Though his multi coloured tail is almost gone, The Duke of Kupa is still a gorgeous bird.
The tail feathers I am finding now are shorter and fluffier.
The piglets are still exploring their new boundaries and threes times yesterday Ton was sent out to “See the Piggies” . This is his command to find someone. “See John”or “See Daisy.”
” Ton, See Piggies!.” He will shoot to their run at top speed then race around the corner – head up looking. The moment he sees them he runs back to me then runs back to them. And goes down and watches them. They don’t need herding. I just call to them” Piggie, Piggie!” And they drop what they are doing (usually climbing all over Queenie or playing in the mud around the cows water) and they fly at top speed back to their own pen, Ton right behind the last one, under fences, through gates (Ton goes over the gates once they are all through) and zoom like torpedoes to their bowls where I have left treats. Their favourites are oats, eggs, silverbeet, or tomatoes. I always make sure there are treats there so they get their reward. Either I slam the door shut (which I hate to do as their toilet is out in their little field but they have to be locked in at night) or I just prepare myself for another retrieval. Today I put their new electric fence up.
When TonTon is working like this Boo is commanded to “Get Behind” which means he stays at my heel. He is too young to be managing animals yet. He is only allowed to watch. Which drives him crazy!
When Ton is not finding giggling piglets. He is guarding the Black Mariah. Just in case a chicken falls out. Can you see him under there? One chick fell out once (another little dog nose had nudged the box gate inwards a little) and he followed it all over the lawn, trying to herd it, until I noticed it. He is still not convinced that they should be in there. When the chicks go out onto the grass we will back the trailer up to the compost heap and just hose all the dirty straw straight out.
I need to tell you that I have decided that Charlotte will have to go. The fights through the gate are escalating and quite horrendous. Having two huge pigs literally at each others throats is untenable. Charlotte chases everyone out of her field including the dogs and now Sheila is becoming stroppy and bad tempered as well. It is very hard to keep chickens and dogs and cats out of the fields. This is a difficult but necessary decision for the good of the farm and I probably will not discuss it again. This is a little farm here. Not a zoo. My resources and space for the food farm are limited. It is an ecosystem and must be harmonious. She has had homeopathic remedies and conventional remedies. But there is nothing physically wrong with her. She is very healthy but out of control. Going on 600 pounds of out of control. Even if I wanted to I cannot breed her again as the Swine Herd will not have a fighting sow on his property. So I must be very tough with myself.
Rough isn’t it. But now it is time to hand the baton over to Sheila. My original plan was to have one pig. But I got talked into two little piglets by the swine herd. I should have stood my ground as managing two difficult pigs on this little tiny property is proving impossible. I accept responsibility. But I would be hugely grateful if we could just leave it at that. Let’s talk about the successes today.
My new header is an alfalfa flower in the hay field. This crop will be smaller but it will be the best one if we get it out in time. The field is quite beautiful.
Very promising. I shall call the hay man today and tell him we are almost ready. The field is not too tall but a little flower is an indication that the plant has gathered enough protein. We do not want too much flower then all the protein will be used up in flowering.
Good morning. Our John is going to have a look in another farm machinery auction place tonight for a hay elevator thingy. Like this one but closer to home. They are harder to find than we thought. With his job taking him off the farm so much lately leaving me to work alone, which is wearing me down a bit, so we hope to find one so I don’t have to lift quite so much hay into the barn by myself.
Let’s have a lovely day today. I know some days are better than others but we can always find some loveliness.
your friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
86 responses to “Fly Away Home”
The Duke has every reason to continue strutting…he is a fine figure of a bird and beautiful whether long tail feathers or no. I’m constantly amazed by Ton, who is such a great working dog and so smart, and I have every reason to expect Boo will come along in his time and be a great partner for Ton as a farmy dog, too. You are a great trainer. Love to see the little peek of him under the Black Mariah. May the rest of your day be lovely, Cecilia.
I think Ton would be a great rescue dog, maybe this winter we can find someone to train with, that would be pretty cool! c
Very cool!
