Moving Mrs Merkel

 It's summer and it's holiday time and, unusually for here, it's been the 'right weather'... so not a lot's been goin' on ....we've been relaxing and taking stock....and then out of the blue, we hear that Moses, whom we sold as a young stud a couple of years back (and a very handsome young chap he was too) needs a new wife and do we have a "suitable candidate". Well, I don't believe in arranged marriages but, on the other hand, we don't want to think of a young boar going without......
So Mrs Merkel is to be his new young wife. She's got a little bit of experience. She and Banana had a lovely litter of 6 earlier this year and now, with luck, she is in pig to him again.
Her new boss is a bit busy with harvest so will collect her when he has a gap in the combine calendar - depending on the weather that could be at very short notice.. We decided it would be easiest if she were in the barn then he could collect her any time of day.
We were going to pop her in the trailer to move her. "I think we could run her down" said Linda as I arrived at the pen with the trailer..... "She's so keen on her food I think she'd just follow the bowl down....."
"OK" I said "If you feel confident"... and I turned off  the car engine and waited for Linda to open the gate and let Mrs Merkel out.

It all went well to start with. Linda, with a bowl filled with food, tempted Mrs Merkel to follow. Which she did. But the sow was the quicker of the two...and soon overtook.
"Uh Oh - maybe this wasn't such a good idea" laughed Linda with a slight hint of panic in her voice.....
Mrs Merkel was clearly determined to make the most of her little run-around.... no point having freedom if you don't use it.. so she ran round the side of the house (with Linda and feedbowl following), along the front of the garages, over to Ginger's domain, down to the chickens and................ eventually into the barn... co-erced by the sight of The Big Boss blocking off the track down to the fields and maybe another hurdle or two placed at strategic points......  at least twice the distance she needed to have covered......
Banana in the meantime didn't even lift his head from his feedbowl to say 'goodbye'............ probably thinks "Oh - she's gone..... peace and quiet before the next one turns up......". Hard life being a boar......