01/09/2025
It’s been a while since we’ve posted on here, to be honest I didn’t know how to show up, whilst so much felt uncertain in our dreams.
Mick and I were involved in a scary incident with Bessie, our sow. It resulted in me being trampled, Mick coming to save me, tackling her off me and getting bitten in the craziness of it all. With family witnessing the scariness and a whole lot of physical and emotional healing needed, we set about trying to regroup. To work out what next.
Over another 4-6 weeks, Mick worked with Bessie and got her trust back, I was terrified and happy to stay on the other side of the fence. But then without warning she went for him again. With that we made a decision we had hoped we wouldn’t have to, but safety and confidence is important to us, above all else.
With Bessie gone, the boys were safe to get back in and work with the piglets and if this photo tells you anything, it’s the joy in our kids faces to be working with their animals again. Animals they’ve been watching from a far, for their own safety. But now, building trust, earning respect, gentle kind, nurturing care.
It’s a hard lesson, one we didn’t want to have to learn, but one of the many lessons this season taught us.
I promise we are back, just gently and carefully, still full speed, biting off more than we can chew. But with a few scars, a few lessons learnt and a whole lot more drive to do this in a way in which we are confident, safe, and comfortable to have our kids involved.
So here we are, all back in there, slowly building confidence (except Chester who goes in full of confidence at anything he sets his mind to). Ready to raise these next two gilts, hopefully in a way in which we know them, more careful, with more precautions, but with so much more hope to do it right.