I do not want to imagine what you have been doing without a bale elevator! We had two. One to get the bales up into the loft and another to run them down into the loft. the 1st one was higher than the 2nd so the bales dropped onto the 2nd one. The haying crew could pick bales off the 2nd one as they went past. We had a quarter section, so we had lots of hay to put up. We were milking 30 head Holsteins when I was young, more later. We probably needed a wee bit more hay than you do now. (Cows – Holstein cows.) You will be sooo gratefull to have the elevator.
I am sorry you had to make the decision you had to about Charlotte. That is tough. You did do your best and you have had excellent advice, and 600 pounds of pig will be plenty of full flavoured pork chops. I read a talk given by a priest who was dying of cancer. He said he had got to the point where he could let go of his life like we let go when we go to the bathroom – no regrets. I wish you and Charlotte the same.
the Duke is gorgeous. Does he loose all his ‘eye’ feathers right up to his back? I do hope you can sell your boquet. That would be fun.
We had a Holstein once, he smashed every gate he met! Nice animal just did not like gates! That is a lot of cows, I love the idea of two elevators, but one would do right about now! Our barn is small so we should be alright. I can see why you have so much useful info in your head .. growing up on a dairy farm.. I grew up on a beach, I need your head!! c
Celi, a Holstein steer? Oh they are the most long legged rangey things! You must have had challenges with him! We had 75 head of cattle total to keep 30 milking at a time. It is a lot of animals.
I wish I was more involved with the farm when I was young. I hope to retreat to the land when I retire, so you and your blog of people provide a reality check to my fantasies and an inspiration that I can actually Do It in some small way. : )
Cecilia, I love your positive attitude. You pick yourself up, dust yourself down and move onward! You will be in my thoughts for the next few days. The Grand old Duke of Kupa, be he long or short, is a gorgeous specimen.
Thank you for sharing so much of your farmy. It’s all good – the beautiful, the fun, the hard and the sad. I feel closer to the real rhythms of life reading your diary as I sit here in the city.
So, does the Duke have trouble balancing right after he loses his long tail? Does he have to adjust each year? I think of the times I have cut my hair from waist length to pixie cut. Not that I had trouble walking, but I drowned in shampoo the first few showers.
Your hair grows as fast as Mine I think! Kupa does not seem to be bothered, he loses his feathers one at a time!! unlike us!!
Celi, I wish I were as pragmatic as you are. I still have a mean as heck gander out there on the grass. He has to be separate from everyone else. But, at least he has stopped pinching and beating me. Then, there is the difference in size. His 14 lbs is nothing compared to Charlotte’s 600! Good grief! 😦
Congratulations on a courageous decision about Charlotte. I remember so well the day you came home with two pigs, after intending to get only one. Your intuition was right. One pig. You are on such a learning curve and I so admire what you are doing.
I’m off to the west coast to be pampered on retreat for 4 days. Will return to the farmy on my return.
The West Coast on the South island?.. that is my old family stamping ground.. have a lovely retreat darling.. c
I am afraid that farming is about tough decisions, more days than not. My glass of wine has your name on it tonight. Small farms like ours are a world unto themselves.
Wish our worlds were closer together.. c
I do as well!
After the tears and sorrow of a difficult decision there is comfort in the fact that it was a right decision. I’ve personally found a surprising sense of relief also, as if I didn’t realize how heavily the situation was weighing. This all counts as success, sometimes success isn’t fun.
very good point sherry and well said.. sometimes our successes are hard won… c
C. Absolutely…you are not running a petting zoo and do not have to justify any of the decisions you make to anyone and since you asked us to keep our traps shut…then that’s all I have to say about that! 🙂
I loved your post today, especially the part about you possibly getting a hay elevator! No one deserves one more than our Miss C. !!!
xo
It would be an enormous bonus, pulling each bale up one by one is just too hard, but good too, for the muscles!! c
Hi Miss C, my Lucerne is just coming in to flower too!
Did you receive some aubergine recipes? I still have another to send; will do so after tomorrow’s exam. E
Be kind to yourself… and I hope the quest for the hay elevator thingy is successful 🙂
Tough decision celi, but you know it’s right for the farmy and all who live there. We’re right there with you!
No one is better at helping me find loveliness in everything than you, Celi.