Saturday 30 May 2015

Pink and Purple Flowers and Goodbye to the Pigs

Hello All
I know it has been a while since I last posted, but life has been frantic here.
The blossom has been wonderful this year and presently the purple and pink blossom seems to be everywhere I look.
Here are just a few of the pink and purple blooms around the holding.
This first is of Thalictrum Aquilegifolium I have a line of these. We have had these flowers for many years and it took me some time to remember and be able to pronounce the name of this pretty flower. The year after I mastered this David and I were walking around the gardens at Heligan and some knowledgeable middle aged posh women were looking at said plant, clearly not knowing what it was I leaned towards them and said "I think you will find that it is Thalictrum Aquilegifolium". I fooled  myself that they gave me an impressed look when they thanked me. They probably turned to each other as I walked away and retorted "Smart A***e!"
 Here is the Wisteria on the front and south side of the house
 And the view through our bedroom window
 Here is one of our lilacs, this one is in our outdoor eating area ( a couple of tables on a few slabs at the back of the barn)
 This is the wisteria on the barn. The flowers are different to those on the house, they are slightly lighter with a darker tip to each bloom.

We were suppose to be fishing at Looe from Thursday to Saturday, but high winds were forecast so that all the boats were cancelled for Friday. This meant that we would be home to help our godson and granddaughter to load and ship our pigs on their last journey. The date for their move  was non-negotiable as our local butcher will be processing the meat for us with help from our granddaughter, who used to work for him, who will be making the sausages and next week is the only time he has spare to handle three extra carcasses.
I have been struggling with the paperwork to move the pigs. It is now done electronically and the website isn't too helpful. With much help from the helpline "How can I put a loading time when I am not here and don't know how long it will take them to load?" being just one of the questions. I finally managed to fill the form in to a degree that Gds and EGD would not have any difficulties. This form needed printing out to take a copy with them to the abattoir and my printer wasn't working!. The form cannot be saved as a document, fortunately ED found away to send it to herself at work so that she could print it out for us.
 When I found on Thursday morning that we wouldn't be going fishing I was SO relieved as I would be here in case of any hiccups.
Here are the said pigs Pickle, Mr Grey and Gregory doing what they did best.. lolling around and sleeping after a spot of weed eating. It isn't a very clear photo as I took it through the barn window.
The move went well with very little stress for the boys. I was pleased to hear that the guys at the abattoir were gentle and respectful of them.
We expect rain tomorrow so I will be planting in ernest today. All those tender plants can now be planted outside and be watered in tomorrow by the rain, which is by far the best way. When planted up I shall take some photos of where we are on the holding. I am very behind with most things but they usually catch up, so I shan't stress too much.
Off to get down on my knees with a trowel in my hand.
I will not leave it too long until my next post, I have been very tardy lately.
Love Gill

13 comments:

  1. Good to read of your non sentimental attitude to your piggies - the only way.
    I do agree about filling all the moving forms electronically. We have to do it of course with cattle movement (and with Vat) and really - one false move and the whole thing becomes gobble-do-gook.

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    1. Yes Sometimes you have to steel yourself when they go, but you can be kind and respectful of your animals while being non sentimental.
      I have to say that the operators on the helpline WERE helpful. I do wonder how farmers who are not computer literate.

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  2. Weaver is right, of course, but I'm still pleased that I don't have any 'meat' animals. Well done the abattoir.

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    1. I was especially pleased with the abattoir as it is a pretty large one. The smaller ones that I prefer all having to close due to punitive legislation. Fortunately the lambs go to a small local butcher, who keeps sheep himself.

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  3. Ha ha, you made me laugh about the women at Heligan. I get so sentimental when I hear about animals going to slaughter yet I'm a meat eater so I shouldn't. These piggies have had a happy life and it's obvious that you care about them right to the last, we should all be eating meat which have had this sort of care.

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    1. I am gradually getting to the point when I only want to eat meat that I have reared myself or by someone whose animal care I depend on, and to eat little of that. My granddaughter tells me that one of the hauliers who was delivering over a hundred pigs in his lorry was horrible to his pigs and she was very distressed by this. However the workers at the abattoir took over and handled them well.
      Our granddaughters call our lamb and pork "Happy Meat".

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  4. Lovely blooms esp. the wisteria on your house.
    Not having been a farmer, I don't think I would handle butchering very well.
    But thankful yours were handled with respect.

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    1. Thanks. The Wisteria on the house is over 40 years old and that on the barn about 15.
      taking the animals to the abattoir is never easy for us. We make it as stress free as possible, taking our time and not hurrying or pushing them. I am always relieved when I know that the deadly (literally) deed is over.

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  5. Sad to hear about the piggies but so glad they were not stressed on their final journey.

    Your Wisteria and Lilac are sumptuous. I love both :)

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  6. Thanks for not judging ( Do I remember right that you are a veggie?) yes they had a happy life and a respectful end. We couldn't have kept them any longer as they were getting large and were entire males, who can be difficult to handle.

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  7. How can an abattoir be " gentle and respectful" ? They have no respect and are certainly not gentle when their job is to murder animals. To respect animal....don't eat them

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  8. Sorry if you found this post offensive and upsetting Joy. At least you practice what you preach and don't eat animals. Some people are offended that I raise my own, but eat meat themselves.
    Gill

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