Lazy hazy days of summer.....

"Move over Samson - it's my turn" said Delila

Lazy summer afternoon....

Nothin like a wallow.....

Just like London buses, all our summers have come at once. Twelve months ago we were coping with flood and storm whilst this year we are 'enjoying' the hottest continual spell of sunshine since 2006 (which, oddly, none of us can recall being all that hot). With temperatures hitting a very un-British 30 degrees or more for day after day, the countryside (and perhaps the towns & cities too - but we don't know about them) is taking on a decidedly continental air. Sandals, shorts, skimpy tops are the order of dress - which is quite unusually shocking for this part of the world (and even quite scary when seen in some of its manifestations in the marketplace....). Much hay is already made & stacked away for winter.... combine harvesters can be heard thrumming away in the distance; pea viners have been seen (a month late this year apparently owing to the coldest March for 100 years) trundling along the roads at dawn & dusk.... grass is turning decidely brown and crops definitely (pale) gold..... 
Mad dogs and Englishmen are staying well out of the midday sun (as far as is possible) so any activity is compressed into  the first and last hours of daylight. This probably happens all over the hot world but here it is quite quite uncommon.
"And what of the curly coats?" you ask. Well; the pigs are happy.They have nearly finished their moult so are feeling relatively cool - regular readers will know that Delila was the only one of them to lose her coat last 'summer'. Being grey-skinned they don't worry about getting burned by the fierce heat of the sun - although they do seek shade where they can and spend an awful lot of time in squashing into, or taking turns in, their wallows.

..the broccoli wall

Ironic that we have spent the past eighteen or 20 months complaining about all the mud everywhere and now the ground is rock hard and we spend an hour or more each day just refilling the mud-pools which serve as wallows! We also spend much time refilling water containers because they either get tipped out into wallows, get paddled in to cool trotters or, if any water is left, it is too warm to enjoy drinking!

Me go out in the Mid-day sun? I should coco

Farmers are faced with interesting challenges this year too, the current one being the 'broccoli wall'. Owing to the cold spring, this vegetable was late to get going but conditions have been ideal for the past fortnight and all the plants have come on at once. Pickers have been working round the clock to get the crop in - the mobile vegetable factories which can be seen around the fields are capable of processing a head of broccoli from field to 'packed' in 60 seconds! Apparently, the wall has been scaled and the situation is now manageable. Our pigs have been enjoying the excess - it is probably their most favourite vegetable - they get really blissed out when tea-time comes around and heaps of the best fresh greens land on their plates! Even the dogs (not sure if it's good for 11 wk old pups but we'll soon find out!), horses and chickens enjoy crunching on the stuff - so everyone's pretty pleased.........
The prognosis is the "heatwave" will continue yet a while.... most of us here are not complaining and making the most of the lazy, hazy days..... who knows when they'll come round again????

Natural drive

Right my dear -- I think over here will do...

Running a pork provisioning business is a complex challenge. There's a lot of planning involved, a great deal of discussion - about the animals themselves, the markets, the range of products, combining tradition with innovation, keeping the mind on future strategy without taking the eye off present facts etc etc etc ....... we spend hours talking about it.... every aspect almost ad nauseum it sometimes seems.  One of our most recent topics of concern has been Ginger and Mangal. More specifically, how  long we should continue to breed them. They are our Founders so that makes them very senior..... Should we let Ginger have another litter? Is she capable? Is Mangal still fertile?  Do they even want to get back together? Should we just retire them gracefully?

How about a spot of tea now dear?

Well, it doesn't really matter how long we debated and how often we threw the questions back and forth. Yesterday afternoon Ginger took command of the situation. Up she got, some time during the intense heat of one of the warmest days of the year so far, and decided to break down the fence to get to her mate. When I went out to feed tea there she was lying outside his gate waiting to be let in. And he was standing on the other side equally patiently waiting for someone to slide the bolt and let her through. I'm sure he could easily have opened it himself but perhaps it's part of the ritual of letting the humans think they're in control?
Suffice to say I opened the gate and she lumbered down to his quarters and, after he'd finished his tea, they spent a very pleasant (and noisy!) afternoon making whoopee. By dusk she was back in her own boudoir fast asleep. Where she stayed till this afternoon when off she ambled once more to repeat the previous day's  episode! Then it was back to her territory to sleep it off again.
Nature's way. We'll let her, and them, tell us what to do for the best.

