Griezites Alpakas - Blog

Hay today, gone tomorrow.......

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 09:54:00 +0000

It is such a great pleasure to watch little Olivers and Pete chasing each other around and annoying the adults, just like their dads used too. Especially when I wasn’t expecting any cria this year. I had been concerned about Vanessa as she was older and did look massive. I had been given the contact for another vet reasonably nearby who I spoke to, and they agreed to be “on standby” if there were any problems if I couldn’t get hold of our vet. In the end both births were reasonably straight forward. Olivers and Pete are very different in both their face structure and fleece. Pete has a much longer, narrower face and has inherited his dads (Josefs) mad staring eyes, he is also the more nervous of the two. Olivers (aka Olly) has a more rounded face, poor guy gets really bothered with the flies on his eyes, don’t know exactly why but he is usually covered in them. Olly looks like he will have a very crimped fleece like his dad, Jakobs, and his grandmother Mari. Whereas Pete’s looks much straighter.

We got the fleece test results back for this year and Marvin and Norman have some of the finest fleeces we have ever had, Marvin especially. I did wonder because he did feel very different, very, very soft to the touch. Normans has a very silky feel to it like his mums, Ilvija. Ilvija herself is very odd, normally as an alpaca gets older the fibres get thicker, but with Ilvija she is getting finer??? May have been with being pregnant and then feeding Norman. Hopefully she is pregnant again for next year.

Marvin, Norman, and the two new Suri alpacas Lincoln and Timon have bonded very well. I tell visitors this group are “the special alpacas”, since Marvin and Norman have very fine fleeces and Lincoln and Timon are the rare Suri’s. I now have the fence wire so soon will be connecting their paddock with the big boys so they can mix.

I am fairly convinced that Lolly is pregnant for next year as her behaviour has changed dramatically. She was very friendly (if not too friendly) and would come up and was happy to be stroked. Now she runs to the other end of the paddock when I go up, just like her mum (Aggie) did when she was pregnant. I just hope and pray she will not be like her mum when it’s born, and she will be patient and feed the cria. I don’t fancy having to bottle feed another. Karla is a little more “bolshy” than normal, so I suspect she maybe pregnant too. Ilvija did give a spit off to George, but Mari I have no idea. She would do a spit off one time, sit the next, then spit off and sit, so who knows.

It’s been a good year for the swallows, there was five hatched in Aggies girls house and when they flew the nest, they laid more eggs and there were another two chicks. There was also five hatched in the boy’s house. The storks also seem to have had a good year, when I was cutting hay, I counted 36 following the tractor.

It has not been a good year for hay though, with the very dry first half of the year the grass has not grown. This year I got 44 bales from the ski hill and last year 270. The last bad year was 2018 and we got 145. I do have about 80 bales left over from last year so in total have around 200, we need around 350 for the year!!!!!!

Lots and lots of photos this time.

Olivers at one day old in his coat as it was cold. The brown mark under his ear is not dirt it's his natural colouring.

Olivers and his mum, Silla.

Jakobs is Olivers dad.

Vanessa with her new born, Pete. I was a bit concerned with Vanessa as she is getting old and she was rather large, but all went well.

Josefs is Pete's dad.

Pete gets to meet the rest of the girls.

It's been a good year for the swallows too. There was a group of five hatched in the boys and five in the girls house. Then another two hatched in the girls house.

This is little Olivers on his first day having a run around, but he tripped and took a tumble.

This is my usual view of Lolly now, she used to always come up to me, now she keeps out of my way. I think she might be pregnant, which would explain the change. Her mum, Aggie, was exactly the same.

Karla is a little more of a "madam" than usual too. I suspect she may be pregnant as well.

Come on aunty Valeria lets play, asks Olivers.

Aunty Valeria has also taken on the roll of "comfort feeder" for Olivers. She will let him go under to feed, even though she isn't producing any milk.

I have only once seen her do it with Pete though.

A friend bought us this toy Llama, it has pride of place in the window of the summer house acting as a guard Llama.

This tomato looks so much like a baby bird.

The storm we had snapped this large spruce tree in half.

Mari is at it again, eating through the fence.

I may regret not shearing Lincoln this year as his fleece is getting rather long, I will probably have to trim it before the snow comes.

Lincoln having a shake.

Timon having a flat hair day.

Rocket Ron is still around (as is Betty), but we haven't seen GT for months now.

Marvellous Marv turned out to have the finest fleece we have ever had, he feels so different.

Norm has inherited the very silky feel from his mum Ilvija.

The annual general meeting of the miserable alpaca club......

Let's play spot the hay waiting to be baled. As you can see there is not a lot.

Something has been digging up all the wasps nests (a badger or pine Marten we suspect). The holes can be quite deep.

Marv and Timon side by side showing the difference between the Huacaya type (Marv) and the Suri type (Timon)

Silla and Antonia having a relaxing day.

I finally demolished the original house our first boys went into 11 years ago. It was used as a hay store and the roof had collapsed and it looked like it was in imminent danger of falling over.

Speaking of the original boys, this is Tellus the only one left of our first three boys, he is 16 this year, still the boss though.

Mr.P. is nine this year and is getting more and more grey each year.

Timon enjoying a big mouthful of grass.

Valeria sitting all prim and proper.

Olivers and Pete were sat out in the rain yesterday.

Looks like Pete has inherited his mad staring eyes from his dad Josefs.

Lincoln is a master of alpaca yoga.

Surprise.........

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 18:59:00 +0000

It sure was a bit of a surprise to find out Vanessa and Silla were actually pregnant, when I had resigned myself to the fact there would be no cria this year. Silla has been pregnant before but sadly lost the cria during birth. Vanessa, who is 15 this year, has also previously been pregnant but that was before she arrived with us nearly five years ago. They were mated last year but with no real obvious signs of a spit off (good indication she is pregnant), so I wasn’t too hopeful they were pregnant. I wanted them scanned last year to confirm, but getting hold of the vet with the scanner is getting difficult. She eventually came beginning of May by which time the girls would be around 9 out of 11.5 months pregnant. The results from the scan were “negative”, which I thought was not surprising. Our own vet had tried with her scanner, but it was only really for small animals and the ultrasound does not really penetrate deep enough, worth a try though. I appreciate late term scans can be difficult and of course the vet has no experience of doing them on alpacas so I cannot blame her for missing it. Since the girls were sheared, I had been noticing both Silla and Vanessa seemed to be getting “rounder” and Vanessa had quite a bulge, maybe just a full stomach, but she sure does look pregnant, I thought. But last Wednesday I noticed with both the udders also looked a little swollen. So, we got hold of them and had a check and low and behold you could feel the cria moving around. Checking the records from last year the cria should be due anytime in the next two weeks. Silla was mated with Jakobs and Vanessa with Josefs so hopefully we get some interesting colours and patterns. I am now regularly checking Antonia and Valeria who were also mated last year to see if they are also pregnant, but they would potentially be due end of July early August.

