We have officially moved to the next level in our efforts to make ourselves look like Real Farmers. In a recent flurry of animal acquisition, beasties have fair-to-flooded through the gates of our little acreage. In just one weekend we added two kunekune pigs and five Wiltshire sheep to our livestock, more than trebling our previous stock count of one-and-three-quarter ponies*.
The kunekune girls, Prunella and Fig
The pigs are named Fig and Prunella, that’s Fig and Nell for short. As in, ‘Fig ‘n’ Nell, where have those pigs got to!’. Deborah named them, but you can thank the Forbearing Husband for their bawdy joint sobriquet. Fig ‘n’ Nell can look forward to a future providing orchard grass control and porcine entertainment. The idea was always for them to be working pets rather than sausages.
The face that made a grown man consider going pork-free
We do have a plan to eventually raise a couple of larger breed pigs to make into bacon and ham, although that may now have to be taken under advisement. Soon after the arrival of the piglets we sat — proud piggy-parents — watching the girls enthusiastically chow-down on loquats. As juice dripped off their little chins, and happy grunting filled the air, the Forbearing Husband turned to me. ‘I don’t think I’ll be able to eat pork ever again’ he confided sheepishly.
Fig finds herself unable to stand after a bumper intake of yummies (photo by Stephen)
That’s certainly something, coming from a man who when brunching at a cafe habitually orders meals that include meat from a pig. I wonder how long he can manage without bacon and egg pie?
Now don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the sheep. I’ll be back soon to fill you in on all the woolly gossip. I know that Nurse Jenny for one is probably raring to find out about our potential for creating hand spun knitting wool.
* I’m not counting the dogs and cat as stock. They would like you to know that they consider themselves well above that status.
