Sunday 6 December 2009

Hold onto your Dreams and stay True to your Heart !


In times of sadness, I have a saying so....here goes...'.Hold onto your Dreams and stay True to your Heart', and you won't go far wrong in your life.


So at this particular time.....that's what I'm doing. Holding on with all my heart !


What goes round comes round... I'm waiting for those sunny days to re-appear, somewhere over this gloomy horizon.


There will be a brighter day in the future... and I will be waiting for it....with all my heart.


Sunday 29 November 2009

Sleet, Snow and a Bitterly Cold Wind ....

Girls grazing a sunny winters day !
Norris..... not so little now

Little Norris....with the younger boys this summer.


Zeto .... is growing up quickly.



Its definitely winter with a heading like that...its been freezing up here in Aberdeenshire...

Needless to say the alpacas were out and about, the babies did have their coats on today as it was a bitterly cold north wind....so the saying goes...'when the north wind doth blow we shall have snow'. I thought to myself this morning when I turned the alpacas out that it felt like it would snow. Just about 11.30am it did just that, we were blighted with a sleet blizzard for only a couple of minutes but never the less, its the first of the year.

I moved the younger boys back into their small paddock, as I had been resting it for a few weeks to let the grass recover. I decided to reintroduce Norris to the boys...they have meet before when he was a little lamb...he lived next to them. Zaninni would spend hours looking at him on the other side of the divide. Norris is a pet lamb, not so small now, he is quite funny. When he was introduced with the boys he spend his time chasing them....the alpacas were watching with amusement !....Norris was stotting around the boys and was really enjoying himself....it was really funny to watch. There was a nose sniff from Zaninni and Zanubis just to check out who it was. After a little while they all decided to get down to a bit of grazing.

So for now Norris has his friends back.... instead of looking at each other through the fence !

Tuesday 24 November 2009

Do you ever get the feeling your being Followed !!

How nosey .....Trienza
and Zakhura....with little Zienna...

Zeto and Zienna.....


Little Zullulah





Small, meduim and large ! with Trienza, boys in the back ground


Sorry for the lack of posts lately.... I know what its like to keep looking at the other blogs and there's no news ! ~ sad.

I've been a little busy, doing odd jobs !....although the weather has been pretty bad, every where has turned into mud !.... I have managed to patch my wellies with a couple of bicycle tyre patches.....!!!.... I'm too tight to buy some new ones, any way I'm quite attached to them, we have been together for 8 years...my wellies and me !! and if I can fix them.....why not .

I do like a bit of recycling !!

Anyway, back to alpacas as it was a dry day. I decided to take the camera out for a little photo shoot.....you know when you get that...its behind you feeling...well that's just what I got when I went for a walk amongst the girls. The babies are 8 weeks old now, except for Zullulah who is a week younger.

I can't believe just how chunky Zeto looks... compared to the little girls. He is thriving and is a typical boy. The little girls are also doing well. Zienna is very fine compared to Zullulah who is a chunky little girl. Zullulah still likes to have a sit down on the track most mornings especially when it has rained, she gets soaked but seams to like it.

I thought that I'd just share a couple of photos of the alpacas, enjoying a dry day.

Friday 13 November 2009

Toenails and Tantrums....!!

Zaninni....
Slinky...she's an excellent farm cat ! She was rescued by the Cats Protection League, she was completely wild when she arrived, but is very friendly now !


On Thursday, I thought that I'd trim Zaninni's toenails as they were long and needed attention.

So, this was the start of the mission......Zaninni does not like his toenails trimmed and he fights light a mad dog.... I tied him up with the halter and the quest began, he is friendly and we managed to do all the touching work down the legs and onto the feet and so on. But no matter how I tried he still resisted, he behaves like he is under attack from another alpaca, as you know the boys do tend to grab the legs of the others.

So there was no other way, a bit of brute force, once I had managed to get hold of his leg and keep hold of it, that's the secret. At the end of it I had a sweat on and its not easy, but i managed to do the fronts. We still have the back ones to do, he has a kick like a horse.

But, where there's a will there's a way....I will managed somehow, with a bit of ingenious know how and a bit of wrestling no doubt. I'm going to devise an invention or something...I feel an idea coming on.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Weight in time....baby update !

Zienna ...a couple of weeks ago... she is doing well.
Zeto....left, Zullulah...front and Zienna...in the background.

Zeto is a very forward little chap ! and nosey ...


Today I managed to weight the babies.. just as a little indication how they are doing.

Firstly, there was Zeto ....he's a big chunky fella and full of mischief !... he weighed in at 14.5kgs, at just over 6 weeks old. His birth weight was 5.75kgs so he is thriving, he just helps himself and Dusty is a brilliant mother.