I am frustrated but also thankful the girls seem ok even though my usual management for pregnant females was not followed.

1. With alpacas in the last few months of pregnancy you should increase the amount of feed they get (not done) as this is when the cria begins to rapidly grow. This is why it can be really difficult to see if an alpaca is pregnant almost right up to the last few weeks.

2. Thinking they were not pregnant they have been mated, Silla did sit for the male, but Vanessa was not letting the male anywhere near which she has done in the past. Mating an alpaca when she is pregnant is risky and can result in abortions due to the mating process itself and stress.

3. Because these girls have been difficult to get pregnant in the past and current the mating was not going well, I had been discussing with the vet about giving them hormone therapy first then try remating. Boy I am so glad I didn’t as Silla and Vanessa would have aborted their pregnancies.

4. Even simple things like if they had a medical issue, we may have used medications containing steroids which also could have caused them to abort.

So now I am preparing my birthing kit and making sure all is ready and keep regularly checking on them. Fingers crossed all goes well during birth, my stress levels have now gone through the roof.

So apart from all the recent excitement what else has been happening. We managed to get all the alpacas sheared, much to their great relief I bet as it has been hot. Norman has been like a completely different alpaca since he was sheared both in appearance and character. He now will come up to you, eat out of your hand and will sometimes even let you stroke him. I wonder if it is because he can now see properly so is not as nervous. Must cut Timon’s fringe and see if it has the same effect on him.

Marvin and Norman were separated from their mums and moved in with Lincoln and Timon. Norman didn’t seem bothered but Marvin had a few days of looking for his mum. He did even escape on the day we were finishing shearing some of the girls. I saw him and must admit thought it was Karla who had escaped, we managed to get him back into the girl’s paddock while we cleared up. It was only afterwards when I went to check on them, I realised it was Marvin not Karla, Doh…so he was haltered up and walked back home. Amanda was not bothered at all that Marvin had gone, I think she was ready, Ilvija had a few times when she realised Norman wasn’t around then went back to eating. Marvin, Norman, Lincoln and Timon have formed a nice little group, and all seemed to have accepted each other. I discovered Lincoln really loves a neck rub, he stands for ages while you do it, but he is not so keen if you touch his body. Timon and Lincoln are coming up for toenail trimming so it will be interesting to see how they react.

As I mentioned before we have also been mating the alpacas. This time Brencis with Mari, George with Ilvija, Jakobs with Valeria and Antonia. I was going to leave Lolly and Karla till next year but with the apparent limited success of mating this year decided to do it this year. So, Lolly is being mated with Jakobs and Karla with Josefs.

Oh well must go and check on the girls…….

Valeria is adamant she will not be mated, she just spits and spits at poor Jakobs. (Maybe she is already pregnant).

Jakobs after yet another failed mating attempt with Valeria.

I mean how can she not like this gorgeous young chap

Mating of Ilvija with George has been a little more successful. Here George gets to meet his son, Norman.

Shearing time. This is me doing Marvin, don't worry I didn't leave the tail looking like that, personally I absolutly hate to see alpacas with "funny hair cuts" where they look like poodles. I refuse to do them when I am shearing.

Marvin after shearing.

First thing they always do after shearing is roll in the dust.

This is Amanda, Marvins mum, believe it or not she is a white alpaca.

A family photo, Marvin, his mum Amanda, and Karla his sister still waiting to be sheared. It was much cooler this day and Amanda is a bit on the thin side so I put a coat on her for the day.

Norm is a totally different animal after shearing, both in behaviour and appearance.

Freddie before shearing.

Freddie after shearing.

George after shearing.

Mr.P after shearing, he has such a wonderful velvety black appearance when first sheared then goes and spoils it all by rolling in the dust.

Lincoln and Timon won't be sheared this year, Suri's only need doing every two to three years.

Phew, I am relived about that says Lincoln.

Lincoln having a yawn, look closley and you can see the fighting teeth in his upper jaw.

Ginger Tom keeps turning up then disappearing again for a week or so.

Aggie having a sleep on a hot day.

She's not the only one.

The boys were very interested to see who the new neighbours are. This was when we moved Marv and Norm in with Lincoln and Timon.

Proud fathers (Brencis and George) and grandfathers (Tellus and Mr.P).

Hello we are your new room mates.

Silla had been sheared about two weeks ago, Lolly was still waiting to be done.

Who, me!!!! Yes you Lolly.

Karla still waiting too. We did eventually get Karla, Lolly, Ilvija and Chanel sheared.

Marv back in with the girls after he escaped and "tricked" me into letting him in.

Rain at last, we have only had about four days of rain since the snow went in mid April, everything is very dry and the grass has hardly grown at all. This was at 4:30 am as the sun came up.

Spring at last.......

Tue, 16 May 2023 13:36:00 +0000

A lot has happened in the last two months, we have gone from white snow everywhere to green grass and from -10oC to +20oC. Of course, the really big news was the arrival of our two Suri alpacas, Lincoln and Timon. I just love to watch them as they run around, the way the fleece just bounces, they are gorgeous. Visitors have been amazed to see the difference between the two types of alpaca. They have both settled in very well and have quickly picked up the normal daily routines, soon they will be joined by Marvin and Norman. I have been halter training Marvin in the morning when I let them out, just short 5 – 10 minute periods. He has done very well, no problems with putting the halter on and off, but sometimes he has not been too keen to walk. But I did realise one morning I was mainly walking him in a direction, so the low early morning sun was shining straight into his eyes, changed the direction and he was much better. Norman will have to wait till he is separated from his mum (and grandmother, Chanel), they would be panicking if I tried to train him with them still around so he would not be able to concentrate and I would get covered in spit. He is also very much like his dad, George, who was over a year old before he was halter trained. His nose was too short, and I was not confident the halter would not slip down his nose, also he was not eating the pellet food which I normally use as a reward.

