We had a bit of a run around yesterday......

Everything was ready......wheelbarrow with the pots of pig food in it, knife, bolt gun ready and loaded, with one spare bullet just in case which was just as well because it was needed.......

Lester into the pig pen with one of the buckets of food, everyone clustering round him, food put into the four trays, I stand the other side of the fence with the gun and the knife, they are swapped for the now empty bucket. All is as normal. The biggest pig is chosen. Her head is in the food. This is the time.....

Only she suddenly moved .........it was not good...... much movement followed although all was calm, lots of squelching to and fro in mud, me included because I went in to help. At one point I was holding one of the gates open but had one of my legs stretched backwards to stop Mum pig from having a wander out into the veg plot. All in all that was a bit of a moment. She was chatting and snortling away, meanwhile I was trying to hold the gate open at the same time as acting as a barrier to her. Not to worry, fortunately she decided to go back to the food trays and not barge her way through. 

Eventually the job was done, and it needed to be done because the pressure on the rest of the pigs has now been alleviated, and they are much calmer today, although all was calm yesterday when we were doing the job, it just took a while longer than normal that's all.

It has been a lovely day here today, which has resurrected my sleeping energies. Off out the front I went, to then trundle several wheelbarrow loads of spoilt hay round to the back for burning when we get round to it. Got lots more hay to shift, but at least I have made a start. Then I got my push -pull lawnmower out and did a bit of mowing. Crikey but that gave me a good work out. I kept telling myself the exercise was doing me good, plus I got hot which is the first time I have been made to feel hot by outside exercise this year. 

The dogs are going to have a good  breakfast tomorrow, only I forgot about the piece of pork I was supposed to make into bacon and which has been sitting in the fridge for over a week now. I forgot it because Lester put some jars of milk in front of it. (You've always got someone to blame when you have a partner!!!) There is also a bowl of pork fat which came out of the freezer at the same time. I did manage to get it cut up into small pieces so it would melt quicker and I did put some in a saucepan to make a start. Not to worry, pork fat is more patient about waiting around for me to get to it.  

The lambs have stopped bouncing about like playful imps now they are eating grass, because for much of the day they are focussed on filling their tummies. . The air is also quieter and there are fewer calls of 'where are you' between mums and littl'uns. I miss the rompings of the very young lambs, it is a time which doesn't last long. We have eighteen lambs, and only had one did not survive, and that was the first one born, after that all the lambs popped out with no probs.  But they are still looking fluffy and cute, and will do for some time yet. 

The blossom has just started showing on the fruit trees. Spring comes fast here, and is over fast as well. I want to cling on to this time of year, but it always seems to slip through my fingers before I can thoroughly enjoy it. But I did have some time outside today, and that was good.

Off to bed now, so bye for now,  

Vx