Fixing the trough…
This week, we had a call from a neighbour who had been pig-shooting in one of our paddocks. Wild pigs are hideous and feral and ugly we are more than happy for someone to reduce their numbers and help keep our calves safe. They lurk in the shadows during daylight hours and come out to feed as the sun sets… rooting around with their great horrible tusks digging for grass nuts and eating pretty much anything in their way. They have been known to attack people and are disease-carrying vermin (am I painting enough of a picture here?). I am not too proud to say that I am completely scared of wild pigs. Completely. If I saw one I would completely freak. Completely. I can barely look at photos of them. *Shudder*
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Anyway, our neighbour isn’t scared of wild pigs. He shoots ’em. And while spotlight shooting at night, he noticed one of our troughs (water points for our cattle) overflowing badly. So he did his best to stop the flow of water and let us know the problem. He did this after chasing said pigs through a waterhole in the river. In the dark. Damn, but that boy has intestinal fortitude. I seriously couldn’t think of anything more likely to make me wig out. Yuk!
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Where was I. Oh, yeah. Our very nice brave (slightly crazy?) neighbour telling us our trough was busted. So the next day (after recovering slightly from mental images/nightmares of chasing wild pigs through water in the dark) we went for a drive to check it out.
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Do you want to know what I took photos of?
My hunky hubby fixing said trough?
Hideous wild pigs plowing through long grass and murky water on dusk?
You don’t really know me very well at all, do you?
Here’s what I was concentrating on…
Sunsets…
Shooting INTO the sun…
Away from the sun a bit…
Oh, and let’s see what happens if we kinda go wide…
Hmmm. Serene.
But there’s something a bit, niggling about this shot. Perhaps it’s something to do with that sun getting awfully low… what was that? Did I hear a grunt or a snuffle? Ack!
…
We hightailed it home (OK me. I was driving!). Because now you KNOW what comes out after dark round here. And it ain’t Miss Piggy.
Home James.
And don’t spare the horses!
9 Comments
Pencil Writer
Glorious photos (no surprise!) I may have to pic one of these for my prize. (I’ve been sick and so not trolling through the photos, so now you’ve stacked the deck and given me more to work through! Thanks!) Wild pigs are ominous creatures–very dangerous.
Husband’s got a cousin–similar to your *did you say crazy helpful neighbor–who did hunt wild pigs close to his wilderness home (in Arkansas). They attacked his hunting dog, slashing her throat nearly costing her life. Afterwards, he did make a large leather collar to protect her neck. He nabbed two very large wild hogs and butchered and ate them. (I’m sure he had a lot of ham and bacon to eat for a while after that.) We saw the pictures of the two huge boars. Gristly animals.
So lets see: you have deadly, fierce, wild pigs, some of the most deadly snakes known to man, goannas, drought, burning sun, and yet you live in such a beautiful part of the world.
Explain, please? Do you pack a pistol, Bowie knife, rifle, machete, at all times? No? Just a camera? Woman, I’m beginning to wonder at someone else’s sanity!
Love yas anyhoo!
Kate
Seriously, how do you ever leave your home!?!? No wonder Aussies’s have a reputation for being tough, you’ve got some crazy critters round there (and for lot’s of other reasons as well). The pics are just beautiful. I want to see them first hand so badly!! Speaking of pics i got mine in the mail yesterday and it’s so beautiful. Thank you!!! I went to school in Hawaii and they have wild boars there. They are freaky, nasty critters with really short tempers. Scared the heck out of me.
Kate
Also, was the Home James… a nod to Queen Victoria or Burt Bacharach? 🙂
Debby
Oh, my gosh, my auntie left me a stack of books to read. Surprisingly, one is called “In a Sunburned Country”. Mr. Bryson talks at great lengths about the dangers of Australia. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. He refers to a fat book called “Things that Will Kill You Horridly in Australia, Vol. 19” I’m only on Chapter 4, but he hasn’t discussed pigs yet. I’ll continue to read.
Wrensong Farm
Gorgeous sunset! Reading about those pigs gave ME the heebie-jeebies! I met this woman on the island of Kauai that would hunt their wild pigs with nothing but a knife! She showed me a pic and they were huge with the most enormous tusks…brave woman! I’m going to have to order up that book In A Sunburned Country I LOVE reading about Australia (also hope to visit someday…it’s on my bucket list):)
Jayne
See the movie Razorback wasn’t stretching the truth too much, was it Bush Babe? 😉
Love the pics 🙂
Loulou
Beautiful sunset shots BB.
Bush Babe (of Granite Glen)
PW – I do hope you are feeling better!! So sorry to hear you have been sick. And no, I only shoot with a Nikon, not a gun. Not that I don’t believe in them, I’m just not much of a crack shot and would be far more likely to injure myself or loved ones than protect!
Kate – glad you liked your photo. It is a bit wild I guess out here, but really, the actual attacks by anything are really rare. I freak out just as much at rats and they are hardly deadly. And I have hardly ever seen a wild pig. But I know they are there, and that’s the creepy bit!!! The beauty more than makes up for it – but if it was too easy out here, we’d be over-run by city-ites!!! Heh. Not sure about the Home James – Dad says it all the time. I thought it was from a movie (perhaps more Queen-related than Burt-related?)
Debby – sounds v interesting!! Strange recovery reading but then… Dash and TLW have their own (rhyming) book about this kinda thing. It’s called “There’s Lots of Crazy Creatures, Living in Australia”. I must post on it. Heh.
WF – We watched the Bucket List the other night. Loved it. Let’s get that taste of Australia happening before that point!!
Jayne – I have ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION of ever watching Razorback. I may never sleep again!! Yuk yuk yuk!
Lou Lou – thanks love!!
EVeryone – Lou Lou is guest posting tomorrow!! Stay tuned…
🙂
BB
Debby
Not so strange, BB. Hilarious book. His description of cricket, and his enthusiastic renditions of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ nearly caused me to fall out of bed with laughter. Honestly, laughter is the best medicine. My auntie has leukemia. She understands this.