Old habits die hard...for some anyway...

There was a little bit of drama here first thing this morning when I noticed blood dripping from Phoebe's mouth. I hadn't noticed it when I dealt out the food but then I do get mugged, so it is difficult to see clearly. My first thought was a dislodged tooth. I managed to catch her and felt her teeth, all seemed okay. My nurse's brain was thinking; fresh red blood, must be from the mouth (in humans blood from the stomach is dark due to the reaction with the acid). She was still eating okay...even if she was leaving blood everywhere. Second thought was that she had cut her tongue...tongues always bleed heavily.

I decided to wait and see, and it did stop of it's own accord. All the same I thought I would get out the text books to check my assessment...Okay I need to do some more homework... It is only the terminal part of the third stomach compartment that contains the gastric juices in Camelids so my theory would not have applied. Still assessment rather than panic is something! Looks like she did just have a cut.

It's still snowing here, although we are not in the same league as many parts of the country (you have my sympathy Jayne and Debbie). We are still at the stage where I am thinking the extra work is worth the splendor.

The temperature isn't as low today, I am not sure what it is exactly but the ice on the water trough was much easier to break today! I actually threw some hay out in the paddock this morning to tempt the girls outside. It does make life easier not having to sweep out the barn around all those alpaca legs!

 Nutmeg  and Noah (front in photo) ventured out to look for grass. Noah especially was making a valiant effort.

Honaria on the other hand was taking things very easy; sitting down to munch on the supplies and wondering what I was up to.

Nimrod appeared to be the one doing the weather (or should that be wether) assessment for the boys. Looks like he has got the position as St. Pat's man servant!

Talking of which; Paul is in the the bad books... Now, Paul and I are of a similar age...an age when our first cars came without a back window screen wiper, never mind a heated window screen...but we have moved on...well I have. Paul has a new car...it comes with above said items....however Paul prefers to scrape off the snow...old habits die hard. Paul also likes to use my 4 x 4 (even though he claims it to be a girl's version)...it also comes with said items...it also has a Beck Brow Alpacas logo on the back window screen....make that had...we are now eck Bro acas! Thanks Paul....USE THE DEFROSTING SYSTEM...I have paid for it!

Ear she comes!

More snow overnight and minus 5 degrees...I love it!. I know I won't be saying that if we freeze up again, as we did last year.... but it is so much better than the constant rain that we had at the beginning of the month.

St. Pat is a smart cookie, realising that he is not dressed for harsh winter conditions, he continues to make good use of his shelter. The new girls have also started to come into the barn on a regular basis and are making short work of the hay supplies. The desire for food usually does the trick in the end. The newcommers all got a dose of selenium and colbolt supplement this morning, just to give them a boost. All were all very well behaved with no one trying to spit it out thankfully.

Explorer and Finian are the two hard boys of the herd and have spent most of the day outside. At one point Explorer had lots of little snow balls hanging from his chin but he wasn't for having his photo taken (there's a surprise!) I found Fin still out as dusk was falling, toughing it out next to the sheep:

Finian with only the sheep for company.

The dogs also love the snow. We have had Oscar for a couple of hours this morning. Always good for tiring out Velvet for the day.

Ear she comes...Velvet at top speed.



Oscar and Velvet

Tyke in his tartan Sunday coat.

Our frozen pond.

Despite deciding to stay at home this weekend, we did manage to get in Sunday lunch with Robyn and Craig at the Heather Glen, a hotel and restaurant situated in the village. We had ordered the special xmas menu, nothing unusual, so we were surprised when the owner, who is also the chef, came out of the kitchen to speak to us. "Would you like to try some carrot peelings?" she asks...well we must have looked a bit bemused...and I was just beginning to wonder if they would be roasted or boiled...when she quickly clarified..."for the alpacas!"....not many customers come home with a doggy bag like ours!...they loved them and much easier than chopping them all myself!

Snow Cute!

A little later than for many others around the country; proper snow fell here overnight. It looks beautiful: Crisp, dry snow and bright sunshine...it really is a winter wonderland...we just need Santa now!

I excitedly went out with camera, but bright white snow and bright white fleeces are not ideal subjects together. So some photos of some of the coloureds within the herd!

Frosted gem....Nutmeg with a frosty little nose

Poppet...with Kenzie ducking in for a drink behind.



