The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: demonfarmer2630 on May 12, 2011, 12:41:09 pm
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im looking for a type of pig that doesn't grow very big iv seen them on TV where they dont get much bigger than a foot long please let me know its for my disabled son he loves pigs so im looking but as i have no transport help would be useful please let me know thank you
yours sincerely
mr m ryder
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I am very sorry to hear of your diabled son and very pleased he loves pigs but please please please do not go down the road of a miniature pig. Pigs are sociable animals and should not be kept alone and at the end of the day they are livestock which means you have to go thro all the hoops and paperwork like the rest of us livestock keepers do. The trouble with so called miniature pigs is that their genes come from big pigs and they do grow and end up at the RSPCA when unsuspecting people like yourself buy them and then can't cope.
If you have the where withall and necessary area to keep a couple of pigs go for a breed like the kune kune which eat grass and are great as pets (Happy Hippy can help on this)
You will generally find the response on this forum similar to mine.
Sorry
Mandy :pig:
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I hate to be the one to tell you but there is no such thing as a miniature pig. There are some smaller breeds Kune Kune and Pot Bellied but they are both bigger than the size you say you are looking for.There are unscrupulous people out there who will sell you a Miniature Pig you will pay a premium price and get a whole heap of disappointment further down the line as the lovely cute little pig grows way bigger than you were ever led to believe it would or could. Please don't waste your money lining a con mans pocket.I don't know your circumstances but perhaps pig adoption would be an answer; your son gets to go and see the pig when he takes the notion; the owner can send the odd photo and update your son on how the pig is getting on; your son could name the pig aswell.We have done this for a young boy in Russia it cost the family nothing it was a pig we were keeping for breeding and he was able to see the pig when he came over to visit relatives. Perhaps someone on here with pigs may be in your area and could oblige they are an ever so helpful bunch .
P.S fowgill must be able to type quicker than me as no one had posted when i started to write
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My son is registered blind and i have Kune crosses and 5 Kune pure breeds. Yes they do make lovely pets and are very nice around children (4 of mine are full boars at the moment .. until the 24th of this month anyway) they are small in pig terms but still reasonably heavy. The hype about "micro" pigs i personally think is simply that .... hype. I know of a rescue centre that took in so called micro pigs recently that the owner paid £700 each for as they grew bigger than she expected ??? couldn't for the life of me work that one out.
Not that i am an expert as i have only recently started to keep/rear pigs, but, this designer breeding sucks and the pigs end up suffering. (dismounts soap box)
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Hi
Whereabouts are you? I am sure that you must be somewhere close to a forum member who would be kind enough for you and your son to pay a visit to see some piggies, they are all a very, very friendly bunch (the forum members that is, not the piggies)
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I'm friendly :wave: and so are my piggies!! ;D :pig: :pig: ... although they are not small ... at all!
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I'd echo what everyone has said about so-called 'micro' pigs - have a look at facebook, there's a page called 'The truth about mini pigs' - it makes very disturbing reading :(
But for a nice, friendly, small pig you can't beat Kune Kune's ;) ;D (plural - one on it's own is not fair on the pig, it needs company of it's own kind) they're wonderful, friendly and really easy to keep - OUTSIDE. No pig is suitable for a house pet as they WILL destroy your walls, floors and furniture :o
I think the nearest person to you in Scotland who keeps them is Wilma Johnston in Falkirk - I'm sure she'd be happy to show you round and explain about them (as would I, but I'm down in Lanarkshire so not as close :-[) My second daughter is autistic and gets on really well with the pigs, so they are a good choice, providing you're set up for them. I would suggest a lot of thought, thinking and planning as you're looking at having them for 10+ years ;)
There is a forum on the Kune Kune society forum too - might be worth posting something on there too.
