Spoiled piggies

 Fifteen weeks ago we delivered 2 of Ginger's Deserts litter, Dorothy and Spamalot, (not the names we gave them!) to their Custodians at Kirton Lindsey. They were just little weaners and looked quite lost in their very capacious quarters. The blog at the time shows their tailor made des.res. which was probably an indicator of how spoiled they might become! They demolished it. A nice shiny new ark has replaced it! Spoiled pigs? Hmmm.
They've grown a bit - well, quite a lot really. This is Dotty (or it could be Spammy) washing her trotters following a rather sybaritic wallow, which she demonstrated for my benefit. Clearly the other water bowl is used in much the same way! Note also the beautifully coiffed curls.

 We were visiting on Sunday to drop off another 3 Curly Coat weaners, this time from Precious' Fruits litter born on 2 August. By the way they offered to help lift the straw over the electric fence (erected to separate them from their new companions) it was clear that Dotty and Spammy have struck up a rapport with their Custodians. It's not just their rubenesque physiques which provide a clue that they are spoiled rotten -  a pile of uneaten apples by the ark was a bit of a giveaway too!  Factors such as these erased any worries I might have had about how the three youngsters we'd brought with us would fare.
The older girls will be able to show them all the ropes and fill them in on 'What goes on around here' as well as telling them pig tales at night to help them sleep.

Dotty & Spammy's pen was rather larger than necessary for two pigs so it had been split in two with an electric fence and a shiny ark procured for the new arrivals.
Custodian junior carried the first weaner from the trailer and gently placed her over the fence into her new pen. She promptly ran straight through the electric fence to the larger pigs! Who, instead of enquiring gently, chased her mercilessly. We watched. Till someone suggested there was strength in numbers and maybe a second weaner should be put in the pen! So the second was added to the melee - and she too ran straight through the electric fence! So now two weaners were chased around by Dotty and Spammy. They must have thought it was the best game ever.....
So we added the third weaner to the mix.
She ran exactly the opposite way. And then got lost and couldn't find her mates at all in all the undergrowth. They'd gone off to the pile of apples - very sensible since they'd been short-rationed at breakfast. They found some other goodies there too. When they'd had enough they set about exploring and somewhere the three weaners eventually found each other - but they were all in D & S's pen so they were chased around until they made it back to safety through the electric fence. Where Dotty and  Spammy would not follow - they'd had enough of a shock when the fence was first connected and no way would they put their snouts anywhere near it again!
We heard later in the evening that all had settled down and the little ones had safely gone to bed in their ark. Exhausted from all the adventures of the day, maybe they'd dream of happy days at RectoryReserve with their siblings or perhaps they'd be excitedly anticipating what their future as spoiled pigges would be like... .

To Ginger and Mangal....

When Ginger gave birth to her first litter of 7 piglets in November 2007 they were the first Curly Coats to be born in Lincolnshire for 40 or so years.
The paparazzi came out in force: radio and TV coverage was generous. Everyone was curious about these strange 'new' creatures or, as one news presenter phrased it, "Dodos returned from the grave".
A lot has happened since. From a base of 15 imported to the UK in November 2006 there are now over 400 registered Mangalitza Curly Coat pigs in the country. In Lincolnshire alone we now have 5 breeders, hopefully insuring against the whole stock being wiped out in the event of some
 awful foot & mouth type disease. We still meet a large number of people at Markets and Shows who have not heard of the Curly coat pigs but there is a growing band of pig lovers who now recite the story of their introduction back to us.  And even in these recessionary times our sales of gourmet Curly Coat Pork Provisions are increasing as their unique flavour wins over a growing band of people who value taste and provenance.
This is all thanks to Ginger and Mangal. But they are quite oblivious to the contributions they have made to our lives. Their world syncopates to natures' rythms and views ours with a wisdom and tolerance we can only aspire to.

