Happy Christmas

So, the pacas are all tucked up in bed for the night, extra, extra rations of hay so we don't have to do it tomorrow on Christmas Day... water tubs all topped up for the same reason. I told them to put their stockings out and they may be lucky to find a carrot or two in them tomorrow....

It's been bitterly cold the last few days, but today we had some lovely sunshine. We have ice everywhere, especially on our drive which caught me out the other evening when my usually fantastic 4 x 4 slid down the drive at an alarming pace, bounced us off one bank and ended way up the bank on the other side, only stopped by the bushes, left me sat almost on my door rather than my seat and rather shaken I have to admit- but thankfully no damage done!!

This week we've had the big shelter updated to offer even more shelter - quite a job wrestling with large sheets of clear polycarbonate in a stiff northerly wind with a chill factor of -5! But now they have windows so they can see see out but the wind and the rain shouldn't blow in... nothing but the best for my girls... if these hard winters become the trend I may have to have a barn...

The weanlings have got the hang of their new routine and now wait at the gate to come in for the night - only another 5 to wean in the New Year and then we can re-group the females til the Spring.

So signing off now to get stuck into all that food and drink we have in the fridge ... we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!!

MORE SNOW!

I'm so pleased I work from home ... I was even more ready for it this time ... remembered to put all the feed troughs upside down one end up on the fence, that alone saved me about half an hour this morning! Plus I took masses of hay out yesterday, so only feeding and ice breaking this morning. The weanings are cosy in their stables and everyone else making good use of the shelters. I can never resist taking masses of snow pictures, when I come to look at them on the laptop they're remarkably similar to the ones I took last time! I do love the trees - its as if they're ready to go to the ball!
Centaur, Bettina, Akela and Andromeda

Snow

So - here we are again surrounded my the white stuff. For a moment there I thought we wouldn't get any - a sprinkle on Wenesday and then woke the next morning to almost a foot of beautiful dry powdery fine snow, perfectly coating all the trees and furnishing the outdoor benches with perfect white cushions - so beautiful, I love it .... it does make life a little difficult I know and I feel very lucky that I don't have to drive to work.

The pacas have been fine, still wearing the bit of snow that they haven't shaken off, they're so well insulated with their fleece ... they're all on double rations of alfalfa nuts with sugar beat, peas and oats for the cria group - getting up to half a kilo each of hard feed and ad lib hay of course. The water troughs need de-icing 3 times a day as it hasn't managed to get above freezing for days. Just come in now and the high for today has been -1.5 mad!!