HTH
Karen x
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I'd echo what everyone has said about so-called 'micro' pigs - have a look at facebook, there's a page called 'The truth about mini pigs' - it makes very disturbing reading :(
But for a nice, friendly, small pig you can't beat Kune Kune's ;) ;D (plural - one on it's own is not fair on the pig, it needs company of it's own kind) they're wonderful, friendly and really easy to keep - OUTSIDE. No pig is suitable for a house pet as they WILL destroy your walls, floors and furniture :o
I think the nearest person to you in Scotland who keeps them is Wilma Johnston in Falkirk - I'm sure she'd be happy to show you round and explain about them (as would I, but I'm down in Lanarkshire so not as close :-[) My second daughter is autistic and gets on really well with the pigs, so they are a good choice, providing you're set up for them. I would suggest a lot of thought, thinking and planning as you're looking at having them for 10+ years ;)
There is a forum on the Kune Kune society forum too - might be worth posting something on there too.
HTH
Ditto...
Our Kunes range from about a foot to 27inches in height & up to 108 kg in weight. They are really easy to keep too - BUT not singularly & suitable housing & fencing is a must - for their welfare & your stress levels too :D
Ps. we had our first KKs from Wilma - they've grown really well & one of them is expecting to a lovely boar of HH's :love: :pig: :love:
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Ditto...
Our Kunes range from about a foot to 27inches in height & up to 108 kg in weight. They are really easy to keep too - BUT not singularly & suitable housing & fencing is a must - for their welfare & your stress levels too :D
Ps. we had our first KKs from Wilma - they've grown really well & one of them is expecting to a lovely boar of HH's :love: :pig: :love:
Yup, most definately expecting ;) :) No signs of any more seasons and not standing at all. (except when I go and give her a 'spa' treatment ;D)
Karen x
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I think the nearest person to you in Scotland who keeps them is Wilma Johnston in Falkirk
I know Wilma! She is one of th RHET farmers; her daughter Emily was the RHET coordinator but one before me. Lovely family. Used to host really good farm visits for us.
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i thank you all for your posts but i only have a small garden and i am after miniature pigs i know thay like company i am looking for a cupple please let me know if you can find any
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ha ha...
i have rehomed a micropig......
he is up to my knee so approx 27" high, abot 40 " long and defo has kune in him...
miniature pig = kune kune
and you need cph number
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sorry mate, There Is No Such Thing!!
how small is your garden? Cos Kune kunes are the smallest you'll get in Britain... and they'll root it up in a matter of days.
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i thank you all for your posts but i only have a small garden and i am after miniature pigs i know thay like company i am looking for a cupple please let me know if you can find any
Micro pig… I think you may mean one of these cute little guys !
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Having read a few of demonfarmer's other postings on this site the word 'troll' springs to mind...
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what do u mean troll?????
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i thank you all for your posts but i only have a small garden and i am after miniature pigs i know thay like company i am looking for a cupple please let me know if you can find any
I'm afraid they live in never never land.....you've as much chance of finding one as you have the tooth fairy or the easter bunny :D
Seriously though - they are not a recognised breed and have no pedigree, you're basically buying a mongral pig and have absolutely no guarentee of the size they'll grow to - and just try getting your money back from the breeder who sold you them, many people are still waiting and will probably never get reimbursed.
But don't take our word for it ::) go ahead and get your mini pigs but please don't expect sympathy from us when it all goes wrong (and it WILL, please believe me) - I know of lots of folk who've bought them and only one or two who've still got them (but they are NOT small pigs anymore)
Karen
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i have no experiance of kune kunes but unless you are pretty strong then having a upset pig and someone unable to get away from it fast could be dangerous. even the most chilled pig can get upset when your sticking needles or doing other nasty things to them. a 100kg pig can give you a very serious whack.
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Having read a few of demonfarmer's other postings on this site the word 'troll' springs to mind...
I don't think demonfarmer2630 is a troll, just someone with little experience.
Is that right demonfarmer2630?
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new on here but iv had live stock before sheep chickens and 5 years ago the family pig died we had her for 12 years so i do know about pigs to a point some people are horrible but thank you Dan your the only useful person on here so thank you
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new on here but iv had live stock before sheep chickens and 5 years ago the family pig died we had her for 12 years so i do know about pigs to a point some people are horrible but thank you Dan your the only useful person on here so thank you
I think that what ppl are trying to say is that there is no such thing as a mini pig. Even the so called "mini pigs" can grow fairly big. I have a pure Kune female and she is huge !!! I have a mongrol Kune cross and she is still a bit small but is still growing. I honestly think that you are after the designer pet and that will jst encourage the interbreeding and sick animals and people being duped into forking out stupid amounts of money for a so called designer pet.
