Tuesday 4 December 2012

Some of the White Stuff !

 
 
Zoretah out in the snow a couple of days ago !  Winter is upon us here ... we are all keeping warm, the snow makes a pleasant change from the mud !!

 
I have been having problems with my computer trying to upload some photos for the blog.  This has take me hours to get these on.

 
We have a couple of inches of snow here at the moment ......there is always one who spoils the photo !  Norka is 'piggy in the middle' at least he managed a smile for the camera !!

 
I spent Sunday afternoon moving haylage up for the cows, incase of bad weather.  Just in time by the looks of things. 

 
I have managed to take these photos on my phone, the other day when I was out for a walk.  I shall try and get some more photos of the others another day.  We are ticking along here, just taking each day as it comes. The girls and babies enjoying their afternoon out.
 

Monday 19 November 2012

Lady Zanzibah Winter Collection !

 

As winter is nearly here, I guess its a good time to launch my range of designer handcrafted knitware. This is a small selection from my exclusive range using only the finest alpaca fleeces from my herd.  I have especially selected a choice of natural colours from my herd to compliment the styles that are all unique to 'The Lady Zanzibah' range, which make up this winter collection for 2012.
   
 
As I have designed the styles personally, you won't find any thing like it.  This makes our range very unique.  I only make a limited quantity of my garments each year.  Every one is different being totally hand crafted from start to finish.  My yarns have been processed by The Border Mill, creating a beautiful blend of colours all processed in Aran weight.

 
As we like to be different, I decided to knit two colours together.  This produces a double thickness effect which is sure to keep you nice and snug on those winter days.  I have designed a 'flower scarf' which allows the wearer pass the scarf through the flower in the middle of the scarf, creating a slightly different way of wearing a scarf !

 
It is always nice to see an end product.  I get great pleasure keeping my herd of alpacas, it has taken some years to establish my multi-coloured award winning herd.  I always had a vision, like most of us who set out on this path !!  My vision was to breed coloured alpacas that we are proud of.  Also to use this most wonderful fibre that these beautiful animals offer to us. 
 
My dream was to create my own knitware brand that would stand out from the mass produced man made items that we all take for granted, to make something with pride that will be admired and hopefully worn with that comfort in mind.  With the knowledge that you are wearing something very special.  That has been lovingly cared for and hand crafted from start to finish. We already have several satisfied customers, wearing our brand.
 
 
This is our aim ..... with The Lady Zanzibah Knitware Selection.
 
I think its fair to say .... my dreams are coming to fruition !!
 
 

Friday 16 November 2012

Gone Truckin ..... I wish !!!!!!!

 
Have I been missed ! ... Ive been considering changing my profession !!

 
Some people might know that I grew up around HGV's my Dad had his own haulage business and I always wanted to be a driver !  But he didn't want to encourage me .. I think he thought he might never get retired if he had !  So I took a slightly different path, however that desire has always burned brightly. 
 

 
I had a great surprise on Wednesday ... when we were greeted by this coming up my little track to the farm.  I usually make sure that big wagons don't venture up to the farm, but this was a visit with a difference.  All those years ago, my dad used to take Kingsly with him driving and Kingsly grew up around wagons and he did indeed became a HGV driver !  He now drives all over the country delivering huge cranes to building sites.  This is what hauls them to their destination, what a gorgeous wagon and it must be great to be behind the wheel tramping down the motorways with this bit of kit ! 

 
There was a crane to be delivered to Dyce and one to collect to take back to the North East.... so I got a massive surprise to see this on a farm visit.  I have made some arrangements, if there is ever a need for a spare driver.... I'm first in the queue. 

 
I did manage a little drive !  I couldn't resist having a go ... its a bit of a tight squeeze up here but we managed ..... I'm now reconsidering my future .. farming or trucking .... that is the question !!
 
It was a lovely surprise to see my visitors ... but I'm just a bit envious .... I could see me trading the overall for a truck !
 
On the farm side of things, we are still doing battle with Zirrianna and her skin problems, we are not exactly winning that war just yet. I've had a few other issues which are still on going regarding Zonda, she has been quite poorly lately. 
 