Peace & quiet - for a while

Ginger's young brood, born on May 8th, were the last of the spring litters to be weaned. At 8 weeks old they were spending very little time with Ginger and free-ranging far and wide.We realised they

Can we come in please Mr Jaunty?

were becoming a little too bold when they started coming to the back door and asking for their food - or maybe just to be let in. It was very disconcerting to be greeted by gruntlets first thing each morning. Jaunty proved a very effective door-keeper and took his new job very seriously! They did manage to get in once: we were totally unprepared. Returned from market one afternoon I was unloading from the chiller van, having left the house doors open; I was surprised to find 7 piglets merrily trotting into the scullery ahead of me! Fortunately they did not make it as far as the pantry - my astonished yell scared them enough to  make them run out! After that we made sure to always leave the door shut!

How long have we got to stay in here?

The 4 boys in the litter will be going to Heckington Show later in the month. This will be our 6th year of taking youngsters - they always prove a great attraction especially since they are not just the only curly coats at the show but the only pigs! They share a marquee with the other rare breeds - including the Lincoln red cattle, the Lincolnshire Buff hens and the Lincolnshire Longwool Sheep - sheep being by far the majority. It always makes me smile when people, attuned to looking at all the sheep, do a double-take when they get to our pen - "Funny sheep... ooooorrr pigs?"

Victoria's piglets still sticking close to mum !

Meanwhile, we shall enjoy a bit of peace and quiet without piglets running everywhere - till Victoria's lot realise they have the place to themselves and start their explorations. They're three weeks old now so should be on their way.... that'll be my new flowerbed destroyed then, as The Big Boss gleefully pointed out this afternoon! And Con, the gardener, has only just planted it. Maybe the piglets won't find it!
Maybe pigs will fly.......

"Tantantara...ting.....boom.....Introducing..... Son of a Gunner

  So - here he is as last - the long awaited son of a Gunner....... In the weeks following his birth there was much debate on and around RectoryReserve concerning what the little chap should be called. Traditionally all our dogs have had names related to the Forces - Captain, Trooper, Lancer, Pilot, Gunner - so we wanted something along those lines. A long list was drawn up, names were deleted at intervals until in the end The Big Boss preferred Dragoon and She Who must be obeyed preferred Bugler. Finally, it was agreed - he should be registered as The Dragoon Bugler.   Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue but there we are.... it provided ample opportunity for shortening to something more snappy!                                                   

As ever when something is long-awaited, the arrival date suddenly comes around and off we went to collect him on Monday. Meg (his mother)'s mum was delighted to see us! Even though Bugler's brother and one of his sisters had already left for their forever homes, 4 puppies running round her feet was driving her just a little bit crazy. The prospect of even one fewer was very cheering! She duly took us through the paperwork - pedigree, insurance, docking, microchip, change of ownership papers. All seemed in good order. Until I looked more closely at the pedigree....."What's this?" I said - "We seem to have the wrong name for the dog!" "What!" exclaimed Chris in alarm.... "Well, he was supposed to be Dragoon Bugler.....not what's written here. "Oh No - I am sorry..... I was certain I'd remembered it correctly!" she replied. Clearly the stress of having the pups had affected her even more than she was prepared to admit!  Now, as it happens, I wasn't terribly upset; after all, she'd remembered the principle of the name and the one she thought we'd chosen was one which was on our original list but was rejected because it seemed rather long for a young dog...... So, you ask, what is his name? In full it is Megun (from Meg & Gunner) Bombadier Bugler!  Rolls off the tongue rather more easily than Dragoon Bugler..... and plenty of B's in there for future use.... ...... .......