So it was that Ginger delivered her 9th litter, of seven piglets, on Sunday night/Monday morning. Oblivious of the fact that we had the date in our diary for a week later - after all, in our order of things Delila should have farrowed first - she quietly went about her business and managed to catch us by surprise. Rather like the first time really! She came out on Monday morning to have her breakfast. Ate it calmly and then returned to her ark. And that's all that alerted me to the fact that something was different. Usually she hangs about by the gate until she's sure breakfast is over.
"Ahhh?" I thought, climbing over the gate and peeking in to the ark. Sure enough, there they were happily suckling away without a care in the world. Clever old Ginger. No wonder she's got that sublimely peaceful look on her face. All's right in her world. And that makes ours a better place too.

I told 'em

"Anyone who knows me knows I'm an honest dog, not given to pretending things are or are not there unless they are.. or are not. I've been telling She who Must Be Obeyed for days and days that the Pesky Cat put a mouse in the pantry.
"Many's the time I've sat in there with my head cocked knowingly to one side and my clearest 'There's something in/under/behind there' look in my eyes. But did she do anything about it? I do everything she asks me to do, and more sometimes, but when I ask her to move stuff so I can get at the mouse does she do that for me? No.
"So is it any wonder that she gets a surprise when she checks over the stored apples?
"And to make matters worse by the time she called me the mouse had run out of its nest and gone under/in/behind something else. And still she wouldn't move stuff for me to get it. I could get it I know I could - if only she'd move stuff.
"That was yesterday. Then today when I went in to check, I heard it run under the boxes again. I told her when she came in but still she didn't move stuff. There'll be another nest somewhere. But I won't tell them where.... Well, I will 'cos I'm an honest dog. But why won't she move stuff? I'm a confused dog."

Finally - it's here

After months of looking forward, finally it was here. Although the shooting season officially commences on 1 September for Partridge and 1 October for Pheasant, the first day, for the dog and I,  was last Friday. After months of anticipation and  'keeping the dog on the whistle' (as Rory-the-trainer recommends!) The Morning dawned. And it was the most beautiful dawn - which I gained a full appreciation of when I went with The Boss to set his stall up at a local Farmers' Market. A number of the shoots The Bestest Gundog and I work on clash with market days. No guessing where priorities lie - so The Boss is responsible for taking the pork provisions to Market! He was looking forward to

his First Day almost as much as the Dog and I! "Red in the Morning" proved not to be a shepherds warning: the whole day was unseasonably warm and sunny. The picture  above and alongside were taken whilst waiting for the first drive to start. (Wo)men and dogs standing quietly in eager, patient anticipation. The Bestest Gundog displayed an unexpected composure. I thought, as in previous years,  he'd be quivering with excitement. He was excited alright but calm and still with it;  facing his 4th season he knows what's coming and how long it will last and is just totally professional about it. It came home to me sharply that he is now a fully fledged Gundog. There's still  stuff to learn and loads to perfect but there's not a lot he doesn't know.

And throughout the morning, 4 or 5 drives in all, he worked smartly and eagerly - his nose to the ground and his ear on the whistle. My biggest worry was that he would invoke the wrath of the Keeper (whose wrath is prodigious indeed) by 'pegging' a pheasant - catch one on the ground before it had time to get in the air- even more so since this was purely a partridge day! There is only one greater sin a working dog can commit and that is to run straight through the drive! But he behaved as though it never occurred to him -even though once or twice I could tell he was tempted! The drive immediately after lunch was long and, in the heat of the bright sun, exhausting. He crossed me at one point with his breath rasping and his tongue almost on the ground. I should not have let him get in that state and called him to heel immediately. Shamed that I'd not stopped him sooner,  but we humans get carried away on the First Day too. It was close to the end of the drive and we made it slowly back to the Beaters' Bus where he drank and drank and drank and drank. Half an hour later he was back on the beat and pacing himself more carefully.
A serious lesson learned; nailing the technicalities alone does not a working gundog team make methinks... an interesting thought to start the new season.

Wedding Fruits

It's always sad to say 'Good Bye' to piglets. Here's the Precious's Little Fruits watching Moses leave. He's gone  to a good home where there are other pigs and where two young Mangalitza gilts are waiting to become his paramours. He'll want for little we think. Arriving at his new home, the humans went off for a cup of tea, leaving him in his travelling box in the van - when they returned to take him to his quarters he was sitting in the front seat! 

"Wish we'd had a camera" Jim said when we spoke on the 'phone the next day.
Think Moses is going to be alright.

