Bye Bye 2016

Bugler

Jaunty

Skipper

All at #TeamGunner want to say a big Thank you all for staying with us through the past year and wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and interesting 2017.
xxxx
Here's to you allxxxx

The (last) Calendar Picture - December

Master of all he surveys! 1601 hrs :  5.1.2012

The last calendar picture..... so appropriate.... Gunner as ever, me behind him, looking out into the .. well, whatever it is he sees out there. Always looking out, always looking ahead, computing everything in that amazingly handsome head. Here he is standing at the top of one of our fields, looking down across his territory - the fields and hedgerows where he'd trained as a youngster, where he'd (dare I admit) chased those rabbits before he learned not to, from where he'd herded the piglets back when they wandered too far away..... The fields where he'd demonstrated to Jaunty and Bugler what it meant to 'sit', 'stay', 'fetch' and 'give' and, in the distance, the fields where - before those two came along - we'd walked and hunted for hours alone together, teaching each other little things about the way we saw the world.  We couldn't do it now - many of those fields have been subsumed into someone's "shoot" and he doesn't approve of spaniels "running around"!!! Ah well. Memories crystallised simply because they are unrepeateable.
So... on this winter's evening - and it could just as easily have been the week before - Gunner gazes at the sun setting at the end - or the beginning - of another year..... and my lens betrays me watching him yet again..... whatever the future holds......
        "A (man) is not dead while his name is still spoken.
         While we remember the ones we have lost they stay alive in our hearts and our memories.   
         They live on in the stories we tell......"

It is 16 months since he left but it seems like only yesterday... it will always be only yesterday.

The Calendar Pic - November

Gunner & Waifa nose to nose 11-4-2009

They were never friends. By the time Gunner came along, Puddy Cat - as she was now known (nee Harpo - but that is another story altogether and told very much earlier on in this blog) had become Prima Donna of the yard. She was ever aloof, flicking her tail and strutting off if any creature dared confront her or - horror - try to sniff her.
As she matured and mellowed she did select The Big Boss as her Special Person but that was a long time after this picture was taken.
Somehow, however, with his gentle unassuming way, Gunner slowly found a way to be in Puddy Cat's space without intimidating her.  Gradually she came to accept him and allow him to be where she was. He would hover around her and watch as she moved from place to place without ever quite getting close to her.
We have a beautiful scenic view through our dining room window. It's one I often glimpse through the adjoining door as I am preparing dinner in the kitchen. On this early spring evening the sun was particularly strong and casting shadows across the carpet; I glanced through the door and was amazed to see the two creatures motionless and totally engrossed with each other. It was such an eloquent scene; even when I fetched my camera, focussed on them and took the shot neither moved.
What were they saying to each other?
I never saw them so close again.

A large framed version of this hangs above our sitting room fireplace. It will always be my favourite.

Gotcha!

Jaunty 23/10/2012

Jaunty 23/10/2016

Four years to the day since Jaunty came to stay. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge in that time! Since day 1 he has been the quietest, best behaved dog in the house and the craziest, bounciest madcap outside. When I went looking for an Understudy to Gunner I could not have chosen a more 'different' character. He's taught me a lot, frustrated me even more and angered me way beyond what is reasonable and I love him to bits! He shows more pleasure from the sheer enjoyment of being alive than any creature I have ever met - it's a real education being with him! No matter what, he is never down cast or dull..... he believes the whole world was created for his personal delight and that nothing in it can possibly hurt him...... he's totally fearless and bold  - not in an arrogant brash way but in a totally joyous, carefree manner. A friend refers to him as "the Rockstar" and that sums him up really. If he was chap, he'd be out on the town every night - debonair, charming, reckless and lovable...... breaking all the young ladies' hearts.
Happy Gotcha Day Jaunty.......

Agility Nut

 Jaunty is a lovely dog and one of the things he loves most of all is running and he jumps for fun. He has a great deal of energy, is fearless and always keen to try anything new. As a gundog he's a bit of a handful; if it's birds you want found, he'll hunt all day but if you need birds to be flushed out in a controlled fashion he is not the dog for the job!
I've always wanted to try 'dog agility' and last summer decided to give it a go with Jaunty - a bouncier, more energetic or willing dog is unlikely to come my way again!
Needless to say, he took to it like a duck to water and quickly picked up the basics. Jumping, climbing, scooting through tunnels, twisting and turning - what's not to like?
Only trouble was and is - if there is scent (of any kind) about - he is easily diverted.

