Writers block re righted

Regular readers of this dribble will have noticed a total lack of effort on my part over the last month.
So much so that in addition to the in-house jibes and prompting, people are ringing up to check that everything's ok.! and, upon establishing that everything is ok, registering their complaint and even threatening to remove this blog from their 'favourites' list if I didn't get my finger out!.
Well, flattered as I am that anyone gives a toss about what I have to say, I'm not sure I should succumb to emotional blackmail. The responsibility of spoon feeding the readership daily or even weekly words of wisdom is too much to bare. I mean, where will it all end?
I don't want to be held to account for depriving the annonymous of their 'fix' of 'alpaca news'. It's worrying.
Did Rafael Nadal drop the third set during the French open final because he was concerned? Or could this explain the Queens long face as she cruised the jubilee flotilla?
Ok,so I'm aiming a little high there. But you know what I mean.
The truth of the matter is I haven't done it. Not because I've been too busy. Not because I've been ill,or even because of a computer malfunction,which is usually a good excuse.
I just couldn't be arsed.
Well, honesty is always the best policy. Consider normal service now 'resumed'.

So, firstly I need to clear up a small matter regarding a previous posting which included a photo of an alpaca,and which due to the angle of the shot only appears to have three legs.
 Certain people have expressed their concern about the welfare of this animal and others questioned my sanity for  buying her. I kid you not.

I would like to clarify for the benefit of the gullible she is not at all tripodal but is equiped with the regular number of legs.One adequately placed in each corner. So no worries.

Shearing day was kind to us and the sun shone all day. Seems like ages ago now. Probably because it was.
The alpacas are all looking resplendent and sylph like and the fleeces have been skirted and bagged..

Indiana, (above) our rose grey boy was sold the moment his fleece came off and is being delivered tomorrow along with two others. In fact it's been a good week for selling boys. Imran has also gone this week to the lovely Monique and Didier all the way to Toulouse, and French Lad and Angove find new homes on Saturday.

 

 

Imran safely installed with his new black girlfriend

 Sometimes when you are feeling a bit bogged down with all the chores that come with this chosen lifestyle something happens to make you think "well, actually we've got it easy"
Meet Nicholas and Frederic . Two guys that we got to know a couple of weeks ago when we were asked to go and look over their newly acquired herd of alpacas.They wanted our opinion on various matters from health to breeding choices.They had a herd of around fifteen. Quite a lot you might think as a starter herd.But these boys were no strangers to large numbers. Their farm was something else.If it had four legs they were breeding it. Horses and poneys were their passion and there were fields full! A few rare breed cows too  thrown in for good measure. They also had sheep.They had goats. There were pigs roaming free around the courtyard.One of which had been serviced by a wild boar that had got to her and had just had a litter of twenty four piglets. A building had been converted to house Frederics collection of tortoises which were not just the common ones but giant ones that need regulated heating and a special licence.

A whole building was crammed full of every sort of feed with wall to wall chest freezers and sacks of all sorts of stuff.
But Iv'e saved the best till last.
The dogs. I've never seen so many dogs in one place. They just kept coming. wave after wave.
Gobsmacked,I asked how many they had. They truely didn't know the answer. "About seventy" Frederic said.
SEVENTY !

This picture shows only a few!
And the yard and fields were spotless.!
I shall never,EVER moan about picking up poo again!