On the road again.....

Sometimes when I hear myself explaining to someone - for the umpteenth time - that we started in April 2007 with just Mangal and Wurzel as pets and we now have a herd of 40 (ish) with 11 litters under our belts I find myself wondering where it all went wrong!!

Just kidding.

Anyway, there we were over the weekend at Heckington Show - for the 4th time - with Ginger's Little Spices (and the Bestest PigDog in all the world to keep them in order - and his mate Tony to keep us all in order!) being inundated with questions and "OOOhh"s and "AaAAahh"s and "Ar'n't they cute?"s from all quarters. It was more than exhausting......

The Spices were extremely well behaved: they loaded on to the trailer in the morning with no hint of hesitation, off-loaded like professionals at the other end: repeated that in reverse at the end of the Show (Much to the disappointment of the assembled hordes who were waiting for them to run riot) and totally mesmerised the children - young and old - throughout the two days.

We could not have wished for better ambassadors for the breed. Ginger would have been proud too.

It was fortunate that everything was running smoothly at Heckington since The Big Boss - never one to let the grass

grow under our feet - had arranged for the Pork Provisioner

(yours truly on this occasion) to attend the St James' Day Summer Fayre in a local town on the Sunday.

That meant he had to drop me and my wares off at Market at the crack of dawn (almost) before taking Himself back to the Show. Good job we're young, fit and fabulous! St James was on my side too: shady side of the street, a couple of passing rain showers to damp the dust and a fair footfall to purchase the Provisions.

Thanks to Gunner's Mate (See above) I was home from Market before the Boss returned with The Spices - so he found me relaxing on the terrace with a cool bottle of Pinot Grigio having checked, fed and watered all the livestock.

There followed a most relaxing evening watching the sun go down whilst recounting Tales of our Day...... Bliss.

Who could ask for more....................

Truffles Hunting

Cherie has been very watchful of her first brood - the Little Truffles - even to the extent of chasing away the Best Pig Dog in all The World. However, natural instincts will out and, returning home yesterday, I was greeted by the five little piglets hunting for adventure up the drive.

They're not as brave as they'd like to make out though: within a moment of spotting me they scampered off through the wood and back to Mum and by the time I got there they were all tucked up in the ark as if they'd never, ever been away - Honest Mum! "Adventure?" "Us?" "Never"

The Maiden Aunts, meanwhile, look on in amusement. They've been up in the woods since Friday when we weaned Ginger from her Little Spices.

That was an easy job. First we loaded the Aunts into the wagon and moved them to the woods. Then we returned for the Spices who

happily (and curious to see, no doubt, where the Aunts had gone) - well, with a little food and prodding - loaded into the wagon and thence into the Stalls.

Their next stop will be Heckington Show for the weekend - the 4th time Rectory Reserve will have been represented at that venue.

But, returning to the Aunts; they are very happy next to Cherie and her piglets; merrily observing the little ones going to and fro, through the fence and back again - sometimes into their pen and sometimes elsewhere..... 'Shades of The Spices' they must think to themselves.

As for Ginger: well, she did just about make the obligatory "Poor me, missing my piglets" noises - for all of five minutes. Within 48 hours she was gazing longingly at Mangal - and he at her - so on Monday Linda opened the gates and Ginger gaily sauntered down to Mangal's pen and straight into his huge wet wallow. He was asleep at the time. When, disturbed in his slumbers by her splashing, he did eventually venture out to see what the hell was going on she was well and truly and delightfully covered in mud from snout to trotter. A state which has prevailed, more or less, ever since...... Mangal wasted no time in joining her and, like Darby and Joan, they've been inseparable ever since. He guards the doorway to her ark when she's asleep and nuzzles her happily when she wakes. Occasionally they have a bit of a grunt and snarl but it doesn't last long...................... happy to be together again and doubtless sharing tales of yet another brood successfully brought into the world........

Little robins

Whilst messing about in the Feed Room a few weeks back I noticed an untidy mess of straw between some bottles, sundry medications and fencing wire up on one of the shelves.

Taking a closer look before cleaning it away I found a nest - occupied by a robin.

