Guess who has come home!

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