Well we have found a shearer although he can not fit us in until July after the babies are born, but at least we have met him and he lives close by. He came and gave the girls a pedicure and is gentle and caring so much relieve all round. We got a few tips on how to do a few other things too.

The mini heat wave is over and as it is Bank holiday it is of course raining. We did need the rain as the ground is very dry and the grass in the meadow we want to cut for hay have not grown that much yet. Still I am sure there is time. We still have to tackle the thistle problem and it is getting worse. We have been told they just need to be cut before they flower and that will help, but how we re-establish the grasses, we have still to find a way we feel comfortable with. Visitors are just going to have to help dig them out!

Great excitement as the web site was sent by the designer for us to try out and very cute it is. Not sure about the colour still, but will try it out on a few people to see their reaction. Now we just have to have some products to sell and get some lovely pictures.

WE may well diversify into wild flower/plant selling as when we have tried to buy them for the garden there are none around in the normal laces, you have to send off for them, but it would be great to start with plants bought in then start growing our own. Will investigating that this week.

Heatwave

I do hope this is not our summer and just a preview to what we can expect. The last few days have been hot hot hot! Great for us but not for our girls who have still not been sheared. We spend time pouring water all over the grass near the trough for them to lie in, under the fruit trees, which they seem to like. Hope the shearer comes soon or we will be nervous wrecks.

Discovered, yesterday, from the neighbours that this house had a large orchard in the fields behind and it got me thinking that maybe we should replant an orchard and grow fruit. A bit long term but am hoping we will be here for a long time. Will ask FWAG man when he comes if ground suitable now.

Yesterday spent most of time in garden potting things on and replanting pot bound roses etc. Dogs were in garden until quite late especially Tilly who appeared late on when all others were inside from the pond area soaking wet, having dropped her ball in the water again. this time it is lost for good and she is distraught that we have not been able to get it for her, lets hope she forgets about it when we get her a new one!

Bit of crisis night before, office window was wide open and both cats had disappeared. Not too much of a problem if window facing back as large garden no road, but it doesn't , so two cats out, strange place - no road craft!! the wild cat who used to live outside decided to come when called, the other large black one who goes out decided to hide, not difficult in the dark! After about 20mins he too decided it was a little bit scary and came back hissing and yowling, but wanting a cuddle. He is usually so lazy.

also bio tank aerator pump has stopped working so electrician been and said it is a switch that has worn out and he will try and order a new one, if not it will be new pump! Hope it does not take too long to put right, sure it not good! so will be trying to use loos when out to save using the tank!!

Trimming and Kicking

Forgot to mention the incident with the girls on Wednesday evening. Had to give Inky her lamivac which has to be injected into the skin, this means trying to find some loose skin on an alpaca - well there isn't any! Chris was holding her still ,after he had been spat and squealed at several times. I was desperately trying to find any skin under all the fibre, let alone loose skin conscious that Chris could only hold her for so long. Anyway finally got it done, hopefully in the right place, and Inky was eating her tea as soon as we had let her go, so no stress on her part, which is what we worry about the most - the same could not be said for the humans.
To add to our discomfort we decided to trim one of the crias around the rear end as looking a bit messy with straw etc. so Chris caught her, he's stronger than me, I bent down to trim the offending area and whollop, kicked straight in the throat making me choke and Chris let go of cria who ran off a little way then turned and looked at me as if to say 'that'll teach you not to stand there'. She's right of course, will be more careful next time.
Honestly animals are so ungrateful - why do we do it?

Well thats me thoroughly told by my daughter! (you need to read her comments) She phoned from Oz this morning and told me to read them! Just to put a balanced view on things, I do know she is working hard and doing really well with her assignments etc.too and am very proud of her - must take after her Mother!!
It's Thursday again already, market day so will be trundling off to get the bread, and today I need compost for the tomato plants which finally seem to be growing - a little bit of warm weather yesterday has set everything off.
Sophie arrived late last night on her way to visit her friend who has just given birth to a little girl. It was a flying visit as she left lunch time today to get there for visiting time, but lovely to see her. Her dog thought he was dreaming and kept licking her, probably to see if she was real. I kept him in the garden all afternoon so he got so tired and would sleep, so he probably did think he had been dreaming.
The cria kit arrived, which is a little bag full of vital things we may need when the alpacas give birth, interesting, and a little scary, sooooo hope we do not need to use all of it. I have been wondering what it's called when they give birth, you know like calving, lambing etc and yesterday I heard that some people refer to it as 'criating' which sounds like 'creating' I think that is perfick, so thats what we will say.
Have ordered the pour on stuff for girls to keep off the flys etc. which is essential, and more so if it gets hot and they have not been sheared. Still no luck getting a shearer before July so we will be rigging up hose pipes to keep the girls cool if it gets too hot.
Spent 4 hours digging out thistles during the afternoon and have got the blisters to show for it , but quite satisfying in a strange sort of way.
Chris spotted 3 egrets in the farthest field, which we were both surprised about as thought they only inhabited coastal areas. Also saw a sparrowhawk being chased off by a blackbird, a magpie then chased it out of the trees where it had gone to hide, forcing it to fly into rook territory which meant it got chased by them too. Poor thing it had only been sitting in the field having a rest, not even flying about!

