My vision

Hello folks, sorry for the lack of blogging over the past few days.

Once again I am laying the blame on the day job. Jeepers Creepers it gets in the way!

Today I was in a meeting all day discussing stuff and as I was not required by law to be an active participant I kind of glazed over, looked out the window (well stared at the blinds where the window was, actually) and started thinking about alpacas. In particular I was thinking about my vision for the future of the mighty Patou.

My mate and mentor, his horribleness..........I mean honourableness Timbo of Inca has been a great source of alpaca knowledge to us over the past three years or so and I listen to every word he says, well perhaps not every word, he is Australian after all. Suffice it to say that I listen to most of what he says for he is a wise man, a very wise man.

However, I remember in particular, whilst metaphorically sitting at the masters feet, listening to his vision for the future of the Inca herd. It was all very interesting and I have been thinking about his vision for a while. I thought it was about time I put my vision for the future for the mighty Patou out there for all to see.

I see a herd of black, brown and fawn alpacas. The colours, for me are easy but the look of the alpacas themselves took a little more thought. A lot of thought actually but I have now settled on the 'look' I would like our herd to have. The 'look' of the herd is based on five alpacas.
First up is the magnificent Poppy who has won three rosettes for us. She is the most gorgeous brown girl with a black face. She is, in my opinion a beautiful alpaca. Her sire is the legend that is ATA Cambridge Centurion, her mother is our spit fountain Bobby, a Mateus girl.

Second up is Amelie, daughter of our beloved Lily (Shafts Dream) and another Centurion daughter. 'Millie' is so neat and compact and has the most beautiful coloured fleece. She took two rosettes for us this year and we really are looking forward to seeing her progeny when it comes.
Thirdly I just love the look of our fawn girl Patou Fifi. Fifi is the friendliest alpaca in the herd and is quite content to stand there eating whilst you rummage through her soft dense fleece. She has the most amazing coverage and is a serial 'nose nuzzler'. Fifi is a Wiracocha's Dream girl and we also own her mother Dee who is a real favourite.

Lastly to the two boys who I really love to look at. Two herdsires that will hopefully play a big part in shaping the look of the Patou herd. Our own Cambridge Columbus, a superb looking animal with conformation that I can't fault. A beautiful head, a heavy frame and great balance, he is a cracker.

And last but by no means least, the big boy himself, Lillyfield Jack of Spades of Inca. Jack is the only animal of the five not owned by us. He is owned by Tim hey at Inca Alpaca but we are so impressed with him that he will figure largely in our breeding programme over the next couple of years. An absolutely magnificent looking animal. Big, strong, proud and just great to look at from any angle.

So there you have it, my vision of how I would like the mighty Patou herd to look.

And before you all start, NO COPYING!.