Karen's alpacas: August 2012

There is a change in the air ... distinctly September, mind you this year it's been hard to know what month we're in for most of the time. Today is wet and windy, just been out with the dogs up on the hills and the countryside has changed colour, the harvesting mostly finished and the fields are being ploughed up and drilled already. They never seem to leave stubble for long now do they. I used to love galloping about all over stubble fields, the only time when it was unofficially permissible to trespass on horseback. I love Autumn, it's my favourite time of year - misty mornings, warm sunny days (if we're lucky) and chilly nights in front of the log burner with a good drama on telly. Bring on the casseroles!

On the farm I'm still having to top fields, unbelievable amount of grass ... half of our fields have been completely rested since April and with all the topping (6 or 7 times!) they look fantastic. I've run out of diesel now though and so can't do any more this week, our little red tractor is having a rest. My new ear defenders have been a partial success - the radio part seems to get interference from the engine, particularly the poo hoover - very annoying, I find Radio 1 gets the best reception, or Classic FM - real mood changers! Sometimes I get both at the same time, thats weird!

Melissa or "Middy Lips" because she has the same way of pushing her lips out as her brother Midlington!

And again - rubbish fleece at the moment but this may change!

All the cria are doing well, playing a lot more in the windy weather - I've stopped the breedings a couple of weeks ago, not sure how many we have pregnant yet, I know that one or two have reabsorbed which is annoying, but I'll carry them over til next year now as I really want our birthing to finish by the end of July next year. They're all due their Autumn wormer in September, some have been done already as they were getting itchy, probably from harvest mites, gave them cydectin and been treating a couple with sore noses with various potions with varying degrees of success.

Rebecca and I are off to Alresford Show on Saturday - one of our favourites - they give us a really nice big marquee all to ourselves. It's one of those lovely old fashioned Agricultural Shows with lots of livestock and craft tents and heavy horses, huge tractors for sale and plants. I always see loads of people I know, some that I only ever see at this show and so we have a whole year to catch up on.

I've not made up my mind yet which alpacas I'm going to take, probably the intermediate boys, the exposure to all those people and dogs will be good for them before being shown at the Southern Group Short Fleece Show at Romsey the following week. Anyway, it's a great day out so come along and pay our marquis a visit we'd love to see you, we're next to the cattle lines.

Firstly, I feel I must apologise for my lack of postings lately, life just a little hectic here during daylight hours, and I have to admit I got rather absorbed in the olympics and also a certain trilogy of books I felt I should read, whenever I got the chance...

Anyway, I've been topping grass again, I think most of our fields have been done 4 or 5 times this summer - I've never known anything like it here before - thank heavens for my radio ear defenders which Peter bought me for my birthday, they have kept me from going insane with boredom as I go round and round in ever decreasing circles. Most of the time I have been driving along keeping an eye on our birthing paddock ... which has resulted in a cricked neck on a couple of occasions when a tractor wheel bumped into rabbit holes!

Now as sods law dictates the last 3 to birth were late, but at last yesterday, at 11 months 21 days Medusa gave us a lovely dark fawn girl 'Melissa' by Snowmass Invincibly Elite, I was expecting a white boy same as last year (Baylee) from the same pairing. Then this morning when I looked out of the window first thing BonBon was looking slightly uncomfortable at 11 months and 22 days and enormous I was not surprised, but hopeful we could get another one out of the way. At feed time she was definitely in first stage .....and Akela, the other of the last 3, was humming too! Would be so good if she birthed today. Back to BonBon and all was proceeding well and by coffee time a little pink and white nose appeared, and then the whole head and then a leg - just the one. Thankfully Rebecca, my number one assistant held on to BonBon whilst I had a quick rummage about and found the other leg. Now last year she had Midlington a white boy, same pairing, another Invincibly Elite again, this time she gave us a light fawn, maybe beige female - Bonnie - what a result!

Whilst all this was going on Akela decided to unpack her cria too, almost in the same place. At one time I thought she may beat her to it. Now this breeding was with our lovely grey boy Ardingly, Akela has had greys in the past and this is what were were hoping for. So imagine the excitement when a little black and white nose and face appeared - ah, but then the rest of the cria.... is very dark brown, a shade of grey, maybe?! Anyway, SHE is beautiful and we have called her Anastasia-almost-Grey!!!!!

So that's it for another year - birthing box packed away. 10 boys and 11 girls - for us thats pretty good ;)