Change of accommodation

So the Tam piglets rested in the ex-office for a few days, then needed to have a change of environment.

"Lets get them down in the Woodland Paddock", says Hubs.

"That's too far away. They're only babies. They are too tiny", says I, feeling lurchings of maternal instincts cruise through me.

So a Plan One was hatched, which was to make a small paddock in the Courtyard where the kitchen caravan used to be. Off to the local DIY shop I was sent to buy some metal poles. Won't say too much about that, but they were flippin' heavy, and sharp enough to puncture the flesh of my hands several times. Not that I  am complaining. After all, I am Chief GoFor, and I must do what I am sent to do.

So: Poles bought. Twelve.

Uno problemo, though. The ground of the Courtyard has become very firm, having become compressed by wheels and feet. So firm in fact, that it is rock hard. After bending three metal poles as he endeavoured to get them hammered in, Hubs gave up, and ditched Plan One. We needed another plan.

So what to do.......Ahha! "Why don't we take a part of the Sheep Paddock", says moi. GoFors can come up with some good ideas sometimes, because that became Plan Two.

Please excuse the white spot in the photo. Must sort out why they have started appearing. Anyway, here is Hubs executing Plan Two, with Gussy on guard duty. Behing Gussy is the temporary little piglet shelter, and Hubs is building a fence across the end of the Sheep Paddock. The sheep are not amused. They think that they should be given some grain, which normally happens when Hubs appears in their Paddock. But it is not evening, so they can't have their supper just yet. Bless! They really took on quite an attitude for the rest of the day after this, especially this one:



She is the mum of the twin lambs born at Christmas, and she has a sort of slobbery "Baa", and is one of the ringleaders for mischief, and she stood behind Hubs and made known her disgust at not having any grain, and "Why is that? What sort of establishment is this!" is what she is having a moan about.

Not to worry, though. Hubs stoically carried on....

Off to fetch the girls he went.........

Squeeling with outrage at such manhandling, which sheep watching with great interest, the girls were relocated into their temporary home. Down to the wood they will go when they are bigger, and once we have built teamwork between us all.

And all came to examine these two new little beings with great interest, who, however, were more interested in the grass having been on concrete for the past five days. Promptly they went into rotovator mode, as their noses dug into the ground and made the first of the furrows.

And here they are! Oh! Can't you see them? That's because they are asleep. Look closely and to the left you can see one little ear poking up from the straw!

So, Plan Two done. They still jump about and carry on in a dreadful fright when things happen around them. They do 'drama queen' mode very well, do our two new girls.



Saying bye for now.........

An increase in numbers

It has been a bit of a trudge, but the end of Winter has now arrived, even if Winter still has a grumble and says it doesn't want to go, it still has to leave because Spring is elbowing her way in. The birds are singing, the frogs are croaking, the fruit trees are blossoming, and soon my thermal vest will be removed and the electric blanket will be switched off.

And today I had my usual soap-and-flannel-in-a-bowl wash, and today, oh today, wonderful today, I didn't get goosebumps anywhere at all!

Now I am not a tease, so I will now give you some info about our new ones.

So what happened was this:

Last year we saw some Tam piglets for sale, didn't buy them, but kept in touch with the owner, who emailed me to say that new piglets had arrived and would we like a couple. So off Lester went, half way up France, to go fetch them. In the car. That's all the transport we had, our campervan having died on us, and our battered old trailer having been kept by the garage to which Lester had taken it to be given the once over and the Frenchmen who were going to give it the once over split their sides laughing at the state it was in and refused to let Lester have it back again because it was too dangerous they said and only fit to be given to the waste metal man when next he called.

So  a plan was needed, and that was to go get some wood to make a transport box which would be small enough to fit on the back seat of the car but big enough to take the two girls and this entailed going to the local DIY shop and getting them to measure the car door and then cut up some wood of suitable size to make the box are you following me?

Anyway, box done, and Hubs duly waived off at four in the morning with the box in the back cushioned all around with duvets and pillows, and on the front seat some sarnies, maps, choccy, cheesie biscuits, and travel instructions.

I was left to get on with my day. Which I did after first having gone back to bed, waking up at half past nine, which is an hour later than I should have woken up because I was now in charge of all at Labartere. However, 'all' seemed to be conspiring to let me have a lie-in, because the sheep were quiet, the Tams were still asleep, and the chickens had given up sitting on the front door step and had cleared off to do a raid on the veg plot.

A very tired Hubs arrived back home early evening, together with those two. Aw! Bless! They were all tired after their journey.

Anyway, have to close now, as it is time for bed, and I am going over to the caravan to switch the electric blanket on, even though it is not particularly cold tonight. x



And two little Tam girls saying hi and bye!

Emerging from the Winter's sleep

And the first blossom of Spring signalling that the year is moving on a great gallop.

However: I seemed to have stopped galloping for the moment. I was alright up until the beginning of February, but then I seemed to come to a stop. As if traffic lights had suddenly appeared and flashed themselves onto red, which halted me in my tracks. And then I caught a cold, which further sunk me. All effort ceased.

But the good news is that drizzles of energy are seeping into me, although not a lot. But at least I am starting to pick up the pace again, although feel far from doing a gallop just yet. Anyway, that is why I have not blogged. When I am flatlining words evaporate. And in my head space there is this sort of warm emptiness which is actually quite relaxing. As if my head has gone on holiday for a while.

Yesterday, though, the old familiar urge to write started perching itself in my head again. So here I am, having had a bit of a rest, and saying hi to you all, and hoping that February has been a good month for you, and hoping that the rest of the year is full of doings which make you smile and make you feel glad to be alive.

We have two new additions to the family, but I will tell you about them in the next blog.

Saying 'Bye for now'......



Yippee!!! Spring is on its way, because the trees are bursting into blossom. Yipppeeee!!!!