Auction

Now that's my idea of a fun day out -  off to the Westways Auction in Dorset with a buddy, catalogue marked up with ticks and circles, done late last night before turning out the light .....  Arrived in plenty of time to have a good look at them all, and get a bacon roll and coffee, obligatory on these occasions and a quick catch up with old friends.

There were some very tempting lots, but I held fast and waited for my definate tick... and I got her .. a lovely white pregnant female -  she was a real bargain, and I'm very happy and looking forward to seeing her cria due this summer and to breeding with her in the future.  Then it was Donna's turn - her first auction, so much excitment  -  with a bit of encouragement and the odd nudge she started to bid ... yep she got her bargain too!  Then in a bit of a flurry of bids, 3 of us made a joint purchase on a very promising young male for the future.   I love auctions - I love alpacas - what a buzz! Cheers!!

Boys leaving home ...

Delivered some more boys today to a lovely new home about half an hour from here ... congratulations Tony, less grass cutting for you!  I'm always a bit sad to see our homebred youngsters go, but there's no way we can keep them all, they just have to go.  Still won't be long and the next crop of youngsters will be playing about in the fields ...

Missy

Three of the blonde bombshells!

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!