 "What's this you've brought home?"

After a little initial nervousness he quickly made friends with Jaunty although Gunner was a little more sceptical about the new arrival. There is a striking resemblance between the two though and not just in looks: at the vet for his first injection and check-up Bugler was calm about everything until his ears were inspected and then he went ape! Just like his dad! Needless to say, Pilot has hardly deigned to acknowledge his existence. When Bugler sidled up to him asking "Are you my friend too?", Pilot curled his lips, gave a barely audible snarl and the little one was left in no doubt what the answer was! They have barel entered each other's orbit since - nor will they if we can orchestrate it! He's still far too much of a baby to be terrified by the Alpha male!
That apart, he's settled in remarkably well; apart from a few minutes of complaint he has slept through the nights and has quickly got used to being in his crate for periods of quiet during the day. Jaunty's really taken him under his paw, happy at last to be able to play proper puppy games! And when he's left to his own devices he is into everything - he's definitely a livewire.......... which may or may not bode well for the future......................... time will tell......................

So, you ask "How's The Understudy doin?"

"He's gonna be 10 months old tomorrow so I thought I'd better give you all a quick update on my Understudy. After all, he was specially selected and arrived last October with a weight of expectation on his little shoulders.... The fact that we refer to him as The Understudy says it all.
He's certainly a livewire.... doesn't miss a thing and is always looking out for excitement. He's very good in the house - apart from when he's sittin' on me ( which is one of his worse habits - that and not sharin'his biscuits with me..... ).  I s'pose what I should say first off is that She (who must be obeyed) keeps comparing his progress with mine at the same age. But, as the Big Boss does keep pointin' out, She's got a very selective memory. Can't remember me ever doin' a bad thing - I don't mind that obviously but it don't bode well for Jaunty. You don't have to think too long to guess whose side I'm on in this debate.

"Anyway, let's just consider his strengths:
- He's energetic, always bouncin' and runnin' & on the go
- He's observant, always watchin' what's happenin' and never misses a trick
- He's quick to learn, pickin' up new things very easily - almost too much so because he's then easily bored (and inclined to go & do his own thing)
- He's quiet, never whines or whimpers or woofs without very good reason
- He's a bit soft, not a nasty hair on is body
- He loves retrievin' and is developing a good eye for a mark
- He's fast - fetchin' & bringin' back, though sometimes his speed takes him past the mark and past the Human on his return and he don't always give dummy up cleanly
- He walks to heel without his lead and can go for a long while though he do pull when on his lead.
On the downside:........well, there's nothin' really ... except.... one Big Thing...... He does like to Hooley..... He's learned his whistle commands and perfectly understands them. He'll hunt like a grown up dog for a little while, sometimes for quite a few minutes. BUT .......a good deal of the time he hooleys off .... into the wild blue yonder ... or just anywhere really. She (who must be obeyed) says it not that he don't listen.... it just he gets bored with listening and when his turbo kicks in he's off ... gone.... sometimes for a 60 metre circle, sometimes far further. He always comes back, grinning from ear to ear - usually sayin "That feels better, that was fun Mum, here I am -what you want me to do next? Stay close? Oh. OK. But hang on, I just gotta go hooley again................" .  Now, that really upsets her cos one thing we gundogs gotta do is hunt close and stay close and not hooley off - whole shoots are ruined by dogs hoolying off and upsetting all the birds in one go. A steady spaniel is worth his weight in gold. (*Ahem* it is said I am a positive treasure). What's really annoying Her is that the Understudy behaves when She takes him to Rory-the-Trainer (I have, of course, briefed him accordingly - long standing readers of this blog will know only too well the effect that He-the-trainer had on Yours Truly as a young dog). So, next lesson, Rory-the-trainer is coming over here to see 'the real dog'. We know it won't make any difference. The pup will behave whilst Rory is here and will then b....er off when She's alone with him.The Trainer has that effect on us dogs. We know he's serious but with Her we can sort of play around a little.

