New Year Blog

Well the last Christmas tree has finally been eaten now – yes, eaten … the pigs love them and then play with them after they have been stripped of needles and have a fun scratching time too.

Christmas at Holwell got off to a great start with two new litters of piglets being born on Christmas Eve which all the children loved watching. As regular “Holwell Bloggers” will now know, once the birthing process starts it’s a bit like shelling peas and they usually emerge one every 5-10 minutes.

By New Year they were brave enough to be running around in the yard playing “it” with each other; carefully watched over by the chickens whilst Mum had a well earned rest … 12 of the little darlings can take the shine of anyone’s Christmas ! Needless to say Dad was no where to be seen, or rather he was otherwise engaged with a new harem round the corner.

It would appear that the concept of “domestic bliss” and Christmas are rarely compatible these days, but put a demanding herd of breeding pigs into the mix as well and you have a recipe for disaster. To avert just such a festive finale, we took a call from a friend just after New Year who had been given a fairly plain ultimatum; “its the pigs or me !” and so we agreed to add to our herd the “Trotter Family” from Cornwall.

Actually to be accurate, it was Wales as there is a magnificent Welsh boar called Dafid and his two Saddleback wifelets called Davinia and Letitia. Dafid is mangnificently well-equipped for his task in life but how he manages to walk at all defies every law of gravity. Unfortunately when he was being moved to his new billet in the woods gravity won and his spotless white form disappeared into the mud altogether.

Still no sign of baby donkey II – Aston disappointed the villagers of Widecombe by failing to produce in time for the Nativity. Never mind, maybe she will have her act together in time for Easter.

Talking of sequels, we are just putting the finishing touches to “Wild Pony II” – a repeat of the very successful 3 night/4 day residential course at Holwell handling the wild Dartmoor pony stock from the 2007 progeny. Hosted by leading equine trainer Vanessa Bee of Positive Horsemanship, the course proved inspiring, educational and enjoyable for everyone, be they in the business of working with or owning horses/ponies or just with an interest in the process. The dates will be mid-week towards the end of April 2008 running from a Monday to Wednesday inclusive. Please email; info@holwelldartmoor.co.uk if you would be interested in receiving full details or know someone who would be.

If you are keen on new learning experiences, you may also be interested to know that we are offering a unique opportunity to combine the skills of Photography and Falconry. George Hedges, based at Holne Chase Hotel is offering half or whole days with his Eagles, Hawks, Falcons and Owls to give a fantastic individual “Photo call” which should result in some unforgettable shots. Please click here for more information; Falconry Offer

As we enter our THIRD year of the increasingly popular Widecombe Village Market, we have now added a “special feature” into each event to add to the unique appeal. If you are coming to Dartmoor, you might like to keep a copy of the dates and features by clicking the link; Widecombe Village Market

Tor to Tor also celebrated it’s THIRD Christmas – which was even more frenzied than usual with all the Meat Box Orders that went out to Dartmoor Meat fans all over the UK.

If your New Year’s resolution was to buy healthy and UK reared meat, then our latest Tor to Tor offer could be of interest to you; This January we have launched a new incentive of ONE FREE DARTMOOR MIXED MEAT BOX for customers who place a standing order for 8 or more boxes to be delivered during the course of 2008. If you would like to place an order online, please go to; www.tortotor.co.uk Also, keep an eye out for our new SMOKED MEAT PRODUCTS that will be available from Easter – now there’s a thought !

Click Here For Our January Tor To Tor Newsletter

Happy New Year to you all and see you down on the farm soon !

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