Meet the Animals
THE DOGS
BADGER – Badger became part of our family not long after we moved to Wales. We found him at the RSPCA centre in Newport. We walked along the line of kennels, past sad-looking Rotweillers and Staffies and then saw a little black-and-white blur jumping up and down as if to say ‘look at me!’
We both stopped and, corny as it sounds, it was love at first sight. He had been very badly treated, starved and neglected by his previous owner, and was still very thin and nervous. We spent loads of time with him, enrolled in dog training classes (he’ll do anything for a bit of frankfurter, it turns out!) and he has become a much happier, more confident dog who adores feet (yes, weird) and playing frizbee.
BELLA – We’d planned to have two dogs right from the start but because Badger was so messed up, we were advised to let him settle in on his own before introducing him to another dog. The time seemed right at the end of last year and I got in touch with The Dogs Trust.
Badger went to meet them so they could find the perfect match and they thought we should look for a bitch, smaller and younger than Badger but with enough confidence for both of them. Bella certainly has that. She is absolutely fearless and stands up to anything. She snores and farts like an old man and purrs like a cat when she’s content. None of the cushions in the house have any corners left…
THE DONKEYS
LAWRENCE & BERTIE – We have adopted two male donkeys from the local rescue centre. Lawrence is the pale grey one. He is about 20 years old and pretends to be quite grumpy but is actually very sweet natured and affectionate. When he’s in the mood he comes over and puts his head on your shoulder and just stands there while you hug him until he gets bored and wanders off.
He also has a delightful habit of sticking his tongue out when he’s eaten something he particular likes. I’m very strict when it comes to their diet, but if rumours are to be believed he is particularly partial to Crunchie bars. Poor old thing only gets carrots from me.
Bertie is the bigger of the two, and is incredibly affectionate and laid-back. He is also about 20 years old, impossibly greedy and can undo bolts so we’ve had to come up with all sorts of ingenious Bertie-proof devices to keep him out of the feed shed. He loves attention and when I’m picking out his feet he will turn round and rest his head on my back.
THE PIGS
DUFFY AND DELILAH (so called because they are pretty and live in Wales!) are Kune Kune pigs. This is a rare breed that originates in New Zealand. They are small, hairy, with straight tails and lovely temperaments.
Duffy (the ginger one) is very clever and is always coming up with schemes to escape and Delilah (black and pink) is just out-and-out greedy and loves having her tummy tickled.
If you start scratching her behind the ear she collapses in a heap and rolls over with her feet in the air in a state of bliss! They are coming up for two years old and we hope to breed them this year. We had a visit from a wild boar (there are quite a lot around us) and did think they might have had an illicit encounter.
Our lovely local vet thought it was too good an opportunity to miss and came up to scan them, but it seemed their reputations were intact after all. Will keep you posted on news of breeding.
THE BIRDS
We have three geese – Gary the Gander and his two wives, two beautiful Cayuga ducks with black and green plumage and two Aylesbury ducks. All of them lay eggs. Duck eggs are a real treat with toast and marmite soldiers, and goose eggs are great for baking (1 goose egg is roughly equivalent to two hen eggs) My geese lay for about a six week period starting in February. An old wives’ tale says they start laying on Valentine’s day, but mine usually start a week later.
Then there’s Roger the Cock and his three wives. 
The Little Black Hen is an Aricana who lays beautiful blue eggs, The Ginger Hen is a Welsummer and lays dark brown eggs and The Grey Hen is a grey Leghorn who lays pale green eggs.
The Ginger Hen always gets broody and last summer we let her hatch out four eggs. So we have a new generation – a very splendid cockerel, two speckledy hens and, bizarrely, a pure white hen. They are a complete law unto themselves and fly over the electric fence, wander around the garden and sit under the bird feeders scavenging. The white hen lays really blue eggs and the other two lay eggs a sort of gorgeous shade of khaki.
We also raise chickens for meat. Once you have eaten your own chicken you never, ever want to eat one from a supermarket again. We buy day old chicks which we keep indoors under a heat lamp for about a month until they are well feathered. Then they go out into a field in a big, well-fenced enclosure for another three months or so.
I take them to a local free range poultry farm to get them slaughtered. I planned to do everything myself, but to do the job properly, cleanly and humanely I feel more comfortable leaving it to the experts. ‘Wimp!’ I hear you cry. You’re probably right…