, that are a cross between these two) plus some Micro Pigs and a little Rescue chap of uncertain parentage by the name of Rodney!

All in all a very different environment from RectoryReserve - no wonder our Little Delinquent is taking time to find her feet. She'll feel much more at home when her own little herd is running around her trotters - and no doubt they'll generate as much 'trouble' there as she and her tribe did here last year!

A Strange sound at the door

The Boss and I were just finishing dinner on Saturday evening when there was a strange sound at the scullery door - not quite a knock but not a thump either, more a quiet 'Thud'!

We weren't expecting visitors.
"Is that someone at the door?" asked The Boss.

"Probably the cats" I half-jokingly replied. They'd been out for a while and they usually come back home when they get hungry.
"Oh well, in that case I'd best go see" he said, walking off in that direction.

A few moments later I heard "You're quite right; it's the cats. With dinner!"

Thinking he was pulling my leg I went to look and saw this on the door mat.

I imagine the dark spot on its head is where Waifa banged on the door with it!

As if that were not bad enough, yesterday morning after breakfast Gunner told me something was either under or behind the sofa in the kitchen. I heard a bit of a crunch but thought that it came from 'elsewhere'.

Pulling the sofa away from the wall, I peered behind expecting to see a 'lost' dog biscuit.

Instead looking up at me in surprise and indignation - feelings I'm sure I projected straight back - was Waifa ......... halfway through her breakfast, if you please! Yet another baby rabbit.
Strange sounds and stranger goings-on. What next from our used-to-be-a-stray cat?

Best we keep the door shut, I think!

Meet the family!

It was one of those typical British summer afternoons (except it's not yet summer) - balmy breeze, billowing clouds, swallows swooping in and out of the barns - ideal, in fact, for bringing a new family into the world.
She chose her time well. Mangal - and the rest of the herd for that matter - were snoozing lazily; the yard routine was chugging away reassuringly in the background - ducks here, chickens there, dogs alternately sleeping and following me around; everything just as it should be. Nothing indicated there was anything different.

Till tea time.

When Ginger didn't appear.

Then I remembered.

"Could she be having her piglets?"

I crept closer to her ark; the unmistakeable sounds grew clearer ..... sure enough, that's what she was up to!

After dinner I went to check things out - discovered mum happily suckling a bunch of stripey piglets - her 8th litter ---- and 8 of them. All big and strong and bouncing around within a matter of hours.

Just when we were thinking she was getting on a bit and would start winding down on litter sizes she goes and has her largest ever!

Within 24 hours one or two were peering inquisitively out of the ark (clearly the little red one had asked permission first!); within 48 most of them were happily following mum to and fro!

Can't help thinking it'll not be long before they're trotting off to meet the rest of the extended family!

Newsflash...

To Ginger and Mangal...... this afternoon...... their 8th little family.... of 8 bouncing, stripey piglets.

Mother, father and babies all well and happy.

Full story to follow......

Would you believe it?

We have a 'temporary holding pen' which is just that - used temporarily and occasionally when members of the RectoryReserve herd are 'going somewhere' or when newcomers have arrived. It's easily accessible for the trailer and close enough to the house for us to 'keep an eye on' it if necessary.

A little while back, when we had some students here helping out for work experience, the pen was given a good spring cleaning and topped up with a goodly amount of fresh straw.

Most Fridays here are Moving Days and last week was no exception. One of the movements involved bringing a couple of the mature boys up to the holding pen from the field in preparation for their departure yesterday. We were just tidying the trailer up and preparing to give the boys their tea when a duck poked her head up from the straw, looked around, quacked loudly, observed the commotion and promptly waddled off through the fence to join her two paramours who were dozing on the other side.

We all laughed and then carried on with what we were doing.

Later that evening as I was checking the boys and giving them fresh water I noticed something in the straw behind them.

Looking closer I discerned a duck's head.

"Would you believe it? She's made a nest" I said to the boys - as if they'd understand!

When I shut up the chickens later the boys were asleep - one in the straw, one al fresco.

Next morning they were both asleep in the straw. And sitting totally unperturbed just behind them was the duck. And there she stayed for the whole weekend - and has remained since. The pigs didn't disturb her in even the slightest way. The indents from where they had slept were literally just in front of the duck.