Yesterday it was the turn of Mave and Babe.

They've gone off to newly wed Custodians, Rachelle and her husband.

 They were given Custodianship as a wedding present. Apparently on the wedding day a cuddly pink pig kept appearing in this guest's arms, on that guest's chair, with one of the children..... Rachelle thought it a bit strange but it wasn't till she and her new husband got home that night and found the certificate informing them that "Mave and Babe" were coming to live with them for a few months that the penny dropped!
What a lovely idea.

As soon as they returned from their honeymoon they got in touch with us and came over to select their piglets and yesterday we delivered them. Mave's the red one: she was not at all happy to be in the car and squeaked, squealed, peed and pooed, climbed over Babe, threw herself against the cage sides, ripped up all the paper. I think she's  going to be a handful!

Babe, on the other hand, was as good as gold. Perhaps she's a dumb blonde and was just computing everything - slowly!
Whatever - both little weaners were more than happy to get out of the car and go exploring round their new quarters. They've a unique des.res. - but it didn't interest them at all - least not whilst The Boss and I were watching. Having been indoors since they were weaned they were far more excited by the smells on the ground. Which they lost little time in rootling into. "Don't think that grass swathe is going to last long" said The Boss as we walked back to the car.  "Don't think that Res. is going to look quite so des. once they start their modifications" I thought to myself. For the time being though it'll be nice and snug for them and I'm sure the Humans at Dovecote Farm will soon rustle up a replacement if needs be. Mave and Babe will be well looked after for the next 9 months or so and Rachelle has promised to send us regular updates and photos.

What a lovely way to start married life!

That cat again

It was a glorious afternoon on Sunday. We were sitting out on the terrace having afternoon tea. The niece, who's apparently "crazy about cats" at the moment, had located Puddy Cat and declared her "my perfect cat". Which led to a long discussion about cats. Waifa appeared on the scene, allowed herself to be admired from afar and wandered off when subjected to the possibility of closer attention from a 'stranger'.

The sister-in-law, regaled us with the story of how Lucy, a cat she'd had many years back, had caught a weasel and brought it into the house and that led to a general discussion about wild creatures and weasels in particular. The conversation turned to other matters.
Waifa reappeared in the orchard.

"What's that in her mouth?" exclaimed the sister-in-law. It was something long and thin which swung from side to side as she trotted towards us. Suddenly Pilot's head shot up and he made as if to run towards the cat. I grabbed his collar. The cat disappeared from view - towards the house.
I let go of the dog and ran through the house to the back door. Just in time to witness Waifa climbing in through the porch window. Landing on the floor, she dropped her gift and "miaouwed" cheerfully. "No wonder Pilot smelled that!" I thought to myself, picking it up from the floor. It was a still warm but very dead and extremely smelly weasel.
"Please don't tell us any more stories about what Lucy brought home" I said to the sister-in-law when I re-joined them all and proudly showed off Waifa's treasure.
"Did I ever tell you about the time the cat caught a big white shark?" she asked, smiling mischievously....

Record breaking Lincolnshire Day

 It wasn't just any Farmer's Market Day yesterday. For a start it was Lincolnshire day and there were balloons and smiles everywhere.
Then there was the Town Crier  "Oy Yeh"-ing and proclaiming all over the place. Finally, adding an air of celebrity to the market was the BBC crew filming with Matt Baker all morning. Watch Countryfile on 16 October to see what they were getting up to.
And it was jolly darned hot. 14 degrees when I left home soon after dawn. 30 degrees in the middle of the day and 28.5 degrees here on the Wolds when I returned home.
Far too hot to be selling Pork Provisions, though sell we did - 60% more sausages than usual for a start.

I looked at a representative selection of our family energetically enjoying the sun and decided they had absolutely the right idea. So, G&T in hand, I went out on to the terrace and The Boss and I spent a very pleasant late afternoon hour admiring the view, putting the world to rights and storing up loads of Vitamin D for what we are being warned will be another long, hard winter.
A fitting close to Lincolnshire Day.
(Incidentally:It was also the first day of the Pheasant shooting season - no doubt it will be declared the hottest ever FD): for the first time I was pleased that The Dog and I were not 'on Duty'!)