The Sea of Bluebells

The sheltered valleys and wooded slopes of Holwell have now changed colour to a vivid blue and gradually the magnificent Spring vista is spreading to the ares of open moorland around us.

The adjacent downland of Holwell Lawn will have turned completely blue over the next week to ten days; it really is a sight to behold and from the road really looks like an inland sea.

The last few days has seen 4 more beautiful foals born; the most recent this morning was born just at the side of the road for all passing cars to witness. I got there about 10 minutes after it had been born and was struggling to its feet.

Our trusty Saddleback Boar; Vesuvious has packed his trunk and gone on holiday. He has earned a rest poor old boy. When we first started out with the pigs in December 2004, we had 12 sows and one boar. Now we are up to nearly 300, so he has had an excellent strike rate; unlike TV's Jimmy's Farm who never seem to have had much luck with their boars fertility.

The ladies will miss him I am sure but, hey, there's a new kid on the block and he's frothing at the mouth, ready for action. We have called him Krakatoa and he certainly looks the part and was turning a few heads when I last looked into "Pig Heaven" down the Green Lane.

We have moved the chickens today; all 200 of them, or rather there were 200 until yesterday when Charlie Fox paid a visit and took 30 out; just leaving most of them dead around the coups. We have moved them now to a field where the new house is being built so hopefully the noise and activity in the day time will deter them from being too bold.

Sootie our tame sheep has taken to coming in to the cottages if guests leave their stable doors ajar and this has been a bit of a shock for some to first hear her baa-ing and then to find her standing on the rug waiting for breakfast.

Poor Batty Two is not having much fun in her cage. She has to stay in it for the next 4-6 weeks whilst she recovers from nearly dying of hypothermia in the mire. Unfortunately the prognosis is not good; she will probably loose her tail, will be permenantly incontinent and will most likely need surgery to put a plate in her hock.
But, as I keep telling Sebastian, it could have been alot worse; she could well have met her end in mire and we may never have even know about it.

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