And the 2nd Prize goes to...... Delila

"I've had stern words with Delila" said Linda yesterday after work. "She's not to have her piglets till I'm back on Tuesday!".
Clearly Delila was listening to her every word and is a very obedient sow!
Her pen is alongside one of the chicken pens and every night when I shut them up she comes over for an egg! She was a little slow last night and it did make me wonder, specially since I'd noticed her re-arranging the bedding earlier on in the evening. Anyway, come out she did eventually, chomped her egg and sauntered off back to bed - as usual.
Recounting this little incident to the Big Boss over early morning tea today I did say that it would be amusing if I went out and found piglets! But I didn't really believe it. After all two litters born on Linda's day off would be too much of a coincidence .......
So I went about the morning feed as usual: fed the horses then Andromeda and then Delila, who was running about (albeit a little less vigorously than normal) and moaning about the slow service. As I walked along to the chicken pen beside her Gunner was stood on the path pointing down at the fence. I looked and saw what I thought at first was a rat.... but no.... a rabbit..... but looking closer recognised it as a tiny piglet. Clever Gunner. I'd have walked right past it - after all, it's not what one looks for in the fence.....

I legged it over the gate and across to her Ark - Delila meanwhile still chomping on her breakfast like the starved sow she clearly is (!) - and found a bundle of 8 very healthy warm piglets tucked up in the straw. So I'd guess she did  have them last night --- doubtless she had to contemplate whether she had enough time to come out for her egg first........................... What the story of the little one by the fence is we can only guess. But it was also very wet there - was it first, or last to be born? Only Delila knows......
As for names. The Big Boss suggested that since it was HRH's birthday we should call them House of Windsor and I thought The Royals.... perhaps we'll leave it to Linda to choose!!!