Yesterday I sat down in the straw with Hop and Pop Poppy, she sighed and laid beside me so I could stroke her belly. She loves to have her belly stroked. And that is when one of her piglets kicked me. A little hoof reached out and poked me in the palm of my hand. I was surprised and did not believe what I had just felt so I left my hand in the same spot for a while and the little fella kicked me twice more.
There are live babies in that belly. Though it is way too early for that kind of activity – isn’t it? She has a month to go.
And that belly has begun to drop down. Her due date (now that we are 90% sure she is pregnant) is July 3rd. This week I will set her farrowing pen up, with her hut, it is a nice big area, and next week she can shift in there to get used to it. Plus she is getting madly excited when I am milking (and tries to climb over the gate) and that needs to stop. She is an excitable girl which is not ideal when she has little piglets underfoot. So she is being shifted to the other side.
The cows are the opposite, when out in the fields they are always calm, they sleep together in the long grass, even though there is a fence between them.
And Aunty Del can be close to her beloved calf Naomi.
But not have access to her mother’s udder. (Who is till milking beautifully).
I told you that Federico is reading aloud to me every night as part of our “Learning English” program. On the 12th he goes up to the Big City to take the English exam that will enable him to apply to an American university to complete his Masters in Architecture. This is why he came here to work. To immerse himself in English. So every night he reads aloud. And now he is starting to speak American English with a New Zealand accent. Oops. Last night he was reading Ernest Hemingway – The Old man and the Sea. Getting some culture we are!
I love this book. We love this book.
When he gets tired we fall back on Dr Seuss. For the rhythm. I started him out reading Cat in the Hat. And now it is an old favourite.
I hope you have a lovely day,
Your friend on the farm,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
35 responses to “A kick from the belly”
Tank you very much, Celi – have a lovely day, too.
I love that fluffy ears of Aunty Del…
eeeeek!! Kicks already! Can’t wait to see some squishy baby piglets! I wonder if becoming a mumma will calm Hop & Pop Poppy!?
Love the cows ❤ Beautiful pix Celi!
Time to crack out Green Eggs and Ham! My own favourite Seuss book {and my boys' too}
Jealous!
Yay for wee piglet kicks , now you can be certain. The Argentinian with a New Zealand accent , kinda funny. Beautiful cows laying about in beautiful green grass, cow heaven. Have a good Sunday!
Oh yea of little faith 🙂 Will all of Poppy’s babies be Plonkers? Queenies Bobby still has his gorgeous long lashes. Enjoy your Sunday. Laura
Poppies piglets will be pure bred (at great expense I might add) so as many as possible will be sold as show pigs – a few will be plonkers.. c
Ooohh! Show pigs!
I hope she’s a great mom.
so do I.. all i can do is let her be as isolated as possible to keep her calm..
Love the udders like little buttons all in a row. Love that Fede reads Hemingway and Dr. Seuss by turns. Love it that you read aloud. We do that in my house, too, every single night. Still. We will grow old and die reading aloud.
Reading aloud is a dying art. I read your posts aloud to the Husband every morning, and describe the pictures to him (generally he is immersed in something else or still has his eyes closed…). I don’t put on a NZ accent (OK, icksunt), but I do try and make it sound like your genuine voice, more fun for both of us that way. He keeps asking when the tiny-Timas are going to be born.
Tell him I wish I knew – she just seems to be growing bigger by the day.. Hope she gives me some warning.. c
Fantastic news about Poppy! 🙂
So much wonderful news. Baby piglets almost and an American university!! That means he will possibly still be close enough to visit. I do love accents. My aunt moved her family to Australia many years ago and when she came to visit, we had the hardest time understanding the Aussie with a German accent. But everything was “good fun” . A masters in architecture is quite a goal. Wonder where that will lead? You all have a wonderful, relaxing (?) day. Those pictures will get me through mine.
Green Eggs and Ham could be great fun with a New Zealand accent! Lots of vowels in that one 😉
Is Federico musical by chance? I have no idea if there might be any connection at all, but if he has picked up an obvious NZ lilt to his out loud reading voice it would seem that he has quite the ear for sounds and such, and I think NZ voices are lyrical and wonderful and musical so to my silly head it seems logical that he may also have a great ability for hearing and playing music. Hows that for an unscientific notion 🙂
Piggy kicking…I am now imagining you with a Pinard Horn listening for piggy fetal heart tones through Miss Poppys belly. Add midwife to your list of accomplishments.
Great news about Poppy. The cows look to be in good fettle, and content with their lot – as they jolly well should be with your tender care. Good luck for Fede with his exam. As a TEFL teacher for many years, I can thoroughly recommend the reading aloud practice. Perhaps he could try something newer, so that his vocab and style will be more up to date.
Enjoy your day,
love,
ViV
Yes we did talk about that – He does read the newer things but finds them harder to understand. He has been learning English for five months – so has done very well so far.. c
That is excellent progress. I have had students who’d done 10 years of English as school but who’d never uttered a word aloud.
Yay for the New Zealand accent – not a bad thing 😉
Old Man and th Sea is the one Hemingway book I haven’t read. Good luck to Fede on the test!
Nothing could be more exciting than feeling that tiny hoof. I’m wondering if it would be possible to do the same for TIma.
Serene pictures of the cows resting in the tall grass. Love it.