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....!!!!