Sunday 16 January 2011

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I can't believe its 5 days since my last post and about three days since I sat down in front of the computer (not counting the odd look at the Blackberry which doesn't really count because if I haven't got my glasses with me my eyes bleed with the strain of trying to focus!).
The day job is to blame, as usual. Friday and Saturday's ten hour day shifts meant leaving for work in the dark and returning home in the dark, very, very annoying.

Whilst I wasn't here Sue was keeping an eye on things and after the gale force winds over the weekend she reports that poor old Clump's shelter is now only about three feet high instead of about seven feet high. The Patou Alpacas show tent has well and truly bitten the dust despite literally yards and yards of baling twine coming off it in every direction. Like me and a pair of tights, it just didn't have the legs for it. It is, I'm afraid, skip bound.

Apart from that the mud is still ever present, the alpacas are munching through the (very expensive) hay at a rate of knots and the dogs are doing their level best to poop scoop the alpaca field (doesn't improve their breath one bit!).

Halter training is looming just around the corner and I am really looking forward to it. In fact I can't wait. I know it can be a bit of a struggle with some cria but it is always enjoyable.
The one I am looking forward to halter training this year is Ruby May. She was the first cria of the year born way back in May (on Sue's birthday).
She is the biggest, chunkiest cria we have ever had (in fact she is the spitting image of her father) and she is the latest in a line of really troublesome, hair trigger spit monsters. Her mother, Bobby has produced the stressiest alpacas we have ever had in Poppy and Penny (both successful in the show ring I might add) but I get the feeling that Ruby is more like her Dad, the supercool Jack of Spades. Let's hope so anyway!

One more day shift and then I'm in to evenings (mornings free for alpaca stuff and chores) and then days off.

Life as usual is grand down here in Patouland!

3 comments:

Rosemary said...

Looking forward to seeing a photo of you in action, halter training Ruby! Hope you haven't got as much mud as us - I've been on my bottom so many times today already!

Zanzibah Alpacas said...

Hope the halter training goes to plan.....and the conditions are favourable !! The plan I find that works is...either...hold on or drag it !!.....there is no happy medium !!...not up here anyway......Good Luck...look forward to the photos...!!.....Jayne

Lampwick Sidley said...

Oh dear I'm not enjoying my thought of your dogs going around your farm eating up shits, in fact I just ate a few Ryvita with honey, banana, sausage and some left over chutney and thinking of you kissing the dogs on their lip has made me feel some tummy queasiness. Can you get such a product as a dog mint? You may fear a joke there but maybe it could be a serious idea? Anyway maybe some more photo's soon? I would very much like to see your dirty brown mud!