Sunday 2 October 2011

Story telling Sunday

My username on forums and here on blogger is 'Furrypig'. It also forms part of my email address and often leads to either strange looks or questions about the origins of the name.

Many years ago I attended a comprehensive school in Essex (I hasten to add I am not a true Essex girl having been born in Newcastle and spent most of my life away from the county!). Anyway my school had a fantastic farm unit with several breeds of farm animals and this included pigs. I fell in love with the pigs, such intelligent creatures, more clever than dogs and so protective once they have young... as the bite marks in a pair of Wellington boots demonstrated!


I used to go each weekend to help clean the pig sties out with my friend Mandy, overseen by a teacher and an older student called Nigel. The song 'Making Plans for Nigel' was popular at the time and we used to sing it to Nigel as we worked. Sometimes we mucked about and one week we were very silly as Mandy and I found some matches and set some of the straw alight. It went up in flames pretty quickly, but fortunately Nigel was there to put it out and save the day ( this was not my first misadventure into the realms of Pyromania, please return next month to read more about it on Story Telling Sunday on November 5th 'Bonfire Night'!!)


As I grew up I ended up collecting pig ornaments, pictures, postcards and most years receiving a birthday card with a pig on it somewhere (tomorrow is my birthday so I will let you know if the pig cards are still arriving after all theses years!). If anything had a pig on it, I probably would have had it. When I applied for university I put down on my application about my pig collection and one very serious chemistry professor was very interested, asking how many I had and where I kept them. It was only when he looked completely surprised when I said I kept over a hundred pigs in my bedroom that I realised he had thought I actually had a real herd of pigs!


Although my large collection of pig paraphernalia is long gone, there is evidence of pigs in my home to this day. I have some pig stamps I can craft with and have been sent several fabulous hand made pig cards since I started card making. Pigs are still my favourite animal and my heart fills with joy whenever and wherever I see pigs. My daughter thought
of the name 'Furrypig' as a joke several years ago and we cannot remember how it came up but I pinched the name as it is pretty unique and use it wherever I travel on the internet.

On a trip to Dorset earlier this year we came across some piglets (see above photos) and a glorious great big huge mother Sow. Unfortunately, previously mentioned daughter (now several years older!!) used this photo to 'tag me' on Facebook so my pig fame is spreading..... and yes there may be a resemblance!!


Please head over to Sian's blog for more tall tales on Story Telling Sunday

Lotsa love Furrypig xxx

14 comments:

  1. Aha! I have waited a long time to be let into the "Furrypig" secret! I think I told you before about the furry pink pig slippers I had when I went through a pig collecting phase too.I think I might still have them packed away somewhere come to think of it lol

    Great idea for a story - and I love the little taster for next month too. Something to look forward to!

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  2. Nice to eventually find out the origins of 'furrypig'.

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  3. I also wondered where furrypig came from!! great story and there has to be something about pigs, my seven year old absolutely loves them and refuses to eat Bacon!! he wants one to keep in the garden!! Happy Birthday for tomorrow!

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  4. I also wondered where furrypig came from!! great story and there has to be something about pigs, my seven year old absolutely loves them and refuses to eat Bacon!! he wants one to keep in the garden!! Happy Birthday for tomorrow!

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  5. Love the misunderstanding with the professor LOL!
    Great Sunday Story!!!!

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  6. So fun to know where your nickname came from! And I can relate, having collected MANY turtles over the years.

    Thanks so much for your comment over on my blog today. I'll keep your dad and your family in my prayers as well!

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  7. I can imagine the very serious professor's face when he realised his mistake!

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  8. Lovely story! Not 'seen' you about for a while. Hope you are OK and you have a fabulous birthday tomorrow x

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  9. I did wonder but now that makes sense.

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  10. My dd was born in Essex but hastens to tell people she's spent most of her life elsewhere too ;) Pigs are very intelligent creatures - you've got good taste!

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  11. So now we know! I too loved the University Prof who thought you actually kept REAL pigs!
    Alison xx

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  12. Now I know why you are 'Furrypig'! I live in Essex, but hasten to tell people that I was born in Hertfordshire and that my children were born in Bedfordshire and my husband in Cornwall! I wonder why?!!

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  13. I also love pigs - they are just fab. Now we have the explanation for "Furrypig"!
    And that piggy in the photo really is quite furry too...

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  14. How lovely to hear the origin of your name :) And I love all the photos!

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