It's the first time I've ever seen a robin's nest and the last thing I expected to find.......

Late last week the mother started flitting in and out with beakloads of bugs for her hatchlings so a few days ago I got up on a chair and peered - camera in hand - into the nest and discovered two little bodies snuggled together. Never having seen a just-hatched robin I found it all jolly exciting.

By Wednesday the hatchlings were fledged and spent a pleasant day in Rocco's stable learning to fly. Unfortunately the bolder of the two made it to the outside world when I wasn't looking and the Bestest Gundog in All the World thought maybe I'd like to have it back! Although it was still alive when he handed it to me, the shock of the journey was too much for the little thing and he soon departed for good.

Meanwhile his nest-mate took advantage of Rocco's hospitality for a further 24 hours. If you look closely at the dark photo you can just see him having a rest on the rubber matting!

By breakfast this morning he was gone - and I believe I heard him and his mum later, chirrupping happily in the hedge.

Yes: I'm sure it was them....

Meanwhile, in Ritz's part of the barn the last of the current batch of swallows has recently fledged. They've spent an unusual amount of time in the building, perfecting their flying skills and receiving a constant supply of flies from their parents. And they have made quite an impression - depositing serious quantities of guano on every surface beneath them.

Which brings to mind two questions concerning birds:-

1 Why don't birds drop from the sky when they die?

(I know Elton John's already asked this question but did he ever get an answer??)

and

2 How is it, with so many birds in the sky, that we are not constantly pooped on from above?

(Answers on a postcard please.....)

Much as I love the little swallows with their constant chittering and chattering, I shall not be too sad when this nest load finally take to the skies for good!

Long summer days

"Is this the longest summer you've ever known?" I asked one of the 'lads' at the Feed Merchant yesterday.

"No" I'm - just - old enough to remember 1976" he replied.

My memory may be playing tricks but it seems not quite as hot as it was then; even so the horses are nibbling parched pastures, the chickens and ducks are revelling in endless dust baths and, day after day, the pigs laze around in the sun, winter mudbaths long forgotten. Ginger's Little Spices spend ever less time with her, preferring the company - and sunshine - in the Maiden Aunts' pen next door. They still manage to wriggle between the slats of the gate but only just and will be weaned next week - in time for their appearance at the Heckington Agricultural Show the following weekend.

Despite the heat, Shows and markets also continue to beckon the Pork Provisioner. To the customer, sunshine and strong breezes are a welcome combination. To the market trader they can be a nightmare. Food for sale needs to be kept cool and I find myself wishing for heavy cloud cover every time we go to market! Not what we got last weekend.

The Future Vets and I attended Lincoln City market in glorious sunshine on Friday and did a steady trade despite Andy Murray playing at Wimbledon in the afternoon (one happy customer subsequently wrote to us commending our "Absolutely Delicious" pork pie and streaky bacon served by the "lovely people on the stall (who were) so enthusiastic and passionate about the pigs"!!!!).

Winterton Show followed over the weekend and the heat of Saturday was tempered by a terrifically gusty wind on Sunday which saw the Female Future Vet and I struggling like Mary Poppins to hang on to the tarpaulin over the market stall, despite the fact that we'd tied it to the roof rack on the car!

By mid-day, when it was threatening to lift the whole caboodle up into the air (complete with the 2 MPs), we decided to remove it. Problem solved.

Except then we had the almost worse problem of trying to keep food cool under the blazing heat of the sun. Not a happy experience. 'Specially as the majority of punters were, seemingly, content to feast on burgers and chips rather than Real Food Fresh from the Farm!!!

Oh well, can't win them all.

"But what's the Bestest Pigdog in all the world doing?" people keep asking me.

Well, having got all the little pigs under control for now he's been enjoying some R&R. Since we're into the thick of grass seed season - and particularly since dry grass seeds are The Worst - his hunting is confined to the cooler parts of the day and then its partridge and hares on the stubble or rabbits in the poppy fields ----- which he really loves.

But he will be far happier when the cool of Autumn returns and he can get back to the real business...........