However, we joined a 'proper' club at the beginning of this year and a few months later started having one-to-one lessons once a week. The boy has done well and his handler (!!!) has become a bit fitter!
We had a 'go' at a fun agility competition in the summer. Suffice to say, Jaunty had more Fun than Agility on his agenda. However, there's no point doing weekly training without some goal so we are signing up for the winter series of competitions with 'Agility Nuts' and today went along for our first 'event'. Ever the optimist, I entered the Agility and Jumping events. We spent all day at a superb venue surrounded by Agility nuts of all shapes and sizes (and volumes) and came home, exhausted, with the certain knowledge that there is a lot more to this business than meets the eye - or the nose......
Undaunted, we will continue. The Winter Series runs monthly till March. I am optimistic that by then we will actually be completing the course as laid out rather than as mapped out by the spaniel's olefactory glands.......

October in Gunner's Calendar

'Cocking Day' - Woodhall Spa 2014

I can't help but smile at this photo!

Gunner always had a keen eye for the birds and there was no way one was going to drop in the woods without him keeping his eye on it!

The photo was taken on the last day of the 2013/14 shooting season.  Traditionally this is known as 'cocking day' - when, as the name suggests, only cock birds are shot. It is also the day when, not all, but a number of, shoots  will reward their beaters and pickers-up with the chance to carry a gun. A 'normal' shoot day can be quite stressful; the keeper is under pressure to present the birds, the guns are under a certain amount of pressure to shoot well, beaters need to watch their orders and drive the birds gently in the right direction (those with dogs ensuring their charges work efficiently and under control!.... not always a given), pickers-up have to be sure to gather up all the fallen and, particularly, running birds....... On Cocking Day, however, the pressure is off.  There are no clients or customers and everyone can have a relaxing and enjoyable day....

On this particular cocking day we were at Woodhall Spa - home of the National Golfing Union HQ as well as some rather beautiful woodland. We had some memorable days beating in those woods. The undergrowth was largely composed of dense, tough brambles. Enough to test even the most determined beaters. One year they were so bad that a number of the older men refused to return after the first day of the season. Fuelled by adrenalin, Gunner was unstoppable. Invariably though he ended up splattered with blood from where the brambles had caught his ears, tongue and other more sensitive parts. During the 2010/11 season, memorable for its freezing temperatures & huge quantities of snow, Gunner achieved the dubious distinction of rarely coming out of those woods without having 'found' at least one hare under the snow covered brambles! Not that he was supposed to be looking for hares of course! I loved going to Woodhall with him; he was in his element in those dense, game-laden woods.

Our role on this particlar cocking day was to alternate flushing the birds on one 'drive' with picking them up on the next. Gunner had the time of his life and, as I said at the beginning, was not going to let a single bird get away.

It was a truly wonderful day, made all the more so by the fact that the weather was mild, sunny and dry...... a day to treasure.

Sunset

Living on a hillside, we have amazing views across the surrounding country. We also face west so get the benefit of the night sky.

Tonight's was totally fabulous - but this was the best the camera could do. Which just reminds me that it's time I invested in a new one! The subtleties of the shading through the clouds is totally lost.... but take my word, it was one of the best sunsets we have seen here in many a long month......

Gunner's Calendar - September

Gunner at Benniworth Shoot 3 December 2014 11.36 a.m.

Ditto - 11.36 a.m

Ditto .... 11.37 a.m. !

I think this is possibly one of my favourite photos. How can a December day have been so glorious? How can a working day have been so enjoyable. Looking back, it was vintage Gunner.