So this was a nice surprise visit. 

Friday 26 October 2012

Winter has arrived !

 
 
Winter has arrived ... this is the view from the barn this morning, we are being battered by hail and snow showers.  The wind is a cold northerly one and its times like this when you are thankful for the barns and all the hard work in the summer in readiness for the winter.

 
This was a sunnier day last week the cat decided to follow me on my evening walk with the dogs.  He is causing a bit of a stir with the girls and babies.  The babies are all well and growing up fast.  It won;t be that long until weaning time comes round.  I have been busy catching up on some toe nail trimming last week.  The next job on the list is the routine worming which I hope to be doing shortly.

 
The Mud Monsters !!  Niggy, Noggy and Norka now have a purpose fenced paddock all to their selves... this is their space and they can do what ever they want to do with it .... which means rutting !!  making lots of muddy holes !! Having a great piggy time.  I am pleased to have this job done as it means that the piggies are now out and about, enjoying some freedom.  Creating havoc in their own space !
 

 
Haggis and Dougal tucking into their haylage .... I think that most of the jobs have been crossed off the 'to do list' ..... just got to get knitting now.  I have lots of lovely yarn to use.  This is one of the nicer jobs ... sitting knitting infront of a nice cosy fire !! 

 
And finally ..... this is a view of my haylage.  The first bale in the photo is this years haylage.  It has turned out lovely again.  The other bales are of last years hay.  The haylage is working out great.  I can honestly say this was a good move.  I had debated about doing haylage for a couple of years until I decided to give it a go last year. 
 
The alpacas just love it !  The bales smell so sweet and are a lovely golden green colour.  I thinks its the way forward for us here.  I am lucky that I can make my own haylage, as not many people seem to do it.  The alpacas just love it, both the boys and the girls have a big bale each in their barns to help themselves when they come in on an evening.
 
The horses are rationed the haylage as they would just stand and eat it all .... and end up with colic.  I am really pleased with the way it has turned out.  I think its safe to say we all prefer it.  The haylage has more nutrients and is higher in feed value than the hay, it also does not have any dust spores in it.  This makes it a much nicer option that the hay, especially for one of my horses who has a dust allergy. 
 
Apart from that ... it only takes 3 days from start to finish to do ..... and with our weather .. that has to be a good thing !
 
 
  

Monday 15 October 2012

Big Boys .... Birthdays !

This blog is mainly to answer Dave's question, from Apple Vale Alpacas.  Regarding how old the Highland Cows are. 
 
 
Haggis is 16 yrs old ...he was born on the 1st Jan 1996.  I have owned Haggis since he was 3.  He was destined to go where many sadly end up..... however for Haggis I bought him as a pet and that's the way he will stay until the end, the farmer guy who bought the herd had to take him as the people who were selling them would not separate the group.  The saving grace for Haggis was, he was too old to be sent away .... as he had passed the 32 month age limit .... and I came along and fell in love with him .... we have shared plenty of happy and sad times together !

 
Dougal is 10 yrs old, he was born on the 2nd November 2002....  I purchased Dougal to be a companion for Haggis.  I have owned Dougal since he was approx 5 months old. 
 
Both of these boys will stay with me for as long as they are destined to be on this planet.... I have no intentions of parting with them .... even after all this time, I still look at them with admiration. 
 
This place just wouldn't be the same without them, I love to look over the field and see them grazing happily or lying down enjoying their surroundings.
 
When Dougal was sedated on Friday, I had a lovely up close cuddle with him.  I gave him a lovely ear tickle ....and really enjoyed being able to stroke his head and nose.  He is feeling much happier today, keeping a healthy distance between us .... he is happy for me to be approx 4ft away from him, just close enough for him to have his evening bucket.
 
For me they sum up the spirit of Scotland, roaming amongst the mountains....their strength and majesty is really quite unique. 

Saturday 13 October 2012

Back where they should be !

 
 
Today I have moved the cows back into their field.  I kept a very close eye on Dougal all evening, he slept most of the night, he only got up twice in 8 hours to go to the toilet.  Then straight after he went and lay back down. 

