Fatty

Well you'll never guess what happened recently. There I was minding my own business, when Ivy (a really fat Berkshire Pig in the neighbouring pad) crashed her way through the electric fencing and started to push me around! It's OUTRAGEOUS! But more outrageous than that was Emma who accused me of causing this rumpus. So what if I called her FATTY it was true!

I'm the thin one (wasting away) on the left, Ivy is obviously the FAT one!

A very disgruntled Acorn.

Tiger Woods isn't the only one!

Tiger Woods isn't the only one who should be admitting to "transgressions". Take a look at this photo of Damson's piglets. Do they look like pure Saddlebacks to you?

Exactly...shame on you Jimmy!

Acorn and Berry

You Tube video

I'm not very impressed with Emma's brother Ben, what does he think he is doing! I have the most adoreable piglets (and Acorns aren't that bad either), so what does he do? He puts some film of Florrie and her piglets on You Tube. I told him Florrie isn't even a *Berkshire pig (*Beautiful black pigs with a white blaze and white socks), she's a Middle White (check the picture out - the clue is in the name!)

You just wait until I see him. He better bring me a very large (edible) treat to make up for this!

Berry

Feeling queasy!

I had quite a shock the other morning. There I was, minding my own business and digging a particularly large hole to Australia, when one of my piglets squealed. I don't normally take any notice of these noises as they're generally spats over food, but the squeal itself was very eerie. It was quieter than normal and very high pitched. I came up out of my hole to see what was going on and that's when I had the shock of my life....One of my piglets had shrunk! It was less than half the size of the others and not at all happy, as it couldn't reach any of my teats! Feeling a bit queasy, I went into my ark and laid down. The little piglet didn't come in it just sat outside by itself looking lost!

A bit later I was woken by Emma, shaking a bucket to let me know it was dinner time. I was so relieved to find that all my piglets were back to normal, but you'll never guess what... Berry had had some piglets and they really were small. Emma's Mum was cuddling one of them which had somehow managed to get a bit cold but I think they're all doing well now. (Emma has taken a picture to show you. I think the cold one is the one on top of all the others.)

Acorn

Country Life / Waitrose Rural Enterprise Award 2009

It's very exciting, Emma tells me that I am starring in the current Country Life magazine. When I asked her, which of my many achievements I was being commended for she said I had been shortlisted for the Rural Enterprise Award.

I'm not exactly sure what an 'Enter Prize' is but I'm hoping its edible as these are my favourite sort of prizes.

Acorn

You just can't get the staff these days!

I'm really cross with Emma! I know how much all you lovely people have been waiting with bated breath for news of my piglets so (being a bit tired myself) I asked Emma to post details of my beautiful bonny babies onto the blog.

'Yes' she said 'No trouble' she said, and then having spent hours photographing all the piglets she didn't bother to put them on!

Instead she went gallivanting around the country, first taking her big sister Claire off to University in Norwich and then travelling down to Cornwall for a wedding! I don't know, that girl needs to learn to prioritise!

Anyway, if I wait any longer, they will all have grown up and left home, so I am doing the blog myself!

You have to admit they are absolutely gorgeous aren't they?

Acorn

A Horrendous Revelation

Emma is so selfish. Yes really. Today she announced to us that she is starting Sixth Form, which means that she will get home an hour later than normal. This is a horrendous revelation, as it means that we poor deprived pigs will have to wait a whole hour longer before we get our dinner!

How could Emma be so cruel? Feeding us is, of course, much more important than her education, but for some strange reason she doesn’t seem to appreciate that fact. We tried asking if she could just miss the last hour of Sixth Form, but she wasn’t too impressed by that suggestion.

How are we going to survive?

Emma says I'm hardly losing weight ..... but I think it's touch and go!

Berry

Little White Pigs

Ha!

Gelato may be getting more food but she will have to share it now!

