Water, Water every where !...

Minstrel.... she has a 'spit' personality !!

Zienna and Zeto on the move.. now 6 weeks old.

Zullulah is now 5 weeks old.

After the torrential rain fall over the past couple of days, every where you look you can see little rivers.....appearing where there once was none !

Our drive has spouted two new water holes !!... but today we managed to find the culprit, to the new water feature on the drive....its a run off hole that has been flooded due to the excess water up in the ditch which runs down one of the fields.. this has been blocked in and thankfully it has started to dry up.

I had to laugh to myself the other day at Zullulah, when she was turned out with the others as they run across the track, usually with no problem. However on Tuesday we had so much rain there was a river running across the pathway. Zullulah decided to sit in it !!...as the others ran by, she then decide that it was a good idea to have a roll in it.

So much for a morning shower....she seemed to like it and continued until she realised that all the others had passed her and were in the field, she then got up and joined the others...needless to say dripping wet !

These little ones are funny. Quite innocent and every new experience is an adventure. Zullulah has a fascination with the water at the moment, until the land dries up.

Incidentally, my dry season has also ceased. I have been showered by Minstrel lately. She took great pleasure in giving me a ' sorting out' the other night. I was subject to the biggest and most violent onslaught that she could muster !!! .... I made the mistake of touching her baby ! When she had finished, I was definitely a disgusting shade of GREEN ..... and stinking to suit !..... she was threatened with being SOLD !!!... I was not happy...... she even managed to upset Zienna who sulked along with Zullulah. The other girls we standing watching with disgust, they could not understand what all the fuss was about.

I must admit, I felt the same way..... I retired into the house, after having a word !....in her ear !!

Sadly it looks like the 'spitter' is back.... I've lost my little alpaca friend.... I think she suffers from a 'spit personality' ....or maybe it was just an off day !!..... we all have them.

Some more often than others.

Oh....what a night !!

The calm, before the storm...

Moo Coo's....on the hill

Resting, before the torrential weather...

Oh........what a night....we have been battered by gales, torrential rain and flooding......plus to round it all off a power cut !!...

Just to round off a horrendous night....our little track which leads up to the farm has been subject to flooding, which has washed the track away just by the bridge which crosses the burn.

However our neighbours are in the process of repairing it, they have dropped a load of rock near to the bridge, where there once was land !! I went down this evening to have a look at the burn and you could clearly see how far up the water had risen..

The land is saturated and there is evidence of flooding every where you look. Its had to believe that the land will dry out. Our local areas of Banff, Turriff have once again been flooded as the rivers have burst their banks, we are forecast more rain over the next 24 hours.

Thankfully I had all the alpacas tucked up safe and sound... the cows even came down off the hill, sure sign of bad weather !

Today, the wind has dropped and we have just had a scattering of light showers. So the animals have had a little time to dry out.

I hope that its not too bad for the rest of the week.. just the time when you could do with your wellies NOT having a hole in them !!!! ...........unfortunately. I will need to get some new ones.

Another Beautiful Day.....and Alpacas

Zeto...out today enjoying the sun..

She's a sweetie....little Zienna !

Treble trouble.....Zeto, Zullulah and Zienna. This years babies.

If you gotta an itch, you gotta scratch it !!. Tremona posing as usual. Ou la la !!

And...... we're off !! .......... some where !

What another glorious day, the weather is smiling on us and the sun is shining on us !up here in Scotland.

So needless to say, the babies were once again enjoying the weather, no coats required.....all the animals were out enjoying this beautiful weather. So I decided to take a couple of pictures of the alpacas....well who can resist the temptation...not me !!

I know that this weather won't last so you just have to enjoy it while you can.

Tonight, I had a lovely treat, the new girls Trienza (Dark Fawn) and Tremona (Light Fawn) are partial to a 'Polo' mint. When I purchased them, It was mentioned that they both appreciated a Polo !....now, Trienza is much more confident, she will take it out out your hand if you hold the mint between your thumb and fore finger. Tremona is more reluctant and a little more hessitant, however tonight I thought that I'd try her to see if she would pluck up the courage to take it from me, normally you have to drop it, just in front of her and she will pick it up off the floor.

Not tonight !!!!!..... I held the Polo out to her and she plucked up the courage to take it from me......it was lovely, what a treat for both of us...she is getting more confident around me... I have had these girls for four months.... How time flies !

They have settled into their new home very well, I think..

A lovely Sunny Day.... & .....Zeto is bursting out !

Trienza, Tremona in high spirits with baby Zullulah !

Baby Zeto...

Zienna, Zullulah and Minstrel enjoy the lovely sunny day.

Zienna and Zeto ....playing !

Today was a lovely sunny day, apparently this time last year it was bitterly cold with snow ! The weather men reminded us today on the local T.V. forecast.