As HH said the smallest you will get is a Kune and they can get failry big. Yes they are lovely animals and very friendly, but go into it with your eyes open. The saddest thing is that most of the idiots who activly look for mini pigs (lol) end up putting them into rescue centres when they find out they cannot cope.
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Please, please. please listen to what everyone on here is trying to tell you. If you have kept pigs before then you know how big they can get and what is involved in keeping them. Please think very carefully before buying any 'micro pigs' they are a fallacy and grow up to be alot less micro that you seemigly expect them to be.
If you little boy loves pigs so much then take up the suggestion of others on here and adopt one. Speaking as a person who works closesly with young children on a professional basis, I'm sure your son is much more likely to gain from this experience than from you getting pigs that he gets attached to then you cannot keep. If that were my boys it would break their hearts.
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Demomfarmer
I hope my post did not offend you it wasn't meant to.Having read your reply regarding space i feel it more important than ever to say there are no miniature pigs in the U.K i would hate for anyone to buy a" miniature" and end up with a large animal they weren't expecting.May i ask what breed you had previosly? You obviosly know how to care for a pig as your last one lived so long. Posters on here just don't want people to be stung by the unscrupulous making a profit basically by deception. I hope you don't me asking was your son about when you had your last pig or is it a case that he wasn't and you think a mini would be safer/easier /less intimidating for him? Sorry for all the questions i'm just trying to understand why other than space it has to be a mini.
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I didn't mean to offend you or cause upset - I've just seen some very scary sights and heard some terrible stories and wouldn't want you to put your family in some of those situations. Micro/mini/teacup pigs are my particular bug bear - I'm sorry for ranting :-*
Still say you can't beat a Kune Kune for cute - look at this face ;)
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new on here but iv had live stock before sheep chickens and 5 years ago the family pig died we had her for 12 years so i do know about pigs to a point some people are horrible but thank you Dan your the only useful person on here so thank you
hey thats a bit unfair.... some of us are actually trying to help and i find that comment a wee bit offensive..
however it takes allsorts
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If this guy has £800 to blow on a couple of mini pigs then he's more money than sense, surely money better spent on his son!!!!! :(
Let him get them and then wait till the poo hits the fan, his house & garden are trashed, the pigs too boisterous and big to handle. C'est la vie theres no helping some people. He came on for advice and opinion and we've given it to him if he dooesn't or won't listen thats his problem.
Mandy :pig:
Ps yes Gavo can type fairly fast do it for a living!! ;D
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Ah that explains it then
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I've always had Berkshires in the past, lovely pigs but I wouldn't let children too near them as not too bright and would walk over a small child rather than go round them. Then I got some Kune Kune and the sight of them, my whippets and my grandchildren skipping off across the field will be an evergreen memory.
Kunes for me now every time :-*
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I've always had Berkshires in the past, lovely pigs but I wouldn't let children too near them as not too bright and would walk over a small child rather than go round them. Then I got some Kune Kune and the sight of them, my whippets and my grandchildren skipping off across the field will be an evergreen memory.
Kunes for me now every time :-*
I've found that with my Berkshires too - not great with kids (quite 'nibbly' :o)
But I've got to say the Kunes and the Large Blacks (for all that they are massive compared to the Kunes) are really gentle with the kids - even Connor (and he's only 2)
My Kune Kune piglets (8 inches high and 8 inches wide ::) ;D) love squeezing themselves through the fence to play with next door's young heifers and bullocks - much fun and games for all concerned and amazing to watch ;D Especially the frantic rush to get back through when they realise it's feeding time ;)
Karen :wave:
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I know all who posted replies about the micro pig (no such thing) ??? ??? have tried to convince this person to really think twice, some people can't or won't take advice from others and the best way for him to find out what a so called micro pig will grow to, is to continue with this and get one and then see just how big they do get.
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I know all who posted replies about the micro pig (no such thing) ??? ??? have tried to convince this person to really think twice, some people can't or won't take advice from others and the best way for him to find out what a so called micro pig will grow to, is to continue with this and get one and then see just how big they do get.
