Sam's Wedding!

Yesterday - Sam's wedding!  Time has flown and it only seems like yesterday that he was a little boy.  It was a lovely and very natural wedding so here are a few photos.

 

I am sure they will be very happy - every best wish t them both!

Pre wedding evening

Sam's wedding tomorrow - a big day - clothes ready, truck partly cleaned, nails painted.  Make up has been a bit of a challenge as I don't wear it normally but I have found some bits and pieces which will hopefully make me look ok!

The new truck has caused a bit of confusion as the old truck now belongs to one of the Tractor Lads and ours is now silver - same make just a different colour. Tractor Lad keeps getting waved at by people he does not know and Carl keeps getting ignored!

Shopping trips

Not having a good time with my shopping recently. Went to Harts this morning to buy some curtain track and could not resist the bargain shelf where I saw this for £5. For some reason I thought it was some sort of little weaving loom - why I thought that I do not know. When I got it home I realised it was not what I thought and had to Google the name on the box - Eppicotispai Chitarra which turns out to be an Italian pasta cutter! Now I need to learn to make pasta!

Sam's wedding is swiftly approaching and I have finally found a dress to wear.  Hopefully it will look ok - I am actually rather more excited by my makeup than by the dress!  I have not worn makeup of any sort for many years and discovered that the things I had are dried up and not much use so I had to do yet more shopping and one item I bought is particularly intriguing.  It is called airbrush base coat - or something like that - and will, apparently, remove all imperfections and signs of ageing making the wearer look like a superbly young, beautiful and photo shopped super model - can't wait!!

p.s. thank you for my cards - I had a lovely day!

The hay is made!

Well that is it - for now - hay is made and now in the barn!  Such a relief when it is all safely in.  This year we had a new piece of equipment and what a wonderful, if slightly traumatic, thing it is!  When using it I feel like I am part of a Victorian novel and I am sure my Grandad would be quite at home with it.  It is the wonderful bale elevator and I don't know if this will work but I am going to try to upload a video of it in operation, despite the fact that I look rather odd!

With the haymaking complete it is now time to concentrate on Ellingham Show.  We are helping to organise the alpaca show and have a good few entries this year so a lot of rosettes required.  On top of that I am taking some Dorper sheep and they need washing which should be fun.

Carl has had itchy feet for two days as he has a new truck and is longing to get it on the road - now hay is finished I think that is what he will be doing!

Arriving in Italy

Bit of an anxious time here waiting to bale the hay.  Looks like very hot now though so, hopefully, have avoided the rain.  Carl is just trying to get the bale elevator running as that will make things a great deal easier this year.

I have also been anxiously awaiting news of the alpacas who went to Italy and finally, this afternoon, they arrived in Cuneo - Tuscany, Italy.  Bit of a grainy mobile phone photo but there they are!  Seven girls and a boy wondering what on earth has happened!

Notes from today

Cut for hay yesterday - threatened rain ever since!  Panic!

Planned to shake it up this evening - woofler broke several tines and by the time new ones were fitted it was spiting rain.  Early woofle tomorrow I think.

Dorper lambs being halter trained and still slow going - now one has a somewhat loose bottom.

No time this week to go to shops to get a dress for Sam's wedding so ordered a little something which seemed alright online - just had an email to say it will not be in stock for a month.  Ordered another one which is probably not age appropriate - but I do have a rather lovely bit of flotsam to stick on my head.

No time for food shopping so tried an online order from Dike and Sons at Stalbridge - very friendly efficient delivery so might do that again.

Now if the hay gets turned in time tomorrow we may take a brief trip to Yeovil show tomorrow on the way back from getting animal feed.

Sorry about the windows!

Firstly, I must apologise to my refined friends with impeccable taste and style.  I fully realise my new windows are completely awful!  the downstairs ones are ok, as is the door - which, for plastic upvc cheap, is quite nice.  However, the upstairs ones are awful and I cannot even blame the window fitters who actually did a very good job.  I realised as they carried them round they were not what I thought I had ordered but, on checking the paperwork, I discovered I had actually ordered the wrong ones - my fault!  Aah well - will have to consider what to do.

They were not supposed to be fitted until Friday so today proved rather stressful as I also had the lorry coming to collect the alpacas going to Italy.  Very sad as Trouble, my very favourite alpaca - after Bert - was one of the ones going.  I shall miss her.

So, after a very busy day, a calming photo of some of the sheep currently on their holidays at the Grave Diggers.

It is Thursday

It is Thursday but somehow it feels like Sunday night which, I think, is because Carl has been at home today.  Alpaca Tb test results today for the ones going to Italy - all clear I am glad to say and jus the Brucellosis results to come.  Carl had the day off so we could get a few more matings done and get a little bit further forward with the kitchen.  We have achieved a fair bit as the kitchen now has most of the worktop in and we now have water!  That is a huge relief as I was sick of going outside to fill the kettle and carrying the washing up upstairs.  We have a long way to go but progress has been made.

The sheep are gradually eating their way through the Grave Digger's field but today they seemed to be more in the mood for bounding around.  Two Tone charged all the way up to the top and then all the way back down doing her bouncy run when I went to see her this afternoon - she is one happy sheep!

I finally took the plunge and sent off an entry to Ellingham and Ringwood Show to enter three of the Dorper lambs.  It is not in any expectation of winning anything as they will be in with the big Texels in the Short wool class (the only class they remotely fit in!) but more to experience it and see if I like doing it.  Sam and Kristy have been roped in to help so Jeeves, Shanice and Jasmine have started halter training and, so far, they are dire!  We have a long way to go - and - apparently I am supposed to wash them!  The lady in Agri Centre said I could use Fairy Liquid but I had visions of them all bubbling up whenever it rained so I ended up buying a bottle of horse shampoo.

A Blog before Bed

Another busy weekend means it is time for a bit of a blog before bed! 

Saturday we were off early to Sedgemoor market with some lambs - not so many lambs seemed to be there but a lot of cull ewes and quite a few buyers.  Not my favourite day out but it has to be done.  Carl has been busy topping in an effort to keep on top of an exploding thistle population.  Dorper
lambs are now weaned so they start their halter training soon as some may go to a show - not totally decided on that one yet as sheep showing seems a very competitive and complex world!

The kitchen is no nearer completion but the barn is nearly organised for hay - if it ever stops raining!

Matings

Little bit of an alpaca love in the other night as three of the girls had an assignation with the lovely White Gold - Trouble was particularly keen!

Finally managed to sort out transport to Italy so Tb testing starts on Monday and then seven girls will be on their way to Tuscany, with a boy to keep them company.  Weather is a lot better over there!

Tonight we sorted the lambs to go to market tomorrow which is always tinged with sadness.  It wasn't going too well as none of them wanted to go through the weigh crate but then the Tractor Lads roared up and things moved on at a pace so tomorrow is an early start to get the lambs to Sedgemoor Market.  Prices were fairly good last week - which probably means they will drop like a stone tomorrow!

Just hope we don't meet Black Ops (Call of Duty - it's a number plate thing!!) trundling up the cut in his new vehicle as we are going down with the stock trailer