Second, is Zienna. She was a very slow starter and we did have a very difficult time with her, failing to feed or even bond with her mum when she was born. Now its a different story. Zienna and Minstrel are behaving as they should and she is also doing well. Zienna weighed in at 10kgs at just over 6 weeks.

Thirdly, Zullulah....she is a real quiet little baby, in fact Marquette would forget she had her if it was left to her ! So Grandma has stepped into the limelight and keeps a very close eye on her, if you didn't know it, you would actually think that Zullulah was Dusty's baby ! Zullulah is a week behind the others and is just over 5 weeks old, she weighed in at 8kgs.

All the babies are doing well and have gained at a steady rate, so this is the update on the Zanzibah bunch. I shall be weighing them again in December, all being well.

Thursday 5 November 2009

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.

Monday 2 November 2009

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.

Thursday 29 October 2009

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..

Wednesday 28 October 2009

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 !!

Sunday 25 October 2009

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.

Friday 23 October 2009

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 !

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Raining.....cats and dogs !!...not alpacas.....


I thought that today I would move the younger boys into the 10 acre field !....well the weather has put a stop to that !

It is totally miserable here today, so needless to say I have not moved the boys at all. All the alpacas are having a day in. So although they thought that they wanted to go out, I think with the babies, even today with coats on its not a good idea.

I am also having a day at home !....sitting in front of the fire, although I must say, the dogs are in the top spot....curled up in front of the fire... I will probably end up doing a bit of knitting. Even the cat is refusing to venture out today...he's battened down the hatches also, refusing to get wet.

At this rate the leaves will be off the trees, autumn is here....winter is just round the corner, time to get those alpaca woollies out !


Friday 16 October 2009

Three Little Ducks !!

Trienza....keeps the babies company.
Are we glued together !...



Yesterday was a much colder day than the previous one. Needless to say the babies were snug wearing their coats, we even had a little shower of rain at one point.

They say, two's company, three's a crowd. That didn't seem to bother the babies !.. they all decided to lie down right next to each other. Its lovely just to see them interacting together.

They grow so quickly, it won't be long before baby Zeto is too big for his bed-time coat !

Zeuss's leg is slightly improved. The swelling has reduced and there is not as much heat in his leg. He is still on antibiotics and pain relief. We are still bathing it to try and remove the infection. This will take some time, as it has been very nasty. I hope that he will make a full recovery in time.

Wednesday 14 October 2009

A little bit of Friendship, goes along way !

We are having an Alpaca Moment !!....
Baby Zienna.....without her coat ..

Zullulah and Zienna....


My gal !.....she's a real sweetie at the moment....



A little bit of Alpaca love ... you just can't beat it....


Some regular readers will know the name of my resident spitter !....now how things change.


She is known far and wide, but I have to tell you all, she is an absolute delight at the moment. The reason being is she is not pregnant, the exact same thing happened last year after she had her baby. I have been waiting for the change, to see if the same thing happened and it has.

We have been sharing 'alpaca moments' recently. So I thought that I'd take my camera out and try to record the moment. Its a bit difficult when you are trying to do everything at once, but I managed in a fashion. We had a lovely moment in the field today. If you go over to see her and stand long enough, she will come over to you and sit at your feet. You then are invited to have a cuddle !..so we did. Minstrel will sit there happily for as long as you do, its really quite sweet. Little Zienna even came over to see what we were doing.

It was such a lovely warm day today, the babies were out and about without their coats on !

On a slightly different note, Zeuss's bad leg has ruptured into a nasty abscess, I can only guess that he has injured it last week when I opened the gate for a little extra grazing. Sadly the younger ones spent more time charging around at the gate greeting the older boys. We are treating it with anit-biotics, homeopathy and dressing it at the moment. These abscesses can be really nasty, his leg is very swollen, however the heat has calmed down a little and I have managed to drain some of the infection out, no doubt I will be repeating this until things improve. He is also on some pain relief. So I hope that he is a bit more comfortable than a couple of days ago. He is walking around normally, and eating, but I shall be keeping a very close eye on him.

Monday 12 October 2009

Trienza, Tremona and Zakhura....spot the Pussy Cat !

The beautiful.... Tremona

The young girls.....
The girls....spot the pussy cat !..... can you ?


As you know alpacas are very curious creatures, there is a certain fascination they share with the resident pussy cats !!...

They often spot the cats a mile away, here is Slinky sharing a moment with Trienza, Tremona and Zakhura, all these girls are just over a year old....they have formed a little girl group....safety in numbers !

Who is watching who ! ... can you see Zakhura !!