We'd worked on this shoot since it started up in 2008. It only has 6 or 7 days a season but it was one of our favourites and we didn't miss a single day.
This was Gunner's 7th working season so there was not much he did not know and he was not beyond telling me what his job was!
However, on this particular day my records show that he was behaving impeccably. He'd been very attentive all morning,  only breaking out from his 'beat' to pick up a nicked bird that, everyone agreed, would undoubtedly have otherwise run into the next county & been lost!
He was extrememly focused on the birds. There was not a single one flushed or shot near him that he didn't mark!
By the afternoon his focus turned to watching the guns ...... On the first 'drive' after lunch we were in our usual position on the edge of a thick wood - able therefore to be both inside and outside. Gunner took full advantage. Working hard in the thickets along the edge he flushed a number of hard flying birds for the gun on our right...... running out from the wood each time a bird broke to focus on the shot. When the bird was hit Gunner would immediately rush off to pick it and bring it back to me. I soon gave up whistling him back; he was not listening to me. He was just getting on with what he'd decided his job was.
If the gun 'missed' Gunner stood rock steady for a measurable period - probably just a few seconds - staring with blatant 'disgust' at the poor chap , before charging back into the wood and  locating more birds. He collected five  birds in this way. I was mortified. The Gun, however, was delighted:
"He's incredible! It's just like having my personal picking up dog! I've never had so much fun on a shoot"
Quite!
On the next drive Gunner mostly stuck to his proper job whilst keeping one eye on the Guns. "Phew" I thought to myself; "Perhaps now he'll behave himself."
My idea of behaving was not his. Clearly the sun had gone to his head! On the next and final 'drive' we were working in the middle of a very thick wood. Halfway through he disappeared, only to rejoin me near the end, looking extremely tired and carrying a shot, but not yet dead, cock bird. I learned later from the gun who had shot it that it fell in the heavy kale and would undoubtedly have been a lost runner had Gunner not pursued it to the end! The Gun was most impressed!

Taking a bath at the end of the day...

The dog was so filthy after that I persuaded him into the lake for a bath before returning to the beater's wagon. He didn't mind one bit. He'd had a wonderful day doing what he loved best of all.
He was tired and wet so I persuaded him into his fleece jumper and told him to get in the back of the truck. At which request he turned his back, walked to the front end of the vehicle, which was up against a barn, sat down facing me and refused to move!
A couple of members of the shooting party thought it was very droll and stayed beside me for a while making jokes and trying to jolly the dog into getting in the truck.

One that didn't get away

But would he move?
No.
He just stared at us all as if we'd formed a party for the specific purpose of beating him up! He was having none of it. He would not move.

And another......

The last bird of the day

It was a good 10 or 15 minutes before he finally deigned to jump in the back of the car, but he kept that look on his face. Not for the first time I felt he really resented me for taking him home!!!

 

"I am not getting in the car & going home"

August at Gunner's calendar

Gunner aged 7 years - 10 April 2014

"A (man) is not dead while his name is still spoken.
While we remember the ones we lost they stay alive in our hearts and our memories.
They live on in the stories we tell."



RIP Gunner aka BestestGundog

8.3.2007 - 12.8.2015

Happy Birthday Jaunty

 Four years ago this summer I was visiting my mother in Norfolk a little more often than usual, leaving her a little earlier than usual and scooting off into the countryside to visit a newly born litter of puppies. Three visits in 7 weeks is more than my mother was used to and probably more than a breeder is used to. However, this was the first puppy I had ever selected myself and I wanted to get it 'right'.
Ah well.
There were three boys in the litter. The chubby liver and white one was easy to reject. The two black and white boys were hard to choose between - both were bright, keen and bouncy from the start. What made me choose the one I did I cannot recall. But home he came and stole my heart. He was 'puppydog' from the start and designated understudy to Gunner.
Ah well. Again.
Never mind. Can't have everything.
What we got was the bounciest, brightest, most mischievious and irrepressible dog we could wish for. He's always up for anything and rewrites the script as he goes! Early on I gave up any pretense that he would step into Gunner's pawprints (another will come along to do that) but he's a good working dog when he puts his mind to it and will search for, and pick up, birds all day long. His energy is boundless. Which is why, this year, he's been learning to do agility stuff.  Which he absolutely loves. He's proved to be  a very quick learner, and runner. Unlike his handler. Our trainer keeps urging us to enter competitions; we've done one small one where we bombed - not because Jaunty couldn't do the course but because, being a spaniel, he couldn't keep his nose off the smells so we were intermittently very slow!!! However, we'll do more and, if his handler can just keep up with him, I know he'll do very well.l
Meanwhile, we are on the verge of another shooting season and, hopefully, Jaunty will be asked to pick up again. I think he possibly loves that even more than agility - not least because he has every excuse to get really dirty - another of his favourite things
All in all, Jaunty is a chap who just loves life and finds everything the most exciting thing ever. He has a wonderful exuberant and totally genuine nature with never a grumpy thought or deed in his repertoire. A truly lovely character.
Since it's his birthday, we'll omit to mention that he can also be very deaf and very norty.......
Happy Birthday Jaunty.

