Dean back in the day most cottagers in the countryside had a house pig or two, my mother used to tell me of a family in our village that had 9 kids and she said when they killed the pig you could hear them singing as they were going to get some fresh meat. My mates dad used to go out in the forest and cut bracken when it was dead and store it for litter then they did not have to buy straw, it was waste not want not as the manure went on the veg patch and any waste from house or garden got fed to the pigs.
Sadly the chap who used to do my home kill is retired now so have to go to an abattoir, more transport but when they are done they can deliver to my butcher who will joint pack and make the sausages, just adds cost to the job. cheers Buzzer
I was brought up by my grandparents during the war and up until 1947 , they had a smallholding on the Staffordshire moors . The Ministry of food inspector checked how many pigs were due for slaughter as so many were taken for the public food program . They drove one pig out of sight on the neighbour’s land , and while the inspector was driving round to his farm , it was driven back with one of his pigs . All the farmers had the sides hung salted in the Coolroom . Grandad always said everything was eaten except for the squeak . Different times , they had pigs , chickens and one cow for milking , grannie made the bread , churned the butter and made cheese and the only sweets I got were apples and the malt spoon to lick . I never suffered ill health until my later years ( self inflicted ) .
rigsby:
I was brought up by my grandparents during the war and up until 1947 , they had a smallholding on the Staffordshire moors . The Ministry of food inspector checked how many pigs were due for slaughter as so many were taken for the public food program . They drove one pig out of sight on the neighbour’s land , and while the inspector was driving round to his farm , it was driven back with one of his pigs . All the farmers had the sides hung salted in the Coolroom . Grandad always said everything was eaten except for the squeak . Different times , they had pigs , chickens and one cow for milking , grannie made the bread , churned the butter and made cheese and the only sweets I got were apples and the malt spoon to lick . I never suffered ill health until my later years ( self inflicted ) .
Good old days “rigsby” less illness about and far healthier kids, none of this Mackydee crap and ready made ping meals many a time at home as a kid the whole meal was home produced. No waste on a pig and we have taken whole loads of pigs ears to Portugal for human consumption and also done internal loads of pigs tails in brine in 45 gallon barrels bound for China, cheers Buzzer
Evening Buzzer
Well it’s been another very wet weekend on top of last weeks rain the spot now resembles a bog, almost too wet to travel with the quad let alone spread any muck.
Progress on the shed is going well the building is largely finished just need the floor stoning up and then the internals to sort, this year the pens will be temporary to see us through lambing and then hopefully we will get the floor concreted.
Back to it tomorrow a load down to Nantwich then load up for Essex and Kent, then after that who knows…
Cheers Wrighty.
New shed is looking grand mate and will certainly make life easier come lambing time, on another note one does wonder just when all this wet weather will come to an end. Got wet this morning and that was just littering and filling the feeders up but at least the cattle are all under cover so they aint complaining, the wind was very strong here too and blew the top off the chicken feeder so some food got wet then it clogs up so will have to monitor that one, the pigs only come out for grub twice a day then go back in and sleep so there happy too, Buzzer
Does the last line in your post also apply to you as well Buzzer ! 
Buzzer:
New shed is looking grand mate and will certainly make life easier come lambing time, on another note one does wonder just when all this wet weather will come to an end. Got wet this morning and that was just littering and filling the feeders up but at least the cattle are all under cover so they aint complaining, the wind was very strong here too and blew the top off the chicken feeder so some food got wet then it clogs up so will have to monitor that one, the pigs only come out for grub twice a day then go back in and sleep so there happy too, Buzzer
Not sure Buzzer there dosen’t seem to be and end in sight, it’s dry Monday then after that not sure, the land is sodden now and any rain will just run off. We started lambing on Saturday with two pairs of twins, lets hope the weather starts to dry up a bit…
Cheers Wrighty.
just come across this chap who is into farming and haulage , if like me you enjoy a bit of both you will enjoy it…
Buzzer:
Dean back in the day most cottagers in the countryside had a house pig or two, my mother used to tell me of a family in our village that had 9 kids and she said when they killed the pig you could hear them singing as they were going to get some fresh meat. My mates dad used to go out in the forest and cut bracken when it was dead and store it for litter then they did not have to buy straw, it was waste not want not as the manure went on the veg patch and any waste from house or garden got fed to the pigs.