Two days after my last full update (18^th March), where I mentioned Antonia had a tooth root abscess, I discovered Josefs also had one, this time in his upper jaw. So, I had to get the vet back out to X-ray him just to confirm and to see if there was any serious bone damage. He did have some just under his eye socket. About a week after starting Penicillin injections, he was back to his normal active self, he has just finished the eight-week course of injections and seems to be ok. He is brilliant, I give him the injections in the evening at putting away time, so while he is eating from his tray, I can just lean over him and give him the injection, he flinches when the needle goes in but just carries on eating. Then I always give him a few pellets as a reward, I wish they were all that good, I would dread Jakobs or Brencis needing a course of long-term injections.

They are all now out on the grass, it is wonderful to see them running around in the evening. Ilvija and Mr.P had lost a little weight over the winter but have already put it back on, Mr.P is looking much better than he has in a long while. He did have his usual early spring breathing issues; we are beginning to think he is allergic to willow pollen.

On three consecutive days I cleared out the bedding from all the alpaca houses and put down fresh hay, I was exhausted. But it does mean they are ready for shearing to be done. I can’t shear the alpacas on the floor with a big hump in the middle. In fact, shearing season has begun, I have been out to shear some customers alpacas already. I hope to do some of mine next week, some of the girls have been struggling in the heat. I finally had the vet come to scan the girls to see if they were pregnant and as I expected none of them were. So, I will start the mating process again very soon, that will please the boys. I had thought about not mating Ilvija because she was thin but since being out on the grass, she has returned to normal so I will mate her using George again and hope for a “Normette”. (Female Norman).

We are now open for visitors so if you would like to come and see the new Suri’s and learn all about alpacas then please contact me to arrange a visit. A visit is usually lasts about 1.5 hours, so we book in 2 hour slots.

You’ve guessed it, two months of sunny spring weather and new alpacas can mean only one thing, lots of photos.

This is what made me suspicious something was not right with Josefs, look how the left hand side of his nose (as you look at the picture) looks swollen, at first I thought it was just the fleece but when I felt it, it was a hard lump.

Mari looks very happy in the warm spring sunshine.

And Antonia is happy that her tooth root abscess has gone.

Chanel and her curly hair.

Not another black alpaca, but Vanessa's shadow.

The original alpaca house is around 13 years old but is now on its last legs, the roof collapsed last winter, I pinched the door to use on the alpaca house the Suri's are now in.

Middle of April and the last remnants of snow.

Woohoo grass!!!!!

Marvin......Mr Fluffy.

Mari eating through the fence.

And so was George, this was the last straw, he broke some fence posts so I had to let them out into the field.

Come on let us out.

I am surprised Norman can see.

Come on Lolly, you can do it you are nearly up.

Nah, it's too much hard work, I'm staying here.

I finally got the old caravan moved up next to the new one behind the greenhouse.

Mr Fluffy is getting even fluffier.

Norman and Marvin.

Norman having a good scratch.

Mum can I have my milk now? The answer was a definite NO!!

Lolly playing Peek a Boo.

Vanessa having a good rub up against a tree.

Lincoln running around, just look at the fleece.

There's a Timon in there somewhere.

Love this picture of Lincoln and Timon.

The biggest male, Brencis and the smallest male, Jakobs having a fight.

Brencis has somehow managed to break one of his front teeth.

We are expecting a plague of vampires in the next few months so I have been preparing some wooden stakes to be ready. I much prefer the home made ones to the massed produced ones. (They are posts for the electric fence, I use three plastic posts then a wooden one to give the fence more strength.)

Spring is definitely here, even the old oak is leafing up.

Betty doesn't look too sure about Freddie.

The storks are also back.

There are no flies on Freddie....well maybe just a few...

A pensive looking Ilvija on a hot day, can you shear me soon she asks.

Silla sat around the back of the alpaca house in the shade.

Brencis peeking out of the shadows.

This time of year the sun shines straight into the boys house as it goes down and you can get some great photos.

Mr. P is looking very good this year, he has put weight on and I am sure his fleece is longer and thicker.

George, Jakobs and Freddie all looking at....

Betty.

Timon and his shadow.

Recently the swallows have returned and are checking out the nests in the alpaca houses.

Shifting snow and medical issues.......

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 17:39:00 +0000

Over the last month all I feel like I have been doing is clearing snow, either with a shovel or with the snow blower. It was nice initially to use the big snow shovel that you push but then the sides got so deep that you couldn’t easily get it up to dump the snow, so I had to get the snow blower out. So glad I repaired it towards the end of last year as it has had a lot of use. Within the last week it has warmed up and in just a couple of days I would say around half the snow has gone.

There have been a few medical issues with some of the alpacas. Aggie’s eye flared up again and after some steroid drops began to calm down, but I noticed that it appeared cloudy in the eye, and I now think she is starting with a cataract in her eye. Karla began walking strangely with her rear legs, kicking them up and out behind her, I will admit it did look funny. When I had a look, she was very crusty and hard on the inside of her knees and had small red patches on her feet where she had lost fleece. It all looked like a mite related problem. Which was very surprising as both her mum and her dad and grandad have never had mite issues. Her grandmother (Lady V) used to occasionally have problems. I treated her with both Ivermectin injections and with Fipronil spray and it seems to be working.

More worrying was the discovery of a lump on Antonia’s jaw which usually means a tooth root abscess. I started her on daily penicillin injections for ten days and managed to get hold of a vet to come and x-ray her to make sure it was a tooth root abscess. In fact, it was two teeth side by side. Luckily, we had caught it early and there wasn’t a lot of bone involvement, not like when Aggie had hers, her X-ray looked like she had been shot in the jaw. After the ten days she moved onto a longer lasting penicillin, so needed an injection every three days. I gave her the first one and within a couple of minutes she stumbled and spread her back legs stood there groaning. I was panicking as the last time I saw an alpaca do this was with Estelle just before she died with heat stroke. Antonia was stretching her back and neck, seemed very wide eyed and was salivating. After about five minutes she began to come round. I have no idea why she reacted that way. It was very cold that day and I had the 7ml injection in my pocket and maybe it got too cold but it was a sub cutaneous injection not intra muscular. Vet wonders if I accidently hit a nerve or put the cold fluid into a vein. Just to be on the safe side in case it was an allergic reaction I was given some anti histamine and steroid injections by the vet to give if it happened again. I decided to test her and give her half a dose (3ml) on one day and another half dose the next day. I have never been so nervous giving an injection and sat and watched her for 20 mins. All seemed well, so three days later gave her a 3ml injection in the morning then another in the evening, again all seemed well. Then three days later gave her the full 7ml injection with no issues. She needs to have the penicillin for at least 6 to 8 weeks. The lump has certainly reduced in size and the went from a hard lump to being “squashy”, in fact there was s scab formed at the bottom which came off and I was expecting a lot of pus, but it was dry and is healing up.

