Dentist

Dentist today - which was very depressing - he managed to find yet another loose tooth which I did not even know was loose!  Had to go into Marks and Spencer Food Hall to console myself.  Whilst in their I bumped into Two Shades of Grey and the Gentleman Biker which cheered me up.  The afternoon was spent trying to organise alpaca transport to Italy - thought I had it sorted but the original company has upped the quote - How can it cost almost £3000 to take 8 alpacas to Tuscany?!

The evening task was to do  few matings but rain stopped play

Weighing lambs

The Flower Lady has been producing scarves at a tremendous rate lately - picked up another little gem today.  I am still stuck trying to work out my pin loom.  It has great potential but there is a big gap in the middle of everything which I am not quite sure what to do with - work in progress I think!


Weighed and wormed the lambs tonight; fairly pleased with them, definitely better than last year's but still variations in weights which do not help my going to market decisions.  The biggest is 52kg which is pretty good as he is only just over 4 months but the rest of the early lambs are around 40/42kg so it is all a bit uneven.  I don't give them creep feed regularly - just a little every now and again so they come to the gate.

Carl has now disappeared to top thistles and I am trying to sort alpaca transport to Italy!

A Day Out

Busy weekend - and a busy day out today.  We were at the Transport of Yesteryear show in Weymouth - always a lovely show to go to but the weather was a little unkind today.  Drizzle meant we were unpacking and setting up the stall and then putting it all away shortly after.  Carl did take the gazebo - but, sadly, forgot the cover for it!  Pile of poles and pegs was not much use!

News from Wales

Today the most lovely thing happened. Started as a major worry as I got home this morning to a message on the answerphone from Animal Health causing my heart to skip a beat! I was asked to phone a farmer in Wales as he had some sheep with my ear tags in them. I assumed the worse and phoned the farmer in Carmarthenshire who said he had 17 of my sheep in his field and just wondered if they had been stolen but just before I phoned him the owner had arrived to say he had been fixing a dry stone wall - went for a cuppa and they had hopped out whilst he was gone. A car had chased them up the road and ended up in this farmers field. He said they looked good and were happily grazing amongst his cattle. I thought they would be on a dinner plate somewhere by now as I had sold them through Sedgemoor market - how lovely and what a great Welsh Man!!

Searching for sheep

Another blog!  Seem to have regained my blogging capacity!
Lovely weather today and I am just waiting to go off and finish the shearing with Carl - real relief that will be.  No sign of the Grave Digger sheep this morning

After a bit of calling Two Tone appeared

and I had to crawl through the barbed wire and traverse the long grass to find the rest.  They were dotted around everywhere fast asleep

 

The alpacas have also had a lazy day - until I filled up their dust bath!

 

Shearing nearly done

Well!!  No more library van after Christmas and I am severely disappointed.  It was a little highlight and could be fitted in around animal things - a tradition really and very sad to see it going.  I have until Christmas to make the most of it.

Currently, I am struggling with an export to Italy which is proving to be a bit long drawn out but nearly organised.  It is a bit of a sad export as my very favourite alpaca is one who is going - not many alpacas left when they are gone and I have no cria due this year so I think we will mate a few for next year.

Some of the sheep have gone on their holidays to the Grave Diggers.  He is hoping for a nicely trimmed field ready for the village fete but the sheep are struggling a bit and keep getting lost amongst the very good grazing.  I have to march round calling to check they are all there and their little heads pop up; wondering where they have come to and why they keep getting lost I think!


Shearing is almost complete - just five sheep and a few alpacas belonging to a mate of Sam's to go.  It has been hard work this year as Carl pulled the ligaments in his ankle and strained his back - but we are nearly at the end!  Hay making next!