TBH I've been tempted to do this myself. Buy one and keep it with the Kunes so I can compare everything - size, temprament, health, feeding etc, but I can't afford to pay the prices the breeders ask ::)
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your luck may be in nature is such a wonderfull thing full of surprises we may just have the ideal pigglet at a price you can afford ;) ;) :pig:
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When he came as a rescue baby, at 3 months old he was smaller than our admittedly large cat.
And now at 18 months:
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:love: Digby :love:
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He is massive! :love: bless him, could certainly give the cat a run for his money now!
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Digby's lovely, and what a spot to have a lay down?! :)
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I didn't mean to offend you or cause upset - I've just seen some very scary sights and heard some terrible stories and wouldn't want you to put your family in some of those situations. Micro/mini/teacup pigs are my particular bug bear - I'm sorry for ranting :-*
Still say you can't beat a Kune Kune for cute - look at this face ;)
I thought the best place in the UK to get what amounts to a minature/micro pig was Wendy Scudamore, who also breeds Kunes as well????
I would give this lady a check up as being your safest bet.
Having said that pigs of any kind are best kept outside and in two's as they are oh so social.
:wave:
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Wendy Scudmore is the Chair of the British Kune Kune Society ( www.britishkunekunesociety.org.uk (http://www.britishkunekunesociety.org.uk) ) - of which HappyHippy, myself & some other KK keepers are members. Wendy does not advocate the "micro-pig" thing anymore than the rest of us. She has started keeping Swedish Pigs as well as Kunes - you can look at her website on www.bartonhill.co.uk (http://www.bartonhill.co.uk) (which will also give a sensible price guide for those seriously keeping Kunes)
hth :love: :pig: :love:
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Pigs do make great pets, as long as they have the correct facilities and one remembers at the end of the day they are PIGs, eat anything, (not always what is correct for them) and dont always differentiate between the carrot and the finger holding them.
Unlikely I know but even the most gentle pig can turn if upset. 200 k of angry pig can be quite frightening. Always have an escape route.
My worries for "miniature" pigs is the inbreeding which can make the nature more unstable (imho).
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there was a thread on this site about miniature hereford cattle and they were recognised by the hereford society as such
herefords appearing more prone to what can only be described as dwarfism we had one many years ago but just put it down to an ill doer
as i said in other posts i have what appears as a micro/mini or a dwarf pig no chance of it passing its genes on it has no nuts
beewyched the kune kune pig society managed to get themselves in trouble years ago with the monopoly's and mergers commission over price fixing by issuing a guide as to what breeders should charge any sale should be on a buyer/seller agreement and not influenced by prices issued by a breed society that to me is a cartel and illegal sorry if it offends but it has to be said
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As far as I know and I am speaking from a health issue here, any animal bred down to create a small version of itself ends up with health problems, heart for a start, joints etc. Mini Pigs are a fad at the moment but once people start getting the vet bills they will soon go out of fashion.
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As far as I know and I am speaking from a health issue here, any animal bred down to create a small version of itself ends up with health problems, heart for a start, joints etc. Mini Pigs are a fad at the moment but once people start getting the vet bills they will soon go out of fashion.
Yes Sabrina - spot on ;)
Many of the 'micros' are the result of breeding from runts (not something a reputable breeder would ever do) and as such there are more than likely going to be health problems in them and their off spring. I've seen some awful pictures of 'micro breeding stock' - pigs with curved backs and splay legs, not traits you would want to risk passing down the bloodline. There have been cases 'allegedly' where the bone structure has stopped growing, but the internal organs don't, it's not a nice thought.
Karen x
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I know somebody who bought 2 pommeranians, yes i know they're not pigs but please bear with me. The puppy was teeny tiny and very much the runt of the litter. Once they were home and settled in the 2 pups would do what puppies do and run around and play and scrap. When they took them to the vets for vaccs the vet commented on how small she was and that he was concerned about her :-[ she went home and carried on doing what she was doing then one day she keeled over and died :'( turned out that her body WAS to small for her insides and she had a heart attack. Not sure why she was so small wether it was simply a genetic fault (same as so called micros) or if she didn't get what she needed from mum when she was born.
