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......