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 Nearly finished

 A lovely day for it

 Some in, some out

Waiting

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Dutch is fine since you ask. You did ask didn't you? He's settling in nicely, looking at the view and wondering when he will be old enough to consort with his ladies to be. Men eh?

Looking at the Sheeps on a sunny day

The ragged trousered Crofter is fine too. He's been consorting with gates a lot these days. The sheeps were brought in from t'moor since they hadn't bothered to dig the peats for The Crofter and their coats were looked somewhat ragged anyway. Perhaps they'll have a hair-cut soon. One sheeps has a dodgy leg but it can't be so bad as it walked all the way from Tolsta Head to the croft and still had energy to leap around the field - albeit lopsidedly - every time The Crofter got close.

 Cutting the hens new front door

Then it was time to finish the hen house [no 3] with a deft bit of drilling and sawing with Mum keeping things in order. You may note the Yangtze MaotsetunSon tractor standing in the background as it has done for the last few - days, weeks etc. It is, to be perfectly blunt, standing to attention, refusing to make the great leap forward, nailed to it's perch - and so on. At the moment. 

 The Crofter and Dad still watching the sheeps.

Gate Gate

A new gate has appeared, riding from the remnants of the shed thing. There it is hanging about by the trailer, next to the shed-thing and in front of land-rover 1.Nice eh? Lucy is behind  No1. Don't ask.

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 Maclaren is taunted by Turk

Interest in the coow byre

The arrival a new face on The Croft always creates a certain amount of consternation. Maclaren is non too happy about being moved to the side hutch away from the others and it wasn't long before Turk decided to taunt him from outside the bars. Such was the racket that ensued, there was even a little interest from the coow byre. Maybe they though food was on the way!

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'Butch', [or it he 'Dutch'] at home in his hutch

The new little boy piggie is settling in nicely thank you. Apparently he was a tad pissed off when he arrived but soon felt better when he saw Maclaren had be ejected from the best hutches and sent to the pig-hose to the side - once the chickens had been ejected from there that is. Now little piggie is situated between two or is it three lady piggies and is already showing more interest in them than Maclaren ever did. The only problem at the moment is that he would need a step ladder to 'do the business' . Oh well, he is a bit young yet and will have to make do with humping The Crofter's wellington boot till he grows up a bit.

On that note, or perhaps because of little piggies current predilection of humping the Crofter's boot, The Crofter is feeling coy about calling the little piggie his given name of 'Butch' preferring 'Dutch'. Eh?

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 Dad Crofter chillin

"I'm back"

Butch's bottom

The day started nicely. A little breeze was in the coolish air but it was dry. I found Dad Crofter with his mug of builder's tea on the bench outside the croft house taking in the peace and quiet. The pigs had already been fed, the ducks were next in the queue. And then The Crofter drove into view. Just off the overnight Muirneag ferry from the mainland with a new addition to the menagerie. We all looked into the trailer and inside a little piggie looked out - really fed up at being shaken and stirred all the way from Yorkshire. This was Butch, the new boar for the flock.

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Pigs in ...... their hutches

I took myself off to see Dad Crofter, holding the fort on his own. There was a hole in the ground and beneath it was a pipe. With a hole in it. "Oh" I exclaimed wondering what on earth..... "I put the pick axe through it" came the reply. Sure enough, on inspection the gash in the water pipe was somewhat pick-end shaped. The hole was being dug to join another pipe to this pipe to take water into the 'thing'.

We ummed and ahhed a bit then I took Dad Crofter to town to get some pipe and bits to mend the thing. The animals need water if no-one else does. In no time, on our return the pipe was mended, the new joint put in and the hole gone.

Meanwhile The Crofter is having a fine time at the Yorkshire Show.

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 The Crofter meditates on life and a trip on t'mainland

The deed has been done

It's quieter down on The Croft after the Tolsta strangler aka Papa Doc Dad Crofter permanently quietened one the cockerels that was keeping half the village awake at 4am during these light nights. I know, I hate the idea of it too but these things happen down on the croft. especially when you gossip a lot in the middle of the night like that cockerel did.

The Crofter 'imself is off to Yorkshire for a few days with Mum Crofter to visit Yorkshire show like. It's a sort of re-living his past since that's the area he hails from. Meanwhile Maclaren, the saddleback boar who has got bored with helping produce little saddlebacks is being superceeded by a little Yorkshire born saddleback boar that will be coming back home with Mum [Crofter] and the Crofter.

Dad Crofter will be keeping the place ticking over and no doubt enjoying a bit of peace of quiet in the process. I shall pay a visit to pass the time of day with him.

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 The 'Friday' Chinese Tractor

 Vegging in

 Crofter with piece of wood

Crofter puts piece of wood on ground as Mum Crofter holds nails!

The Crofter is busy. As usual really. Teeth making business is busy and the piggies are having an extension built onto to their ever expanding empire. The veg are doing sort of OK in the polytunnels but the Chinese made Tractor is still having none of it. Dad Crofter has been twiddling this and that, giving something a sly whack with t'ammer and thoroughly enjoying himself in the process. That's just the way it is at the moment.

With the TDF starting in the morrow, The Crofter will be found found sat in front of his TV rather more than normal. He is still awaiting for that special person to share his life with.