Nina in the foreground...the others admiring the view!



Pantomime time...It's behind you Lady Gaga!

Ice cool Velvet..."I am simply going to ignore the fact that someone is sniffing my butt!"

Mixed reviews of the accommodation and staff!

St. Pat has settled in at Beck Brow as though he had been here for years. Being fairly recently shorn, and not having had the use of a shelter in the past, we did wonder how he would fair up in the frozen North. But no worries, he loves the indoors...I found him this morning happily munching on the hay in the shelter...not even a crystal of frost on his back...this boy likes his comfort!

Checking out the accommodation....

Giving it 4 stars...would have been 5 stars but just lacking the log burning stove!

We were going to call St. Patrick Paddy for short (Shirley's comment yesterday) but he does know his name as St. Pat. so we will stick with that. Now that he is here he doesn't seem like a Paddy anyway.

The girls appear to be less impressed with their barn and had obviously spent the night outdoors. I couldn't even persuade them to come in for their breakfast this morning. I will give them another day to settle then if they are still reluctant I will consider putting one of our maidens in with them to give some guidance. Nina is top of the list at present as she is independent and calm.

Lady G. whilst looking very sweet and dainty, has a definite air of one who considers themselves to be of a superior class. She gave Amanda the haughtiest look I have even seen...and that's saying something when I own Hoity Toity!...she looked her up and down...and obviously found her wanting...no way to treat someone who has come to help with farm duties...I think it was the work boots that she didn't care for!



Photos...St. Patrick and Lady G

I have been out with the camera today in between the snow showers and have managed to get a few shots of the new alpacas in town. I wonder if they train them to pose at EPC... either that or they rather like themselves. I had so many decent pics of St. Pat that it was difficult to choose just one...so you get three!

Waradene St. Patrick of EPC posing for camera

...and again different angle!

Not sure the shearer has been checking side to side for evenness of length...don't tell St. Pat thou, he thinks that he is gorgeous

EP Cambridge Lady Gaga wondering what a Jocker is....Velvet out of shot!

Such a pretty face...competition for Cambridge Camilla?

All three girls with the snow beginning to fall (Amanda's two girls behind...alpaca x and alpaca y...haven't asked permission to name them!)

Both St.Pat and the girls appear to be in beautiful condition and are settling in well. All of them are very calm and easy to handle. We have pretty much left the girls alone. They are to be quarrantined together for six months, as is good practice. I have taken a poo sample to the VLA (15 minutes up the road) from the girls just as a precaution, and we will give them Cydectin shortly.

St. Pat had his Cydectin this morning. As he has been quarrantined prior to entering the UK, and has only ever shared a paddock with his imported chums, he will go in with some of our boys in the next couple of days or so. He has also had Frontline treatment as is our policy now.

Even more delays for EP Cambridge Lady Gaga!

By 17.00 hrs this evening I was beginning to wonder if EP Cambridge Lady Gaga really didn't want to come to live in Cumbria. Okay it can be wet in the North West, and a few degrees colder that the South, but we do have nice barns.

It has been a long nine months since we were the successful bidders for Lady G at The British Alpaca Futurity Auction in February. But for a variety of reasons she has remained at EPC...but today was to be the big day...the day that she was to be delivered to Beck Brow Alpacas of Cumbria...the day that the M5 was closed for four hours!

Thankfully Lady G, Waradene St. Patrick and Amanda's two girls did arrive safely accompanied by a rather exhausted Lawrence from EPC Alpaca Stud, who had been on the road since 08.15hrs. As it was dark when they arrived we did have to do a quick change of plan and Paddy has been put in the barn (previously stables) which has lights, so that we can check on him and see that he has settled in okay. He has been keeping us very amused by checking himself out in all of the mirrors in there. He seems to think that there are at least half a dozen rather good looking boys with him...I wish!. At least he won't feel lonely.  

Sorry no photos of the newcomers as it was dark by the time that they arrived. Hopefully I will be able to get the camera out tomorrow. First on the list of jobs will be injections; Cydectin to cover for worms and mites. We will also collect faecal samples to be sent to the VLA. St. Pat has already tested negative for Emac but has had Boycox Bovis as a prophylactic measure as has Amanda's two girls. Lady G who is in her early stages of pregnancy will be tested rather than treated unnecessarily.