It wasn’t just the alpacas requiring medical treatment, Joanna slipped on some ice and broke her wrist and has had to spend some time in hospital having a metal plate put in to support it. She didn’t just come back with a metal plate but also picked up a chest infection which she very kindly passed onto me. Last weekend I was supposed to be giving the alpacas their Vit D injections and cut toenails with Lelde helping. I had to cancel it and spent most of the day asleep. Next day I did feel better but not well enough to give the alpacas some hay which they desperately needed. This time it was Lelde and Rolands to the rescue, they came to give the alpacas hay, I was so relived and very grateful.

Aggie can be a bit of a pain at putting away time, she gets her tray first and by the time I have distributed the other trays she has finished and then goes and eats from Chanel’s tray which causes chaos. I came up with the idea of roping her in to stop her. I used a rope fastened to the wall with a hook on the other end and when I put down her tray, I grab the rope and fasten her in. She doesn’t challenge the rope, so it is much more peaceful in there now. Even Norman has his own tray now, he gets his next to his grandmother, Chanel, who likes to pinch a few mouthfuls from it.

Lolly looking forward to Spring, the days are getting longer and warmer.

View towards the garden 5th February.

View towards the garden 22nd February

View towards the garden 27th February.

View towards the garden 7th March.

Yes Marv, it was rather a lot of snow.

This is my "anti Aggie" device. It's a bit of rope fastened to the wall at one end and a hook on the other. At putting away time Aggie gets her tray first but as soon as she finished she would go and pinch Chanel's creating havoc. So now she gets fastened in and 99% of the time she waits till I let her out and does not challenge the rope. Makes things so much more peaceful.

This was Karla's rear legs showing the loss of fleece, she was very crusty on the inside of her knees but we hit her hard with mite treatment and the fleece seems to be growing back.

You tired Lolly?

Pathway to Vanessa's girls house.

Pathway from the girls back to the greenhouse, I like to make it wide enough so I can carry a bucket of water in each hand without them banging into the sides.

Pathway up to the boys.

Snow on the new caravan. Last week I dug a pathway to check inside, glad I did as when I went inside I noticed the roof was bowing due to the weight of snow. So I had to get a ladder and clear off the snow, seems OK now.

You really must go to bed earlier Lolly.

Now look what you have done, you have set Mari off yawning now!

You can see the lump on Antonia's jaw.

Looks even bigger from underneath.

This is Antonia's X-Ray, you can see the lump and there is a small amount of bone involvement. Just look how long those rear teeth are.

Then it began to warm up a bit, don't think the icicles were too happy about it.

Hey Lolly, I heard a rumour that Spring might be on it's way.

Here Aggie is praying to the great alpaca god to send an abundance of green grass.

Antonia adopts more of the foetal position.

Even Lolly is on her knees.

I am sure the great alpaca god must have heard you now Aggie.

My goodness, Lolly has exhausted herself with all that praying.

Alpacas are part of the Camelid family of animals which also includes the proper camels, Brencis here is showing the family likeness.

The snow was up to the top of the greenhouse walls, which are around 2m tall.

"Serious Silla", always looks very serious.

Love this "soft focus" photo of Karla.

Mr Tellus and George sharing the water bucket.

George will be six this year. Those lighter patches on his neck are patches of cream coloured fleece that grow much longer than the brown. They have only appeared in the last few years.

Looks like more snow is on its way.

The old, original alpaca house the first boys were in is " not long for this world", by the look of it.

Marvellous Marv lit by the afternoon sun.

Norman and his mum, Ilvija.

Amanda is leg deep in the snow. She is actually stood on the pathway I cleared, but it does give an impression of how deep it actually is.

Better view of the snow surrounding the greenhouse.

OK girls and boys, the snowbank cafe is now open.

Miracles do happen......

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 18:37:00 +0000

We had a bit of a miracle happen the other week. It had warmed up a little, so we decided to put some cream on Chanel’s rear legs to help soften and break up the hard scaly skin. Normally doing anything with Chanel is a major task which usually results in her spitting and getting stressed out. If you have been following these posts you will know I have changed how I handle Chanel, from the arm round the neck “head lock” approach to the arms outstretched gently holding the head and then to the rope lead around the neck (not a halter that goes on the head). I try where possible to follow a training / handling approach called Camelid Dynamics and the more I use it I am beginning to see changes in the alpaca’s behaviour. With Chanel, during each method I used she became easier and easier to deal with, less stressed and spitty. Well, the other week instead of a rope I used the lead I had had specially made, put it around her neck and stepped away while holding the end and offered her some food. Chanel just stood there while Joanna put the cream on her legs. Yes, she just stood there and didn’t sit down like she always does. We have been wanting her to remain standing which then means you can get the cream to the right places on her legs. I believe the trigger to making Chanel stressed and spitty is not what you are doing to her but the fact you are restraining her to do it. When you give her a bit more freedom and space, she is much more relaxed.

Lelde came to help with cutting the toenails of the remaining alpacas who got missed the last time, namely Brencis, Jakobs and Lolly due to, shall we say “bad behaviour”. Jakobs is only small but very strong and does not like being restrained so maybe I need to try a similar method like we used on Chanel.

I have been busy sorting through our alpaca fleece, preparing it to be sent to a mill to be spun into yarn. I have a frame set up in the barn with a plastic mesh on it, on which I put the fleece. I take out any bits of hay or other vegetable matter, any contaminating fibres or “second cuts” from shearing. I break it apart and fluff it up to remove as much debris, dirt, and dust as possible as you will end up with a much cleaner product at the end. The fleeces have been so dusty this year I am getting covered in dust and even had to resort to wearing a mask. I have even had a little helper as Betty the cat sometimes appears and sits on the fleece. We took some of last years spun fleece to a local weaver to try out, she has made a test sample as an experiment, looks fantastic in the pictures she sent, we go pick it up next week, can’t wait to see it and find out how soft it is. I have also been preparing and spinning Lolly’s fleece to make some yarn. I want to have something made from it for myself as Lolly is quite special to me, since I had to bottle feed her. Both her and Karla’s fleece I will hand spin as the first-year fleeces are usually difficult to clean.