"Would you believe it?" said Tony when I told him about it on Monday morning.

Would anyone indeed?

Apart from the boys, the other movement last Friday was weaning the 10 little Clarissas - who turned out on closer inspection to be 3 Clarissas and 7 Clarences! Delila went through the obligatory complaining motions - in particular making a bee-line for Con every time we picked up a piglet and it squealed - taking it out on him presumably because he's only up here once a week ... so it must be his fault mustn't it!

Having short-fed everyone at breakfast time, it was relatively easy to get them all in the same space at tea-time; so we could just pick up the piglets one by one and put them in the trailer, ready for the short trip to the stalls. Apart from Con being attacked by a raging sow (not so fiercely that she forgot all about her food!), it all went very smootly - till the last little chappie decided to duck under the gate and go run-about. Linda performed the kind of lower leg tackle that would probably have seen any Saints player chucked off the pitch! Throwing herself at his back trotter, she grabbed the piglet and made off purposefully to the trailer. I still don't know who was the more surprised. The piglet or us! Anyway, most effective.

All 10 piglets are now in the stalls for a week or so; Delila missed them but compensated with extra greens and foliage; we've missed the sight and sound of 40 little trotters charging up and down and around - -- but found compensations too ....at last daring to start planting up the garden....!!!!

The Hammock works its magic

It was our Open Day last Sunday - wall to wall sunshine and blistering heat made bearable by the Easterly breeze which, fortunately, the front of the house is well sheltered from.

The Boss had decided Now was The Time to dust down the BBQ and treat our guests to some superbly griddled porky pieces.

Whilst he was sorting that, Linda and I sat around relaxing and chatting - awaiting the visiting throngs.

It seemed the ideal time to hang up the hammock.

Whilst doing so I explained to Linda, who'd not seen it before, that we'd given up hanging it out because every time we did so rain followed within a matter of days. Without fail.

It smelled pretty musty but the wind soon blew that away.

Not too many people turned up. It was a pretty lazy day all in all. A perfect BBQ day really. Puddy Cat got bored and went to sleep. Even better.

The guests marvelled at the pigs, loving the piglets. Who stayed obediently in their pen. Till everyone had gone.

Then they were out and about again!

Smart.

Last night we had rain.

All night.

Not a lot but enough to damp the dust and create a few puddles in the pigs' wallows.

Beware the power of the Hammock!

We'll do our farmer friends (and ourselves!) a favour though and leave it up for the rest of this week.

Roses. In May?

Our pre-occupation with the weather continues. April, we are told, was the driest for 350 years - ie. since the first records were kept. Easter Saturday was the hottest April day ever (I know. I was the Pork Provisioner at Market that day!).

Here in Lincolnshire, according to the chap who delivers our animal feed, only 0.4mm of rain fell in the month. Added to that, a keen Easterly wind has been blowing for the past couple of weeks - the net result of which is ground baked hard and crops well behind where they should be at this time of year. Were these conditions to prevail for too much longer, a farmer remarked on the local news this evening, corn could be an extremely scarce commodity this year! (Rocketing feed prices - again). This photo taken of a neighbouring field this afternoon bears more resemblance to desert than Lincolnshire's lush acres.....

But there's good news too. The hammock is out in the orchard. It's been shut away for a few years since it has a habit of causing rain to fall within a day or two of it being hung! Then there are the new photovoltaic panels on the roof - installed at the start of this unseasonably sunny spell ---- The Big Boss and I are more than delighted to see endless cloud-free days! And the roses are coming into bloom already - almost a month ahead of their time I'd say. On the down side, I did have to whitewash the greenhouse this afternoon to prevent the tender plantlets shrivelling under too much sunshine! And I have to restrict The Horses' galloping since all the tracks are as hard as the roads; Rocco finds that a nuisance but Ritz, at the grand old age of 28, should be relieved to have a valid excuse to ease off a bit!

And we finally put the New Romantic boys out in their field pen yesterday - and, boy, are they pleased to bask in the sun (after sneaking under the fence to visit Mum and Dad!!!) after weeks of being incarcerated in the stalls! Happy Days.....