This is beginning to sound like a broken record, but I will tell you anyway; it has been raining again.
The fields are in such a state there is little chance of them recovering now until the spring I suspect. Thankfully as we rotate our land the current three in use will at least get resting in a couple of weeks time. This doesn't help the main entry points though which are sodden.
I think Loki is feeling depressed with all the weather. This evening he was not his usual self, he came over for his tea but he just seemed a little down. I got hold of him and checked him over, there were no signs of any injury or pain anywhere so I will see how he is in the morning.
Carol (aka super knitter), popped in this morning to drop off some knitting ready for my next event on Wednesday. I really don't know how she finds the time to knit as much as she does. I have been busy sewing labels into everything once it has been washed and dried. Tomorrow I need to print off my information leaflets for all the new stock.
Monday, 30 November 2009
Sunday, 29 November 2009
And still it rains
I was glad to hear that I'm not the only one to stab myself with a needle!
After another night of torrential rain everywhere was wet through again this morning. We had a selection of dry alpacas though who had quite clearly spent the night in their shelters.
First job was to finish off yesterdays job of routine vaccinations, AD&E and toe nail trimming. I am pleased to say that the whole herd has now been attended to. Everyone was condition scored on the way through.
We have a couple of girls who are on the lean side, feeding cria and being pregnant does take a lot of some girls. I think I will take them to one side to give them a little extra. We only have two girls that still have their cria at foot, Oonagh and Irraquoy (LMI). LMI is on the lean side but with Sandstorm a very healthy 22kg it wont be that long before he is off with the weanlings.
The boys are far from lean, in fact Hughie and Legend are rather chunky. We actually managed to get all of Legends toe nails cut today. As mum was here we made use of her, with both her and Paul holding him down I was able to cut them.
After another night of torrential rain everywhere was wet through again this morning. We had a selection of dry alpacas though who had quite clearly spent the night in their shelters.
First job was to finish off yesterdays job of routine vaccinations, AD&E and toe nail trimming. I am pleased to say that the whole herd has now been attended to. Everyone was condition scored on the way through.
We have a couple of girls who are on the lean side, feeding cria and being pregnant does take a lot of some girls. I think I will take them to one side to give them a little extra. We only have two girls that still have their cria at foot, Oonagh and Irraquoy (LMI). LMI is on the lean side but with Sandstorm a very healthy 22kg it wont be that long before he is off with the weanlings.
The boys are far from lean, in fact Hughie and Legend are rather chunky. We actually managed to get all of Legends toe nails cut today. As mum was here we made use of her, with both her and Paul holding him down I was able to cut them.
Saturday, 28 November 2009
One for them and one for me
Well I'm not quite sure where today went. We had a list of jobs as long as your arm and haven't managed to get them completed.
Hughie had a visitor this morning, well not just Hughie but he thinks anyone that comes to look at our herd as come purely to see him so he was on cloud nine. A new person he could get acquainted with!
I left mum to feed the sugarbeet at lunchtime as I was desperate for some new tyres on the car and the tyre man ran last night to say the tyres had arrived. As I was driving round on what felt like slicks I thought I'd best get there before they shut this afternoon.
Once back we had a rather large job of a routine vaccination for the whole herd, weighing the youngsters and there were a few toe nails in need of a little pedicure.
The weanlings were all weighed, vaccinated and given their AD&E paste. Duke and Tenzing had both lost a few grams since they were weighed last Sunday so have obviously missed mums milk. I will weigh them in a few days to make sure they are back on the up. They are both tucking into their feed and the hay now so I am assuming it was just a little blip.
Then it was off to do the girls. The poor things are absolutely filthy but as it has been a lovely day they have started to dry off which is nice. Unfortunately during the first wave of injections I managed to stab myself in the finger with one of the used needles. No mites or worms for me then - just a very bloody finger that wouldn't stop bleeding.
Lesson of the day take the sharps box with me rather than use a tub until I get back into the house. As I couldn't stop my finger bleeding and I didn't want to get blood all over the girls we let those that hadn't been done out, and I will have to finish it off in the morning.
Hughie had a visitor this morning, well not just Hughie but he thinks anyone that comes to look at our herd as come purely to see him so he was on cloud nine. A new person he could get acquainted with!
I left mum to feed the sugarbeet at lunchtime as I was desperate for some new tyres on the car and the tyre man ran last night to say the tyres had arrived. As I was driving round on what felt like slicks I thought I'd best get there before they shut this afternoon.
Once back we had a rather large job of a routine vaccination for the whole herd, weighing the youngsters and there were a few toe nails in need of a little pedicure.
The weanlings were all weighed, vaccinated and given their AD&E paste. Duke and Tenzing had both lost a few grams since they were weighed last Sunday so have obviously missed mums milk. I will weigh them in a few days to make sure they are back on the up. They are both tucking into their feed and the hay now so I am assuming it was just a little blip.
Then it was off to do the girls. The poor things are absolutely filthy but as it has been a lovely day they have started to dry off which is nice. Unfortunately during the first wave of injections I managed to stab myself in the finger with one of the used needles. No mites or worms for me then - just a very bloody finger that wouldn't stop bleeding.
Lesson of the day take the sharps box with me rather than use a tub until I get back into the house. As I couldn't stop my finger bleeding and I didn't want to get blood all over the girls we let those that hadn't been done out, and I will have to finish it off in the morning.
Friday, 27 November 2009
The Lamb Man's special request
My parents have arrived today for a few days. Mum was laden down with her knitting (not to mention lots of Christmas presents ready for Christmas; she is far too organised), so the stock of gloves has been replenished.