The alpaca houses have had their mid-winter partial clean out as the hump in the middle of the floor means you nearly bump you head on the roof. It is surprising how many wheelbarrow loads of stuff there is to move, at least the exercise keeps you warm on a cold day..

Well mornings are definitely coming earlier and earlier........

The snow has been coming and going, here the boys think it's now time to open the gate and let them into the field. Sorry not for a while yet boys. Just look at all those mole hills.

You need a 4x4 to get up here on the ice.

I have never seen as many mole hills on the land as this year.

Betty and GT practicing their championship ice dancing routine....

Tellus has been eating the snow.

Brencis with a big smile on his face.

Ilvija basking in the winter sun. (Note the fleece on her head for later)

We have had some unwelcome visitors, yes the pigs have been back.

Freddie and his shadow.

Freddie and Brencis. Freddie is an average sized alpaca, just shows how much of a giant Brencis is.

Antonia and Lolly.

I love this photo of Lolly.

Don't be deceived, Norman and Silla weren't kissing. Silla actually had a load of grass hanging out of her mouth and Norman was trying to pinch it. Silla was not happy about it.

This time Norman was just having a sniff of Karla.

Chanel has tight curls around her face and on her head whereas Ilvija (her daughter, see earlier picture) has straight fleece.

Norman looks like he is falling asleep.

We recently had two days of ice rain, this is a pine tree with a thick layer of ice on the needles.

Ice on the fence wire.

On the oak trees.

This is a plumb tree at the top of the ski hill, the ice is at least 3 - 4cm.

The birch trees are really struggling under the weight of the ice.

This doesn't quite capture the scene properly, but when the sun shone the iced covered trees just lit up, it was spectacular.

Silla sat outside in the snow, while all the others were inside. She is a weird one.

I have been sorting some of the alpaca fleece and had a little helper (or should that be hinderer).

Mr.P after having had a roll in the snow.

Marvs on the mend......

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 12:29:00 +0000

I am really pleased to say that Marvin is a lot better than he was. In early December we took him in the car to see the vet so she could have a good look at him. I sat in the back holding him while Joanna drove. He looked quite small when he was in with the others, but when it came to carry him to and from the car and when I was sitting with him on my lap, he is a lot bigger than you think. He was on the lower side of normal for his weight, but temperature was ok, heart was ok, blood tests showed nothing too abnormal. Only thing was his first stomach (this is the one where most of the grass/hay digestion occurs) was totally empty. He got some Vitamin B complex, Calcium / Phosphorus, pain killers and further Vitamin D injections. He also got some probiotics to help stimulate his digestion. One made me laugh, it’s called Rumen Rocket and, on the packet, says for racing camels, so there will be no catching him now. He had just started eating pellets, which was a big relief and after the visit to the vet he began to eat hay. Now he is up and about a lot, and even leaving his mums side, I have not seen him shivering and is first in line when I take a new bale of hay. When he was born there was a question over whether he may have been Vitamin D deficient, so the injections may have helped him. But I actually think he just did not get the point of hay. I remember when he was younger, he only seemed to nibble at the very woody bits of hay and not the good stuff. When the grass began to die off, which was around the time I noticed he was sitting down a lot and began shivering, he was surviving on his mums milk only. Once he seemed to understand what the hay was for, he has never looked back, now eats loads and poo’s loads. He now even has his own tray at putting away time.

Aggies eye problem cleared up and a week later started again, now I am putting a couple of steroid drops in about every third day and it seems to be enough to keep on top of it. She will even let me do it on my own with no hassle, good girl. Antonia and Lolly have had a little issue with an infection between the toes but a couple of sprays with an antiseptic spray sorted that problem. I always know when one of them has this problem as there is a very distinctive smell.

It’s been funny that during the day Vanessa’s girls have been coming up to Aggie’s girls house and spending most of the day there. I think they must think there is a better class of hay up there. However, come putting away time, nine times out of ten they are back in their house waiting for me to come with the trays. Vanessa is definitely the matriarch and it’s interesting to see how Antonia follows her all over, even though Vanessa can be quite horrible to her at times. I was thinking the other day who would take on the role of matriarch when Vanessa dies, be interesting to see, but hopefully not for a long time yet.

I seem to have spent most of December clearing snow, I bought one of those large snow shovels and it has been fantastic. Although there have been times, I have had to get the snow blower out. There was a cold spell of around -20oC but the scenery was fantastic, however the car was not. The usual blocked fuel filter problem, I now always have a spare and did change it and the car seemed ok, but it was forecast to get cold again and Joanna was going to be away with her car. So, I decided to stay out in the summer house for a few days as I didn’t want to risk the car dying on me again. It was cool, about 7oC when I went to bed and that was with both electric heaters on full and -5oC when I woke up (it was -15oC outside) but thank God for electric blankets and good warm bedding. Next evening, I moved everything into a smaller room making it easier to heat and it was a bit warmer. Car has been into the garage and the fuel tank and lines all flushed out so fingers crossed it will be ok.

Luckily the snow came before the ground froze which meant I could replace some broken fence posts and move the gate to Vanessa’s girls paddock to make it easier to get in and out if it gets icy. It also meant I could put up a fence around APH 4 which I want to possibly use when it comes to separating Marvin and Norman from their mums, which would be February / March time. I am planning on putting two of the older boys in with them for few weeks to a month (possibly George and Freddie), so they get used to each other. APH 4 is close to the boy’s house and they will see each other and get used to each other before I put them all together. In the past I have just put any new boys in with the older boys, but there was the “mature” calming influence of the much older Herkules and Turbjørn who are no longer with us. There are now more younger “teenage” boys so I want to be a bit more careful with introducing new ones.

Again, I would like to say a big thank you to Aušra from Sodo Alpakos in Lithuania, if you remember she made me a coat for Marvin. I asked if she could make me some small leads, I can put around an alpaca’s neck to help control it without having to use a full harness. I used a home made one with Chanel when we were having to wash her and it made a huge difference to her, there is no way you could get a harness on Chanel, spit will happen again and again and again. I sent Aušra some measurements and pictures and she made me three. With all the snow clearing I have not had the time to try them out properly yet, but I will keep you informed.

