Catching up

I have been remiss in my blogging I know and that has been as I have had a worrying time.  However, all is now well - in fact all is VERY well.  All alpacas are extremely well - in fact they are very, very well and healthy!  So, what have we been up to?  Christmas Fayres and markets mostly which has meant a lot of knitting.  We have sold well and my mind is busy planning new things but I am being strict with myself and there is to be no more knitting until Christmas is organised, presents are wapped, sheep feet are tackled (ongoing problem), alpacas are moved around and - important this one - sold alpacas are delivered!  Due to getting tests done and results back delivery of alpacas had to be delayed so Saturday we are off to Cambidgeshire (or maybe it is Lincoln) somewhere flat anyway.  Sunday it is Winchester way and then over Salisbury way followed, if time, by a quick toe nail visit down the road.  Come to thing of it I might fit a little knitting in during all that traveling.  It does mean I will miss the Carol Service at the Methodist Chapel and I am not sure we will be in for the Carol Singers on Monday Evening but we will see how we go (can't open my front door anyway at the moment as it has a severe warp).
All alpacas are wet, filthy, bedraggled and unworthy of a photo but next week we will see!

I have also gained a cat.  Can't find who it belongs to but it comes every morning and evening and shrieks at me from a perch on the recycle bin until I feed her  (or could be a him).  My cats are afraid of it and cower until it goes away.  When it first arrived it was very thin - but it is not thin now!


Sunday I am also collecting my new sheep - now when am I going to do my Christmas shopping?

Hope today, knitting tomorrow

Today saw us at another Christmas Market.  This one was at Hope Nature Centre http://www.hopenaturecentre.org.uk/newsite/ and was the first time we had been to an event there with the knitting.  Not, however, the first time we have visited as they take a group of lambs each year for visitors to see in the animal park.  They also have our two original alpacas Dobby and Caedmon (although I think Caedmon has a different name now!). It is a great place to visit and was set up to provide work placements for young adults with learning difficulties.
Anyway, it was a lovely, if bitterly cold, day and I managed to visit the sheep and alpacas - good to see them all again.

The photo shows when I was setting up so I did organise it marginally better by the time it opened!  The new mannequin head was an attraction on it's own as it mesmerised children and one gentleman had to do a double take as he thought it was real!  Thank you to GHN for sourcing it for me!  We sold well and I also came away with three orders.  This is good but I somehow have to fill the orders and knit more for next weekend as we are low yet again.  I am going to crawl round to the Flower Lady next week as see if I can tempt her into taking on a hat as one she made was so popular it has been requested again!

Christmas Markets begin

It is very cold here - we knew it was coming but it is still a bit of a shock when the wind bites through you on the hill!

This morning we took the knitting to a lovely Christmas Market which was, thankfully, inside.  We sold more than I expected so I am rushing to finish another scarf for the next market which is tomorrow!  Looking forward to that one - Hope Nature Centre where two of our alpacas went and they also have five of this year's lambs.

When we got back from the market today we managed to fit in a quick bit of halter training after checking on a limping lamb.

 

Slow going as I have ended up with only one small halter!

 

Back to knitting now!

In summary . .

Very windy
Very wet
Tumble dryer on overdrive
Kitchen a mess of tools and mud
Alpacas filthy

Sheep gone crazy and leaping around like lambs

Not much more to say really!!

Life in Leigh

Well, I have to mention the rain.  It is not that it is raining all the time but it feels like it wants to which is almost as bad.  It is also far too warm for the time of year.  Now I have mentioned weather I will not refer to it again!

Although weather may have been the reason why one morning last week I opened the back door to find a young ram standing on the path looking longingly at the cat flap - by the time I had found my boots from amongst the chaos which is the kitchen, he had gone and was no where to be found - not one of mine! 

 

Alpacas are all doing well but halter training with the cria has stumbled to a halt due to that thing I will not mention again.  Their weaning paddock is ready for them although they have a while yet with their Mum's.

 

We parked the stock trailer in their paddock after it was thoroughly cleaned and several girls decided to move in so I have added some hay and left it as a temporary shelter whilst the weather is so wet.

 

Carl was on holiday last week and we planned a lot of work on the kitchen - it was slow to dawn on me that Carl had not been actually listening to me whilst I was planning so, although some progress has been made, there is still a long way to go.   Carl seems to have spent more time creating a tool storage unit which I fear he thinks may be permanent!  He has spent most of this evening with the Tractor boys discussing the advantages of an in kitchen tool storage area amongst other things!

He is forgiven though as he did give me a lovely anniversary present - a meal out and a four legged present.  The meal out was a McDonald's Drive-Thru so no need to dress up there but the four legged present was a big hit - a Dorper Ewe!  We actually ended up with three as I chose one and then he wanted a different one and then we both thought, "What the eck!" and got a third.  They are with the ram at the moment but will be here soon.

Leaf, my Southdown Ram, is now settled in with his new friends having quickly completed mating the ewes - not tht long and it will be time to sort all the lambig equipment again.  81 lambs last year but shouldn't be quite as many next year.

Knitting has been a bit manic but I am now almost up to finishing off stage ready for our first Christmas Market which will be at Hope Nature Centre not this weekend but the one after.  Really looking forward to that! 

Sadly, it looks very unlikely that one of the felt hats will make it as they are still some way from acceptable (light years away actually!)

kitchens and alpacas

We are in the middle of doing up the kitchen and it is slow going despite Carl having the week off.   The problem is there are so many other things that need doing and that are far more important!  I may be living in a tip for the foreseeable future.

The weekend saw most of the alpacas getting their vitamin D for the winter.  I have a few more to go but am having the usual problem with getting hold of vitamin D.

Halter training continues and, as usual - there are the good ones

and there are the not so good ones.  Slinky's little girl grunts and grumbles throughout!

Next job is to attack Harry's fringe as he is beginning not to see out too well!

Sheep are all doing well and the ram is now out and settled with his little group of boys.  The girls are all up in third field and charge down when they hear me coming.  Best Scottie really wants to follow me around all the time.

Tomorrow we are having a day off from everything an going out!

A Day out

Windy here today - still partly in a T-shirt but the wind has played havoc with my hair do.  I had it done specially on Friday as I anticipated a flashy night out (Silver wedding anniversary) and what did we end up doing?  Ear tagging lambs in the rain and  moving barriers!  With the careful use of a Tesco carrier bag I managed to keep the hair relatively under control in anticipation of a possible day out Saturday - which I got but not quite what I would have liked as we spent it taking the lambs to market and having a Market Breakfast at Sedgemoor Auction Centre!  Ah well - maybe next year! 

Sunday did not turn into a day of rest either as it was off to the depths of Hampshire to do some Lambivacs - mind you that was fun and I did get a bag of chips on the way home!  Halter training did not happen as hoped on Sunday as Carl disappeared off with the Tractor Lads to do 'wooding' which basically means massive chain saws and logs appearing in the shed.

I don't appear to have any new photos this time as I have spent every spare moment knitting in preparation for Christmas Markets and I am also still struggling with the felt hats.  I am not sure felting is going to be my forte but I am persevering for the moment as I want to make on with knitted flowers attached and in my head it looks lovely!