Tag Archives: Pig

Return of the Rampaging Pigs

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Disclaimer: the pig picture above belongs to a friend and is not part of my case.

Looking back at this post from last year it’s kind of odd to see how little has changed in terms of my workplace, workload and colleagues. The reason I was reading it was because this week, on top of my TB case, the aftermath of Thursday’s report case, big welfare in transport investigation and a couple of routine inspections done or due, the marauding pigs have made a return. It’s been posted on Facebook and the local news, so I guess I can say that these pigs are now causing a significant hazard on the A76. Last year, it appeared the situation was back under control but (as with many other welfare situations) it has spiraled again.

It’s not that surprising. During my three years in Norway, it became obvious that most farmers are doing a great job and that almost all the problems we have to deal with stem from a few people, a few of whom are genuinely bad or ignorant, but most of whom are struggling with life, one way or another. Lots of people have a dream where they run a successful business, keeping animals. The reality is that doing so involves a huge amount of hard graft and a steely mind that can cope when catastrophe hits. Farming is a tough business. To quote James Herriot, ‘I was beginning to learn about the farmers and what I found I liked. They had a toughness and a philosophical attitude which was new to me. Misfortunes which would make the city dweller want to bang his head against a wall were shrugged off with “Aye, well, these things happen.”‘

Anyway, Tuesday was a bit sad as one of the poor pigs was hit by a lorry. The end of the week was filled with meetings and multi-agency planning to find a solution that will last. Otherwise, we’re going to be dealing with ongoing problems for years to come.

A lot of what we do involves fighting against the system. These welfare issues are typical – we have to make sure we give people the chance to rectify problems themselves, when the reality is they are only in that place because they aren’t coping. There’s little we can offer in terms of support and neither advice nor penalties really help. After almost two years though, I have a reasonable grasp on many of the tasks I’m handling and what I can actually do. I have a network of contacts, both local and national, who can be relied on to get things done, which makes all the difference.

In other good news, after waiting since May for a non-appearing plumber, I contacted a different plumber from my street, who came the same evening and started work the next day. I now have a functioning shower and toilet upstairs and the rusty and unusable shower over the bath downstairs has now been replaced. So now, after more than a year without a shower, I have two. Still plastering and decorating to go, but it feels like the end is now in sight for my room-in-roof insulation project.

On Thursday, we had the first frost of the year. Less spectacular than the Arctic frosts that could go on for weeks, building huge ice-crystals, frost here still adds a new layer of beauty to the small things. I do love proper winter weather.

I’m tired after a busy couple of weeks at work, but there’s not much I need to do this weekend. I have a shoebox from the church that I need to fill with Christmas gifts for (I think) refugees somewhere, so I shall take a wander to the shops this morning to get that filled. I may stop for a coffee and a slice of gingerbread cake at the garden centre. Other than that, it looks a bit stormy outside, so I intend to spend some time in front of the TV. It’s almost time to start my Harry Potter Christmas marathon, so that might be on the agenda. In the meantime, I will leave you with some photographs I took last weekend, over towards Wigtown. It’s a beautiful part of the country. Thanks for reading and hope you have a great week.

Endings

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Last Sunday, in the evening, I met Donna and some of her friends for a picnic in the park. Everyone brought food and it was a great spread, with old favourites, like delicious egg sandwiches, to more modern twists, such as salty caramel shortbread. This was in preparation for a spot of outdoor culture – in the shape of a performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

It was a great evening. The makeshift stage stood in front of the Chrichton Memorial Church and the entertainment was occasionally enhanced by dive-bombing seagulls. Romeo and Juliet isn’t my favourite Shakespeare; I prefer comedy to tradgedy. Juliet’s mother’s big red beard and broad shoulders were an interesting diversion, as was Romeo’s habit of turning his back on Juliet when she was on the balcony (though I understand this was probably related to the combination of a limited stage and the difficulty of being heard outdoors) but it was a great evening and lovely to get out for some entertainment on a sunny evening.

Monday morning started with a visit to my new physiotherapist. I asked my GP to refer me recently when I heard there was a year long weight to see a neurologist for non-urgent problems. I can’t remember whether I mentioned that GP visit, but occupational health at work advised me to go in order to re-examine the neurological problems I had in 2017-19, which resolved to the point where I can work full time, but have never completely gone away. I had physio three times a week, back in 2018-19 and it made a massive difference in getting me back on my feet.

I could see my new physio was somewhat bemused by me. I suspect most patients she sees are significantly impaired, whereas what I want is to build muscle and get as close to full fitness as I can. I suspect there are differences in attitude from Norway. I was much worse, back in 2018, but I can recall being told to warm up for every session, then do three sets of eight, deep squats, three times a week, very early on. Here I’ve been asked to do five to ten, a couple of times a week.

Realistically, I’m more likely to stick with a gentler routine that I can build into my day, which hopefully should be my aim. She did ask me if there was something I wanted to achieve – a goal I could set. I couldn’t think of anything concrete on the day, but after chatting to a colleague, it crossed my mind that I would like to be able to go (downhill) skiing again.

For that, I would want to lose a lot more weight, as well as regain a higher level of strength and fitness, so it’s quite a lot to aim at, but hopefully a worthwhile goal. To give my UK readers bit more context regarding the differing attitudes in Norway and the UK my lovely line-manager, Kirsty, who retired yesterday asked me whether I wasn’t worried about breaking bones. I am, to an extent, but in Norway, most ski slopes have a policy that skiing is free for people who are 70 or over, and it’s not just set up that way as they know nobody will take them up on the offer.

Midweek, Donna and I drove over to visit a friend of hers, who is selling some cottages and (hopefully) some furniture. Assuming none of the people buying the cottages have prebooked sales, hopefully I will be buying three wooden bedside tables from her, along with a matching mirror. I’ve been struggling to find any I liked that weren’t too expensive, so hopefully that will solve that issue. The image at the top of the page is the view from the garden of one of the cottages she has sold, and while we were there, we also met her lovely pig, Dotty. It was a lovely evening.

Yesterday was a lovely day as I went over to Stranraer, where Kirsty was working her last day. Several of us made the trip and we had lunch together and then lots of hugs. She and I discussed Stranraer, where I used to work, many years ago. The office there is very small and much more cosy somehow, than the office in Dumfries. I do sometimes wish I worked there, though due to Donna, and various connections, I have a better social life in Dumfries than I would have over there. There’s also the not inconsiderable matter of Dumfries being a two hour drive from Mum and Dad. Stranraer would nearly double that journey.

Tonight, I have booked to go on an evening wildlife walk with my colleague, Cris. Hopefully the rain will hold off, but whether it does or not, I am looking forward to it.

I will finish off with some photos of the the fields around Blackbird Lane, with some cattle basking in the lovely sunshine we’ve had over the past few days. I wish you all an enjoyable weekend and good week.