It was so nice that the babies were out without coats, when I went down to see them this morning, baby Zeto was without his coat, he had literally burst out of it. I think that he has out grown it, the velcro and straps were on their biggest...no more adjustment !! He is now nearly 6 weeks old (Thursday) so I think that he will be without his bedtime coat. I will still be putting the turn-out coats on the babies. There is quite a bit of adjustment on these, so they should last for a while. It just helps to keep the rain off, especially at this time of year, when the weather is not so good.

All the babies are growing fast, I shall be weighing them this week just to keep an eye on their progress.

However, going off their coats, you can clearly see that all three are getting bigger !! Especially if you take a look at what they looked like when they were born. The coats looked massive....... now the bed time coats are getting a bit tight !!

Routine Health Care and Vaccinations

Zaninni, (left).....Zerquo and Zanubis, expolring their new field.

Some of the girls, with the babies. Zakhura is watching the boys !!

This weekend as the alpacas have been coming in over night due to the miserable weather, I thought that I'd take advantage of this and do the rest of my Lambivac injections for the boys. The girls were vaccinated in September, so that they would be covered for passive transfer for their crias. I usually inject before this, but I thought that this year I would bring my vaccinations in line with the one month before due date, which means that I do not have to vaccinated the cria within the first couple of days of arrival.

I have also been doing the Fasinex oral drench, which is used deal with Liver Fluke.... there has been quite alot of debate regarding this, whether to treat for Liver Fluke or not. But I think that it is best to protect the alpacas against any risk of this disease. Especially if you have wet pasture, as the summers have not been really dry or even long to mention. We have a couple of wet areas on the farm where reeds grow, so I think that its best to caution on the safer side than the sorry one !! I shall be repeating this drench until spring, which will deal with the main target times of the fluke. So fingers crossed we should be all up to date with the routine injections and other treatments for the onset of the winter months.

Zeuss's leg continues to improve, but it is not completely healed by any stretch of the imagination. He is still on antibiotics and liquid Devils Claw. We are also still using Teramycin spray, for any risk of outside infection. It doesn't seem to be bothering him at all, he is running around and behaving normally he has a good appetite and appears to be unaffected by it. The swelling is coming down and there is no more heat in his leg, which is good. So I think that it will just take time to heal. Its a pity that I don't know exactly what happened, but I suppose that's just typical.

The babies are all doing fine, they have all been out today for a run around, I think that the girls have been mud bathing, as when they came in for bed-time you would think that someone had been mud wrestling with them.... they were covered from top to toe in mud !!

Zienna is one month old today, little Zullulah is just three weeks old gone Friday and baby Zeto is five weeks old as of Thursday. Its hard to believe that these little ones have been here for over a month now, all are growing well and we will be having a little weigh in this week. Just to keep an eye on their progress.

Winter is round the corner, the leaves are rapidly disappearing off the trees and now that the clocks have 'gone back' the dark winter nights are creeping in. Time to get that spinning wheel out and the knitting needles !!.. I think.

New Hat and Scarf .... is finished !

Latest creation....

Hand spun, hand knitted, 'Flower Beanie' ....Hat and matching scarf.

When I took the photo's I had two garden helpers....it was raining at the time and Diesel thought that he would take some shelter under the bush in the garden !!

The usual model ....

This is my latest creation.

I have been spinning some of Tremona's ( Light Fawn) fleece combined with Zeuss (White). Its a real pleasure to be able to create something quite unique from the animals that you own. I get a real sense of pleasure and satisfaction, being able to make use and enjoy the whole process from start to finish.

I have made this without any pattern, I have just created it as I went along, with a few ideas...that I thought I would experiment with.

I have made a couple of 'Beret' style hats, so I thought that I would make a 'Beanie' style for a change. With a matching scarf for those cold wintry days.

I think that the finished hat and scarf set looks very nice, this is the first time that I have blended lighter colours together. I do like to make individual items, I try not to make the same thing twice. I think that its nice to have something unique.

I had a couple of little garden helpers... do you ever get the feeling you're being watched !

Now you see us....now you don't !!

Zeuss's leg continues to improve.

Yipee....new field

Last one to the gate is a sissy !!

Just thought that I'd show you all that Zienna has got the idea....after her slow start.

Its Friday today, the weather is not much better, however I decided to move the boys into their new field. They have been in this field before so they know the run.

I decide to move them because they have run out of grass in their little paddock. I had to separate the boys this summer, if you remember Zaninni got a rather nasty injury. I think that it was one of the older boys who was responsible. Also I had to introduce Zanubis, so I decided to do the two jobs at once. As Zaninni was recovering from his ordeal.

However this little paddock is only usually used for weaning and its only about half an acre at the most, so it hasn't done bad.

All the alpacas are out today although it is still quite miserable. I thought that I'd take the camera out and take a few pictures.

I have also been finishing off the hat and scarf that I have been busy knitting, I designed it all by myself, without the hint of a pattern !!....so I think that its turned out quite nicely.

Just what you need for these damp Autumn days. To keep you nice and snug !