Well, 2022 is now over, it’s been a challenging year for many, our problems here pale into insignificance with those faced by many in this troubled world at the moment. For us personally it was such a great privilege to be able to offer our apartment to house a displaced Ukrainian family for three months, as they made their way to the UK. They were such a blessing to us and to the neighbours at the apartment who I think will sorely miss them. I am glad to say they seemed to have settled in well in the UK. Another very, very big plus for us this year as well as the birth on Marvin and Norman and the building of the summer house was the arrival of Lelde our intern. She came completely out of nowhere asking if she could spend time with us over the summer for her placement. She fitted in so well, was so helpful and was a joy to have around, the time passed so quickly. She is probably now in the top 5 to 10 of people with knowledge and experience of keeping alpacas in Latvia, and she thought she was coming to learn about tourism. So, a very big thank you, Lelde for all your help this year.

We all here at Griezites Alpakas, Joanna, Ian, all the alpacas, the three cats and the chickens would like to wish you all a very happy and peaceful New Year.

Norman admiring the winter scenes.

Frost on a cobweb on Vanessa's girls house, but don't spend too long taking the photo.......

Other wise you might get covered in snow...

Icicles on the summer house.

Love the white heart under Mr. P's eye.

A calm, peaceful winter scene.

Mari has been eating the snow.

And so has Aggie, her eye looks much better.

Josefs was the only one of the boys to venture out on this cold day.

Marvin out for a winter stroll with his mum.

The gorgeous Lolly, I am currently processing her first year fleece to spin wool.

I am hoping Norman has inherited his dads fine fleece with his mums silky feel.

A beautiful but cold (-20oC) day.

Guess which room I am staying in, me thinks some roof insulation is required before next winter.

Valeria on her daily visit up to Aggies girls house.

Silla has just about taken up residence there.

Love to see little Marv strutting his stuff, they were actually looking at....

Rocket Ron who had just followed me around on a long walk around the land. I think he was trying to warm his cold paws.

Norman out in the winter sunshine.

And so was his dad, George.

Speaking of father and son, here is Brencis with his dad Tellus (who is also Georges dad and Normans grandad).

Marvin is feeling so much better he decided to have a roll on the spruce tree I had just cut for them to eat.

Did that tire you out Marv?

Marv looks so small and lost amongst the adults.

Please will you let me in.....

Vanessa looks so sweet and gentle here, don't be fooled she is a bossy madam.

Silla asked me to take some moody, atmospheric shots of her, so here's one....

And another.

Valeria didn't want to be left out.

Interesting how the sunlight plays with the colour of Mr P's fleece, black here...

Very dark brown here, these were consecutive photos, he just move back a little into the light.

ErrMmmm I will admit I am over due with cutting Brencis rear toenails, it needs three people, Lelde is coming to help in a few weeks.

Love this photo of grandmother Chanel, daughter Ilvija and grandson Norman all sat together and the colours of the fleece.

Well winter did come.......

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 16:43:00 +0000

If you remember I called my last blog “Signs winter is on its way” well just to be clear, it arrived, we now have around 5-10cm of snow and it is not forecast to get above freezing for a while. I knew it was supposed to get cold, but the snow has caught me out. I must have missed that bit in the forecast, probably concentrating too much on the temperatures. I wanted to move the old caravan so it was next to the new one, looks like it will be staying where it is for the winter. I also wanted to clear out some bedding from the alpaca houses, guess that will have to wait too. The moles have been a big problem this autumn, leaving big mole hills on the pathway to the girls and in the girls and boys paddocks. I have had to search through the snow to find them and try to level them off as I want the areas to be flat, so it is easy to use the snow blower to clear the snow.

Like I mentioned previously, Marvin was shivering and sitting down a lot, so I had a coat made for him, well he still shivers but not as much and still spends a lot of time sat next to his mum, Amanda. I want to try and get him to start eating the pellet food and was also thinking of trying to see if he will feed from a bottle. Amanda is getting thin, and I wonder if she is still producing either enough or maybe her milk is not good enough quality for Marvin. She does let him feed but I am not sure how often. Amanda does get extra food but is still thin, Marvin, I think, is at least so far not losing weight. (We don’t have scales to weigh them so all I can do is regularly check their body score). I need to try and collect a poo sample to check for gut parasites.

Another one causing us problems has been Aggie, she regularly has a problem with her left eye, which is red and swollen to the point where she can only half open it. Over the years we have tried different antibiotic drops with no effect, but the one thing that always does work is steroid drops. The change is very quick, within days. The swelling goes down and the redness almost disappears, and she can open her eye wide. I think she realises the drops make her feel better as she hardly reacts at all when we hold her to put the drops in. The problem is once we stop with the steroid drops within a month all the swelling and redness returns. We need to talk to the vet to see what we can do for a more long-term solution.

On the whole last summer has been good for the alpacas, they appear to have put weight on, in fact maybe a little too much for some of the girls. I am very pleased with Mr.P he was thin at the beginning of the year, his body score has improved a lot and his fleece also looks better.

Lelde has been back to help me with cutting my alpacas toenails and came with me to cut someone else’s alpacas toenails. I am just so glad she still wants to learn and help with the alpacas even though she has finished her placement with us. This weekend Joanna and I have been giving the alpacas their Vitamin D injections, did the girls on Saturday and the boys will be done on Sunday. The girls were good, even though I did get spat at by Chanel, but it was my fault. I was trying to separate her daughter (Ilvija) and grandson (Norman) and she was just doing what any over protective mother / grandmother would do. Typical though she was fine giving her the injection but touch her daughter and “spit happens”.

Vanessa is looking more and more like her mum, the wonderful Lady V. She has inherited that "One is not amused" look.

Norman with a big smile on his face.

Marvin on the other hand look a bit down.

Aggies left eye regularly gets red and swollen and she can only half open it. We have tried various antibiotic drops to no avail, but have found steroid drops clear it up within days.

This is Aggies eye after about three days of steroid drops, so much better.

I have been working hard just lately teaching the alpacas circus skills, here is Vanessa balancing on Karla's back. Impressive Eh?

Lovely Lolly, she's gorgeous.

Mr Tellus in the morning sun.

Mr Tellus will be 16 next year, I think like me, age is beginning to catch up with him, he has lost a little weight and his front teeth are very worn, no idea what his back teeth must be like. Maybe he needs glasses too. He maybe getting old but he is still the boss.

Jakobs has gone all shy.

It must be spreading Josefs has gone all shy too.

At least Freddie isn't shy.

Brencis and Freddie together. Shows just how much bigger Brencis is.

He is a big lad, just so solid.

Close up of Jakobs fleece.

Betty is growing, she is not a kitten anymore.

Marvin in his new coat.

Norman is also growing.

