Washing label photograph and start all over again!

I'm not quite sure what happened to the weather today, it was supposed to be nice but no one seemed to tell the weather.  It has been dull and damp all day so Minimus and his friends have been shed dwelling today.  Now his leg is heeling I'm not going to let all that hard work be wasted and let him get it infected in a damp field.

Hannah the sheep is much better today and actually bleated for the first time for her tea.  I think she will be out at the weekend; sheep are so much smellier than alpacas so the sooner she's fit to return to the hill the better!

As the weather wasn't great I spent the morning washing and all afternoon printing labels for all the new knitwear.  Dad was on cutting and folding duties.

Just when I thought I was up to date I got a text from Carol who is back from her hols telling me she's knitted 7 hats whilst she was away.  It's a good job her and mum are busy knitting because I've been knitting the same pair of fingerless gloves for ages, I don't like them so am struggling to get motivated to knit them.

Duck pond

Today I managed to find time to leave the farm for the few hours, it doesn't happen very often.  As my parents are here we headed off to Morpeth, I needed to pick up some vaccinations from the vet and dad needed some more beeswax for our handmade buttons.

Whilst we were out I was treated to lunch, very nice it was to Gianni's; thank you.

Minimus has been out again today, his knee is healing nicely, although we're not quite there yet and I don't want it to get infected again so he is back in tonight as I didn't want him getting it wet or dirty. 

Tonight he has sister Piccolina and Cazanova for company, and Nadia who decided that she didn't need a halter or head collar on to walk back to the shed, she knew the way.  I decided to let her walk down and she walk along side me all the way - what a good girl she is.  We don't have a channel fenced off yet so if she wanted she could have wandered round the 40 odd acres still to be divided up.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned on the blog before that we intend having a little duck pond on the farm in the future.  Whilst I was out feeding my daddy made me one with three little ducks...



Tractor track

We have been working hard today collecting stone, rock and rubble from what will be our garden and using it to fill in the huge ruts made by the tractor at the weekend.  I managed to get filthy and mud splattered as usual, I always say it's a sign of hard work being dirty!  That's why Paul is usually the clean one...

All the alpacas are loving the latest batch of carrots mum and dad bought with them, although at the rate mum is making dad chop them they won't last long.

Hannah the Blackie sheep is continuing to make good progress, I say with everything crossed; you know what sheep are like!  She is much stronger on her feet and stamping at my mum which has to be good - even though mum doesn't think so.

Mum and I are struggling to keep our eyes open to knit tonight so it might have to be an early night all round.

Three line whip

It has been a lovely spring like day today, the solar has been generating lots of electricity and the alpacas have been doing a fair bit of sunbathing.

I returned from the morning feed rounds to find a three line whip waiting for me!  From back to from we have Minimus, Piccolina and Nadia!

As the weather was so nice and Minimus's leg is looking much better I decided to take them back to the field for the day.  I think they were all pleased to get some grass into their little bellies.

Minimus's leg still isn't completely healed so he is back in the shed tonight with Piccolina and Brinley this time for company.  Nadia was happy playing out so I left her - she's not going to be very happy about it though because tonight it is raining!

My poorly sheep, named Hannah by by niece is still with us.  She must be feeling slightly stronger today because she stamped her feet at mum when she went to see her.  Fingers crossed we are heading in the right direction, however knowing what sheep are like you never know.

Swamp fever

Unfortunately the weather wasn't very kind to us today.  I laid in bed last night listening to the rain pouring down and got up to it still raining.  The rain soon turned to sleet and snow and the ground was sodden so no fencing today.

Instead Paul and Colin (brother) decided to do some more work on our field drains. 

Off they went up the hill with the strimmer, rakes, spades and plenty of good humour (which they needed!).  They came back at lunchtime rather wet and smelly but in good spirits because their hard work appeared to be paying off.  By this evening they are both hobbling round complaining about various aches and pains but they have hopefully stopped the water running into the boys field and there is a definite increase in flow of water into the culvert.  Here is one of the swamp monsters that returned (not sure how he could see what he was doing)...

 

Whilst the boys were playing in the stagnant water I was trying to 'encourage' a rather weak sheep to follow me down the hill and into the shed.  She is quite tame for a blackie which is rather odd.  The poor ewe is somewhat unstable on her feet and a little on the lean side compared to the others and to say how much grass we have.  She is marked as being tupped by Wesley but to be honest I'm not sure she's in lamb.

Anyway after a huge bucked of feed to bribe her down the hill she is now our first sheep resident in the shed.  This evening is looking slightly happier and is calm enough in the shed.  Faith has named her Hannah so I hope she is ok and I can point her out when she is up next month or I will be in trouble!

Somewhere over the rainbow

Good guess on last nights photo Jayne, but not right, and Dave that was brilliant I love it, you've obviously got to know Paul well over the blog!

Today has been a busy day, Sarah, Faith and I did the morning feed rounds whilst my brother and Paul got ready for a day of fencing.

Dave (carding Dave) also came up to give us a hand so whilst Sarah was on tea and sausage roll duties (Paul and Colin need feeding on a regular basis!) we set about fencing off the girls next paddock.

At one point it went very black and the heavens opened, it was all right for Paul he was tucked up inside his nice warm tractor, so we all joined him!  Then the brightest rainbow I've even seen appeared, Colin got a cracking photo. It started and finished in our fields but when we suggested Faith dig for a pot of gold she said 'that's only in stories'.

Whilst I was cooking tea Faith went to feed with Uncle Paul on their own (!!), here's the photographic evidence - something else to dirty Paul's hands Apple Vale Dave.

A different view

I thought I'd share another photo with you tonight, this time from half way up the hill on the east side, if you look closely you can just about make out the shed roof!

I had a man and his clever contraption with me; what are we up to now.....

You'll have to stay tuned to find out!

Rewards for halter training

It has been another lovely springlike day today, the alpacas have been enjoying the sun on their backs, in fact there has been a fair bit of sunbathing going on in the girls field.

Quite a few of the girls are now starting to look rather pregnant and it has to be said that some of them are starting to get rather stroppy.  The jury is out on the status of Kate's pregnancy, she is the girl who was very ill last year and we thought we were going to loose.

I have done a spot more halter training today with Nadia and Piccolina.  Piccolina was one of the last to be weaned and hadn't been on the halter until today.  I had planned to take Nadia and Piccolina down our rather long drive  if they walked ok.

As a bit of a bribe I decided to Minimus with us, as he's been in the shed for a while now I thought he'd appreciate a bit of nice grass.  My little thank you to him for his assistance with halter training!

The two weanling were very well behaved, Nadia walked perfectly and Piccolina really surprised me by walking like a pro.  Here she is with Minimus, her half brother who she loves dearly.

Nadia too was a very good girl, she's been on the halter a few times now though so she knows what to do. 

As the days are getting longer now I have more time to get my outside jobs done.  I was actually out bright and early this morning in the light which was nice for a change and it was gone 6 before it was dark again tonight which is great.