Sheep!

Looking back at the photos I've posted, the seem to be rather cow-oriented. To balance things out somewhat, here is a short clip of some sheep we saw just outside of Haytongate on the Saturday morning on our walk. You might need to turn the sound up on your monitor, because I recorded it purely for the low level noise they were making, under the bleating!

Holiday Snaps

Thought I'd put some photos up that we took on our walk. Doesn't really do anything to dispell this idea of me being a bit livestock obsessed, does it?

This little herd had appointed themselves guardians of the gate a mile or so outside Heddon on Wednesday morning. A got quite nervous passing through them!

As we got to the gate, this young calf appeared very interested in my camera!

In the interest of livestock balance, here is a sheep two fields later!

We walked past this herd of cows and their calves as we approached Turret 41a, just after Caw Gap early on Friday morning. We hadn't gone far past them when they began to follow us. A was convinced they meant us harm (townie!) but actually, the couple who were walking behind us had just disturbed them more than we had.

Looking back over the crags from Walltown crags. Over the Thursday and Friday, we walked over all the crags in this shot!

More calves - Cumbrian ones this time, about a mile after Haytongate on the Saturday morning.

The trouble with keeping free range chickens is that they sometimes choose really stupid places to lay eggs - like on the farm track outside your property! We counted three, plus any she might actually be sitting on as we passed this farm at Wall Head, just outside Crosby on-Eden on Saturday.

I'm rather pleased with this shot of a Peacock butterfly near the River Eden just outside Carlisle early on the Sunday morning.

This is Joe, the Kune Kune at the King's Arms in Bowness-on-Solway. If you ask nicely, the landlord will show him to you!

After all the misty rain on the Sunday afternoon, it was rather nice to see the view across the Solway Firth to Scotland in the evening as the sun began to set.

Re: pigs

Hmmm...

On reflection, it seems I may know more about pigs than is seemly for someone that doesn't actually breed them...

And for those who are interested, most pigs we see around are probably these:

The Large White. Not pink at all...

Why are pigs pink?

Today was an INSET day at school, and it was really interesting. A whole section was on developing thinking skills particularly through using philosophy with young children which fascinates me. At one point we had to classify some questions according to whether they were factual (How was water made?) or more philosophical ones (Why do humans rule the earth?)

Now, me being me, I got a bit hung up on the pig question above. I am from farming stock, so think of myself as a bit of an expert (as only a second generation townie can really) although I'm not aware that anyone has farmed pigs commercially in my family for years. But that's as maybe ...

While the others were flagging this question as factual, I got a bit hot under the collar. After all, a Tamworth (L) isn't pink and neither is a Berkshire.


I'm sure you'll be stunned to find out that a Large Black isn't pink. Saddlebacks aren't either, although they do have a lighter bit on their shoulders.


And if you're going that far, then neither is an Oxford Sandy and Black or a lovely New Zealand pig called a Kune Kune.

So are we stereotyping pigs? You only ever see pink pigs in storybooks. Where are other colours of pig represented? Rights for pigs, that's what I say!!

I found these pictures on Pig Paradise Farm or Pigs Online if you're sad enough to find out more.