Cramp

I woke up this morning in agony - cramp in the back of one leg!  I was screeching like a banshee and all Carl could do was laugh!  Once I got over that it was a big round of waste management as I hardly did any yesterday.  Sam went to Milborne Port today so I just kept going until all was clean - it isn't by now, of course.  I then had a long talk with Peter who is making the rosettes for the Great Western Region Fleece Show.  The talk on the rosettes was very brief - they are going to be good and all is in hand - mostly it was about hay and the price of hay, corn - he's got all his in, meat prices up slightly but so is feed . . . 

The weather has been lovely today and I was even back in shorts for a brief spell.  It  has turned colder this evening and the jumper is back on but it looks like it could be good again tomorrow which is just what I want as I have plans for the John Deere!

An evening shot for Alf tonight.  The little white specks are alpacas!

Matings and Visitors

I don't know where the time goes - we have achieved a lot today but there is still a long list of tasks to accomplish!  I can remember when I had time for a long soak in the bath almost every night - those days are long gone!  The Chippendales came to visit and were impressed with Mum's new house; I think they also enjoyed their trip in the Mule.

Sam did a bit of strimming in the village and was most impressed with a flame throwing weed killer - I have told him he cannot have one or the alpacas will all end up with singed topknots!  His plan is coming on well.  If you haven't guessed. it is sheep!  He really wanted to breed black alpacas but has finally realised that he will need money before he can commence his own herd.  Sheep are his way forward.  He has done a deal with the Shepherd and has agreed the purchase of 5 (or 6 depending how his money goes) Welsh Mountain sheep (which are black).  He went down to investigate them carrying a wallet full of all his savings supplemented by a Roses tin full of pennies.  He picks out the ones he wants in a week or so and is busy now checking fences and making feeders.

Carl and I have been body scoring, trimming nails and checking everyone over.  Dude had a few spit offs to do - Carolyn raced around and almost jumped the fence to get away from him, very conclusive, Islay spat like crazy, excellent!  Lina, however, sat!  We had mated her and she was very happy but suddenly got up as if to say, "Okay, I've had enough now, go away!"  She has remained very friendly though and I thought she wasn't pregnant.  When we put her in this morning I thought she wasn't interested and then she sat when he started his orgling - she sat there very happily - - -
(a little mating shot for Alf of Lina and Dude!)

But then, like last time, she suddenly got up and wanted no more to do with him - they'd been happily snuggling up for 15 minutes or so before that so I really don't know!

We nearly had a falling out over moving the field shelter as I got it stuck in the gate.  It was not my fault, I couldn't interpret Carl's hand signals and I couldn't heat him shouting STOP - I have told him before that I cannot hear over the noise of the Mule but he forgets.

Now I am going to try and get that bath tonight!!

Getting Windy

Down to Woolland Church this morning where it was almost standing room only and they ran out of hymn books!  The vicar did the service to the letter so it was quite a rush to get back for Greeves bottle and it ended up a little late.  He has spent a lot of time today staring at the chickens - just a shame he doesn't run around a bit more.  His eyes are also very weepy so I am bathing them to keep the flies away.

It has been terrifically windy with odd showers - wind is very difficult to catch on the camera but they sky has been looking very stormy.

. . . but I didn't really manage to catch that, in fact it all looks very pleasant in the photo!  A bit of mating for Dude tomorrow as he has a rendezvous with Emily.  It may not come to much as so far she has shown little interest but we will see what happens.  She was heading in a determined way towards the rolling pit this evening so no doubt she will be filthy!

Sam went to the village after lunch to attempt a little strimming but the weather was too wet so he will try again in the morning.  When he finally arrived back, after eating all Granny's biscuits, he set about furthering his money making scheme which involved a lot of drilling, sawing and moving gates on his quad.

Finally, a picture for Alf - a sheep, not ours, The Shepherd's sheep enjoying some fresh grass on the hill.

Boys at large in the Forest

Sunny again!  I have been home alone again as Carl and Sam went back to Mum's to collect a few garden bits for her (also her old dishwasher which she has given me - clean cups from now on!).  I sent Sam with the camera to get a few scenic shots of the forest to cheer up Alf but he came back with a very sorry crop - a wall, the back of a camper van and some strange man in shorts - the best of the worst are featured above!
Somehow, they also managed to return with a trailer and the truck full of other stuff including a ride on mower (we searched for ages for one and now they are popping up everywhere!), an automatic water feeder which is actually for a dog but Carl is adapting it for alpacas, an awful lot of top strand wire for fences and various implements.

