Review of theYear - Part 2

The second half of the year was even busier than the first. July saw us busy harvesting crops as the polytunnels and the raised beds proved very successful and bountiful. We preserved foods for Winter and started making our own bread.

~ It also saw delivery of our new farm work horse, a necessity for getting off the farm when the track turns to a muddy quagmire, and with a very useful rear section big enough to hold animals for short journeys. ~ August saw the fast expansion of the piggy side of things with first Elizabeth Taylor (Liz), arriving, shortly followed by..... ...Monty, the Middle White Boar and then Jack the Large Black boar (who rather quickly sprung into action). ~ September saw us off on our annual pilgrimage to River Cottage to get our farm diary signed by the great man himself. ~ We ate like kings and enjoyed the fruit and veggies growing all around us. ~ October saw the cutest piggies on the farm arriving in the shape of Tinka, Tayla and Gypsey, the Kune Kunes. Rare breed pigs that originate from New Zealand. ~ November was an egg-citing month the the hatching of our very first chicks, Iris, Fern and Pipsqueak and their little brothers and sisters. Our seven Lavender Pekin Bantams chicks. ~ It was also a proud month with the graduating from University of our youngest son Jason, with his Masters degree in Document Analysis. ~ And then we come to December, a truly marvelous end to the year with the birth of our first piglets, four little girls born to Lottie, our Large Black. ~ We had Lovely Hubby baring his chin to the world for the first time in 30 years..... ~ ...and my gift to him.....you've all waited a long time to see this one.....I bought a dress!! Yep....he got to see my legs for Christmas and I have promised that, whenever the occasion warrants it, the legs will be on display again. At last, as Barbara in the Good Life would say...." I have a posh frock", and occasionally this tom-boy pig farmer will be a girl!!

Thank you for sticking with this Blog, for calling by and reading about our lives here on the farm, for showing an interest and for participating by leaving your lovely comments over the past year...... you've been very welcome.

And you will continue to be welcome over the coming year as we see things continue to grow from the seeds of this life that we planted two years ago. There will be more babies on the farm in the next day or so as Maud is HUGE and obviously about to have babies at any moment.

So thank you, for reading this, for being there with solutions to problems, for giving moral support and we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone, family, friends and fellow 'good-lifers' all over the world a Very Happy, Prosperous and Animal Friendly New Year.

Sue and Alan xx