Yesterday was the day to take Charlotte the Hereford gilt to visit The Swineherd’s Boar for breeding purposes. Charlotte loaded herself up and we hitched the trailer to the red truck and trundled away to his little farm for her Valentines Day Week date with destiny. And look who we found.
Meet the boyfriend. He cleaned up for her and everything. Apparently.
And here are his wives. 
Meet his kids,
There are piles of them and they are a happy squealy bunch friendly chew on your shoe laces kind of bunch.
I forgot to ask his name so we will call him Freddie. He does have a friendly face. 
If a little filthy. Which is nice. In a clean kind of way.
And look what else I found. A donkey.
And her baby.
The baby is a month old and came up to my hip. Alarmingly sweet. John told me to “back away from the donkey”.
The Swine herd is over eighty and knows what he is about. He loves his animals, works gently with them and has a delightful menagerie so we left Charlotte in good hands. Her room is in a heated shed with a lovely deep litter of straw and no draughts or nosey sheep. The Swineherd was going to bring Freddie in to visit later today, without the wives. 
If you need anything in the night Charlotte honey, just knock on the wall.
These guys are right next door.
The Swineherd will call when she is pregnant and we will go back to collect her. It may take a few weeks. We need to spend a lot of time with Sheila while Charlotte is away.
Back home.. The section of the Coupe that is going up now is the bathroom with a corridor
running down the South side. 
Good morning. The Daily View has not changed in a long time. The builder’s car comes and goes. The red truck comes and goes. Occasionally the cooking oil goes for a blat. But the weather seems to be in a gray cycle.
Today the Home-Schooled children come again. This week’s study is bees. It is seldom that anyone can see right inside a beehive without any bees. So we will study the hive and tomorrow make candles from the wax.
Have a lovely day. The Old Codger sends his love. I still visit with him twice a week. Even though this winter has been kind he is ready for spring to come now as well. I think we all are.
The Kitchen's Garden 
71 responses to “Meet the boyfriend.”
I was curious, too, as to how The Swineherd will know Charlotte is pregnant. I’ve been telling my family about the Charlotte ordeal, and my daughter wants a piglet…in our tiny apartment! Yeah right! Those donkeys are so pretty. What would you do with one, though? It would have to earn its keep like everyone else.
Tell your daughter they do grow pretty big! Um the swine herd will know when Charlotte comes into heat and then he will watch for the changes that indicate that she has been um.. impregnated.. so.. yeah.. if he says it is done, i am all good! c
My love to the Old Codger too. We are on the verge of longing for Autumn here, so I can understand completely that you are all very ready for Spring.
Freddie looks very handsome to me… I suspect he knows all the words to all the Barry White songs. He looks like ‘that’ kind of boy. 🙂
everytime i read about charlotte, i think of the reba macintire song,”fancy”
I’m looking at Charlotte’s photographs and reading out loud to The Good Husband. When I finished we said in unison “that will do pig, that will do”. A happy Valentine’s day to Charlotte. V.
Poor Sheila. Maybe you need to explain some things to her while Charlotte is away. There are some good books in library about how piglets are made.
That is one handsome boar. And the donkeys are beautiful.
They’re all good looking animals – clearly loved and looked after!
Do you think the earth will move at that magic moment? there’s a song – Sweet charlotte, may she hear it or a Mozart Symphony if she wishes
Och! That must be very hard to leave her there…for weeks? ACK. You seem to be handling it very well. It just may be you have officially certified yourself a genuine Farmerette! Well done.
Well, I do hope the matchmaking all works out
Charlotte looks like a virgin bride in her little straw-lined chamber. I hope Freddie is gentle with her – or that they have good fun. Your introductions to the pigs were a delight – I laughed out loud, especially when it came to all this children! How exciting though, to think that Charlotte will come home pregnant and you will have lots of little piggies.
yup! the fun is just beginning! c
You’ve made my day.
So funny. You keep me smiling, and that’s a fact.
Give the Old Codger my love, even thought we’ve never met.
You’re one of my heroes, C!
“Back away from the donkey…” that’s hilarious…and I can see why it’s necessary, too, as that’s a mighty cute donkey. Hope Charlotte breeds quickly so she can come home soon.
Isn’t there a saying “as happy as a pig in mud”? Freddie should look ecstatic. I hope Charlotte can stay in her nice clean bridal suite.
she will, they are not putting MY piggie out in the mud! Those other wives will drown her! c