Helpers Today

On tuesdays we try to get all the jobs done that need more hands on deck.   Nick comes all day and usually works with Mike and Jon comes in for a couple of hours to help me with the alpacas if I need him or joins in with Nick and Mike if they have a project that needs another person.

Today we checked the male alpacas and I applied sun cream to a one who has never had fleece in his eye brow area and is therefore inclined to get a little sore at times.   We also checked all the others to make sure that they are in good condition.  It was my intention to cut their toe nails but yesterday Mike helped me by holding the females so that I could do their nails and  I found that the dry weather lately had made them really hard and difficult to cut, so we decided to leave the boys until the grass is damp for a day or two.

The chickens share a paddock with the six female alpacas in the hope that they will protect them from the fox but we also have an electric fence between the hens and the hedge to try to make sure that foxes cannot get in steathily.  Today we all helped to take down the fencing whilst Mike mowed the area.  If the grass grows up too high it shorts out the fence making it less effective, although (famous last words) so far we have been lucky when that happens and have not lost any hens for a long time.

Nick says he saw a dead fox in the road just outside our field on his way here, so maybe he or she (the fox)  has friends and family around ready to feast on our girls.

This is laurels Autumn.  Click on her picture to see our range of knitted products.

Revealing the Stream

One of the things that really appealed to us when we bought Laurel Farm was the stream in our lower field.   It is fed by a spring and meaners for a short distance to the edge of our property.

Unfortunately becaue of Mike's recent health problems some of the farm jobs have had to be sidelined including keeping the stream clear and strimming along its banks.   I usually try and rake out unwanted water weeds and fallen wood from the trees which can cause blockages.

Today our neightbour John, spent most of the afternoon helping me to get rid of the undergrowth which had almost hidden the stream and we also cleared the muddy blockages which had formed.   To be honest - John's work was more effective than mine but between us we made a lot of progress and hope to finish the job when he comes back from his holiday next week.

Our alpaca walking socks are ideal for wearing inside boots for this sort of job.

www.alpaca-stuff.co.uk/socks

Click on the picture to see our range of alpaca socks.

Clearing Up

Today we have been clearing up after the fencers.   We have a lovely new fence running along the farm track from the main road to our farm yard but the old fencing was just lying in piles of old rotted wood in the paddock.   We piled most of the old fencing into the landrover and Mike desposited it in a pile away from the animals and buildings with a view to having a good old bonfire when the wind is in the right direction.

I spent some time filling in the holes left by the old fence posts with gravel and sand,which was a bit fiddly but worthwhile as it will prevent any of the animals hurting themselves on the partially buried remains of the rotted fence posts.  It looks very smart now and shows up the rest of the fencing around the fields.

Of course we had a visit from the female alpacas in the paddock wanting to know what was going on and the hens also paid us a visit from time to time - hoping we has some bread or other treat for them.

I wore my Every Day Alpaca socks which are 55% alpaca and 45% nylon.   They are nice and light and the alpaca fibre allows for breathability and moisture absorption from the skin allowing your feet to always remain fresh and comfortable at the right temperature.Click on the picture to see our range of alpaca socks and knitwear.

Weed War

During our first summer here I noticed that we had a beautiful array of bright pink flowers all along the left hand boundery.  I mentioned this to our neighbour when she called round to see how we were getting on and she told me that the beautiful flowers were actually Hymalayan Balsam which is considered to be an imported pest weed like Japanese Knot Weed.

We were very disappointed but nevertheless took her advice and pulled up the plants by the roots.  We have had a few plants reappearing from time to time but this year there has been a come back on quite a large scale.  Probably because we have not been as vigilant recently.

Sadly I spent most of this morning clearing a big patch of the plants to prevent them spreading again.   They got their own back because they were interspersed with nettles and now both my arms are covered in nettle rash which is really stinging and uncomfortable.

The weather has at last changed  to sunny which makes everything much more pleasant and enjoyable.

Our Every Day Socks are ideal for this time of year.  They are 55% Alpaca and 45% nylon and are fine enough to wear in trainers or shoes.  Click on the picture to visit our Alpacastuff website.

Catching up

Tuesdays are always busy as we have extra help.  Nick has been helping almost since we first moved down to Devon.  He is an expert on all things rural especially hedge laying, care of livestock and he is a great help with any job that needs doing.  At the moment he and Mike are re-roofing our field shelters to ensure they will withstand a few more winters. 

I have help for a couple of hours on Tuesdays from Jon.  He helps me to bring the alpacas in for routine husbandry such as vaccinations, toe nail clipping, vitamin D injections and often just to check their condition and make sure they are healthy.  Any time to spare and he  is a great help to Mike and Nick when an extra pair of hands is needed.

Today the weather has been kind and if it holds for a few more days we should be able to finish topping the fields - which had to be abandoned when it became too wet.

Although the farm shop is now closed for the summer, we are still selling online.

These are our short plum walking socks in 75% alpaca and 25% nylon for strength and to help keep the shape.   They are lovely and soft and ideal for all sorts of outdoor activities in summer or winter.
Click on the photo to visit our website and see our selection of  alpaca products.

Please fence me in!

At last the fencers have started to replace our failing boundary fences.   It will be a very expensive job and we have already spent out on the posts and rails but luckily the wire fencing can be re-used.
We are lucky to live in an area where there are still the rural skills to carry out this work.

We have started at the farm gate and the fencers put the new fencing up before taking down the old so that the chickens and alpacas did not have a chance to escape.  It will look very smart when it is all done and of course, most importantly it will ensure the safety of the animals.

The weather has also been kind which makes all the chores much easier.

When we came back from the farm shop with our chicken feed and screws etc: for the fencing we found our driveway blocked by a broken down car with two elderly ladies sitting in it.   Obviously I spoke to them and they explained that they had just managed to pull in to our driveway before the car petered out.   Some sort of fuel problem, it seems.  They were waiting for the RAC so I made them mugs of tea and they used our facilities whilst they were waiting.   A couple of hours later they were on their way with a sturdy and very polite RAC rescue man.

I am still in the process of adding our Peruvian range to the website.   Click on the picture to see what is available so far.

Weather Holds Up Work

The weather has really held up work on the farm.   The grass had grown really long before there was a chance for Mike to get out and top it.   Unfortunately it was so long and wet that it spread itself around in small piles so we had to go round with the landrover and a trailer to collect up as much grass as we could and take it down to the compost/dung heap.  It was back breaking work, although I quite enjoyed jumping up and down on the trailer to squash the load down as much as possible.

Unfortunately it is still wet today.  Once we get some dry days we can cut again and try to get it back to a sensible length.   Alpacas don't like grazing on long grass.

We are expecrting the fencers tomorrow to repair and replace much of the fencing whcih has rotted over the years.  The wet ground will make it easier to batg the fence posts in but not very pleasant to work in otherwise.  Unfortunately the wether forecast is not very promising.

www.alpaca-stuiff.co.uk

Maybe this bright throw will cheer you up.  Ideal as a bedcover, table cloth or curtain.  Click on the image for more details.