She also bought with her a few orders that I took at the last farmers market which included a pair of specially requested gloves for Jimmy Bell, The Lamb Man. They have half a finger on the first finger of the left glove!
Mum loves to feed everyone when she arrives and today was no exception. The girls love it when she comes too because they run rings round her. It was really funny seeing them all pushing and shoving from one trough to the next, mum couldn't move. I wish I'd had the video camera with me.
Hughie was also pleased to see her and had to rush to the gate to make sure he got their first to say hello. Oh to be popular!
She also bought with her a few orders that I took at the last farmers market which included a pair of specially requested gloves for Jimmy Bell, The Lamb Man. They have half a finger on the first finger of the left glove!
Mum loves to feed everyone when she arrives and today was no exception. The girls love it when she comes too because they run rings round her. It was really funny seeing them all pushing and shoving from one trough to the next, mum couldn't move. I wish I'd had the video camera with me.
Hughie was also pleased to see her and had to rush to the gate to make sure he got their first to say hello. Oh to be popular!
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Almost dry
There is definitely strange things going on, I had to manually change to date and time of the test posting I just did!
The weather had almost managed to be dry for 12 hours before the rain began again. Everyone was starting to dry off and was looking much happier. Sadly they will all be wet through again- oh to have a nice big barn or two. One day.
I nipped in to Morpeth today to pick some cydectin up from the vets and get a few bits. Whilst I was there I got stopped in the street by a complete stranger who said "Excuse me, aren't you the alpaca lady".
She had seen me at the Morpeth Farmers Market at the beginning of the month and wanted to know if I would be there again in December. She is interested in doing a spot of Christmas shopping, I confirmed we will be there with Hughie and Loki in tow, 5th December 9am until 2pm.
Willow, one of our foundation herd and the face of Barnacre is half was through her pregnancy today. Despite being mated 2 weeks apart she is actually due the same day as one of the girls we have for sale, Molly. I am very stringent about record keeping and all our girls have their own average gestation periods, Willow is 339 days whilst Molly is 353 so somewhere round the 15th May for these too girls then.
The weather had almost managed to be dry for 12 hours before the rain began again. Everyone was starting to dry off and was looking much happier. Sadly they will all be wet through again- oh to have a nice big barn or two. One day.
I nipped in to Morpeth today to pick some cydectin up from the vets and get a few bits. Whilst I was there I got stopped in the street by a complete stranger who said "Excuse me, aren't you the alpaca lady".
She had seen me at the Morpeth Farmers Market at the beginning of the month and wanted to know if I would be there again in December. She is interested in doing a spot of Christmas shopping, I confirmed we will be there with Hughie and Loki in tow, 5th December 9am until 2pm.
Willow, one of our foundation herd and the face of Barnacre is half was through her pregnancy today. Despite being mated 2 weeks apart she is actually due the same day as one of the girls we have for sale, Molly. I am very stringent about record keeping and all our girls have their own average gestation periods, Willow is 339 days whilst Molly is 353 so somewhere round the 15th May for these too girls then.
Gremlins
I'm not sure what is going on with my blog, for some reason last nights post is showing that I did it Tuesday!! I have also got a big red line saying error.
Before I ramble on any further I will post this and see what happens.
Before I ramble on any further I will post this and see what happens.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Blowing a gale
When we went to bed last night it sounded like we were about to lose our roof, it was so windy. I was expecting to wake up to damage to a shelter or something.
I thought you might like to see some of the fabulous knitting Carol dropped off for me on Monday. She has also done a white scarf of the same pattern but not a wide which is lovely.
Thankfully all was in order, the girls feed troughs had been blown about but other than that everything was present and correct. The wind hasn't died down any though, the weather man said it would have calmed down by this morning.
On top of the wind we have had yet more rain, it really is starting to get to me now. Everywhere is sooooooo muddy and the alpacas are filthy, with the odd exception. It must have been bad today because for the first time since being weaned the weanlings took to their shelter.
Talking of my little ones, poor little things are still humming away. They have usually quietened down a bit by now but they seem to be much more vocal this year. Mums have already moved on!
I thought you might like to see some of the fabulous knitting Carol dropped off for me on Monday. She has also done a white scarf of the same pattern but not a wide which is lovely.On the point of knitting, you will be pleased to hear I finished the scarf I was knitting too, at last.
OCD for a quad
I think Paul is suffering from OCD, following him missing out on the quad on ebay last week he is now constantly looking at them and adding them to the watch list on ebay. He's driving me mad, the latest one he has his eye on is in Wales - so not exactly round the corner!
On the alpaca front, the poor things are very soggy, I don't like to complain having seen all the devastation over in Cumbria but it is getting very depressive. I can't remember the last time the alpacas were dry and the mud is spreading further and further.
Angelus is particularly filthy, she has this attraction to mud and will sit and lay in it on purpose. She did have a fabulous fleece and is doing her up most to ruin it.
Grey scarf update.......................... it's growing and I'm nearly finished. I'm going to head back to the needles now because I am determined to finish it before I got to bed tonight.
On the alpaca front, the poor things are very soggy, I don't like to complain having seen all the devastation over in Cumbria but it is getting very depressive. I can't remember the last time the alpacas were dry and the mud is spreading further and further.
Angelus is particularly filthy, she has this attraction to mud and will sit and lay in it on purpose. She did have a fabulous fleece and is doing her up most to ruin it.
Grey scarf update.......................... it's growing and I'm nearly finished. I'm going to head back to the needles now because I am determined to finish it before I got to bed tonight.
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