 I spent the day cleaning fields and chickens while keeping an eye on Greeves and feeding him.  Weigh in tonight was not good - according to the scales he has lost 700g but that cannot be right as he looks and feels bigger.  He doesn't exactly run around a lot that I have seen but he looks quite bright - we'll weigh again tomorrow (I tried weighing only every third day but could not stand the suspense!).

Sam's Idea

Sunny!
In fact a very nice day!
The flower lady gave me some tomatoes which were very welcome as, despite Carl showing everyone his tomato plants, we only have green ones!  I managed lots of waste and spent a lot of time watching Greeves who is becoming more lively each day.  I have just fed him and he was cuddled up next to Lina - neither of them moved an inch as I fed him!  I think they have all enjoyed the sunshine today.  Here is Sam with Lina and Greeves, Barnaby Rudge is lying down at the front of the picture with Velocette behind them.  I managed to work Sam's mobile phone to take them which was remarkable but the quality is not that good.

Sam has had an idea!  He now has a scheme which will make him money, as he has none.  He has spent most of the afternoon on the phone after having seen an advert in Blackmore Vale Magazine.  He made arrangements to go and see this source of  future wealth although I am not sure the lady he was speaking to realised his age as she asked him what vehicle he would be driving so she could look out for him.  He was tempted to say he'd be coming on the bus if his Dad wouldn't take him but considering the items he was negotiating for that might have seemed rather odd!  When Carl got home he got a bit of advice on the prospective purchase and they did seem rather over priced but another alternative popped a head over the hedge and we have just got back from a visit to do a deal.  There was a lot of grass chewing, leaning on sticks and head scratching but Sam is now the proud owner of . . .
Can't tell you what yet as two more weeks until he takes ownership and he has a lot to do in preparation.

I had better go and get on with my knitting now but first a picture specially for a friend who, I only heard this afternoon, has a nasty injured ankle and is a bit house bound at the moment - I thought I'd do a daily picture for him as he can't get out so here is the view across the Vale taken from the garden this afternoon. (Get better soon if you read this!!).

Ashton Lane and Reddingvale - all in one day!

I spent most of the morning running round with hurdles.  Last night we got all prepared for a visit from Ashton Lane Alpacas with their suri stud, Legacy.  We had set up a nice secure mating pen by the field gate which looked perfect in the torrential rain and gloom last night but when I checked it out this morning it just looked too small so Sam and I set about making another one and found it difficult to agree where to put it.  Sam did a lot of bossing me about and I did a lot of getting cross with him but we got there in the end!

Peter and Carol arrived with a very ready Legacy, he was practically leaping out of the trailer.  Lily took very little encouragement and a very satisfactory mating took place.

Luckily the mating was completed before the rain started again and the mist began to engulf everything.  Legacy was quite keen to repeat his performance with Lily's mum, Sherbert, but that will have to wait for a while!

Quick bit of tea and then another visitor.  Andy from Reddingvale Alpacas came along to collect the show schedules for the Great Western Region Fleece Show which Carol from Ashton Lane had produced.  They look very good and will soon be winging their way to all the entrants - once Viv has put them all in envelopes!  We gave Andy a quick look at the alpacas but as the mist had really descended by then he couldn't really see much except the brake lights of the tractor!  Somehow Carl managed to entice him into his shed, despite the poor man being desperate to get back to cook tea, but I managed to rescue him before Carl dragged him to his greenhouse to show off his tomatoes which is his usual next step with visitors!

Greeves is doing well today and has put on some weight and is moving around quite a lot!

Rain again

I went to the dentist again today but I am not going to dwell on that.

Not much to say today as it has rained dreadfully throughout.  I have been leaping in and out the Mule at breakneck speed trying to keep a bit dry.  Greeves has fed less and barely moved from the field shelter which seems eminently sensible.  In fact he has remained fairly dry all day despite not having his coat on.  He sits there in state, chewing on bits of hay and gazing out at the rain.  The chickens have made quick sorties out of their house and then dashed back in, clucking away in a very bad tempered manner.  Sam finally made it to Milborne Port but goodness only knows what he has been doing as the weather has been dire.

Now we have to go back over the fields and set up a couple of pens ready for tomorrow as we have an exciting visit planned - hopefully the weather will not stop play!  Then Carl has to pop down to Mum's as the back has dropped off the plug for her bread maker and she seems to be in a bit of a cookery mood!