By now the caravan is usually in the greenhouse but this year it is outside and is slowly getting encrusted in ice and snow. The big icicle is now around 5cm thick and growing.

The summer house does look pretty in the snow.

At least I did manage to get all the outside protected before winter arrived.

Signs winter is on it's way.....

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:39:00 +0000

It’s been a bit of a hectic time trying to get the outside of the summer house painted before it rained. Managed to get one coat on before it rained, then had to wait till it all dried out before I could get a second coat on. But I did it, eventually….Phew. Last week I managed to get some protection on the window frames and doors, it looks nice. At least when it was raining, I could still get on with the inside, we are using linseed oil with a slight white colouring on the walls and linseed oil with pine tar for the floor.

The alpacas are now one more fence move before being confined to the paddocks for winter as there is no grass for them. I will be moving the fences tomorrow as I had an escape of the boys today. I found them all except Tellus in the orchard.

Now I am on my own at the moment as Joanna is away, so this was the plan. First thing, as always when there is an escape is “DON’T PANIC”. I tried the trays with food in to tempt them, but the grass seemed more important. OK, so next thing was go and get the girls back into their paddocks in case the boys decide to make a visit…. Done. Next go and get the long white herding poles and try to herd the boys back into their paddock…. Done. Next problem, where have the boys gone???? They were certainly not where I last saw them. Found one, Mr.P had discovered the girls and was stood outside their paddock. I managed to hold his head, as I didn’t have a harness and rope easily available, and persuade him to walk the 200 meters or so back to the boy’s paddock where he was locked in the alpaca house, he did get some food though for being good and not being too difficult on the walk back.

So where were the boys? I found them back down in the field next to the fence where they had escaped from. Next plan, get some extra fence poles and wire construct a fence to block them from heading back up to the garden and to funnel them back into their fenced area. Drop the wire on their fence and use the herding poles to get them back in…. Done…They went back in and ran straight back to the paddock. Good lads….Apart from Josefs who found the one flaw in the plan, just on the other side of the temporary fence I put up was a small gap which he found and got through and headed up to the garden. Oh well, don’t panic and get the others sorted first. Josefs was next seen by the caravan and looking like he might be heading to the girls. Yep, I was right, I know my boys too well. Next collect a harness, lead rope, and put some food in my pocket and go and get him. He was no problem as he was too interested in the girls, I put the harness on him and walked him back to the paddock, all done and dusted, all boys accounted for. I was “right chuffed” with myself apart from the fact I was soaking wet as it had started to rain.

The alpacas must sense winter is approaching as they are spending most of the day outside eating even in the pouring rain, I suppose there just isn’t the quantity or quality of grass to sustain them now. The other sign that winter is coming is that the chicken arks are now in the small greenhouse where they will be till spring next year. The awning attached to the new caravan has also been taken down, cleaned, and packed away. It looks so empty now, just a patch of dead grass, it was so useful a space, we called it the conference room. One sign of approaching winter that won’t be happening this year is the putting of the old caravan into the big greenhouse. I don’t want to risk it; the wood and plastic of the big greenhouse is not in very good condition, and I don’t want to risk it collapsing on the caravan if there is a lot of snow. So, it will be placed next to the new caravan by the side of the barn, it is also easier to run an electric cable to it from there.

As you probably know GT reappeared after nearly three months away, he is still here, and all three cats have bonded really well. You often find Betty and GT snuggled up together during the day.

I managed to take Lolly for a walk the other day, last time I did it was April, she was very good, there was just one place where the path narrows a bit, and she got a bit spooked so I decided not to push it and took her back to the paddock. I still need to halter train Karla, I will start during winter when they are inside more, makes it a bit easier.

One last reminder we will be closing to visitors from November 1^st and hope to reopen April next year. So, there is not long left if you still want to come visit and learn more about the wonderful world of alpacas.

Little Betty has discovered the kettle is still warm after we have our morning coffee.

This is the awning attached to the new caravan, aka the conference room. now you see it.

Now you don't, it has been dismantled and put away for winter.

This was one morning as the mist began clear, there was a very clear fog bow, there is even the slightest hint of colours. Sorry about the dirt on the camera lens.

The girls (and little boys) under the fog bow.

The summer house is slowly getting done, two coats of paint on the outside and since this photo I have painted the windows and door.

Grass seed head covered in a spiders web which is covered in dew.

A very Autumnal looking picture of the girls. Most of the leaves have fallen off now.

Valeria and Norman, something about the mist and the colours makes this picture look so surreal to me.

Norman is very much like his dad, George, and is an "observer" he will stand for ages and watch you, you feel like he is planning something, quite freaky really.

Karla on the other hand is so sweet and friendly, she likes to come up and sniff my face.

Lolly is also very sweet but I am watching her very carefully as she can occasionally jump up, I don't push her away as this only encourages her to do it again. I brace my arm and say very firmly "No Lolly" she soon gets the message I am not playing.

Hopefully soon we will find out if Mari may be pregnant.

Same goes for the old lady, Vanessa, both Mari and her were mated to Josefs.

Marvin and Norman are growing fast, they are now around four and three months old.

Think I might have discovered where GT disappeared too for three months. Looks like he had a modelling assignment. Here he is on the box of a new radiator we bought.

Sunrise a few days ago.

There was even a rainbow.

When the sun did appear it looked like the trees were on fire, the camera just does not do justice to the colours.

Thank you so much Lelde.

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 18:33:00 +0000

At the end of August, we had to say goodbye to Lelde as she finished her placement with us and started back at university. She has been amazing, so willing to help, fitted in really well, great with the alpacas and a has wonderful sense of humour, we had many ongoing jokes over the two months which has passed so quickly. So, from me, Joanna, Rocket Ron, Betty and all the alpacas, including Amanderrrr and the “white” alpacas (sorry that was one of the ongoing jokes), thank you so much for all your help, it was a pleasure to have you and we wish you great success with your studies and all the best for your future. (Just remember you need alpacas in your life).

Her last day was a busy one, she helped me cut Aggie’s girls toenails, so she learnt how to hold the alpacas without restraining them while I cut the toenails. Then we went to the local town with the horse box to help me get insulation, vapour membrane and wire for the summer house floor. Then finally I had her working hard finishing the roof of the summer house in a race against time fitting the shingles and the metal cap for very top before it was forecast to rain.

