Happy Holidays and Over Fed Pigs

Keeping things going on a small holding is impossible if you're absent. Animals are a joy and their by-products a blessing. Having to care for animals is a daily occupation. Therefore breaks from the farm have to be short and well organised.

The family are on retreat this week. We have gone at this time, for the last seven years. This year there is a difference however. We have too many animals in our care to all go. So I'm staying home to keep everyone fed, watered  and milked.

I was thinking that this may be an opportunity to have a little time on my own and get my thoughts together for the quickly approaching school year. Yes like most families of working age, an off-farm income is required to help sustain us in those other non food aspects of our life; the running of the cars, the rates, insurance and kids shoes etc. So I have been getting my head around teaching school.
I spent the day after the farm chores at work oganising my classroom. The jobs not done and we won't even talk about my curriculum planning, but its a start. I got home this evening more than a little weary to rain, rain, rain.

After a quick cup of tea to revive my spirits I donned my raincoat and gumboots and headed down to the piggies to give them their second feed for the day. Imagine my disgust to find that they have not eaten all of their breakfast and are not coming squealing and wagging their little tails to meet me. The three were in each others trottered embrace snoozing in their little house. Even when my call of "piggy, piggy!" woke them I saw only one acknowledge me by raising her head a moment and then close her eyes and return to slumber. It all probably could have waited till morning and I needn't have got quite so wet.

This should have been a photo of the pigs sleeping but I was too wet and disgusted to take any charming photos of them. The goats with their kiddles look nice don't you think?