Little Cherie Truffles....

Like I said - Cherie was engaged with far weightier matters than her neighbours' departure.

We had a little rain on Monday night which broke the muggy heat.

Cherie must have thought that was an auspicious sign.

She ate her breakfast as normal on Tuesday morning.

Then went back to bed.

Although Linda and I have been saying for days: "It'll be tomorrow" , Cherie's been holding on and, in fairness to The Big Boss he did say the earliest possible date was Tuesday!

We thought he was wrong.

Naturally!

I poked my head around late yesterday morning and she was - seemingly -fast asleep.

So I left her in peace.

It was nigh on 4pm when Linda chirpily announced:

"She's on her way: two piglets so far and one just on its way....."

And by the time Linda went home there were 5 little squiggly things happily nuzzling and suckling for all they were worth with Cherie making contented grunty mother sow noises........

AAAAhhhh!

And later on, as if to celebrate, there was the most glorious sunset................... isn't nature wonderful.

And since Cherie is from the Little Tots litter, we have named these (courtesy of our visiting 'going to be vets' work experience students) the Truffles.

Bye Bye Bernice

A couple of years back a breeding pair - subsequently to become known as Gavin and Stacey - left RectoryReserve for their new home over the other side of Boston.

Since when they have thrived and produced two litters.

We had a call a week or so back from the nice Mr Dennis, their Boss, asking if we could help him out with a little problem.

"I think Gavin needs another wife" he said "Seems to be getting just a little bored with just Stacey for company!" (Poor Stacey)

Well, she's a very nice sow but you can understand a boar getting 'just a little bored' and, as luck would have it we just happened to have two very nice young gilts of the right age and colour and within a few days Mr D was over here making Gavin's choice for him! (Don't suppose Gavin will mind one little bit....)

"She's already got a name" he said after selecting the larger of the two ('Better size for Gavin' he said) "Bernice..... don't know why that's been chosen but it seems a perfectly good name.... will have to Google it to be sure though!".

And so today he sent his chaps over to fetch her. She wasn't in the least bit bothered about leaving her pal and Cherie in the woods (Cherie's due to farrow any minute now so understandably her mind's on other more weighty matters). Bernice took her time and pecked at a bit of grass on the way into the trailer but once there she seemed to say "OK, so what now?".

She'll have to be quarantined for three weeks, but what a - hopefully pleasant - surprise she'll have when she meets her beau.....And what a lovely surprise Gavin will have.

Some Boss's are just too, too kind to their creatures.......

It's summer time....

The swallows were early arriving here this year but they're a fair bit later in producing their families. At present we have just two nests in the stable eaves with fledgelings in them.

This compares with last year when on 7 June I reported that the first batch were already out of their nest. No doubt it has something to do with the cold winter.

The curly coats are a little behind shedule too having only in the past week started to shed their woolly winter coats.

Linda's been busy brushing though and already we are up to 20 oz with quite a few piggies yet to experience what is undoubtedly a pleasure.

There are one or two exceptions but on the whole they all love their daily grooming and melt contentedly to the ground! The picture shows clearly which coats have and which have not been groomed. The two at the back are yet to be started. As the coat comes out the curls disappear and, initially, leave a hazy fluff - that's the stage the two in the foreground have got to -that gradually disappears too leaving just the long hairs on the neck. The rest of the coat just looks grey which is really just the colour of the skin as there's not much hair left - as can be seen on the underbelly and back ham of the nearest pig.

Meanwhile, at four weeks of age, Ginger's Spices are spending an increasing amount of time with their Aunts next door - who seem to quite enjoy their company. Ginger doesn't seem fussed: just has a snooze till they return.

The little ones charge happily to and fro through the bars of the wooden gate between the two pens.

Another week or so and they will have grown too big. Then, like Pooh and his Honey, if they eat too much, they will get stuck in the hole!

That'll cause some consternation....... Ginger's already removed one gate which she considered superfluous - her story was that she needed more space for the little ones - so no doubt she could do the same again if necessary. Whether that would be possible with a piglet stuck in the middle though is debateable!