Getting near the "business end" now...

I was never too sure how I'd feel right about now, I mean it's not as if I haven't had plenty of time to get used to the idea.....is it?

Well, now I know.

They're off on monday (1st September) 7.15 am is their allotted time, I'm taking them to a small abattoir (never sure if I spell that correctly) in Hatherleigh, my friend Geoffrey is borrowing a trailer and he's going to drive them there (and hold my hand and dish out the kleenex I have no doubt). He's a rather good butcher and has worked in slaughter houses so "knows the ropes" rather well. I tagged their ears this morning, which, I have to say, I found pretty distressing, if only for the fact I couldn't get the damn things to go in properly. Anyway, after standing out in the rain, sobbing quietly because I felt so f**king useless, I managed to get the sodding things in without causing (apparently) any undue discomfort to my pigs. I'm glad I've got that out of the way, let's just hope they don't make any attempts to rip them out!!

So Sunday, I'm meant to starve them I believe (I need to check up on that, but I think it's something to do with them having empty bowels when they are opened up on monday), and then I have to conspire to get them out of the field, down the garden, round the side of Geoff's garage and into the trailer at 6.30 on monday morning. I've already had way too many sleepless nights over this (I don't handle stress as well as I used to!!!), and now I think I'll be quite relieved when it's all over.

Here's a picture of them just after they were tagged (did I mention they destroyed my compost bin yesterday too?), acting like nothing happened.................