I finished the long horrid job yesterday evening and then rang my friend Natasha for a moan. She very kindly invited me over for lunch today for some TLC and to say hello to her pigs. So I had an early night and a bit of a lie-in this morning, and was feeling a lot sunnier than I have for days.
Tash keeps a Tamworth sow, who farrowed back around mid-Summer. Her piglets are now weaned, and the boys are whooping it up in the woods, while Mum and little girl are together in another field.
Moose doesn't quite know what to make of pigs. Most animals take off in the opposite direction or flap around satisfactorily when he applies the collie scare tactics.
Not pigs.
They come towards him and stare back - however much he bares his teeth and growls.
Or they will deliberately charge up and down the field so that Moose has to run alongside, on the other side of the electric fence to keep up.
So when Moose somehow - I've no idea how - found himself on the inside of the fence in the girls' field this afternoon, the little gilt wasn't at all bothered.
Mother, on the other hand, was not impressed with this at all and came charging over to see what was going on.
A breeding sow is a BIG girl - about 500 lbs worth - and absolutely not to be trifled with. Moose didn't hear her coming until she was about 10 feet away but, when he turned round to see this huge, rather cross pig bearing down on him, the look of sheer panic on his face was priceless.
Fortunately he took the sensible option and high-tailed it out of there as fast as his little legs would take him. Even more fortunately, the sow was no longer feeding the piglets as, if she had been in protective mother mode, I would probably be looking at another large vet bill right now!
Apart from that adventure, it has been a lovely day. I followed my visit with a long walk with Moose and a hot shower, so I am pleasantly tired right now - the righteous physical type of tired, not the cranky, whiny kind!
(My friend is also doing well, although he is having to stay in hospital for a few days for tests. Apparently he is very grumpy.)
What a lovely way to spend your day! I love crawling into bed when I'm physically tired. I'm just too lazy to get to that state often enough :) Hope tomorrow is just as nice for you!
ReplyDeleteDebbie
i am glad you had such a nice day. i am also glad to read that your friend is feeling well enough to be grumpy. a good sign that. i will keep him, as well as you, in my thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteI am sitting at work sniggering, thinking about Moose and the sow. Thanks for the smile :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteHello J,
ReplyDeleteI've just been reading through the past month or so of posts, doing some catching up while I'm at a friend's house for a couple of days before moving on with the next leg of my wanderings. Good to read that your trip away from home went well. How well I know those feelings of returning to places visited with my husband. It has happened several times since leaving home in September. Sorry to hear about your friend, but hope he's on the mend and will soon be feeling well again. One of my best friends here in the west hasn't been well lately and worrying about that has been an unexpected stress during my trip, especially during times when I was traveling through isolated parts of the country where I was out of communication with everyone for 2 or 3 days at a time.
pls drop me a line so I can stop doing my routine of taking on the persona of a clucky mother hen. You have been quiet for a long time (since before I went away) and I just hope that it is workload pressure dictating how your time is spent on your laptop. Love to you and Moose
ReplyDeleteThis may be nervy of me, but I just want you to know I hope you are doing well.
ReplyDeleteJ, have not heard from you in a while. thinking of you and wishing you peace.
ReplyDelete