Acorn and Berry

Fatty White

While we have been underfed, Acorn noticed that Gelato (the very muddy pig in the picture here) one of the Middle Whites (the ugly ones) was getting really fat! How’s that fair? While Emma was away we were starved and the Middle Whites were given more than their fair share. We are going to have to have words with Emma about her parents.

Also, even though she’s back we haven’t been getting fed any more than usual, despite our pleading and whining and grovelling. And that Gelato is still getting fatter!

Emma says that Gelato will have to be put in her own ark soon, away from the other Middle White called Florentine, because she’s so fat! Somehow I need to get fat so that I can get my own ark and then Acorn and Jimmy can’t steal all my food. Hmmmm…

Berry

Food and Fussing

Emma went away recently for three days, and so we thought that we would be able to sneakily convince her Mum and Dad into giving us larger portions at mealtimes. However for some strange reason they didn’t believe our helpless starved pleas for food; they seemed to think that we were putting it on!

Also they didn’t pay us nearly as much attention as Emma does, not giving us as many strokes or tummy-tickles – they just threw us our measly rations and then went to go and see the other pigs. I mean, EXCUSE ME! but we are the most important pigs and so should have the most time spent on fussing us – don’t they know that?

Anyway, Emma is back now, which is good; so we are going to look forlorn and malnourished so she thinks we’ve been starved and then will feed us more. We’ve already been getting a lot more attention (see the picture of Emma stroking Acorn’s nose) and hopefully the food will come next!

Acorn and Berry

Jimmy's Farm

I was horrified to hear Emma and her parents talking yesterday about going to visit Jimmy’s Farm. How come Jimmy gets a farm of his own when Acorn and I don’t? Emma explained that they weren’t talking about Jimmy the boar, but about a man called Jimmy Doherty who owned some rare breed pigs.

It turns out that while visiting the Three Counties Show in Malvern yesterday they came across a stall from Jimmy’s Farm. After talking to a man named Dolly they were invited to go and have a look around Jimmy’s Farm. (See the picture of Emma and her big sister Claire posing with Dolly).

Apparently the whole family is going to go and visit Jimmy’s Farm and meet this Jimmy Doherty person. They seem to think he is some sort of star! To be honest I think they’re wasting their time. Whoever this Jimmy person is he is absolutely nothing compared to me. After all, does he have his very own piggy palace? I think not!

Berry

The Hunk

Not long after we moved into our new ark, Emma brought another Berkshire to visit us. His name is Jimmy, (apparently he looks quite like Jimmy Doherty whoever he is) and he's a Berkshire like us.

I quite like him though he's very bossy and takes far more than his fair share of the food. Also he's very full of himself. He snorts through the fencing to all the other female pigs and several of them are getting quite excited and snorting back!

When he first came he flirted madly with me and Berry and made us feel special. But now he's chatting everyone else up.... he'll have to go!

Acorn

Piggy Palace

At last, Emma has kept her promise and given us a brand new ark. It is huge, with plenty of room for me, Berry, Cocoa and a hunky visitor! Emma said it would make a nice farrowing ark as well, but I'm not rushing back into motherhood, I've only just regained my freedom!



















While I was busy thanking Emma for this palacial ark....



Berry snuck in and tried to nab the best bed!




Typical!




Acorn

Pig Keeping Course

We had a really exciting day last Saturday. Lots and lots of people came from all over the country just to see us. Admittedly they also had a look at the other pigs whilst they were here, but that was just to be polite - no doubt!

Emma wasn't here (she and her sister were taking part in some drama competition, which we're pleased to say they won) so her parents had to show the visitors around. They didn't do too bad a job considering, though a little bit more food would have helped us overcome the stress of the day!

Actually we were really worried at one point, as all the visitors crowded round our feed bins and started to examine the contents and to discuss costs and quantities needed. For an awful moment I thought Emma's parents were going to auction our food off, but we created such a racket that they decided to feed it to us instead!

Apparently another group of admirers are coming to see us on the 3rd May, so we will try to extract more food then. If you would like to take part in this event please see our website and look at the Pig Keeping Course page.

Must go now, we need our beauty sleep.

