Thursday 17 December 2009

Christmas is a coming.

Sorry for the lack of blogging over the last few days, the day job once again is interfering with my alpaca farming. Mind you there isn't a huge amount to do at the moment.
We have upped the girls feed, adding micronised peas and oats to their alfalfa pellets and one of us is usually here to get them up and check them over visually whilst they munch.
Actually there is no 'getting them up' really. No matter where they are they hear the feed bin opening and the bucket being filled and the next thing is when you turn round, they are all there.

We are pretty much set up now for Christmas, I can't wait to see Angus's little face on Christmas morning (not too early I hope). For me it is the moment of Christmas. I finish work at 2am on Christmas morning for a whole ten days off..............and lo there was much rejoicing in the land of Patou!
Anyway this is an alpaca blog so I must report that the alpacas are getting Christmas presents this year. Big expensive ones.
We have taken the plunge and ordered a large field shelter, 24' x 12', which will go into the main paddock for the girls to use, or not, as will probably be the case. It will be very handy for us as it has three gates on it enabling us to turn it into two separate shelters. It is arriving after Christmas and will be tucked away in the corner of the field up against a big barn so it should be a nice sheltered shelter, if you get my meaning.
We have also ordered a new trailer to replace our 29 year old horsebox. It will arrive in early January and I can't wait to get working on the livery. It will of course be a mighty trailer, for mighty tasks. Although, with the current situation it may lie dormant for a while. Still it's nice, big and shiny and ours and I shall admire it from every angle. I just love new stuff.
The Christmas tree went up this week and with that one of the kittens went up. Up the tree that is. Sebastian comes in every evening and climbs up the tree. He seems to have made the third level (for it is not a real Christmas tree folks but an artificial one, with levels) his base camp. From there he can flick baubels and other sparkly, dangly things until they fall off. Belle, the other destroyer, doesn't climb the tree. No, she attacks it from the outside at the bottom. Together they flick and pat and grab and remove stuff for hours. Oh what fun we have picking it all up and replacing it. Still, it is the season to be jolly. I do a good 'jolly' actually. Not as good as my 'grumpy' or my 'rage' but still good.

Here is the little darling having fun. Oh yes and he weed in my log basket last week. Isn't that nice.

5 comments:

Debbie, Barnacre Alpacas said...

Bless him, how sweet does he look! My two cats are far too old for such carry ons, it that's all their effort to get off the bed in a morning!

Henny14 said...

Do they climb up the real Christmas tree, or their own?
That trailer is just like ours!
The shelter looks nice, We've got our tree up too, and it's 6ft tall.
How big is yours?

Apple Vale Alpacas said...

Cats named on a musical theme - nice one. Our girls didn't use the shelter at all last winter, except for feeding, until it snowed - they would sit out through endless rain - this year, since they were shorn in July, they run for the shelter as soon as it starts raining - at first I thought it was the shearing, but then I thought it was to protect the cria - now I think it must be the playing cards.

Patou Alpacas said...

Hi Sorcha, thanks for reading, the tree is about 6ft tall but it isn't a real one, although it does look like a real one!
Hope you all have a great Christmas!

Love the cards idea Dave, I have confiscated a couple of packs in the last herd shakedown!

Henny14 said...

Ok
but how do the cats go up it?