Daughters and bees

Why do I not take advice, just read my daughters blog, which she advised against, and thought how proud I am of her! The capacity for drinking and eating at such a young age must be from her father!!!! You see this is the down side of the internet etc. in the days before parents did not know what their children were up to and could imagine they were having fun but in a sensible and tasteful way, but now it it there for all to see and worry about!
No wonder children think their parents lives are boring there is no record of what they got up to when they were that age - thank god. (boring - been there done that)
Anyway back to life in the countryside, much more suitable. Alpacas are growing, outwards mainly and I have still not found a shearer yet, really want to get them sheared before the babies arrive it will be so much easier to see what is going on etc. Will be on the phone again today chasing people.
The fields are starting to look very full, but unfortunately a couple of them are full of thistles - not sure what to do about them, everything I read says dig them out, but there are hundreds of them, perhaps we should get a goat? may well have to try eventually. The top field which is very uneven with loads of nettles may be the ideal spot for the wild flowers as we have been told it looks as though it has not been improved so will check when get visit from neccessary experts.
Yesterday morning a cloud desended outside the patio windows, very localised weather and dogs all came in rather quickly. On taking a second look I realised the air above the patio area was full of bees, absolutel hundreds of them. Rushed around to close all windows and doors so they did not choose the house to nest in, and made sure all dogs were inside. After a few minutes they were gone - hopefully moved on and not nesting somewhere too close, to be discovered later!

Farmers market Day

Off to farmers market in a mo. hopefully the bread man will have my cheese which he forgot last week and I was really looking forward to a little bit of Colston Basset.
I am really crss with myself this week as I have forotten to book the shearer and now it is getting rather close to the alpacas due dates to be putting them through any kind of stress, so have been on the phone trying to find someone we like and who can fit it in to the next couple of weeks. so stupid. also we are starting to act like expectant parents watching the girls every five minutes to check they are OK they think we have gone mad. I need to give them thier injections soon too so that's a job for next week, if I have got my dates right.
The web site is starting to get going now - I do not know what I have been doing for the past 3 months. I hope we will have it up and running for June, ready for when the babies arrive.
Talking of babies the moorhen babies are huge and eating all the bird food from the patio - they look like they have clown comedy feet when they strut around, I am sure they will trip over them.
The fruit trees are all in blossom now and wondering what they all are, know the plums, because we were told! and they all smell fabulous. The veg on the other hand is not doing so well as it has been so cold - another frost this morning, only beans seem to be surviving - better find recipes for bean chutney! The tomatoes which sould have been hardening off have been brought back in as they look not hard at all. Better luck with next lot. On the positive side the potatoes have eventually started to grow so we may have something to eat later in the year, the rabbist are certainly eating well.
The only thing that is growing is the grass so that got it's first cut yesterday along with the paddock, which looks loads better and can now actually be used for the girls to come into when they are due - so we have them near.
Two of our little bithches are on heat so been to vets to get a bitch spray which hope will stop smell and stop the dogs going mad and pestering them too much. Poor things.
Well joy of joy the sofas arrive today so may actually be able to sit comfortably tonight -I am stillconcerned about what they will look, as totally forgotten what we ordered. Also we have light! We can now see what we are eating when it gets dark as had lights fitted over the table in sun room - it is great, of course it means we have to eat really late now so we can use them!
Well must go now as got to get to market and be back in case the sofas arrive early - so excited! How sad are we?

Under a Harvest Moon Association

the aim of the association is as follows;

To promote and advance education in sustainable and ethical living practices within local communities, thereby enhancing the health of our communities, ourselves and our world.

If anyone is interested in helping us achieve this just leave a comment and contact so I can send you further information and if you want to join the association it is only £10 per year, to get us going, so just let me know.

Cats and keyboards

I could blame the cat for all my typing errrs as he does have a habit of walking over the keyboard while I am trying to type, but that would be rather unfair - I am just rubbish. I really should read everything before I post it, not ages afterward, as I have done now, to find the spelling mistakes along with the terrible sentences! Sorry to anyone who reads it.
Again I have neglected this spot, as I seem to have been really distracted over the past week or so. As my school report said ' must try harder'. The moorhen chicks aare growiong fast and getting very bold coming right up to the patio to get food, although the adults give them a real telling off if they stray too far from cover. Inky and the rest of the girls are enjoying the warmer weather and are rolling in the dust baths and charging around the field like race horses. I never knew they could run so fast. They have been joined in the barn by a pheasant and his wfe, not Sir Percival, who seem to be making their home there, so maybe we need to watch out for eggs next time the barn is cleared.
I have tried planting out more squashes as the last lot did not seem to like the cold, must get a greenhouse for next year, The mang tout peas seem to be holding their own if not growing very fast yet, the runner beans look good and yesterday sowed leek and cattot seeds. Not sure how they will survive the dogs jumping all over the beds. also planted the tomatoes seedlings into bigger posts and have started to put them outside in the daytime.to 'harden off' - get me.
The association I mentioned last time to help other people has developed into helping communities to help themselves become more sustainable and community minded and it is gaining more and more support. The idea is to help communities as well as individuals get the support and personal advice to help them set up village allotments, garden plots to help the wildlife, and row veg. We want to raise money to pay for villages to buy tents for horticultural shows, pay for an expert to get people started with community projects and start looking after each other and the environment again. The will is there but alot of the local expertise and knowledge has been lost. Villages have lost their schools, who used to organise the village fete, s nothing happens to bring neighbours together. Communities are detached from their surroundings, maybe we could pay for a village policman, support the village shop to stay open and provide the service for the community and encourage swop shops of ideas and produce. The rekindling of communities will hlep the environment whithout even noticing.
Getting on my soap box, but I feel it is important and I am sure many more people will understand what we mean so I will post the aims of the charity (pending) and if anyone wants to rebuild our communities and help the environment please join us.
I will go now mainly because if I do not feed the cat he will sit on my keyboard and break more keys!