Happy Gotcha Day Skipper

Skipper arrives at The Old Rectory 17-8-2016

Is it really a year since this little lad arrived here...?
He was such a cute little chap, looking more like his Grandad Gunner than his dad, Jaunty.
There are definitely recognisable bits of each of them in his make-up.
But one year on he's grown into his own skin and is totally himself.

Happy Gotcha Day Skipper. 

Skipper one year on......

Cheeky pupski 17-8-16

"What's a tweet up?"

Bugler and Jaunty greeting Tilly in the usual way!

A while ago - maybe a couple of years or so - I asked this question. I thought social media was all about communicating with people you didn't know except through twitter or facebook.
No!
It seems that all over the place people who have 'met' and been friends on social media for ages or sometimes only for a little while decide to get togther and meet up. In the case of twitterpals, it's called a tweet up.
We've had one of those today.

Gunner welcoming Albert and his 'dad' August 2015

We've 'known' Albert Spanner for quite a while - since the BestestGundog first joined Twitter. Of course, at first we didn't know we knew him, he was just someone we followed and who followed us. But over time familiarity grew and the characters developed and Albert & Gunner became friends.
And then last August Albert came to visit. Bringing pressies & treats.. which Gunner rather liked. He lives down in Cornwall so it wasn't just a quick whizz down the road.
And today Albert came back and brought his new
sisfur (sister!) Tilly - and some rather nice treats again - with him. And, of course, this time Skipper got to meet his Uncle Albert too - which was all very exciting, and a bit daunting, cos he's been tweeting with Albert all his life........
Luckily the weather was kind again so Albert,Tilly, Jaunty and Bugler all got to go on foot to the local pub - where they were joined by the Big Boss and Skipper (socialisation school we called it) ... and then back on foot too.....

By paw to pub and back - tough luck guys!

Albert & Jaunty managed to run probably twice as far as everyone else but luckily we found some large puddles en route and a rather nice bowl of water not too far from the end...... much to Jaunty's delight.... Never one to hold back, he jumped right in and had a good old wallow - tough on anyone else who wanted a drink.... Did he care? I think Not.....

"Mind if I get a drink too Jaunty" said Albert

And then back home it was rest time for Jaunty & Bugler whilst Skipper continued his socialisation schooling out on the terrace where there was more talk and cupsateas (as Skipper calls them), whiling away a pleasant few hours on an English summer's afternoon...... What could be nicer?
A thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable day spent in the company of some very friendly dogs....... and, amazingly, they did all get on - no doubt because they'd all known each other for such a long time.....

Socialisation School #1

Socialisation School #2

There was a lot of snoring going on in the evening........ We shall do it again...... and with other twitterpals too if we can organise it...... and now we all know what a wonderful thing a tweet up is....

Gunner's Calendar - July Pic

Gunner 10 August 2012

Gunner was 5 when this photo was taken. It's in what was our special running and training area - not that Gunner and I were doing much training when he'd got to this age. Although I know differently now - thanks to young Skipper and Co. - I didn't think there was much else I could teach the dog after he'd done 4 seasons of work. So, we just used to go down to this area and hunt about and then sit around in the long grass and watch the birds flying around us.  This particular piece of ground lies below and alongside our own fields and, being poor quality farming land, was always left fallow so was a haven for wildlife. We often saw snipe, newts and other creatures we couldn't identify in the long grasses. Gunner thought it was great for hunting in and would snuffle and sniff all over the place.  No other people (except the farmer very occasionally) ever went there. No other dogs either;except one, who I think belonged to a local farmworker and which used to be given a run on the 'way to work' very first thing in the morning, but only for two or three years. So it felt like it was 'Our Place'. It always will now.  Soon after this photo was taken the land was fenced off for 'beasts' and several ponds were scraped out, which were supposed to attract wild life. Strangely, there is less wildlife there than formerly which is what happens when man interferes with nature. Anyway, I don't go down there anymore with the dogs.  Also, the land is now incorporated within the territory of a local shoot so dogs are most unwelcome, especially spaniels... though goodness knows why when they are welcomed onto other local shoots. But then, this particular shoot owner is quite neurotic!!!
Anyway, on this particular day we had been mooching about in the long grass, the sun was shining and the birds were singing and it seemed all was right with the world. Gunner was happily relaxed and had just caught sight of some Canada geese strutting around not far away from us...... he never missed a thing....

