What a Day

We went to the  North Somerset Show yesterday with our alpacas, I was not going to show this year, but the new bio security guidelines for show organisers was in place and being outside as well we felt that it was  a minimal risk. We found plenty of space between pens, seperate entrance and exit for the ring and also disinfectant mats and hand wash. The ring was also big enough to allow plenty of space between exhibitors.

Well we did very well coming home with four firsts, one third, two Champions and Supreme Champion.  For the first time and with a great deal of help  I have photos so here we go



Here is Cinnamon  , Champion Fawn



Unfortunately due to a very slow internet connection  I still can not upload The Dipomat getting Supreme Champion  rosette so I will try again tomorrow!

Today saw us collecting samples for research into internal parasites. Need I say more but I hope the parcel does not get lost in the mail! If we can help in the more precise worming of our animals it will have been worth while.

With the shorter days we never seem to catch up on the chores but at least it is not raining. More frost tonight perhaps that will keep Blue tongue at bay!

Arriving at the Alpaca Futurity Show on Saturday morning thinking what am I doing here, I stepped into the ring with my junior Fawn Male (Valley Alpacas Blaze) and won! Also coming 5th with my Junior White Male.

That meant that we had to return today Sunday to enter into the championships.  Being judged by the American Mike Safley and British Judge Paul Cullen.

Well we gained RESERVE FAWN MALE CHAMPION.

Well the weathermen got it right and the rain has not stopped all day, putting on the wet weather gear this morning ( can I at this point please ask the manufacturers of the wet weather trousers please take into consideration the vertically challenged or to me and you the short people, I am fed up rolling up acres of fabric so that I do not trip over it) I now believe in global warming.

Anyway everybody seemed fine and I spoke to Afra and asked her very nicely not to have her baby that was due today as it would be very inconvenient with this weather, but no,spot on in the middle of the day out it popped a very large boy .

On with the now very wet weather gear both mine and the crias and we popped them into the bottom field shelter only to find a few hours later that it was full of water and a shivering cria so now plan B, make a pen in the barn and a makeshift race to get them there. All is now well and both mother and baby are fine and dry.

I have been absent for a while because the gizmo that is in the side of my computer that gives me the internet has driven me to distraction with the signal or lack of it. I have now changed companies and at last I seem to have the speed that I have dreamt of and people with a landline have as normal. It means a different gizmo but who cares it works, I have nicknamed it the dangler although Iam reliably informed that it is called a dongle, who names these things!

We have had a another cria born a little boy who we have yet to name. All went well and mum and son are doing just fine.

The planners have turned us down officially for our new shed so off to appeal once again we go. More deforestation as the amount of paperwork needed defies imagination. More money wasted, local tax payers and mine. I feel a letter to the Secretary of State comming on, watch this space.

Last Friday I went on a Neo Natal day hosted by Bozedown Alpacas and presented by Claire Whitehead, it was enjoyable and informative but oh boy was it cold in those Village Halls. I went with Lyn Pepper and again Lesley Rawlins who kindly drove, this time there was no wine gums so that friendships were not called in to question!

Saturday I went to the Wiltshire Spinners, Weavers and Dyers meeting where there was a number of sheep and alpacas fleeces for sale. I bought a sheep fleece to practise on my spinning wheel , but that will be for the winter evenings when it is dark and we are unable to work on the land.

I came back to find that two of my entire males had been fighting so we have had to seperate them, Appollo had a large puncture wound in his leg but that is now healing fine, they fought because they are too near the females, but we have been working hard to clear and fence what we are now calling nine acres (not very orginal we know!) but it will mean that the ladies will have plenty of space and no males near them.

We are going to Lyn Peppers tomorrow (Tai Wind Alpacas) to help her shear her alpacas and also to take our show boys to at last get their fleeces off. Hopefully she will have the kettle on as we arrive!

Well that is not strictly true, we have found a friendly farmer who makes superb hay, no weeds and very soft and sweet smelling. We went to collect it yesterday, late afternoon , we watched while he used his tractor with a grab to load all 100 bales in about 15minutes, oh what a difference to when we used to make hay with our old equipment, the baler is fine and does not even drop one bale, the mower broke at the end of mowing causing curses galore, a little welding and all was well.

It was just loading the bales by hand one at a time six bales high that caused overheating and much effort and that was just Andy! We still have to unload the trailer which is stored in the barn out of todays persistent rain but that can be done at our leisure and at a pace we oldies can cope with.

On Saturday our oldest female gave birth to a lovely little black girl all went well, her sire is Centurion so maybe she will be in the show ring next year. We also gave the 2nd bluetongue vaccination and everything seems to be okay.

We were talking to our neighbouring farmer who has lost three calves so far during birth and immediately after. So have we been lucky I dont know, perhaps , when all is said and done we do have to use the vaccinations to find out more and even if we do suffer losses hopefully in the future the vaccine will be completely safe.

Great news, at last our new white stud arrived today, after having been in quarantine in New Zealad for six months and then spending a month at EP Cambridge headquarters at Baydon, his sire is Jolimont Gianmarco.

Hopefully when he has settled in he will be meeting my ladies and making their day!

The press bless its heart has written another one of those awful articles on Alpacas, knowing nothing about them but trying to make an issues out of them.

I am not a lover of the press as past experience has shown me that they listen to what you have to say and then print anything that suits them caring nothing about the consequences of their actions.

But I also think our Chairman missed an obvious opportunity and maybe we should think about a vote of no confidence in him.

Feeling very sorry for Bill Oddie this week standing in the rain to do his springwatch, we have no need to do that as we only have to look out the window. This week it has been the female deer who we new must have had her baby as she would not move from the spot when she saw us , well today it was up and much more mobile and enjoying the sunshine.

We also have hoppy pheasant who causes much amusement as he patrols the paddocks with his two hens, one has no tail feathers and we wonder who has managed to snatch them. Hoppy was fine after the shooting season and has only recently received the injury to his leg, he has absolutley no fear of the alpacas or us as he battles to eat the alpaca food out of the troughs, always talking and chattering to his ladies.

On the scene in the last couple of days has been two other cock pheasants who are trying to poach his companions, boy he can he move with feathers flying, hop he might but nobody is going to pinch his ladies,sadly he probably will not father any little ones as my fat lab, bless her heart, can sniff out eggs a mile away and so far has raided all the nests! Never mind he is doing a brave job trying!

Exactly what time of year is it? Yesterday whilst doing the ever on going job of collecting the poo I spotted something in the grass, mushrooms! Lovely field mushrooms, later on while Andy was topping the grass he spotted more. Now I know global warming is happening but the complete turn around of the seasons seems to me to be a bit bizarre. I know that with the very misty mornings we have been having that it has been more like the month of November except for the temperature.

Never the less we shall enjoy them for lunch!