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