Apples!

Today I arrived back from the field to find Carl in bed - ill with a cold and I have to admit he does look very sorry for himself.  He is going to have to recover soon as we have a lot to do still!  The next lot of lambs are ready to go and will, hopefully, go on Saturday which will be a busy day as we have visitors in the afternoon - strictly speaking it is the alpacas who have the visitors!  Sadly, my house is in a right state as kitchen work continues - slowly.  I am in two minds whether to apologise for the mess or just to ignore it and let our visitors assume we always live amongst concrete rubble with the kitchen contents strewn around the lounge and dust everywhere.  (Come to think of it they might read the blog anyway!).

Last weekend was a foot weekend with three visits on Sunday and some shawls delivered.  It is always nice to see other peoples' alpacas.

I am tying to get on top of a bumper apple crop and do have some help from the alpacas.  They all have different ways of eating the apples.  String puts a whole apple in her mouth, sits down and sort of squashes and sucks it until it is gone.

 

Slink nibbles bits off delicately

Flem's cria looks insulted that I have thrown apples in the paddock

Saul goes for the little bits and always looks a bit guilty

Cassie races down with her cria close beside there and screeches her way around trying to eat as much as she can before Bianca ambles down and spits at anyone eating.

Lina's cria is still tiny and now getting bald bits so the vet is coming when he gets back from being away.  He is very lively looking (the cria - not the vet!) but does not join in when the others charge around and his fleece is very open.  If he was a lamb I would have said a trace element deficiency -  but vet will take a look and maybe blood test.

And - my sweet peas are bursting forth ready to over winter

 

This weeks drama so far has been Mother's chimney fire which luckily was quickly contained by the fire brigade.

 

Thursday is going to be a difficult day as I  have a funeral to go to - a lovely man who died too soon.

A coat rack has been removed!!

Bit slow on the blogging still but it is because a lot is happening but not much very blog worthy!

Rather wet and cold here recently although today is lovely.    Everyone is doing well - even Lina's baby seems to be growing a little better.  Young Saul has discovered apples but is a bit slow and usually ends with someone stealing his apple which leads to a bit of a sulk and a run back to Mum for a drink on his part!

 

And these two lads always seem to always do synchronised pooing!

We went to market again last Saturday with moe lambs and never have I seen so many sheep and lambs in one place.  It was the busiest market yet with the auctioneers having to hastily erect extra pens.  Good job we know what we are doing now as it all gets a bit frantic.  I can't say I enjoy taking them but it is better than with the old ewes.  There are still 4 older girls who should be going but I have decided they are going to stay and then go next year if they have problems - with the exception of number 12 who is just too sweet, and Stumpy who is just too 'human'.

Sunday I had a nice surprise visit from our old landlords who we rented from a few years ago - really lovely couple and they are moving into the village which is really nice.  Carl wasn't here as he seems to have moved in with the Tractor boys.  An engine swap is just too tempting for Carl so he is very happy up to his ears in oil and spanners!  Work on the house almost started but ended with Carl removing two sets of curtains and taking down a coat rack before he disappeared.

A busy weekend

It keeps promising a drop of rain here but doesn't really amount to anything.  We altered what we planned to do expecting downpours but the most that arrived was a few droplets.  It is cooler though and I quite like that - makes the cria pretty lively (mind you in the blog photos all cria seem to be either asleep or about to go to sleep!) and we are avoiding fly strike in the sheep - so far!  Friday it was a trip out to do a few alpaca toenails and meet a relatively new cria then Lambivac for our cria Saturday morning followed by someone else's Lambivac at lunchtime.  Yesterday afternoon Carl fancied a rest and I planned to join him but Sam turned up and offered to check all the alpaca boys feet - an offer I was not going to turn down as there are a couple who are not that keen on foot trimming and an extra strong body is very much appreciated.  All alpacas now totally up todate - in fact, slightly ahead of schedule for once!  Today was another trip out for another alpaca visit followed by an alpaca and sheep visit.  After a quick bag of chips (the diet is going very well but this was a little treat) Carl went off to look at a sickly vehicle.  He has just rushed back to get another set of feeler gauges with larger writing on them due to his aged eyesight!  And I am about to go and organise the sheep race as we need to sort sheep again next week - they are very good now and line up ready for the weigher and race with the exception of two naughty Romneys who have red spots on them so they had better be good this time!!

Knitting falling behind schedule!

The blog writing has been a bit erratic I know but I seem to spend all evening knitting.  I have written a knitting schedule and cannot keep up with it.  The current hat has gone wrong so I am having a bit of a break for a night and blog writing instead!  The previous hat trial design needs tweaking but the addition of flowers really lifts them - I am struggling, though, with attaching the flowers without them flopping so may have to seek advise from the village on that one!

On the alpaca front all is well and the babies are growing up - except Lina's.  He is still very tiny and refuses to take a bottle to top him up although I am persevering.  He is very lively and not ill looking but, from past experience, I know he really could do with a top up.

