Well after a puppy arriving every half hour or so, it was going good, 2 girls and 2 boys at this stage, Lucky seemed to calm down a bit and we thought that was it. We were worried about the placenta, but thought it would sort its self out. So waited another 40 mins before we were going to change her bed, texted everyone (bet they were happy 12.45am!) and made sure all puppies were suckling. We have one that hasn't got a suckle reflex so whether she will make it we will have to see. We are hand rearing that one for awhile, but she is still with the others, we just take her out at feed time. She is very small 200grms, but we'll see. Then all of a sudden Lucky was pushing and it didn't look good, after just 12 mins I called the vet to ask for help. The placenta and pup were being born at the same time but were stuck, the vet was calm than us!...But we did what he said and by the skin of our teeth got her going and she was ok, so was Lucky, that was a relief. We thought surely that must be it now. I didn't realise just how mucky a process it all was...I know now!!!

YIIPPPEEE WE HAVE PUPS!

Finally after Lucky puffing and panting all night and most of the next day, her waters finally broke and she started 'proper' labour. We have had so many false alarms that we couldn't be sure this was it. Pete was upstairs changing and I was seeing to Lucky, then all of a sudden the panting turned to a push and I shouted to Laura to get Pete quick. Our first puppy was born at 10.30pm 12th March. We helped her break the sack and removed mucus from its nose etc, Lucky was quite good she helped, but I was too frightened to not help, in case we lost it. I thought it was not alive when it was first born, no movement for a minute or two and then it sparked into action with Lucky still licking her. Wow what an experience, never had puppies, and it is quite different from delivering other animals. Lucky was a lot quieter than I had expected. We picked her up as Lucky was already pushing for a second. The little one was weighed and marking recorded....well ish!!!

LUCKYS WHELPING AREA

We are truly fed up waiting for the big day to arrive, when Lucky gives birth, it should have been last night by my dates, but we are still waiting. That's why I am babbling on a bit at present, tired I think!.. We thought perhaps the bed she had wasn't to her liking so we made a 5foot x 3 1/2 foot whelping bed for her and her soon to arrive pups. How much longer can it take!!!! You didn't really think we would have a normal whelping box did you?...silly people!

SLEEPING IN THE KITCHEN!

Here's one half of our bed that we made to sleep in the kitchen, in case Lucky has her pups and we can't hear her upstairs, so we have moved to the kitchen floor to make sure all runs smoothly, and if not we can call the vet immediately....I am not sure what people would say if they turned up late at night and saw us pair on the floor, on midwife duty!!..We have slept some pretty strange places since moving here!!!!

LAURA...HONESTLY!

Laura, don't know who she must turn after!... She wrapped Uncle Tims present late at night and forgot to take the price off, so she had to hover while Tim unwrapped it and stopped him at the appropriate moment to remove the price!... No wonder Tractor Annie calls it Go faster farm here, everything is fitted in albeit a rush, 100 mile an hour we are!!

SORRY SUNNY..

Thin air is what Sunny normally chases...but in this case I have to apologise to her, she was in fact chasing this poor mouse/vole thing. Really cute but frightened. Pete managed to catch it climbing up the back of the door!!!...(The mouse not Pete that it)and put it safely outside where it belongs.

SUNNY HAS A NEW FRIEND

Sunny has made a new fried in this enormous teddy on Stevens bed. She cuddles up to him every night and gives him a kiss on the nose!... Is it just our animals that are weird or is it the norm. Our norm has been so far removed I haven't a clue where 'norm' is any more... Actually just as I am writing this, Sunny went loopy and chased thin air at the speed of a formula one car under my chair and over the computer desk...guess that just about sums it up really!

NOT SURE WHAT STEVE IS SAYING?

Steve gave Uncle Tim a huge pencil and a very large eraser for very big mistakes, surely he isn't insinuating that Uncle Tim makes mistakes??? Brave boy!!!

TIM IS 35!!!!!

Happy Birthday Tim...That's my brother, the one that helped with the cottage, you remember when we had the digger November last year?...I think he is glad we have just about finished, so we don't pinch everything he has in his car to use on the build! Had a little get together and a bit of tea...So Happy Birthday... We got him a fire pit, but I think he might have been expecting it, as the random comment of wanting one wasn't random at all, it was a great big fat hint!.. Good job I was paying attention!

2 MORE PICS WHILE I AM AT IT!

Andy and Jane put in my visitors book to take a scratching stick down when you visit the pigs... So just to prove what they meant and that the pigs do in fact like it, I have shared the photos with you. Pixie, Dixie and Woody rolled over in turn whilst Jane scratched them with her stick, I think they could have handled that all day. Buzz is getting bigger now but still fairly tiny compared to the others, but even he looked forward to his daily rub!