 
Both of the cows moved back up into their field this morning, I decided that it was best for them to go out.  It was a lovely day. I think that Haggis stood up for the whole time they were in the barn.  I think he didn't want to lie down in the barn because he is old and sometimes takes a bit of time to stand.

 
However, as soon as they had got into their field, both of them had a good long drink then straight for a lie down.  Here are the cows up at the top of the field.  Haggis was enjoying the rest and Dougal was keeping a safe distance !

 
I am very pleased that this job has been done.  I love my Highland Cows, but you have to respect their strength and size, both boys are a fabulous sight to see.  Even the vet commented on the span of their horns and how impressive they are. 
 
Yesterday during the quest to dart Dougal.  Haggis stuck to him like glue, he stood side by side with him and would not leave him.  After he was darted, the sedation began to work, Dougal went and lie down, Haggis went over to him and put his horns under Dougals to force him back up he virtually lifted Dougal back onto his feet.  This stopped Dougal from going to sleep.  If  I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it.  After that Haggis remained side by side with his pal, as if to protect him ..... animals do have a very close bond, we should never under estimate their affection for eachother.
 
Haggis kept a very close vigil on his friend all night.  He didn't seem to eat much at all.  I think this was because Dougal was sleeping and Haggis wasn't going to eat without his friend. 
 
Tonight both boys are back where they should be .... free to graze and roam in their field as usual.....
 
I am much happier and I know in a couple of days Dougal will feel the benefit !
 
 
 
 

Friday 12 October 2012

Success .... Sleeping like a Baby !!!!

 
 
Yipeeeeeeee .... we have accomplished our task today !
 
Today was 'D' Day .... it was time to try once again to get Dougal's feet trimmed.  The task all started yesterday afternoon, I had to prepare the barn ready for the two Highland Cows to come in for the night.  Some readers will remember that our first attempt failed.... over a year ago.
 

This is Haggis at the front and Dougal at the rear, it was Dougal who needed his feet trimmed.  After preparing the barn with lots of straw, putting bales along the divide between the area where the alpacas come in.  It was a case of waiting for the right time to go and try and get the boys to come in.  We had a lovely day yesterday and the cows were lying down most of the day.  I had to wait until 4pm until Dougal eventually got up.  I was hoping to walk them down the field and onto the track, then lead then in through the wooden barn, where we have exteneded the barn, into the big barn.  The cows moved great better than we had all expected.  The key is to 'ask' then to move enough, without pushing then and stressing them.  Causing them to panic and get stressed.

 
This is the boys waiting for the vet to come this afternoon.  The Medi-Dart worked a treat.  It was my job to go in and dart Dougal, to sedate him enough so that we could get his feet trimmed.  Dougal is a kind cow, however he is flighty and very suspicious of people.  Its hard to believe that when he was a baby, he was halter trained.  The key task was to keep calm and quiet.  We loaded the medicine and this was the moment of truth !

 
I cannot thank Deveron Vets enough.  This is a quick photo opportunity with Douglas & Dougal.  Douglas did a fantastic job and we have successfully managed to get the job done.  We were all worried and pre-occupied last night, knowing what was in store for today. 

 
The photos are not good, but this is the job in progress..... this must be the most stressful pedicure, it has taken ages for us to eventually manage to get Dougal's feet trimmed.  This was the last and probably the most worrying task  for everyone, to be completed

 
Dougal has slept for 4 hours !!  I have spent most of the day and night in the barn keeping a close eye on him.  The recommended dose for an animal this size is 15ml.  This was given using the crossbow & Medi-Dart.  I manged to dart Dougal without any problems, the dart gun worked a treat and I was very relieved that it had all gone well. 
 
However, for some reason, the amount did not do the trick, it definitely sedated him.  But not enough to actually put him to sleep.  The vet decided that because this amount had not done the trick,  we had to revise the situation.  Douglas decided to give him another dose of sedation.  This is something which is normally not done, however there are exceptions to the rule and Dougal obviously was one of them !