Acorn and Berry

Out Exploring

Hello my name's Babe and I'm a Little Berry.

I know people think it's a little confusing that all us piglets are called Babe, but it's actually a very sensible system. E.g. Emma's Dad is always calling her by the wrong name. Sometimes he calls her Claire (that's her sister's name) and sometimes he calls her Ben (that's her brother's name!) and sometimes he calls her something else altogether ... Emma won't spell it for me so you'll have to guess! We pigs never have that problem!

Anyway all you need to know about me is that I am the biggest, bravest, and altogether Best Babe.

While the others are playing about, I go off exploring. I have found out how to sneak out of our run (though I do keep scratching myself on the barbed wire!) and I've been visiting all the other pigs. There are some very funny looking pigs here, I can tell you. Some white pigs have really squashed noses and huge ears and they make a very squeaky sound, (They're called Middle Whites). Others are bright orange and have very long noses (Apparently they're called Tamworths) and some even have ears, which flop down over their eyes so they can't see their food. How sad is that!

I must go now as Emma is coming with our food and I will only be able to remain the biggest and the best if I keep eating more than my fair share of the grub.

Bye for now,

Babe

Little Acorns

Hello, my name's Babe and I'm a little Acorn.

The Little Berry's said that no-one would be interested in listening to anything I had to say as my Mum is not famous like theirs (aparently she's a movie star!) But I think there are lots of things more important than fame.

For one, it is important that you have enough milk and my Mum has plenty of that - look how fat I'm getting.

It's also important that you have other food to eat and my Mum is good at getting that from her pet Emma (though she's not so good at sharing it with me!)

Mum is also good at keeping us all warm. She says she does this by eating plenty herself ...hmmm!

Anyway I think that means that you will be very interested in me as I'm going to grow up to be just as good/fat as Mum.

Babe

Snow!

It’s been very cold recently and the fluffy flakes are littering our muddy field. The piglets are having great fun chasing each other round in it, and trying to catch the snow in their mouths as it falls. We however have been much more concerned in finding our food! It’s practically impossible with the white blanket covering the ground; the food just sinks in and disappears! Even worse, when we do eventually find some food, the piglets decide they’re hungry and come and eat it! (Yes, they’ve started stealing our food already!!!)

Luckily though, when we’ve finished eating we have a nice warm ark full of lovely straw to snuggle into to warm ourselves up after the cold. Emma says that it shouldn’t be snowing for too much longer, which is good in a way I suppose, but then again when it stops we’ll have nothing to distract the mischievous piglets with! Emma told us that we have to look after them in this cold weather, but I think we’re really the ones that need looking after – if we’re not careful they’ll eat all our food and we’ll starve!

Acorn & Berry

I did have something in my tummy!

VETS are useless. All because of the man with the limp Berry has been having extra rations while I have been starving... in silence! He said that he saw something inside her tummy, but although my tummy is not nearly as flabby as Berry's he couldn't see anything inside mine (and no it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I was trying to bite him at the time!)

This is particularly outrageous as it turns out that I did have something inside my tummy - PIGLETS - though how they got there I've no idea. They are beautiful though, don't you think? Much more beautiful than Berry's (yes she had some too.)

See the attached video of my piglets in the ark with me and Emma.

I told Emma that to make up for this grave error she now has to give me double rations, and she is doing - she must be feeling very guilty.

Acorn

Solid Water

I don't know why but Emma has started giving us solid water to drink. This might not splash on her legs when she carries the bucket over to our trough, but it doesn't quench our thirst either!

The water isn't just solid, it's freezing cold too which creates a most unpleasant feeling inside as the lumps make their way down to our stomachs!

Apparently this solid water is called ice and people like to put it in their drinks when they go out to parties.

I told Emma that I didn't want to be ungrateful but pigs were much more intelligent than people and preferred to eat something more filling than ice. Hopefully Emma will take the hint and give us extra rations tomorrow with a large bucket of wet water to wash it all down!

Acorn