Before she introduced herself to the piglets. But, oh no. She has to go out of her way to terrify them! I let her into the pen next door because it has a delicious muddy wallow.
So she rolled and wriggled deep into the mud then sauntered over to say hullo and see if she could get a taste.
And then Mama Charlotte wants to get involved but cannot even walk in a straight line for all the twittering and telling and piggie larking.
“I’m sorting out your bloody Auntie would you please just bugger off just for one moment. Can I have ONE moment to talk to a grown-up.” Charlotte has lost her composure.
Apparently not. 
The piglets cannot give up on making friends though.
Poor Charlotte. “Well have them.” She says. “Maybe this way I will get a moments peace.” Grumble. Grumble. Snap. She just went back to watching her own wallow fill up. The piglets are old enough for shallow mud now.
It was so lovely and cool yesterday. The dogs and I gardened after our stint in the kitchen making jam and pickles. I am growing one of the Farmy Forests in this garden, so everything I prune from this one is left on the floor of the garden. The edges are not as pretty but we are getting there.
Directly across the drive from here is a field that will be lined with the Willows that I am growing for you. (We will plant more Fellowship Forest in the autumn) They will be shade plus feed. Willows are very good for stomach health of ruminants.
Big dog loves bush gardens.
Good morning. I forgot to shut the chook-house door last night and now (6.15am) I can hear chickens in the gardens which is not good for the tomato crop. Usually they only get the last hour of sunlight to rummage about. So I had better get their feed and call them all back in.
Oh and by the way all the cats are present and accounted for. The Chickpea was led out of the barn for a special wander amongst the flowers, the hay has been raked and there were no piglet breakouts!
Have a lovely day.
your friend celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
45 responses to “You would think Sheila could have washed her face”
I can hear the little piggie chatterings from here. Busy busy little ones.
Big dog looks lovely.
There’s something really lovely about the pix of the “wild” jumble with the stack of bricks…an archeological old civilization site-ish ( OK if you squint…the bricks are the perfect ones to punctuate the scene…mottled, smoothed, used – wouldn’t work as well with crisp hard red bricks among the soft nature)
(Leaving cuttings on the “floor” is good in that it does keep down weeds and feeds the soil…but as my cautious dad would say, watch for snakes and keep dead brush well back from the house – if there’s a fire, dead brush is a danger….in the woods, we left it when we had to clear. Sorry, not nagging…well, maybe a little. Fires have gotten so bad)
True, it is not too close to the house and we have no poisonous snakes. But you are very right. My Dad would not use bark mulch next to the house for the fire risk reason. And you are always welcome to say what you think on this blog, no-one will argue we will simply say thank you for the advice. Don’t tell your dad that I have also thrown rotton firewood in there too! So it can decompose into the soil.. New Zealamders! what can you do with them!! c
We used to throw rotten firewood brush into steep dry ravines that only had water during really rainy season or downpours/gully washers. The brush slowed the current and erosion-catching dirt instead and eventually created a more level wash rather than a gully (we’d plant native ground holding trees/”pretty bird feeing bushes there, too) – Doesn’t look like ravines are common there. Or nasty snakes.
Funny about country dwellers – there was a saying the only people that ever got hurt were visitors from the city….did the bugs/ticks/briars/and all just lurk until they arrived?
Hope the weather is miler there – roasting here
It sounds like a wonderful day–no escapees! Sheila looks like she had her day at the spa. The future Farmy Forest site looks so lush and shaded. I wouldn’t mind a nice lie down there.
Awe, so good to see Big Dog! Question Cinders! Why are you leaving the prunings on the ground in that particular garden? It does look so cool and shady there! Yes, Auntie Shelia looks as if she just went to the spa…now if you could just find some cucumbers for her eyes! 🙂
All the prunings go on the ground to cover it, prevent weeds and create a mini forest floor, If i cannot feed it to someone, or compost it, It stays in the garden as a natural mulch. Except for thistles, I burn thistles. Some of the bigger prunings i will chip and throw back in as well.. c
Hahaha, love your commentary! Made my morning. 🙂
hi c! i don’t know if you follow this blog but today she posted a wonderful post on pigs and cows. i am sure you will really enjoy reading it. joyce http://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/clabberation/
Oh yes i do read her work.. a lovely blog, i shall pop over.. thank you.. c
I can almost hear the animals all talking to each other like in the movie “Babe”. What a gorgeous life!
That first close-up of Sheila made me think of a ripe avocado. She really did a nice job on her makeup this morning I guess.
Love the shot of Sheila giving the piglet the muddy eyeball! Sorry to read in the comments that
Author and Thing Two never returned…I had hoped also, but am glad all the newcomers are present and accounted for.
Sheila is a bit scary in that top photo. Like a masked bandit.
Nice post! Good to see all doing so well. So much work you have taken on..
Crazy Auntie Sheila is a hoot, but Charlotte looks pleased to see her. I was pleased to see new unnamed Ginger has made himself at home.
Oh, for a couple of hours under a shrub in the Farmy Forest hanging out with Big Dog 🙂
Those trees look so cool; a place to linger. The pigs are a great comedy act.
Now c’mon: the piglets do not seem one whit taken aback by a blackamoor appearing in their sight! They quite wanna make friends with their Auntie Sheila 🙂 ! Or should I say Auntie Mame ? !!! And the hay has been raked . . . now to be baled and stored – hope I am getting the sequence right 😀 !
What a lovely day on the farm! I am glad to hear that your new ginger cat has decided to stick around – smart one, that cat.
Those piglets get to me… I itch to stroke their lovely rounded bottoms and run my hands down their stumpy little legs…utterly adorable – and so clean and shining !!!!