So, there we have it. The Understudy is learning all his lessons well (did I mention, he can already swim and 'trieve from water and jump obstacles on command? Smarty huh?). He just won't always listen to the whistle. Says he can't see the point really.
She's not giving up on him though. Says he'll come to hand eventually. Says She'll give him two years if necessary. He'll not be out with me this coming Season but maybe next one....
Meanwhile, look at this last picture.... see the Jaunty sitting still (you might just be able to see me there on his left if you look hard!) --- well he sits to command and watches her go off for hundreds of strides....... and then races up to her on command - now that's not bad for a flippetyjib puppydog is it? Nah. We'll give him time. He'll come good in the end.......!"

Little Victorians

Hallo - are you my mummy?

Ooohhh - what's that out there?

They were due on Thursday according to the Oracle (aka Linda). But things being what they are here, rumours spread and porkies are told - often late at night over the ever empty dinner bowl - so Victoria was well aware of what the herd expected of her (piglets must be born on Linda's day off). Lazing in her wallow over the weekend she did a quick calculation - well, it took nearly two days, but that's pretty quick when there's no pressure & no stress - and she came to the conclusion that whether she wanted to or not she was just going to have to bring the little ones into the World in Linda's absence since there was no way she could hang on till Thursday. She delayed as long as she possibly could just in case there was a chance that things might drag on a bit but in the event the piglets popped out sometime between dusk on Monday and dawn on Tuesday......
So there we have it - to Black Banana & Victoria 5 squiggling piglets. We might call them The Ascots since today is the first day of the Royal Ascot meeting and, in view of their speedy birth and haste to get a look at the outside world, that could be an appropriate name. We shall see.

Catching up - yet again

Another fortnight of non-communication... The connection was confirmed but still didn't work. So I spent a very pleasant (?!) half hour talking to a very nice young man in Calcutta (temp. 35 degrees, humidity 94% .... visions of the Best Marigold Hotel running across my mind) who sorted out the reason for the problem we were having:- "You don't need two filters" (but the BT engineer fitted them!).Today we are back in business and, fingers crossed, all is working again! In the intervening weeks not much has changed: Gunner is still trying to explain the Rules of Engagement to the piglets ... they all pretend to be pretty attentive and follow his every word..... 

 ...and then wander off.
He'll keep trying though.
They meanwhile are nearing weaning age...  running up to the barn for their feed - several times a day! It will be an easy matter just to shut the doors. The difficulty will be doing it when all 21 piglets are feeding in there..... I'm sure a strategy will emerge though. The boys (10) and the girls(11 - or is it the other way round) will then be separated and form new alliances so by they time they go back outside a few weeks later everyone will be 'friends'. It'll be a gruelling period with 21 of them inside...... but let's not think of that......
Much as we love seeing them free-ranging (visitors again at the weekend remarked..."Did you know you have piglets running

 all over the place?" with a discernable you-must-be-mad intonation!) it will be a relief to once more be able to leave doors open and equipment unattended without fear of "pigletting" and, I suppose, someone will get round to doing the gardening - there being no excuse not to any longer.... unless the weather reverts to foul... which, looking at the rain falling outside the window as I write, is possible.....                                                                             

However, unlike last summer, the older pigs have begun to moult so a better season must be on the cards surely? The grooming process has started and the 'wool sack' grows larger daily..... The girls appear to be shedding first so whilst they are eating their veg. in the afternoon Linda tries to gather what she can. Some love it and remain rock steady --- others hate it and constantly trot off or round in circles. Very frustrating.

There is also the challenge of the older girls who, whilst loving fuss and being very woolly, have liberal quantities of dried limestone mud hanging from their curls -- not exactly easy to brush through. But a way will be found!  Perhaps we shall have to put them under the shower first.................
Over a year old now, they are oblivious to our plans and happily munch away at their five-a-day! We have become quite fond of them whilst acknowledging that we very much look forward to the lard stocks they will provide. Ah well......