Where on earth did that year go??? Happy Birthday Skipper

The Official Birthday Photo!

Well, I don't know where it went but here's the proof! Skipper celebrated his first birthday on 16th June.

He's turned out well - a "solid stable" dog is how our trainer describes him. I think of him as a happy-go-lucky sort - just wants to please but is pretty strong minded about how he goes about things. Like his dad, he learns quickly but unlike his dad he has had a sheltered, well-planned upbringing! Which means there have not yet been any heart-in-mouth (mine not his) moments when he's run off in pursuit of ... well, whatever runs really. They're bound to arise I suppose but, with the help of a different trainer from the one who helped me with the others, I'm hoping to avoid some of the typical spaniel pitfalls!

There's a lot going on inside that head.....

Whilst there is no doubt that he is a son of Jaunty, he does have a lot of his grandad (Gunner) in him - particularly the way he can concentrate and focus. Like Gunner, he is also very much his own person. Although he'd like to be the boss Bugler assumed that role so Skipper has to content himself with putting Jaunty in his place! Not that Jaunty gives a hoot; he's happy to do his own thing and has put up very patiently with having his ears and tail pulled mercilessly! We're in the equivalent of the teenage years now so Skipper is constantly trying to push the boundaries but he's sensible enough to accept the rules when they are pointed out to him. I'm told by our trainer that in a few months he'll be through all that and will settle down and just get on with things! Which I very much look forward to. That should neatly coincide with the coming shooting season. He's learning his lessons well and if all goes to plan he could be 'dogging in' come September and going out on shoot days later in the season....

Yes - dogs do get their own cards!

However, that's a long way off  .. for now he's still a puppy doing puppy things, getting pressies and cards from fond Twitter Uncles and not having to worry about a thing.......

Another toy from @Albertspanner

 Happy Birthday Skipper!! xx

Gunner's Calendar - June 2016

Gunner 13.5.2014

The June photo was actually taken on 13 May 2014 - at 1306 according the the data on my file. Gunner was 7 years and two months old. He looks much older........

It was taken outside the stables. I cannot remember what Gunner was so engrossed in. He's looking in the direction of the Poultry Palace so maybe something in there caught his eye.
I could look at this photo for hours. It says so much about the dog. For instance, look at his jaw. I wouldn't have noticed this at all but the vet mentioned it when I took Gunner for his injections the day after he arrived here.
"Do you know he's got a slightly undershot jaw?" he said
"Really?" I replied, wondering if that meant my special puppy was going to have a problem......
"It shouldn't make any difference though" continued the vet: "I've known a few like this; I don't think it will stop him making a perfectly good gun dog"...... 
Well, he was right about that!
Maybe it's because of this that he had such a chunky look about his face. Maybe it accounted in part for his ultra soft mouth......the tiniest baby birds & bunnies, live mice, eggs, hedgehogs- not to mention hundreds of head of dead and live game ....... all came out as they went in.
Or look at the eye....... it's said the eye of the dog is the mirror of his soul. What a soul this lad had. One of my bush beating colleagues always called him the philosopher.... "What are you thinking of behind those eyes?" he'd say to Gunner - usually when we were in the beater's wagon between drives..... Most dogs lie down and go to sleep or mill around restlessly. Gunner would just stand in the middle at the back and stare into space.... deep in thought. It was the same whilst we were waiting for a 'drive' to start - up to 20 minutes is not unusual - he would just sit or stand, motionless, staring into the distance.... the whole time... his concentration was uncanny. Another colleague on another shoot tried to break his attention by talking to him, using his name. "I'm gonna make Gunner notice me if it's the last thing I do." He said. Gunner totally blanked him. Every time. It became a standing joke. The dog was oblivious. He was completely happy within himself.  At home he would sit and stare a lot too - at the piglets, at the chickens, at whatever...... Other dogs must do that I suppose, but I've never come across one.
Of course, I have hundreds of headshots - he was the most handsome of creatures. We all think our animals are the best and most beautiful but if I had £1 for every time someone remarked on his good looks Gunner would have made me rich!!! I used to joke that when his time came I would have to have him stuffed so that he could stand in the hallway where I'd see him every day. The stupid things we say. Much as he would stare at things, sometimes I would just stand and stare at him ..... and take masses of photos..... Hundreds of head shots - probably many that are better than this one..... but this one tells you all you need to know about the dog......

