Mud, Mud ,Glorious mud

Waved off another happy band of holiday makers this am...actually I sort of raised a muddy hand in their direction as they watched me floundering across the mud to feed Mrs Pig and the three little pigs. I could tell which was mud and which was pig because the pig shaped bits of mud were rushing towards me and my bucket oinking their opinion on the 12hrly feeding regime. So, the first Connectors arrive tonight and more tomorrow. The supermarkets in Inveraray seem to have become exclusive alcohol emporiums, mainly beer and vodka so some good deals to be had next week then, alas that they are the two kinds of demon drink that I cannot take to. Quick impromptu run this afternoon after my cycle training came to an abrupt end with an inappropriate gear change whilst on the trainer. I can put the kids chains back on but after 10 minutes of achieving nothing more that an oil hand pack I decided to leave it for those more skilled in the area of bike maintenance than myself.
Running total creeping up 13miles

Meanwhile the work at home went on

Well someone has to tickle Mr Pig......and it has been a while since a pig photo. Lucy takes up guinea pig and bunny watch position, a stance that can be held for many hours when there is nothing better to do. A lovely day all in all. The girls went to Karate pm so a run for me on a very pleasant evening with a bit of breeze. Toby felt that Karate could do without him for the night as he dropped an anchor onto his leg and it made a hole. The gaping wound must have been dealt with very competently by Mrs Skipper as after one day only a small round scrape remains. Hooray for the healing powers of the young man, or for their powers of exaggeration...what a naughty cynical mother I can be.

11.8 total running

Kick back day..

A glorious morning saw us sprinting out into the garden as soon as the jobs were over. Well, after I had explained that PS2's and TVs do not work on nice days the children joined me. There was a lot of weed picking to do in the Polytunnel, still is to be honest but I did the most visibly embarrassing ones. Freya wheedled Dad into putting up her new hammock and Toby took advantage of the weather and put up the tent. Great expectations are in all minds ('cept mine) about sleeping out tonight....hmmmm. After cleaning out the pigs, curiously everyone else became very busy and very deaf around about this time we popped into Inveraray for fish and haircuts. The fish is bought from a wonderful fish van (available on the pier 4-6pm every Tuesday rain, shine, winter, summer...) run by Laura who is very knowledgeable about all her wares. We spent a happy couple of minutes commiserating with each other on the subject of small white turnips (I know it is a boring, rural life but it is my boring, rural life and I like it). I have a very attractive row of these in the polytunnel, all white with rosy pink tops increasing rapidly in girth but try as I might to disguise them (soup, mashed with potatoes,casserole, roast) they are sniffed out with the keenness of three bloodhounds scenting a fox and rejected. I bought monkfish and Scottish haddock to marinade for kebabs for tea. I had a very satisfying kind of "ohh look at me I am a TV chef" moment conjuring up a lovely marinade for the fish with lime, lemon, olive oil, home grown herbs etc until I remembered that the result of this is that I shall spend tea time shouting at Freya and getting very grumpy when, unappreciative of such achievements she will moan at all the "green bits" on her plate.

Beware guests leaving very generous tips...no connection with the following of course

My morning's tasks after clearing the table and saying good bye to guests etc always start with feeding the pigs, goats and poultry. the guinea pig and rabbit are left to the children or Garret due to uncontrollable and inconvenient allergies on my part. This morning I found that not only had Mrs Pig and the Three (not so) Little Pigs let themselves out of their field, they had somehow manipulated their trotters to shut the gate behind them..amazing. They had not gone far and were stuffing themselves like...well, pigs, with about a weeks worth of food. Despite such gluttony they were easily lured back home with a shake of the yellow (pig nut) bucket. Mr Pig was in the next field smug in his goodness and virtue. A walk around the fence deepens the mystery. Apologies for casting aspersions on anyone's integrity and honesty will be printed forthwith if more information comes to light.....I shall be interrogating the pigs later once I get a strong enough light bulb.

Saturday

PHOTOS.
*Freya being decorated
*Rosie testing the Shower
*Pigs showering
*Running repairs by Freya

We boogied on down at the Carnival in Minard on Saturday. This was a three way joint ("joint" as in togetherness not hey, man great weed....) school event between Minard, Furnace and Inveraray. Rosie was in a dance representing carnival/fairground rides but the photos are on Toby's phone and the download defeats me. I remembered I had camera capability rather too late but got the shot of Freya having a face paint. More excitement awaited at home, Lyndsay...The Queen of Shopping (not clothes and boring stuff like that but really useful things that you did not know you needed)dropped off an outdoor shower from Lidl. This is the ideal things for hot piggies without a proper wallow.It has been so dry that the wee spring at the wet end of the field has dried up and now there is no wet end. The Three Little pigs are okay as they sneak next door to Mr Pig's rather better equipped quarters for a quick wallow in his semi detached pond so this is for Mrs Pig.

