There's no smoke without fire.....

There's no such thing as 'rumour' and 'maybe' amongst animals - just 'fact' and 'today'. So Friday arrived - not a very nice day weatherwise - bit misty and 'promising 'rain. But there was an air of great excitement about the place nonetheless.

Soon after breakfast two very nice men (Tom and his mate) from Little Morton Farm arrived with a load of bits on their lorry. Two hours (and no small amount of grunting, groaning, drilling and heaving) later, the new Ark appeared in all its splendour. At which point, Will and Lucas - as if on cue - arrived to lend their very capable hands to the other exciting task of the day: Weaning.

Well, we were a little bit worried. Thought it was just a bit traumatic separating mum from her little ones. So we had it all planned. Let Ginger return to her pals at breakfast time whilst the babies were still asleep. Then shut them in their ark. Then pick them up and move them one by one to the Old Stalls. Trouble was, she decided to have a lie-in, what with the rain and all. So that didn't work. But whilst the excitement of the ark building was going on we opened the gate through to the boys. Piglets still asleep. Disturbed by all the noise, Ginger eventually got up. Did what pigs usually do when they get up. Then looked around. Saw the opening. Ambled through. Calm as you like. We shut the gate.

And then it was like all hell let loose.

It wasn't easy to tell who was greeting who and most pleased to see whichever; but what a noise; and charging about; and bumping into each other; and bumbling from one ark to another. And then it all became clear; Pepper and Wurzel had said their bit.

Mangel and Ginger had more serious things on their mind.

Before we could work out what was going on, off they ambled - quickly - to their old large ark and the humphing and grunting had to be heard to be believed. Well! Everyone in the yard - including the ducks - stopped dead in their tracks --- and fell about laughing. Three months, three weeks and three days from the 12th January we will be heralding the arrival of the next offspring.......... They say pigs like a good roll in the hay, but we thought that was just a load of hogwash!

So much for worrying about weaning.

"Piglets?" "What piglets?" said Ginger.

So Will and Lucas and Himself set about it and in no time at all - accompanied by quite a lot of squealing, slipping, sliding and diving (it was seriously "slarmy" (as they say around these parts) in the pig pen)-seven little piglets were caught, held and carried to the old stalls.

Interesting to note that, whilst they squeal blue murder when first picked up, as soon as they are firmly held - cuddled even - they fall silent and seem thoroughly to enjoy the occasion.

Taking advantage of their semi-comatose state of 'cuddle' , regulatory (pink) eartags were inserted - to which all bar one paid no attention at all! (We had a computer chap here this afternoon; looking through the photos whilst fixing something technical, he remarked on seeing the pink tabs; "Why do they have dummies in their ears instead of in their mouths?") Then they were snuggling down in the straw, sniffing and chewing; then darting wildly around and exploring every corner before collapsing in a pile of piglets - excited, exhausted and ---------- fast asleep.

"Trauma?" What trauma?"