End of an era

The first two boys, Mangal and Wurzel 2007

Our last two swallowbelly gilts

The Big Boss has always had a fondness for pigs. That's why he brought two curly coated ones here in early 2007.
Ironically, the first two to arrive were swallowbelly boys and the last two to leave were swallowbelly girls. 

Ginger and family

Those of you who've followed this blog from the outset will know the story of the curly coated pigs. For those who are new; a precis:- there used to be a curly coated pig in Lincolnshire but it went extinct in the 1960's. After the First World War, however, the curly coated Mangalitza pig in Hungary was threatened with extinction. The Hungarians searched hi and lo for help and found it in the shape of the Lincolnshire curly coat. Around 2000 sows were exported from here and a number of breeding farms were set up to cross them with Mangalitzas. Comprehensive breed books were maintained and the 'new' pig was known locally as the Lincalitza. Sadly, after the 2nd WW Hungary was sacked, the breed farms were dispersed and the herd books 'lost'.
An enterprising lover of pigs called Tony York brought a small herd of the rare Mangalitzas to the UK from Austria in 2006. The Big Boss, inspired by this story got in touch, visited and arranged to help spread knowledge of the breed by purchasing a couple of weaners from the first litter born in England early in 2007. Thus it was that the curly coated pig, in the shape of Mangal & Wurzel returned to Lincolnshire and when our first litter was born in November that same year they were the first curly coats born here in over 40 years. The interest was incredible. The local and national media love a good story and this one had everything: extinction, survival, cute babies, local pride...... the phone never stopped ringing. Our Open Days attracted people from far and wide. Soon the herd grew to encompass three boars and several sows - Ginger, Delila, Precious, Andromeda and Truffle were the mainstays but along the way there were several others..... each bearing 2 litters a year of 7-10 piglets....... A lot of trotters. And since you can't keep a good piglet in, those little trotters were everywhere - any pen or field they cared to go into..... the gardens, orchard, drive, the bridleway..... and quite frequently at the back door.....

Our pork provisions were marketed initially through Open Days and local farmers markets; specialist events like the Queen's Silver jubilee Garden Party and the annual Lincoln Castle Sausage Festival followed. Eventually we were selling through larger Food Festivals, to famous Hotels and to numerous customers over the internet. At its height RectoryReserve numbered almost a hundred curly coats living here and at the premises of various Curly Coat Custodians around the county.Never a dull moment.
However, no business survives by remaining static. A small business must evolve and grow and by its 7th or 8th  year needs to move into its next stage of development. For us that meant scaling up production - more pigs to produce more provisions. Which in turn would require fencing more land to graze the pigs, employing more people to look after the pigs, investing in more equipment to produce the goods; even more people and equipment to attend more food festivals further afield etc etc etc.What started as a little hobby to explore the Big Boss's love of all things pig was turning into a more than full-time occupation. Every thing was "more" except time, which we had increasingly less of.

Andromeda seeing off Delila - and becoming the Boss

It was not easy to take the decision to stop. With livestock you can't just shut up shop and walk away. It's been a long easing down; first the breeding stock had to go - that was the hardest bit - then all the males and finally all the girls. Almost two years of 'good-bye's.

Andromeda

But now they have all gone. The pens are returning to grass. There are no more breakfast queues..... Our last sales event - Open farm Sunday this past weekend - has been and gone. All that remains is to tidy up, clean up, sell up all the redundant equipment and sundry bits and pieces accumulated over the past 9 years. It feels a strange, quiet, almost rudderless place just now.... Things, jobs, interests we have had little time for  whilst the Curly Coats were here and all-consuming are now coming to the fore....  We can throw away the old chewed wellies and worn out jeans....... ..... What will  we do now....