My point is if there are defects in anyway surely it is not a good thing to promote these? For the vanity of humans these poor animals suffer. As i said in another post, these poor creatures are being exploited as the newest and most fashionable pets.
Sry another 2p worth
(yes i know i am by far a pig expert but i know when animals suffer)
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there was a thread on this site about miniature hereford cattle and they were recognised by the hereford society as such
herefords appearing more prone to what can only be described as dwarfism we had one many years ago but just put it down to an ill doer
as i said in other posts i have what appears as a micro/mini or a dwarf pig no chance of it passing its genes on it has no nuts
beewyched the kune kune pig society managed to get themselves in trouble years ago with the monopoly's and mergers commission over price fixing by issuing a guide as to what breeders should charge any sale should be on a buyer/seller agreement and not influenced by prices issued by a breed society that to me is a cartel and illegal sorry if it offends but it has to be said
Non taken Robert ;) The reason I mentioned about the prices - she's one of the few who does put it on her site & her name had been put forward already on this thread - was to show folks that even the Chair of the BKKPS doesn't charge these crazy prices that seem to be being quoted - £600-£700 :o I had someone come up to me at Neilston Show the other week (when I was doing my "bit" for the Smallholders Show) & was asked if I was one of the persons who was selling Kunes in Ayrshire or Stirlingshire for "those ridiculous prices" - apparently there's someone/s up here charging £600 for non-registered "pure-bred" Kunes :o
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would that not be the guy that had them at lanark
did you not get that persons contact details
it just shows you there are gums out there
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would that not be the guy that had them at lanark
did you not get that persons contact details
it just shows you there are gums out there
Guessing that it possibly could have been - if it was it's probably why he wasn't happy with the price offered ::) The person at Neilston didn't give me their details, but I did point them to the SPKA website & told them about Lesmahagow Show ;)
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would that not be the guy that had them at lanark
did you not get that persons contact details
it just shows you there are gums out there
"Gums"! Never heard that one before. What a wonderful expression!
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thanks Lynne for spreading the word about the SPKA ;) :wave:
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would that not be the guy that had them at lanark
did you not get that persons contact details
it just shows you there are gums out there
"Gums"! Never heard that one before. What a wonderful expression!
Dang, I was hoping someone (other than me) would ask what a 'gum' was. Clearly you all got it leaving just me in the corner with the dunce's hat. :dunce:
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i will just leave this one for now see if anybody can get it :wave:
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would that not be the guy that had them at lanark
did you not get that persons contact details
it just shows you there are gums out there
"Gums"! Never heard that one before. What a wonderful expression!
Dang, I was hoping someone (other than me) would ask what a 'gum' was. Clearly you all got it leaving just me in the corner with the dunce's hat. :dunce:
No Sally I am in the other corner :dunce: :wave:
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well i'm in the 3rd corner....... :dunce:
Mx
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well I am used to being in the corner, be it the bad baby corner or the dunces corner but I know what is ment. ;D ;D
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ok ... great utterly meanie scots ( :P robert & lillian meanies for not telling us poor dunces :dunce: ! )
gorgeous utterly magnificent scots (keeping a balance here! ;))
Grossly Undervalued Marvellous Scots
toothless people
private detective with his own television series
belonging to Great Uncle Michael (was that in Ballet Shoes?)
something to do with the big department store / shopping mall in Moscow
Hey you two you are supposed to care about animal welfare ... I'm suffering here; it's clearly a very clever pun and I am being tortured by not knowing what it means! Put me out of my misery, PLEASE !
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well I am used to being in the corner, be it the bad baby corner or the dunces corner but I know what is ment. ;D ;D
I'm currently sat in the bad corner after my rantings on the single pig thread - although there is room for others...
:dunce:
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OK i will relent and tell all when you are out and about usually buying something the seller assesses you either by your clothes or your vehicle if something is to dear i always ask them do you think i have gum written on my forehead they always look puzzled gum what is gum well look in the mirror it says mug you either get it cheaper or leave them muttering fornication's either way job done :farmer:
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Thanks robert - I shall use that! Much better than rubbing finger behind ear, looking at it and saying, "No, totally dry," which is what an old boyfriend used to do. ::)