Billie the Pig (think Billy the Kid to get the joke) arrived on Saturday. She's beautiful.  And as funny as.  Very chatty (well grunty), very tiny, and boy oh boy, would she eat if you let her.

Billie was supposed to come with her sister, but unfortunately the second piglet originally flagged for us died suddenly - so we're now waiting for one of her other sisters to be desexed and ready to come to us (probably about 10 days).  In the meantime Billie is settling in well.

Although she has given us a couple of frights - she loves to actually dig herself right down into the straw in her house of a night - to the point where you can't see her until the straw starts moving.  Minor panic while we've wondered if she's still there!

The dog's have met her now from a safe distance, but it will be a few days now before we start letting her out with the poultry - once we're feeling okay with the idea that we can find her - and get her back if she disappears into the long grass in the orchard!

At some stage we'll probably have to replace this with something slightly more permanent - but needs must when we realised we hadn't set anything up!

Billie and the second pig (when she arrives) will be responsible for getting rid of some of the hard vegetable scraps that the chooks won't eat, manure production (if her current output is any indication that's a winner already) and ploughing.  She's already shaping up well in that department also.

And she's cute.