5 months ago, George, our resident Boar, became the proud father of 58 piglets in 48 hours (see posting of 7th October, 2009). George has been up to his old tricks again, but this time the 5 sows have produced a scarcely believable 62 piglets. Because George is a cross between a Saddleback and a Gloucester Old Spot the offspring of the Red Tamworth Sow are multicoloured – ranging from pure white to pure black with speckles in between. This video shows Sara holding one of the day old Middle Whites, followed by a clip of the Middle White sow with her litter and of the Tamworth sow with her multi-coloured brood.
Archive for March, 2010
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
62 Piglets
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Welsh Wagyu- From Conception to Consumption
Several years ago, completely independently of each other, Ifor Humphreys and I both had the same idea- to breed Wagyu cattle. Wagyus are the Japanese breed whose meat is uniquely marbled, making it more succulent and tender than any other meat- and also much more expensive. The Japanese are fiercely protective of their breed; they will not allow any cattle to be exported so Ifor and I had only one choice- to use frozen embryos and surrogate cows. I have decided to raise a herd of pure-bred Wagyus, which is a painfully slow process. Ifor has taken the more practical, commercial and certainly much speedier route of cross-breeding by using a Wagyu bull on Limousin cows.
The first ever tasting of Wagyu meat from one of Ifor’s bullocks took place today in Powys College in Newtown, Wales. I was honoured to be among 40 guests and the only English farmer present. We were treated to no fewer than 9 courses, all of them of Ifor’s Wagyu meat, cooked to recipes devised by the College’s catering faculty. It was a brilliant occasion. The meat was well marbled and every course was utterly delicious.
Ifor has researched Wagyu’s extensively in Australia, which reflects to some extent the research which I’ve carried out in Japan. Afterwards, at Ifor’s farm (of which I was privileged to be given a tour) we were able to compare notes and had a most useful chat.
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
A Gunman at the Riverside Hotel
Mrs Edith Robinson, on a visit from London, was enjoying the afternoon sunshine on the balcony at the Riverside Hotel, watching the river go by. As a southerner, where everyone is buttoned up, she longed to try the open friendly, Northern approach to life and, summoning up her courage, got chatting to the young man at the adjoining table. “Have you any plans for today?” she asked, “Yes”, came the reply, “I’m going to kill someone”. Edith didn’t know quite how to take this and looked quizzical. The man, as if to prove the point removed a gun from under his jacket and said ” I’m just waiting for my friend to arrive”. Edith wasn’t quite sure if this was the way small talk normally went went in Kendal, so she quickly finished her drink and went to consult Helen, the hotel Manageress, who was at the bar. Helen had in any case been keeping an eye on the man as he had been in the previous day, when £180 in tips had gone missing and she strongly suspected he was the culprit. She jumped at the chance to call the police.
Now we all know that the police are up to their elbows in paperwork and will normally take 48 hours tom respond to any normal call for help- such as a burglary. Not so here.Within minutes the streets around the Riverside Hotel were sealed off. The police asked Helen to keep an open telephone line and to inform them of the gunman’s movements. A couple who were drinking in the bar moved towards the balcony and Helen stopped them. Then the gunman came back into the bar and asked Helen for another drink. He asked her why she had stopped the couple from coming onto the balcony and she replied, quick as a flash, “Oh, they wanted food and we don’t serve it outside at this time of year”. The hotel was quietly evacuated. The gunman’s friend arrived. Helen served him a drink. He asked why there were so many police around and why the streets around the hotel were closed. Helen replied “There must have been an accident. If you find out, will you let me know?”
A few minutes later 28 armed police had surrounded the building. The gunman and his friend were on the balcony alone. The gunman was challenged. He pulled out his gun at which point the police shot him with a Tazer and he fell to the ground. Both men were removed.
The police were admirable, but the real hero of the day was Helen who showed great courage in remaining cool, calm and collected when face to face with an armed criminal.