What a Bore....

"We've never had such a good spring for drilling" one of the local farmers said to me this afternoon when I stopped for a chat whilst hacking out with Ritz and Rocco. He's not the only one enjoying the unusually sunny weather. I'm loving it cos the dogs can run in and out all day long without bringing pawloads of wet mud into the house. The chickens are luxuriating in their frequent dustbaths; the cats loll and roll and doze in the hot sun for hours; the heating's off; the solar panels are generating numbers which bring a smile to The Big Boss's face each day..... and Mangal -- well, he speaks for all the pigs. They just love lying out in the heat of the sun..... what else is a boar to do........

Gotcha!

The Haggiie were everywhere. In and out of stables, barns, garages, gardens, pens, orchard, fields - everywhere! Places where I didn't even know they'd got to have become evident since they've no longer been going there! They even managed to dig up the mole-catching devices which the vermin control person distributed.  Now, though, life is back to normal. The garden is beginning to recover, divots have been replaced.  "Dull!" Linda and I admitted to each other but it was definitely time. Precious was relieved too, even though she grumped for a little while once she became aware that they were not coming home to her anymore. Each night when I shut up the chickens I would hear the poor old sow being noisily "assaulted" by her 8 voracious off-spring. It was definitely time.  Thus it was at Tuesday breakfast, the little Haggii were queueing up to get into the barn for their fed, I let them in and shut the doors behind them. Instantly weaned. They didn't notice - till they finished their food. Then as one they  automatically ran to the door, thinking to pursue further mischief outside as usual - but found their exit barred by hurdles.  They complained briefly before settling down and going to sleep..... for hours and hours. We are constantly amazed at their ability to accept change. One minute running around freely everywhere and the next shut inside ..... they make no attempt to escape. "OK - if we have to be here, we'll be here" they seem to say. In a couple of weeks, when they'll have got over their ma, they'll be equally content to go back outside again.

If only we people could be as content with our lot.

Home again

First we brought Truffle's weanlings (now known as the Banana Bunch - but more of that later) home. Then on Saturday, on our way back from Caistor Food Fair, we brought Mum home.  We had thought we might collect her at the same time as the weanlings but the purpose of her being "elsewhere" was to visit the handsome JD and when we collected the babes he was busily exerting his authority all over her. So we left them to it!
She wasn't the easiest to persuade into the trailer. ("She'll load easily" said Keith when we arrived to pick her up "She's had no breakfast so I'm sure she'll be keen to follow the feed bowl") In fact she made it quite clear that she had no intention of co-operating and gave us a fair old run-around for 20 minutes or so. In the end, however, her appetite did get the better of her and, once she'd swallowed a mouthful of food, she was 'ours'!
Arriving at this end she wasn't too sure whether or not to get out of the trailer. I threatened to get in with her - and then she was out in a flash and tucking into her feed bowl again  Since then she's either been fast asleep on her heap of hay or very vocal...... from her vantage point in the 'temporary holding quarters' - leaning against what used to be our front door -  she can easily observe all that's going on. I don't know what she makes of it but no doubt the rest of the herd do - and in some detail. The Haggii were quick to go pay a visit and find out all the news and, whilst she wasn't at all phased by them -having got used to hordes of pigs of all shapes and ages around her - she is less sure of us.  She always was a wary pig but she'll come round in her own time.
And, with luck and a following wind, in three months & three weeks' time a package of little Trufflettes will arrive to keep her happy and entertained. Nice to have her home again.

Mighty Oaks from....

 I spoke to my Ma the other day and she said she'd spent the afternoon looking at photos of her children when they were young: "You all looked so innocent and pretty" she told me!
It must have stuck at the back of my mind because I looked out this early photo of one of our 'children'. It was taken on 9th May 2007 shortly after she arrived at RectoryReserve; she was such a pretty little thing - innocent little face, deep dark eyes and the most amazingly long eyelashes. Such a sweetie too; she had no worries about us fussing over her. Little did she know then that she had been specially chosen to become Mangal's No. 1 Wife.

Some things, of course, don't change. She's still a sweet girl with big dark eyes and will put up with any amount of fussing and scratching from us. "My" hasn't she grown though? (I think she is probably bigger than any of my Ma's offspring!) and she now knows in detail what it means to be Mangal's Chief Wife. They grunt and grumble, sleep and argue together just like any long married couple. She'd been having a bit of a grump with him early last week and spending an increasing amount of time away from him. He didn't seem too bothered. He's seen it all 9 times before! Then, one afternoon towards the end of the week there was an almighty great slollopping slapping noise from their neck of the woods. "I wondered what on earth it was!" Linda told us later. "So I looked over to where the sound was coming from and saw Ginger having the most almighty wallow in her big pool! When she got up she was filthy..."
"Hmm" I thought "She hasn't done that for a while."
"Then" continued Linda "Later on she tried to join Mangal in his ark but he was having none of it. He just stood in the doorway as if to say - 'Let you in here? You must be joking!!!' In the end Ginger just flopped down on the ground in front of the ark and went to sleep there.!"
She was giving everyone the clearest indication she could that their next little family are not far off. The next day at feed time she got her wish. The gates between her and Mangal are now firmly shut --- and will remain so until litter no.10 are weaned. This is The Special Time for our sows. It's when we take every opportunity to give them lots of fuss and attention and treats and, hopefully, let them know how important they are. Certainly without Ginger (with Mangal of course) RectoryReserve would not have grown from the little germ of an idea that it was those five few years back..... not yet an oak but some day..... maybe.....who knows .........

Happy Birthday to Him

The Bestest Gundog in all The World is 5 years old today.

 We wish him Many happy Returns!

And many happy hunting trips













And a bright and happy year ahead.




Can it really be five years since we collected him from Inverness via Danby?

What's up?

It all seems to have been a bit quiet around here lately.  We've had the usual comings and goings with the pigs. Precious's young Haggii (?sp?) are getting more adventurous with each passing day. This afternoon somebody specifically drove down our drive and rang the door bell to tell us that our "Piglets are out on the bridleway."
"Yes?" said The Boss, waiting for an explanation of why that was so important.
"You don't seem particularly worried" said the Visitor "and they were heading for Belchford"
"No" he replied "By now they're probably all back home with Mum again...."
"Well, they were upsetting the horses" countered the visitor
"That's why we put signs up to warn people that pigs are nearby" said The Boss. I think the visitor went off in exasperation, no doubt thinking we were Queer Folk.

 Truth is, the piglets are Everywhere and they're not there for long - just when you think they're behind you they pop up somewhere else. No wonder The Dog just stands and watches them sometimes. It's the equivalent of him scratching his head in bemusement!
The littlest one of the lot - Haggii Minimus - has an endearing habit of  sitting in the feed bowl long after everyone else has gone. Only when there's food in it of course. The others sort of get bored with chewing and wander off in search of Something More Interesting while Minimus just sits around chewing..... then scoots off to Mum - or Somewhere Else.

 The Boss meanwhile has been working out the year's schedule for the Pork Provisioner. All sorts of plans are afoot. It's not going to be quiet for long I fear. The diary is rapidly filling up and the logistics will become quite startling as the summer draws nearer......... by when it'll not just be piglets rushing here, there and everywhere......