SOME OF THE GIRLS

Aggrippina - 2 years old

 Andromeda - another daughter of Akela from 2010

 Bettina 11 years old (stood) and her daughter Yara - 6 years both in the due field

 Medusa - 2 years old

Medusa - 2 years old

Ena - 2 years old - lovely spotty girl whose actually grey when sheared

 Orchid - 12 years old - dam of Sir G, Goldrush ... and lots of other lovely boys!

Toffee Apple - 4 years old

SOME MORE GIRLS & BURIED TREASURE

Not much happening on the farm today, but we did have John come over with his metal detector and he showed us the treasure he found last time - a 14th (ish) Century horse harness mount with gold leaf and enamal .. .. he's taking it to the Museum to get it identified properly - really pretty, I took a picture of it, but was too fuzzy as I used my phone.... he's very excited about it, one of his best finds.   What is amazing is that he found my little gold ring that I lost about 8 years ago, I felt it fall off my finger when I was feeding the pacas on a very cold morning ... couldn't find it and assumed I would never see it again, believing that it must have subsequently been hoovered up with all the paca-poo. Gave it a bit of a scrub and its as good as new, so now wearing it again - behind a tighter ring!

Off to Devon tomorrow to pick up Collabear Issac from Dave & Elaine ..  he's a rather lovely white male and a son of Collabear Albert ....    Got the paddock ready ... just have to make up my mind who's going to keep him company.....

BONITA - 6 YEARS OLD - DAM OF BONAVENTURE

BRETTA - 8 YEARS OLD PERUVIAN - DAM OF BONITA

AKELA - 12 YEARS OLD PERUVIAN - DAM OF AGGRIPPINA AND ANDROMEDA

SELENE - 10 MONTHS OLD

GOLDIE - 2 YEARS OLD

National Show

We added to our rosettes at the Nationals with our two Juniors coming 2nd and 5th ... I was pleased, getting placed in shows these days means you're doing well with your breeding, the competition is very tough, thats a good thing - keeps you on your toes!   I decided to enter them for the Bath & West, Rebecca loves that show and we usually meet friends there every year, just hope it's not too hot then. We shear the next week, can't wait to get them back looking sleek and elegant again.

We had some very complimentary remarks on our Snowmass boys over the weekend, and they too were in the ribbons... really looking forward to seeing their progeny at the shows next season...

I have to say that coming home last night the fields looked lovely and green again after the rain ... and the cracks in the ground have gone... just need a bit more.

We split the girls up today - those due in the next 4-5 weeks in front of the house and the rest staying where they are at the moment.  First cria due on the 18 May .. and some are beginning to look heavily pregnant now.  The maidens as usual not showing much and the older girls, who lost their figure years ago look the biggest.

Bonami (5th Junior Fawn male) and Bonaventure (2nd Junior Beige Female) - enjoying the show!!

Rebecca waiting to go into the Championship with Bonaventure

Bonaventure back home - apparently being told off by her Mum Bonita!

QUACKERS!

Meet the ducks ... Quakers, Daffy & Drakey Lakey... they started visiting us about a month ago and now they fly in every day. The dogs are highly suspicious and do their best to chase them away when we're not looking. I think they're rather cute, apart from the quacking at 5 am outside our bedroom window....

Been applying stop-it-all on the pacas who seem to get sweet-itch, my it stinks! Used on on Strawberry Shortcakes' udder too, as her daughter from last year keeps trying to suckle off her even though they've been apart for 4 months - it worked!

We're off to Stoneleigh tomorrow for the BAS Nationals - taking the same 2 - their last show, their fleeces have had it already. Peter's on cria watch - first due on the 18th.

Castrations

Spent the day catching up having been to the South of England Show all weekend. It was a good show with lots of time to gossip - I took Bonami and Bonaventure, the latter came 2nd in her class and was Reserve Champion Beige Female - what a good girlie... It was incredibly windy in Sussex and after 2 days of it I felt like I had been sand blasted. They lost the power for a few hours and poor Liz Barlow our Judge, was struggling to be heard over the din of flapping canvas and rigging... they also lost the flush to all the toilets - I couldn't work that one out! Fortunately I was able to 'hold on' til the power came back on!

This afternoon we had a couple of the 09 boys castrated - always such a hard decision on the really nice ones, but after much consideration we decided that they just didn't quite make the grade. We persuaded our vet Andrew to 'do' them balanced over a couple of straw bales - it was so easy and they didn't need to be knocked out or have any sedative, just a bit of local. With their feet just off the ground and their middles resting on the bales they stayed very relaxed - Andrew seemed very pleased with the technique and we will certainly do it again like that in the future. Come to think of it - there may be a few other tasks on some of them that may be easier that way! Anyway in a very short time they were back in the field munching away as if nothing had been done, just a little lighter!

Bluebells

We took Pixie Lott, our VW camper van out today and had a picnic in a National Trust parkland full of new born lambs playing in the sunshine. On our travels we came across a stunning bluebell wood - at their best now despite being so dry, the pictures just don't do it justice.

Seems like we might get some rain at the end of this week, we certainly need some as the ground is so dry and cracked. Peter topped our front field this morning, first time out with the topper (his favourite toy!). The paddock had been rested for a few weeks, so the grass was quite long in places, looks lovely and tidy now, and he went round the patch of bluebells and daffodils as per instructed!

He's been spot spraying the weeds too, not a nice job as the knapsack wrecks your shoulders. Although it's safe to put the alpacas back on after a week, we don't normally have to as we have enough paddocks to leave them another couple of weeks. At this time of year we rotate fields frequently, that way the alpacas get all the lovely fresh new grass and we can top them regularly which keeps the grass in tiptop condition.

Hand shearing

My interview last Sunday on BBC Radio Solent's programme - The Good Life .. went well and can be heard again on their website if you wish to listen.

Rebecca and I went to Devon on Tuesday and enjoyed the lovely weather on some of the beaches on the South and North Coast and had fun with our friends Chas & Rachel from Classical MileEnd Alpacas, a bus-mans holiday, but always good to have the opportunity to

talk 'alpacas' for hours on end!

I decided today to shear our Llama "Yerba" by hand, actually went very well only one small blister and a slightly aching arm, he stood very patiently whilst I reduced the two years worth of very heavy fleece by a huge amount and then he spent the rest of the day in the sun, whilst everyone else sought the shade..... looking somewhat chopped but feeling cool & smug! I will however leave everyone else for the Shearers to do properly!