Rabbiting on and on and on . . .

I have not ben idle here in case you imagined I was sitting around with my feet up toasting chestnuts, having a manicure, wallowing in a good book or drowning myself in sherry.  I can't remember where I got to in the last blog and my blogger is being a bit temperamental at the moment so I dare not go off this page to go back and check.  Apparently, I have 'an unsupported browser' I don't know about that means but I certainly have an unsupported chest as I somehow, and it is beyond me how this happened, got my bra caught up climbing through some barbed wire and that was the end of that.

I hope I am not repeating myself but I will go back to where I think I got up to.  We took the knitting to the SWAG show and had a very slow start - not that we were expecting to sell anything - we just went to catch up with friends.  By lunchtime we had sold nothing but had met some new friends and had a lovely chat with Mr and Mrs Apple Vale (good tips on how to dye alpaca - thank you!).  Then we had a most amazing rush and succeeded in making a small profit by the end of the day - I even had to unpack again once we had packed up.  We then went to another Christmas Fayre last weekend and did very well so I am recharged on the knitting front.  I am now onto an experimental piece which Sam and Carl think is hysterical.  Sam actually laughed so much he had to take a photo of it and send it to his friends.  He seems to be under the impression I am knitting knickers for plus size ladies which is wrong on so many levels (it will be a lovely lace shawl).  It is very complicated so I have to intersperse with a black scarf or I go slightly crazy.

The sheep have had a slight problem with what I call New Forest Eye but which I believe is really called Contagious something or other.  Their eyes gradually go cloudy and it can lead to blindness so they have to have eye drops.  If you catch them quick enough it clears miraculously quickly - catching them to treat them without a pen up in third field is more complicated.  What I have to do is call them to the bucket and grab a leg before they know what is happening and then lie on them while I get the ointment out of my pocket and in their eyes.  Rolling only works with the tamer ones.  The Ram has now gone down to The Lord of the Manor and Womble (as in ringing mistake - not as in the litter collectors) went back in to check all were done.  I think Womble might actually be active still and he is sadly turning a little bit naughty.  When I was lying on Reddybrek this afternoon he got a little jealous and was lining up, head down, to have a go at me.  Luckily, Stumpy got in the way and I made it back over the electric fence - Womble has horns!

Stumpy the hero

Womble the black one

Apart from one, the alpacas are doing well.  Zara's little one - Tyke is very keen on my new feed bucket.

Gloria having problems with a thistle

The one who is not good is Bert.  I think I blogged about her breathing problem and how unsteady she was on her legs.  Well she seemed okay after but possibly lying down a bit more than usual.  Well on Friday she had another turn but not as bad and after about 20 minutes she was okay but this time limping badly after.  I couldn't see anything wrong with her foot and her leg seemed okay but it was a bit hard to tell as she kushes as soon as you try to lift her leg and I was on my own so I couldn't hold her up and feel her leg.  Today I got them in the barn ready for Sam to come up after work to help me and I noticed a clicking as she walked.  I have a dreadful feeling she has either fractured or dislocated her hip.  I wonder now whether the initial problem was not something stuck but shock when she initially hurt herself.  I don't know - more news on that later.


Better stop now this blog has gone on far too long!