Lelde was not the only one we said goodbye too. Over the last three months we had a Ukrainian family staying in our apartment while they sorted out all the documentation required to go to the UK. Finally, all that was sorted, and they left. We will miss the Borscht, cake, and pizza’s they would make for us. I hope and pray they find peace and rest in the UK and can maybe one day return to their home country.

My son his wife and family came to visit us for a week, he helped me move wood from the forest and put the insulation in the floor in the summer house. The kids had a great time helping with the alpacas and chickens and even got to take Brencis and Josefs for a walk.

The summer house is almost finished, I wired up the electric from the greenhouse to it so now we don’t need an extension cable trailing through the open front door. I still need to wire in sockets and lights, but we haven’t decided where they will go yet. The other job is to paint the outside with a stain / preservative but that needs a few days of good weather first.

Now as we head into autumn the grass growth is slowing down so the alpacas are quickly getting through it, so I seem to be continually moving fences. One day I moved the girls fence a bit closer to the boys, maybe a bit too close as the boys were stood along the edge of their fence looking at the girls and at one point Mr P and Jakobs were pushing hard on the wire. So, the boys got moved away, and the girls moved back into their paddock and the next day I moved the fence again. I don’t want any repetition of last year’s performance when the boys escaped and got in with the girls.

I have noticed Valeria has been acting a bit strange just lately, she has been very interested in Marvin and at times she acts as if she is encouraging him to feed from her??? She has also been seen spitting at Mari when Mari and Marvin are playing as if she is protecting him. I wonder if there is something hormonal going on as this is so out of character for her, be very interested to see if she is pregnant.

A very big thank you to Lelde for presenting us with these T-shirts when she finished her placement. Anyone who has alpacas will one day be on the receiving end of a mouthful of alpaca spit whether intentionally or just caught in the cross fire. I just loved the phrase "Spit Happens". The little alpaca above the N is actually a picture of Lolly and here she has come to check it out.

Marvin and Norman play fighting.

Well I think Marvin won that round.

First frost on the morning of the 3rd of September.

Silla, Antonia and Valeria tucking into the grass.

Little Norman reminds me so much of his dad, George, that I even accidently call him George at times.

Lolly enjoying the grass.

So is little Marvin.

Amanda prefers the oak leaves.

No, No Karla, stop it, how many times have I told you, you can't eat Norman...........

It's OK Lolly, Norman is going to be OK.

Ilvija just checking Norman is OK.

Brother and sister Marvin and Karla. Karla looks like her dad Brencis but her brother Marvin looks like his Grandad, Tellus.

Vanessa checking out the oak leaves, not too many though our you will have a poorly stomach.

Chanel looking radiant in the morning sun.

My son and his family came for a week, here I put the Grand kids to work drilling a bore hole to find a new water supply.

As well as cutting the grass.

I did give them some time off to feed the alpacas.

I told Marvin if he keeps practicing we might buy him a piano.

Who needs a parrot when you have a cat.

This is the front of the summer house, I had to pay a fortune for the rainbow optional extra, but well worth the money don't you think.

This is the back and side.

Haymaking done and welcome to Betty.

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 18:58:00 +0000

At last, I can relax a little, hay making for this year has finished, 556 of our small round bales are now under cover, we need around 400 per year. That works out to somewhere between 12-14 tonnes of hay all moved and stacked by hand, a very big thank the Ukrainian family who are staying in our apartment, one of Joanna’s work colleagues and her partner, a friend’s young son and of course Lelde for helping us with the hay over this period, the alpacas will certainly appreciate all your hard work over the winter as they munch their way through it.

Norman’s leg is now fine, he is walking and running on it with no problems, Marvin and he are usually seen chasing each other around at top speed, even Lolly is beginning to join in the chases. Norman is like his mum (Ilvija) and his dad (George) when he was young and doesn’t like being touched. But Marvin on the other hand is not bothered at all and could sit there all day being stroked. I got the chance to try out my newly acquired tool for cutting fighting teeth on Jakobs and Josefs. It’s basically a Dremel with a grinding stone covered with a 3d printed cover to keep the tongue out of the way, works a treat. But maybe we should have done it a day earlier as we found out Freddie had a wound on his neck probably caused by someone’s fighting teeth.

Mating season has now come to an end as it is getting too late in the year. There is the possibility that Vanessa and Valeria may be pregnant as they gave potential spit offs when we took the males down. However, there are question marks over Antonia and Mari, we will have to wait till they are scanned to find out for sure.

Work on building the summer house has been a bit intermittent due to the hay making and the weather but at least the roof is on and just needs the waterproof shingles to go one which will hopefully be this weekends job. There is a small decking area at the front which I finished off and we have started sitting on it but must get around to making some steps as it is quite a climb to get up there.

As you may have seen we have had yet another new arrival last week when we welcomed little Betty the kitten. Lelde and I had gone to a place to shear some alpacas and they had some two-month-old kittens and asked if we would like one. We had been thinking of getting another cat to replace GT who is still missing, so after a quick phone call to Joanna to confirm we came home with a kitten in a basket. Betty is settling in and is getting more and more freedom to explore the place. She is already bossing Rocket Ron around who has taken to her very well and only hissed at her once.

Marvin has out grown his coat already.

At least Norman's still fits.

Last few weeks have been hot and sunny. Here the girls are sunbathing.

Long legged Lolly, I love the light sandy colour of her fleece.

Haymaking is done for this year, got a little stressful at times with the weather. Here I was joined by a group of storks, I counted around 15 of them. Most of them have left on their journey south now.

Lelde taking George for a walk.

He seems very happy about it.

It's not only alpacas Lelde takes for walks but visitors too. She is on her way up to show the visitors the girls.

Norman trying to hide behind a tree. Needs a bit more practice Norman.

Norman looks like he has overdone it a bit with the eyeliner.

Marvin had spotted something, not sure what it was, I couldn't see anything and none of the other alpacas were responding either.

Norman giving lessons on how to hide behind a tree to Marvin.

Mari not looking at her best first thing in the morning. a strong coffee might be required.

Just moved the girls fence, didn't take long for the boys to spot them.

I guess they didn't want to talk to me.....

What mischief can we get up to next?

Vanessa has spotted the boys.

Who says alpacas don't like long grass.

Aggie looks quite happy about something.

Finally some swallows nested in the boys alpaca house, I think at least three chicks have hatched. Photo taken 21st August.

Photo taken 24th August, they have grown so quickly.

Lolly with Marvin, there is roughly about a years difference in age.

The summer house now has a roof and is ready for the waterproof shingles to go on, then we can start on the floor.