Delila

Delila and Andromeda remain with us. Do they wonder why and where all the others have gone? Who knows how pigs think. Having sorted out who is boss they now seem happy enough mooching around in their vast space with its selection of sleeping quarters. They are 8 and 7 respectively; we don't know how old that is in pig terms so we shall have to wait for them to tell us when they have had enough..... for the time being though, back scratches, wallowing, bananas, apples and similar treats are enough ...... and the horse is pleased enough with their company......

Gunner's Calendar - May

"Today's lesson chaps is all about manners..... " 14/9/2010

Mangal and Wurzel, our first curly coated pigs, arrived here in April 2007. Gunner followed shortly after in June that same year. So pigs were always part of his life. A part he took very seriously from the start....... which was why I felt it was important to include at least one picture of him with pigs in the calendar. I'm not sure why this one, but when I was looking through them all, this one kept calling me back. It has a real feeling of the dog and the piglets being equally interested in each other.
The first litter of curly coats was born here in November 2007 and from the beginning Gunner would position himself outside their pen and watch them in wrapt fascination. In the early days we tried to keep them in the pens with their mothers, an impossible task. We were forever rounding them up and returning them to the correct pens or blocking up gaps in fencing where they broke through. Those of you who have read back to the early years of this blog doubtless chuckled at our vain attempts. Gunner watched our efforts with interest. Soon he was instrumental in helping round them up and became self-appointed guardian of the piglets. Within a couple of years we admitted defeat and allowed the piglets to free range wherever their trotters took them. Visitors grew accustomed to being greeted by hordes of happy piglets trotting up the drive or mooching by the back door; users of the adjacent bridlepath grew used to being followed by them or rang us to advise whereabouts the piglets were! They always returned to their mums eventually but Gunner would keep an eye on them, bringing them back if they strayed too far. Everyday when I did the feed rounds he would mingle amongst them, gently minding his own business or having words with them about their role in the world!  I used to joke about him giving them their daily lessons and teaching them manners......
Other times he would just sit motionless watching them go about their business......
As with everything, Gunner took his role of PigKeeper very seriously. Whenever weaners left for pastures new or older pigs for their final journey, he would be there inspecting, assisting and occasionally hampering their progress into whatever transport was being used! Even moving them from pen to pen required his presence to ensure proceedings went according to plan and if we delivered pigs to custodians, Gunner would be first out of the truck to check out the new premises!
We took the decision at the beginning of last year to "get out" of breeding the curly coats for a number of reasons. Now, I cannot imagine having them without Gunner being around.

The "fickle finger of fate" ........................

Happy Birthday Bugler

It was Bugler's birthday last Sunday. I can't believe it's already three years since Gunner and Meg got together and produced 6 bouncing pups.
As ever, it took me two or three visits and several hours to select Bugler from the litter. I don't know why; he was a mini image of Gunner so should have been the obvious choice from the start but I was tempted to pick his black & white brother (Where have we heard this story before!).
Anyway he came to stay and settled in immediately. A real chip off the old block, he was very fond of his dad and spent lots of cuddle time with him... .
Although Jaunty was supposed to be the Understudy, Bugler fell into that role far more easily. He has the same capacity for wanting to please that Gunner had, is quick to learn and, more importantly, remember his lessons and has boundless energy. Where he differs from his dad is in being twice as fast and bouncy and probably not naturally as bold!

In the 2014/15 shooting season they shared the workload and in most instances, if I didn't say anything, people thought it was the same dog - just that he was slightly steadier on some days than others!!! Apart from Bugler being leaner, they were, to the untrained eye, identical. Like his dad, Bugler is never norty and tries hard to please. He earned himself a couple of certificates in Gundog Working Tests last summer so this year we are having another go to see if we can progress. So far the omens are not good; the dogs which catch the judges eyes are small and whizzy/busy across the ground.whereas Bugler is a good 4-6" taller than most of them and has a less frantic style of working. Never mind; he is a speedy obedient working dog and will continue to be a pleasure to work with on any shoot in forthcoming seasons. As far as he is concerned, hunting is his favourite thing and as long as he can do that he is more than happy.
So.... Happy Birthday SonofaGunner xxxxx