Sadly the chap who used to do my home kill is retired now so have to go to an abattoir, more transport but when they are done they can deliver to my butcher who will joint pack and make the sausages, just adds cost to the job. cheers Buzzer
Different world back then Buzzer, i remember my mum telling me how my grandad use to salt meat etc for storage. House’s back
then had a larder that was always cool for storing food. He used to have a lined pit in his garage that he used to store potatoes he
had grown etc. When you look at food today like bacon it makes you wonder what they put in it as there is always a long date on
stuff. Cant be good for you.
Wrighty the lambing barn looks spot on chap,its amazing how quickly they put them up once they have the steel work
completed ! 
Evening Buzzer
Well the weather darn sarf has been quite good today, tipped in Leicester this morning then down to Romford and then Ivybridge and was in quite a bit of sunshine. No doubt it will deteriate as I head north tomorrow. Dieseled up at Flamstead this morning and in rolled a Davies outfit R88 GEL, didn’t have any craic as I was just leaving but we will catch up with Snapper one day for that brew…
Cheers Wrighty.
We certainly have had a lot of the wet stuff, today I loaded 8 of the steers I bought a fortnight ago on spec with the intention of going to Cirencester Market a place I have not before frequented but the plan was nearly thwarted, loaded by 0730 we were away but the motorway was at a stand still and closed completely at Eastleigh so immediate diversion tactics were employed via Romsey Stockbridge up to Andover the Ludgershall and on up to Swindon and it took nearly three hours to get there as lots of other drivers diverted like me. Anyways they sold quite well and the main reason for going was there were some older single suckled Angus in the same sale but they made over a grand a piece at 17mo so needless to say we never brought them home, plenty of time yet to find what I need so no panic. Looks like more rain tomorrow but we cant stop that just pleased we live on a hill, Buzzer
Does look good Dean and thanks for posting we have had that livery since the early 90’s so its 30 years old now how time fly’s. Remember years gone past sign writing was an art form on vehicles but very cluttered but nowadays its more simple and blocky just to state who you are and not from where you are and a street etc, etc and of course its all sticky PVC lettering now so when you sell a motor it just a destripe with a heat gun, cheers Buzzer.
Wrighty I know Lims are your bag but I went a viewed these today with a proviso to buy if they test on Friday, they are pure Sims bulls and are 11mo reckon the biggest is 500 kilo’s so what value do you put on them each the smallest is approx 400 kilo’s there are ten in the group bearing in mind the further North you go the cattle tend to get dearer.
Rained here all morning and it never seems to stop, all the ground is saturated and the water storage units in the marsh are full up now 5000ltrs each one and there are three plumbed into each other so wont be carting water for the first 3 months for sure, Buzzer.
Buzzer:
Does look good Dean and thanks for posting we have had that livery since the early 90’s so its 30 years old now how time fly’s. Remember years gone past sign writing was an art form on vehicles but very cluttered but nowadays its more simple and blocky just to state who you are and not from where you are and a street etc, etc and of course its all sticky PVC lettering now so when you sell a motor it just a destripe with a heat gun, cheers Buzzer.
Nothing better than watching a sign writer do there stuff. Must be a dying trade now which is a shame as they were amazing
to watch.
The Bulls look good chap. I never knew you could keep Bulls together like that,always thought they would not get on.
oiltreader:
Ancona, thanks to Rab Lawrence, bet you’ve been here a few times Buzzer.
Oily
Aye I have indeed but our trucks were very frequent visitors in the Bosnian war in the early 90’s as we shipped from there to Split where the army had a freezer food ship store servicing the troops plus we used it to get to Greece as well, bit of a rat race getting on a ship though as many a driver will tell you and you had to be sharp loading else you got left behind as someone had jumped the que.
Busy today sorting out a movement permit for the pigs to go to the abattoir on Monday but succeeded in the end and where ready for the off, just got to tag them tomorrow and we are all ship shape, plus had to get onto the water board as all the water the animals use goes through the house meter and they try charging loads for waste water which in the live stocks case does not go in the sewers so with a bit of luck and a second meter in the barn I have cracked that problem as well, cheers Buzzer.