 
The Medi-Dart has done its job and was a good investment.  I was really happy how it performed this time, as you can imagine, we were really disappointed when we failed in out first attempt.

 
And finally ..... Sleeping Beauty !  Here is Dougal .... none the worse for his experience and hopefully he will be tap dancing his way back out into the field ..... some time over the weekend.
 
The weather is horrendous up here tonight, so the 'big boys' are staying in the barn until I am happy that Dougal has fully recovered and is back to his usual self !  I will know this by the fact that I won't be able to get near him !!
 
What a great relief ..... another job .... well done ... and we are all much happier tonight !
 
 

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Drive & Ambition...Some Have Some Haven't !!

 
 
Sometimes in life, you need a bit of drive and ambition !!  This was the task that we have been concentrating on.  It has taken approx 25 ton of gravel and we have been very busy this week.  The first load of gravel was delivered on Wednesday last week and we are now finished....


Ruby has worked well this week it was her job to spread the gravel, this is the first load ready to be spread.... we have managed to gravel round the porch, all the steps to the garden are now finished off and we have edged around the garden room and I now have a very nice gravel path....

 
The steps leading up to the garden, two done one to go !
 



This is the start of the pathway around the garden room.... being prepared.  I have laid some weed resistant membrane around the steps, path and porch to help stop the weeds from coming up.

 
Getting there... this is the first load, just waiting for the rain to come and wash it in.... funny how when you are waiting for rain...it never comes, we have had a lovely sunny week.  Which is just as well, as the place was a bit of a mess at first.

 
Tesco's home delivery !  taken to a new level.... well if you can't beat them ...join them !  We briefly had our wheel barrow stolen ....

 
The boys going out one lovely sunny morning earlier this week ....

 
Ruby and me .... spreading the second load !  Its all done now and I have managed to finish off the divides in my log store ... which will stop the logs falling down.  Oh that reminds me ... another job on the list...the log store is quite bare.....time to fill it up before the winter comes...
 
We are having a day off tomorrow.... its the calm before the storm..... we have another date with the vet and Dougal ........wish us luck !!
 
 
This job has been waiting to be done for years ... I think its safe to say ...this job is now well and truly crossed off the 'to do list'.
 
 

Monday 1 October 2012

Finishing Touches ....

 
 
We have had a lovely day today.  Time to complete the finishing touches ... and what a relief  !

 
We made and hung the door on Saturday.  Today it was time to trim the top and secure a good strong bolt to hold it tight during those winter gales !!  We have been busy concreting the extra posts in place, putting the fascia board on the outside.  This has taken most of the day.  We are very relieved  to get this job finished.

 
Ruby had a load of gravel on to make up the concrete.  We also had a few little furry helpers....on the job. You can just see the alpaca boys out grazing in the distance.

 
Me and my barn .... just taking in all the photo shot... we have built all of this over time.  The hay bales are in the farthest section of the wooden barn.... when you stand back and have a look at the whole size of the barn .... its really quite massive !!
 
It will make the winter much more enjoyable here ... I'm sure.
 
I am very grateful for all the help from my mam and dad, to get this job done. I'm chuffed with the finished  result.
 
 
 
 

Sunday 30 September 2012

Nice & Cosy !

 

The barn extension is nearly there.... just a few finer points to finish off.  I have the big door to trim and the sides to finish.  This is a photo of the boys and the new accommodation.  The original part of the barn appears to have become the toilet facility !!  The boys have opted to lie in the new part.  You can see where the original barn ended, at the poles, that are now the divide in the middle !

 
This is the girls today ... squabbling for the puddle ...Zullulah and Trienza are in mid .... puddle !  Whilst Zienna and Zimushka are waiting patiently.  Aymara is my oldest girl in the foreground...... she is now retired from breeding, she is one of my very first girls I bought all those years ago when we were starting out here in Zanzibah Land.
 


The girls and babies out today, the babies are growing up fast, can you spot little Zyisha (Dolly Mixture) she is nearly as big as Zodo who is in front of her.  The alpacas just love the puddle.

 
I think the new roomier barn gets the seal of approval from the boys.  We now have plenty room for everyone.