We have spent most of the day getting the ewes ready for the ram.  They have all had their heptavac, feet checked, faecal samples done.  We are experimenting with one lot of ewes lambing early - not sure how that will go but Leaf, the ram, is already eagerly anticipating his reintroduction to his harem!

It has turned a bit colder and this evening we cleaned out the chimney in readiness for a fire - maybe not tonight but probably tomorrow.  The girls who are empty are keeping warm with a girlie night in!

And finally a few evening cria and Mum shots

Brown to Black

Weather is a bit unpredictable here.  Just set off to tackle the docks and stingers in the back paddock and the heavens opened - now the sun is shining.  I have decided o give up and write this instead as we have sheep jobs tonight and I don't want to start off wet!  Cria are all doing well although Lina's little one is still a bit weedy.

 

Apart from Lina's cria and Cassie's they are all much more independent now.

So far only one has a name so I will have to work on that!  This is Cassie's who looks down her nose at the others and hides behind her Mum having sudden crazy dashes round after the others and then charging back to mum if it all gets too rough

The strangest, though, is my little brown one from Zara.

I don't think he is - brown I mean - Patou Mark says the amniotic fluid stains them and if you part his fleece it certainly is black.  Reddingvale told me that but I thought he was having a laugh!

Bit of a catch up

I have been reminded that it is a long time since I have written a blog and so am about to remedy the situation!  Three weeks ago I decided to seriously do something about my bad tummy, general lethargy, bloatedness and weight.  I am pretty active and it seemed odd that I was just piling on weight and feeling sort of unwell so after a it of internet diagnosis I decided I needed to give up caffeine and just possibly I might have some sort of food intolerance.  I found a diet that seemed to make a bit of sense (not complete sense as I am still struggling with the concept of being able to eat anything with a face or that comes from something with a face but not at the same time as something that comes from the ground - ground things come in a separate meal - but I can have an egg salad - I think).  Anyway, week one nearly killed me with splitting headaches and crampy spasms in my legs BUT I have not had a single stomach pain (well a tiny bit after I had some mustard).  I am not allowed to eat any processed food at all which might well be a very good thing.  The headaches have also gone - and I have lost some weight (you probably wouldn't notice but the scales say so!).  I now have to gradually introduce things (not mustard) and see what happens.

Anyway,  you probably did not want to know all that so back to the animals.  The cria are doing well.  Lina's little one is still a it weedy but he is very lively - I struggled on a decent picture of him as he hides behind his mum, Lina, when anyone is around.

It has been difficult to get any decent pictures with the amount of rain but this is Cassie's very sweet little girl

I really wanted a good one of The Slink's little suri girl but she is a flighty madam and the only one with a name so far - meet Flossie! - didn't manage to get her head but she has got one!

They have all had their first Lambivac now and after using some orbenin the fly problems on a couple of the eyes have healed.

Knitting has been in overdrive due to depletion of stock so today I finished off a scarf and pair of gloves - well, ends need to be sewn in still.  Next up is a suri wrap, flower hat and designing a shawl.  I am also working on felting but that is going so badly I will leave a report on that until another day!

Sheep are ticking along nicely apart from two who have bad feet and I am trying to work my way up to culling a couple that really should go due to mastitis in the past - not sure I will ever manage it!

Ellingham and Ringwood Show - plus cria!

Ellingham and Ringwood Show on Saturday which meant an exceedingly early start - at least we were not taking any alpacas so that lessened the stress!  I did have Zara due to birth but had the help of the lovely Tractor Boy who took his duties very seriously and must have checked her constantly!

We took the knitwear and had a fabulous day - best ever on sales.  The suri scarves and gloves went straight away, gloves sold very well - even a large blanket type thing which I thought was not a seller on such a hot day.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves despite how hot it was.  Most of the photos were on the phone and they don't come out well on the blog so this is the only decent camera one I have.

It was nice to have so many people interested in the alpacas, talking to breeders and liking the alpaca products.  Sam and Kristy came along and were a real help - couldn't have done the stall without them!  Kristy had her first go in the ring taking one of the colour champions round along with Carl and Sam - so a good day!

 

Luckily Zara didn't produce but first thing the next day - out he came.  I confess I would have liked a girl but there you go and he is a lovely curious little chap whom I presume is dark brown but I am not too good on colours.  All the photos that follow are of wet cria so not lovely and fluffy as it has rained today.

And here is Belinda's!

A  weird colour but really lovely!

 

Lina proved to be a bit of a monster as we had to move her and the cria to bring her in with the other Mums and babies.  Normally I would just pick up the cria and Mum would follow but Lina is a very protective mother and petrified you are going to kidnap her baby.  The first attempt led to copious spitting, weeing, foot stamping and charging.  We did manage as Carl said he would put her on a halter and lead her while I carried the cria.  I told him she was not halter trained but he went ahead regardless and it did go okay despite much screeching and spitting!  She is now settled and has decided she loves me which is almost as bad as her screeching!  She rushes over, ears back and then - once she has ensured her baby is next to her - stands and lets me touch the cria and stroke her neck.  One peculiar alpaca!

So two random cria photos to end