Time is flying by

Drat, it’s raining again. Note the use of the word “again”. Imagine it six-foot high in neon lights. Hmph.

Sorry it’s been quiet here of late – I am around, just shattered. After months and months of no work, I could (if I wanted) work 40/50 hours a week. I don’t, so I’m sticking to a neat 36. Or 38, as this week’s total will be. Maybe 39…

It wouldn’t be so bad, only I don’t start until 6pm and I’m working 6 days a week. And then have to get up the next morning to do the animals. I’ve pushed my alarm clock back an hour to 7am and some mornings, I reset it for 7.30!

The end result is that I’m tired and simply can’t think of anything blog-worthy. Well, that’s not true, there’s loads to write about, I just can’t seem to put pen to paper, as it were.

Normal service will resume soon. I hope!

In the meantime, the pigs, chickens, dogs and cats are all healthy and happy … apart from the rain. They’re not happy about that. Join the club!

A blustery November!

It’s a windy but sunny day today, what a change from all the rain we’ve been having. I’m seriously thinking about buying some lifejackets and arm bands for the pigs, just in case!

Mind you, the rain did hold off long enough earlier this week for me to move both the piglets and the adults onto dry, fresh and green ground, though how long it will stay like that is anyone’s guess (for what it’s worth, mine is ‘not long’).

The adults couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw where they were going and haven’t stopped grinning (or stuffing their faces) since then:

Tia, Brini, Perky, Fergie and Scrumpy - 3 November 2009

The break in the weather didn’t hold for long:

Dark clouds over the field - 4 November 2009

And here’s the cutest piglet photo ever:

The piglets - 5 November 2009

But this is the funniest:

Don't ask. Just don't ask!

If they’re like this at 6 weeks, what will they be doing at 6 months?!!

Frozen!

We’ve had a couple of frosts this month, nothing serious, just a dip closer to zero* rather than below. Personally, I love cold and frosty nights and days, from the crisp blue skies to the clear air to the way the frost sparkles and glitters in the sun. Not forgetting the fact that if it’s cold enough to freeze, it’s not raining

Of course I make sure the pigs have nice thick beds of straw in their arks (the chickens have their own feather quilted duvets and don’t need any help from me!) but the wildlife can suffer, as you can see in this photo:

Frozen! 12 October 2009

* Celsius, for my American readers!

New theme: Freshy

Yes, you’ve read that right (and spotted it, if you’re a regular visitor to my blog, rather than just a feed reader)… Once again, I’ve changed the look, this time using the Freshy theme.

For some reason, the Ocean Mist theme wasn’t displaying properly, so I thought a change was in order.

The current header image is cropped from this photo, taken at sunset last night:

Sunset over my field - 16 September 2009

I love this time of year, especially when we’re lucky enough to have such good weather.

(Not) enjoying the sun

Yes, you read that title right. It’s been a wonderfully sunny week, the gorgeous September we were all dreaming of during the downpour that counted as summer. The sun’s shining, the leaves are still green, the grass is still growing.

Brini and Scrumpy - 9 September 2009

Yet I, dear readers, have been at work all week, and have therefore been unable to partake in this delightful weather.

I shall have the day off on Sunday.

I hear it will be cloudy…

Rain, rain, rain…

Like everyone, I am sick and tired of the British climate and my daydreams of what I would do if I won the Lottery are increasingly focussing on one thought: emigrate! All I want is a farm, nothing too big or fancy, so long as it’s located somewhere that still has the four seasons: lush, green springs which turn into long, lazy summers. They, in turn, fade into a crisp autumn, followed by a cold, snowy winter… Is that too much to ask? I don’t want to live in a hot climate, as rain makes the grass green and enables crops to grow. But the amount we’ve had for the past three years is just depressing.

Back in the real world, the field is quickly turning into a sea of mud, which is making it difficult to manage the grazing between now and winter (you know, still wet but cold and dark). Ideally, the pigs should be in the middle of the field, which is too wet to use in winter, but I need at least a week of (*whispers*) no rain to dry it from the recent deluges before I can put them back there, which means that instead of lightly mowing their winter grazing in the north of the field, the pigs are rapidly making the grass vanish … and poaching it up at the same time. If we can just have a dry September, I can pull them off there and it should recover, but that’s looking less likely as the days slip by.

Still, at least the shortening days lead to some beautiful scenes at dusk.

Dusk at the farm - 3 September 2009

How was your August?

Looking back through my photos from August, I was pleasantly surprised to find several that, in total contrast to the soaking I received yesterday, suggest that August hasn’t been as wet as I believe:

Midge - 6 August 2009

Brini - 7 August 2009

Scrumpy - 8 August 2009

Some of the hens - 11 August 2009

Jo and Snipe - 13 August 2009

Pinky - 18 August 2009

The farm - 29 August 2009

Happy pigs, wet Jo!

I waited and waited, but the rain didn’t stop so I put on my second skin, erm, I mean waterproofs, and ventured out into the wet to move the pigs.

I know now why I’ve never moved the pigs in the rain before and won’t again (apart from exceptional circumstances).

It was miserable.

Still, the pigs are happy, and that’s the main thing.

Fergie, Brini, Perky and Scrumpy - 30 August 2009

Snipe wasn’t, though!

Snipe - 30 August 2009

Bloomin rain!

Yet again, it’s raining. Which isn’t necessarily news, at least not for my British readers, as I suspect you’re all in the same position as me, having more or less lived in my waterproofs and wellies for the past two months. In fact, I haven’t needed to water the veggie garden since June!

In fact, it’s rained so much this “summer” that I’m used to it. But today, it’s just annoying. Until the Christmas season kicks off at work and we return to our 10pm closing time, I’m stuck working days. I managed to sneak out of work yesterday afternoon, which meant I was able to clean the chickens out and change their water etc, but today is my first day off since Tuesday and I won’t have another one until Friday. I checked the weather, and it looked ok for today. Cloudy but dry in the morning, rain this afternoon.

So, I left B to get a taxi to work instead of me dropping her off as I set off for the farm at a ridiculously early hour, so that I could get all my morning chores done and then move the pigs (Brini, Scrumpy, Fergie and Perky), their ark and their electric netting onto fresh ground before the rain sets in this afternoon.

But I hadn’t even finished feeding the pigs when it started drizzling … and by the time I’d finished, it had upgraded itself to rain. It’s been two hours, and it’s showing no signs of stopping.

So I either leave the pigs until Friday, and keep my fingers crossed that it doesn’t rain then as well, or I say to hell with it, and move them anyway.

Being in the rain isn’t the problem, though I’ll be hot and sweaty from moving the ark in my waterproofs, it’s keeping the bedding dry while I move the ark that’s the issue. Not to mention the fact that not only has B wasted money on a taxi she needn’t have got, I’ve also done myself out of a much needed lie in…

Bloody British summers, GRRRR!

Looking back at (a sunny) July 2008

I seem to have lost my blogging mojo so I thought I’d post some photos from last year, back when the sun was something warm, comforting and familiar, not a distant memory like it has been this July!

Midge - 1 July 2008

Bailey and Queenie - 4 July 2008

Brini - 20 July 2008

Captain Flint and pals - 20 July 2008

Harold and family - 21 July 2008

Scrumpy, Tia, Stella and Brusco - 22 July 2008

Snipe, Midge and Teal - 29 July 2008

The view from Mum's front gate - 29 July 2008

Maybe August will see the sun return – and with it, my blogging inspiration!