It was always going to be very close - judging by the size of Countess the pig and with my daughter’s due date getting ever closer - and in the end it was a dead heat!
Countess looking ready
On 21st October this happened...
Countess and her eleven black Berkshire piglets
And later the same day, this happened...
It's Pink!
A Granddaughter, Summer Bridget
And a glorious sun rise, as if to celebrate the arrivals of the night.
The Sunrise on 22nd October
Obviously you don’t want to know the head circumference and weight to the nearest gram, although I can give you the details if wanted - conscious of not becoming a granny bore, but Summer is the most talented, gorgeous-looking baby I have ever seen. She knows exactly what is expected of her and generally seems pleased to be about at last!
Three days old with granny
And did you know you can get cards to give to new grandparents? With my addiction to buying cards, I can’t believe my luck. Luckily Adrian, my husband, doesn’t read my blog, not sure he even knows I do one, but I can feel another bag of cards coming on and it's a terrific event to celebrate in every way.
Obviously, kit comes into play immediately after a new arrival, and there are top of the range prams and there are those that will “do”.
Summer in her pram
Countess and half her litter on manoeuvres
During my pram pushing in Geneva, I saw some lovely very shy red squirrels and some ladies doing what I do at home - walking the dogs. Maybe I could be doing this in retirement and take everyone else’s dogs, too.
Dog walking in Geneva
I had a stroll around Lake Geneva one evening, and enjoyed the lights on the water.
A tower lit up on the lake
And I was amazed to see an adult swan chasing a teenage swan through the boats. Maybe he knew this man was about to arrive and he didn’t fancy sharing the bread!
A teenage swan hiding among the boats
The man on a bicycle with the bread, under cover of darkness
Back home, and there has been some serious rain. We seem to have our own waterfall in the lane, and various walls are now not stock proof.
Waterfall in the lane
One Highland scratch should do it
To his cost, Tim discovered on a recent Farm Experience that a Highland cow had already escaped through a dodgy fence and wall and was exploring the wood, luckily leaving her calf behind. After some searching in the wood, “H” the Highland, hornless, hairy heifer was reunited with her black calf. Farm experiences and farm tours are never alike and rarely dull. The bespoke treatment of customers, whether on farm tours or staying in the yurts, has certainly been noted and rewarded with two nominations for Outstanding Customer Service as well as Rural Escape of the Year at the Staycation Awards 2019. Tim will head off to London with his lovely girlfriend for a black tie awards ceremony where the winner will be announced. We are all keeping our fingers crossed!
A dodgy fence
The black calf waiting for H’s return
Our fantastic nominations for two Staycation awards
The llamas have been helping with the marketing, once they knew which sign needed marketing - certainly the Christmas Party evenings at Fairhurst's at Berry’s are proving popular, with live music/disco and an excellent menu on offer. The steak night on Friday 8th November should be another good evening, again with live music.
Llamas helping with the marketing
I was given a black kettle/teapot a few weeks ago and an enterprising friend who was staying with me rolled up her sleeves and googled cleaning teapots, and this was the result!
An enterprising friend's work! A Copper kettle transformed
With castrations to arrange, Sherlock the boar has moved to his Winter lodgings; with feed and hay on order and the last gilt collected and cured for ham and bacon, the circle of life and the seasons continues. And amongst all this, I have a vast birthday to fit in.
