Wild pigs

 I was running Sunday arvo. This is an unusual time for me.   I like to get my running over and done with in the morning (but at the mo commencing around 09.30am due to the sheer dark and cold and not working etc. We are enjoying our retirement chillaxing after all!!!)  On this particular day it was blowing icy snow in the morning.  The temperatures were well below zero.  There was serious black ice and frozen snow on the road.  Not my bag. YAY, a jolly good excuse for a lovely lie in with Andy on a Sunday :)

However, by 3pm it’d warmed up (sort of) the ice had melted.  I headed out, very very reluctantly gotta say…for a bit of a jog.  To get that breath of fresh air, to feel alive in my lungs and in myself. 

It was sort of alright.  But a lot of sticky icy snow.  I was happy though doing around 10kms.  On the way back though WTF?  There were around 15 wild pigs being herded by 3 or so dogs. 

There are no fences here on agricultural land.  These huge pigs were running as fast as anything though the field and straight across the road ahead I was on.  i.e. from one side to the other. They then paralleled the road ie running with me in my direction, before the dogs directed them down the valley.   Looking back....  interesting , at the time I was rather freaked out to say the least.  

To say my heckles were up is an understatement.  It ended out fine, the dogs had it under control.  Apart from scaring me, this fascinated me. The sheer silence of the whole thing.  I saw the sheep dog show in NZ, those dogs were barking like crazy.  These hunting dogs never made a sound and there was not a person in sight.

I’ve read we live in one of the richest hunting regions in France.  But to fully see it in action, by myself, on my run, with no protection.  A teeny bit scary.  Fascinating but I think a Sunday afternoon run is off my agenda!!