I got up before dawn yesterday morning, after a night fretting about Sheila and decided to bring her home. That is that, I thought. Bad weather was coming again. She was not well.
I told the nice young fella that I was worried about the limping and her wound and I might come and take her home that afternoon. He replied that she was too overweight to breed anyway. I do believe that man just called my big fat pig: FAT. Ah well.
We hitched up the Black Mariah and off we went back into the (well I would say hills but there are no hills here) we drove into the hinterland.
On hearing the truck and seeing the trailer, Sheila, for the first time since I took her there launched herself out of her sleeping hut at speed. She hobbled down to the gate and began to bark. I knew you would come with the trailer, she called. Break me out. Break me out! Head up, as animated as I have seen her since she had the fight with the Boar. Here, she shouted banging her snout on the gate. Here, pull that pin – lift that catch! Here!
First I opened the big door to the trailer, told John to hold the bucket and the trailer gate open so she would veer towards him and the trailer, instead of the gap in the fence that opened onto the hinterland then I opened her jail gate and got ready to lead her into the trailer.
She revved up, squealed, limp forgotton, shot past me, past John and the bucket and straight into the trailer. Quick, she called over her shoulder, shut the gate, come on, come on. Get me the hell out of here! Hurry before the guards sound the alarm! Move it up, she barked, faced forward, feet solid on the deck, eyes shining, standing strong in the back of the trailer. Like the captain of the ship. Let’s get a move on.
Once home, she jumped out of the trailer instead of using her ramp, tripped over her bad leg then rebounded and trotted with gleeful determination down the corridor to her room. Hullo, Ugly Mongrel Dogs, she called as she passed Ton and Boo, pushed the unlatched door open with her snout and shouldered past into her pen.. Then she stopped, turned around and sighed. Have you ever heard a pig sigh? It is a lovely sound.
She turned round in a circle scattering chickens and proceeded to clean up her bedroom. She rearranged the straw, bashed at the bales, pulled the sacking out and stuffed it in new corners. She found a bone that a bad dog had buried while she was gone and threw it out the door. She pushed and pulled all the straw about, enjoying all her home smells. She barked at Daisy and Queenie and told the sheep to quit bleating or they will send YOU to jail. Fat cows, she chortled. Meadow you are getting fat too, girl.
The wind came in and the snow started to fall and she lay herself down and waited to be covered up and said you can shut the door now. And off to sleep she went.
Later as I worked to and fro in the barn, she made her usual little conversational grunts from deep in her straw bed. What are you doing now? I am cleaning out the cows pen, I answered her. What are you doing now? I am checking the sheep. What are you doing now? I am going into the loft to get the hay. What are you doing now? Say Ni Ni Sheila. Ni Ni miss c.
Don’t let the door smack you on the –
Sheila, if you finish that sentence I am going to give you a smack bottom
He he, she said into the straw and wriggled down a little further.
Good morning. I feel better now that I have our Sheila back home. Not pregnant but home. We will go to Plan B (AI) when she is better.
You all have a lovely day. Lovely, lovely.
your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
120 responses to “Guess who has come home!”
That’s excellent news and she’s obviously so happy to be home 😉
Than fully she is a forgiving pig and was cheerful and sweet all afternoon. Bless her. c
I bet she was relieved and on her best behaviour 🙂
Alls well on the farm again. 🙂 Joy
I do feel that Joy, love to the goldens! c
PS Love the new heading to your blog.
So do I. I included the full image too as you could see the blue in the clouds above the orange.. so pretty.. c
Oh celi, how wonderful to have her home. So glad you decided… YOu all know it was the right decision !!! Bless her, she’s more than human – just as well, really…. and how wonderful that such a wonderful pig has such a wonderful Celi to care for her….. Hope you all keep snug and warm and happy in the storm. XXXX
Yesterdays snow came to nothing but there are a few inches forecast this afternoon.. we will see, but there is plenty of room in the barn to spread out and everyone keeps warm and dry.. Take care valerie.. c
Glad you’ve got her back home. That boar wasn’t right for her anyway (old biddy aountie cluck, clucking disapproval of said boar).
I heard mutters of it being a Boar House, or possibly a Boar-dello. Poor Sheila, she must have been appalled!.. c
You can feel truly complimented – she really likes her life there with someone who knows how to give the attention due to her!
I said to John she is going to give us trouble, the only time she has been in the trailer and we brought her here! But no, forgiving girl that she is, she just hopped into the trailer and trusted that i would take her home.. c
I think her comment was probably, ‘About ^%%# time! What took you so long?’
I am sure there was language! (laugh!!).. c
*big smile* Excellent start; she’ll soon be on the mend. How will you go about healing up her wound?
I have been putting antiseptic cream on it. Thank goodness it is not fly season. I am sure she will pick up now that she is home and clean. c
Welcome home, lovely lady!
Fat? He really said that? Wash his mouth out with soap 🙂 That’s not fat, it’s much needed insulation for that bitterly cold weather. Don’t listen to him, Sheila (you should have given him a passing nip on the way out).
I’m constantly amazed at just how animals know their own mind and go to great pains to communicate their intentions with we very slow humans. As you say, she KNEW you were coming for her, possibly even before you consciously knew it yourself. And the speed with which she shot up into the trailer shows you that you made the right choice for her. I love that picture of her all snuggled up in the hay in her boudoir – there really is no place like home.
Morning Marie, i may have overfed her a little when we were in that deep cold weather, but her diet is very old fashioned with all the veges from the pub and the store and our kitchen, maybe I should cut down on her eggs! c
Wonderful news!!!
Morning Julie, how are your chicks, i will pop over and see.. c
Sheila’s not fat, she’s just comfortably upholstered. With a personality to match. I can visualise her galloping into the trailer and turning her head over her shoulder to bark orders at you. Sheila’s home. All is well on the Farmy.
Morning Kate, hope all is well weather wise.. She did surprise me, with her eagerness getting into the trailer. I think basically she is a good pig, who does not hold grudges. thankfully. c
OH Sheila, there’s no place like home, is there?
There certainly is no place like home..c
Sheila has a gigantic spirit, a big body is necessary for a pig woman that she is! Thenerve of that man. I am so relieved; I’m in a great time of stress at the moment and am up at 4, and I view Sheila’s being home, tucked in so as a light; there’s hope in the world as long as all our Sheila’s are home.
I have a lady who comes every week to help me and when she heard that Sheila had been in a fight, she said Bring that pig home and never let her off the property again. She is going to help me AI her. So things are looking up. I hope you have a space to let the stress go sometimes. You can take a lot of stress as long as you get a stress free corner every now and then. Mine is an audio book while I clean the kitchen. Hope things begin to even out for you soon.. take care.. c
We are so relieved Shelia is home! I felt sad for her every time I read about here being at the other place. She missed home and all of her friends and your daily conversations, the familiar sounds, smells and people she trusted. And I have to say miss Sheila is not fat, she is extra cuddly.
She certainly is cuddly! c
You certainly do sound happier now that shes home…
I am.. nice isn’t it.. c
So glad she is home with her peeps. What a good Farmy Momma you are.
Morning Jean.. c