Catching Up

At last the weather is being kind to us.   Mike has been able to cut the grass in two of our paddocks and I mowed the paddock behind the house where I train the dogs for agility.  Up until now everything has been so wet that it has been impossible to mow.

Unfortunately the topper on the tractor kept getting clogged up with the damp grass and so there are small piles of cut grass everywhere.   Every time I walk through the effected areas I kick down the piles so that they dry as hay and do not ferment and become dangerous for the alpacas.  It will soon level out and the fresh grass will make better grazing.

The hens are laying well and the eggs are selling really well at the moment.

Mike and Nick are in the process of re-roofing all our field shelters so a run of fine weather will make their job much easier and safer.

As well as knitwear and socks we also have a selection of throws, bags and hats from Peru and I am in the process of putting them on the website.  Up until now they have only been available in the shop.
Click on the picture to go to the Alpacastuff website.

Thursday is market day in our local shopping town, Axminster.   The market square is very small but the stalls also spread down a side street and on to the pavement alongside the high street.  You can buy lovely fruit and vegetables with much less plastic than buying at the supermarket.  You can also select just how much you want.  Most people take their own shopping baskets or bags so that the produce can go straight into them and save on carrier bags too.

We eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and it is lovely to be able to select your own and also feel that you are supporting the market and helping to secure its future.

 There are also craft stalls, butcher, baker and fishmonger amongst other trades.



Click on the photo to visit our Alpacastuff Website

My first jobs of the day are cleaning out the hen house and letting the female alpacas our of their shelter.  When the weather is bad I shut them in over night as some of them are pregnant.  This is to make sure that they are in a dry and secure place in case they give birth early in the morning.

It is quite funny to see two or three of the hens dash over to the alpaca shelter first thing when they are let out.   They have decided that the hay racks in the shelter are ideal nesting boxes and there are usually three or four eggs to be found in the shelter during the day.   The alpacas seem to take care not to break the eggs when they are feeding.

We keep the alpacas in the same field as the hens to guard them against fox attacks.

Click on the photo to see our range of hand knitted hats and mittens as well as alpaca socks in a variety of colours and types.

Summer Holidays

Although we normally expect June to be the start of the summer, it has let us down this year.   We have had a lot of cloudy weather and rain.

We no longer sell alpacas and have only 16 to look after now.  We don't get many visitors in the summer because, of course, there is less demand for "woolly" products.  This year we have decided to close until September, although we  have a click and collect option on our website and visitors are always welcome if they give us a ring in advance.

Of course as soon as we made this decision we have two or three batches of visitors but they were happy enough to wait for a minute or two for me to open the shop and have vowed to return in the autumn too.

I am taking the opportunity to try and become more familiar with the quirks of getting our website more visible online.

Along with the alpacas we have a flock of hens and sell eggs at the farm gate, so what with keeping the hen house clean, clearing up the paddocks after the alpacas I am quite a dung expert.  Of course even with fewer animals there is still a certain amount of husbandry involved such as vaccinations, toe nail clipping, shearing and so on,  so no time to get bored.

Click on the image to visit our website and see our range of socks, hats, mittens, scarves and more.

Even though it is nearly summer time we still have a few customers buying our lovely soft alpaca socks in the shop and others just come in for a tea or coffee but end up looking around the shop.  Usually they find something they like for themselves or for presents for the family.

TLC for Alpacas

We only have sixteen alpacas now as we have retired from the breeding side of the business.  Our six females are pregnant this year as it seemed a shame not to have any cria, but the pln is to keep them on the farm unless our circumstances change.  Also the small herd we have is predominantly male, so it would be great if some of the cria were female to redress the balance.

My friend's son, Jon, comes in for a couple of hours once a week and today he helped me apply cream to the alpacas were the skin was a little sore after shearing.   They don't seem to mind the attention and it gives me a weekly opportunity to carry out health checks and make sure they are all happy and comfortable.

Plum is the latest colour to be added to our range of alpaca socks.   These practical walking socks have a really thick sole and are ideal for all sorts of out door sports.   They are just above ankle length which is ideal for boots or walking shoes.  Click on the image to see our full range of socks, hats, mittens and more.

Matching bobble hat and fingerless mittens from our range of hand knitted alpaca products.