The Fall of the year

No, not autumn already but a mother and son competition for the most spectacular (and most painful injuries) fall of the day. His was during the 200m race at Sports Day with a lovely slide along the atsra turf which already has large portions of skin from pupils scattered across its false surface. Mine was 1/2 mile or so into a 6 mile run at Auchindrain, a lovely uncontrolled chin dive into the stony path. I am please to report that mother and son both picked themselves up (actually I was dragged up by concerned fellow members of jogscotland) and finished the run. I did duck out of cycling home again, in a fit of enthusiasm I had cycled the 4 miles to Furnace too so the bike was returned via the boot of the car.
Toby even managed to pass another competitor.
Injury Summary Table:-
TOBY
Very sore and scraped Knee
Slightly less scraped hip
Even less scraped elbows 2 of
Fee
Very Fat Lip
Fat Knee
Scraped, bruised and a little bit fat chin
Cut Finger (wedding ring)
Bruised wrist

CONCLUSION:- I look ugliest so I win (and he is at school whilst I am writing so has no say in the matter).
Running Total 13.3

PICTURE Mrs Pig carrying her bed around in case a wee nap sneaks up on her unexpectedly.

Pigwatch

The little piggies have found their way under the gate to join Mr Pig much to their mother’s initial dismay.They have a ball over there as there is a small stream and so many more animals to tease. The best game is to wait until the ducks are walking down to the pond and then run really fast at them making them scatter. I would not have believed that this was a deliberate game had I not stood and watched it this afternoon. They were positively grinning as they headed back up the hill to an indulgent Mr Pig. This pastime led to all the geese, ducks, cockerel and goats standing nervously by their huts watching the incomers anxiously. The piggies cared not for the elders statesmen of the field and spent the afternoon pottering backwards and forwards between Mr and Mrs Pig. Before wasting so much time in pig-watching I ran with Liz at Furnace, a slightly shortened version but needs must. The rooms were to be done when I got back and then I settled to the aforementioned pig watch.
Total so far 7.3 miles

Sunday

All hands to help today despite the tiredness lingering on from:-
1. Busy week away and too many late nights (girls)
2. Too many late nights watching TV cop shows (Toby)
3. Coping with 1. and 2. (me)
It took less than two hours to move the stones, re edge the area, re cover with a (hopefully) more robust weed mat and then regravel with chippings from Grandad's drive which is so thick with chippings that the coal lorry nearly sank last week.
Pig news flash. Mr Pig was tempted into the next field away from Mrs Pig and the three little pigs on Saturday as we do not wish the pitter patter of more tiny trotters just yet. He is not surprisingly not all that delighted with this arrangement but is settling down and likes his new sleeping quarters. I cannot believe how much time they all spend snoring away in their lovely straw beds! They retire before I do and there is not a nose on sight before about 8-8.30.
Poppy is also quite outraged at the new occupant of her field and seems to be petitioning the others in a frankly speciesist way against poor Mr Pig, plus she nicks his pig nuts out of his trough when he is not looking. Ahhhh, the fickle memory of goats, she forgets that she was once the scary new comer.
Little run speeded along by the thought that the school bus may beat me home as I left it a bit late in the day. 2.8 miles

The Good Life revisited

They are here! Mr and Mrs Pig and the piglets. After much deliberation and procrastination all was ready and I made an emergency dash to Lochgilphead for pig food, collected Liz on the way for a wee run and a brief swim before the pool was invaded by Mums and Toddlers. After a hurried phone call from Garret at the pig farm during which he was assured once again that I really, really did not want a full sized male boar to cope with. So, Toby and I set off to get the girls from the school only to be sent away again due to an hours delay. We came home and found Tom aka Garret with horse/pig box borrowed for the occasion parked a few vital feet from the field, a runway made of old boards etc was in place and we were urged from the car to assist as the dogs were proving to be useless assistants. I was Margo, would really have preferred to be Barbara obviously but still have some issues re screaming when under pressure so Margo it was and that left Toby as Jerry the willing but not always totally helpful side kick…..The great precautions and especially my stick were totally unnecessary as when 5 pigs who have been kept with other much larger pigs in a pen catch sight of a field with proper grass and everything they just want to get at it in a big way.Off they trotted and so far all is fine and dandy. True to type Ginny is terrified and Lucy friendly even going as far as to touch noses with Mr Pig through the gate. Once Margo had taken all the photos we reverted to type and sped off to get two very, very tired girls. Am feeling a wee bit Good Lifey at the moment as I have just had a glass of Garret’s elderflower Champagne (Shame we did not have pea pod to be really in character Twisht)…very dry…. Hic….

Running Total 12.8