Reluctantly I decided that we should just let the newcomers settle after their long journey, but I can't wait to get my hands on them soon. Hopefully exciting times ahead!

It has been rather chilly here today, so it might be a bit of a shock for poor St. Pat who had a major short back and sides in quarantine. September is rather late to be getting such a close shave prior to a Cumbrian winter; especially when you have come from the Australian sunshine.

Pepsi Lola : A frosty start to the day.

Velvet our Cocker Spaniel / Jack Russell Terrier cross (a Jocker) appears to be still growing into herself. We seem to be having ear problems at the moment. She obviously doesn't  realise that she has Spaniel ears and that she needs to shake her head now and again to keep them in position. See below:

Velvet posing on our bed...doesn't appear to have noticed the ears!

Saving the jobs for another day...

There has been a lot of socialising and not much work going on around here over the past three days. On Friday we had a visit from fellow bloggers Dave and Joy (aka Mrs S) from Apple Vale Alpacas http://www.applevalealpacas.co.uk/ who were on their way to Scotland to visit family. As we are, all three, complete alpaca addicts, it was full on alpaca chatter over lunch, followed by some cria assessment before they headed off...maybe that should read before they made their escape...I can talk alpaca all day especially with such good company!

On Saturday we did some updating of our website, which always seems to take us far longer than anticipated. I still need to get the boys linked up to Alpacaseller stud services...I will get round to it before spring I'm sure... otherwise we are current! I did put a couple of girls on the for sale list last week... but removed them after a couple of days. When we have so many stud males and plenty of land it did seem a bit silly to be reducing down our females. We also need to keep some potential sale stock in case of local interest.

Saturday afternoon saw me doing some charity work. Okay, I'm making it sound far more altruistic than is the case, but that's what Paul believed! My friend, who is running the London marathon, was raising money for her chosen charity. My main role involved consuming some cheese and wine and catching up on the gossip! I did give Poppet her second Lambivac in the morning but otherwise very little work got done.

Today was the NEBAG (North East and Border Alpaca Group) AGM to which we sent our apologies...see I did say all play and no work this weekend! We have been celebrating Robyn's birthday with a fantastic lunch at Miller Howe situated on the banks of Lake Windermere http://www.millerhowe.com/. It is an amazing arts and craft period hotel, which serves exquisive food from a contempory dining room, with beautiful lake land views. This is now our new favourite place to eat...as you may have guessed we are all real foodies!

View of the lake from the dining room...Paul's Blackberry hasn't really done it justice!

Tomorrow will see me having to work doubly hard to catch up on the many alpaca duties from the weekend. With no poo picking been done since Thursday it's going to mean some dodgy elbows and a stiff back by tomorrow evening. I also have rather a lot of emails to attend to.

The plan is that EP Cambridge Lady Gaga and Waradene St. Patrick of EPC will be arriving on Wednesday. I am still fine tuning my quarantine arrangements so that we can keep on top of the grass. Final decisions tomorrow!

Clean cria...no chance!

Having spent many hours sorting through hundreds of alpaca fleeces over the summer; I vowed to take more care of my cria fleeces this year, whilst they are still wearing them that is. So many beautiful cria fleeces are virtually unusable due to the amount of debris that gets it's self entangled in the fine fleece...hay seeds being one of the worst offenders...although I did buy in some fleece where I found holly leaves...ouch!

However, I fear that I am already loosing the challenge and it's only November! The problem is we have been having some horrid weather here and the girls and the cria love being in the barn. I also love them coming in to the barn, when the noise of the gales wakes me up in the middle of the night I feel reassured. Unfortunately this is the cause of a number of walking haystacks.

I am vigilant with my barn floor sweeping; every morning, and evening as well if they have been in. I have tried serving the hay from containers on the floor, from covered bags with one opening, from nets and racks, but no matter what, we have cria fleeces full of hay.

Yesterday I stood watching for a while...I think I may have spotted the problem...although not the solution: Take Galaxy, for example, she loves her hay..she pulls out large chunks..far too much to eat at once..she stands over Roma..she lets the excess drop on to Roma's back...Galaxy leisurely chomps away...no need to hurry there is a safe supply...on Roma's back...Roma the feeding station! Unless I do not feed hay indoors I fear it is a lost cause. I will blame it on the Cumbrian weather.

Explorer appears to have managed to bring quite a supply of hay outside with him...luckily he isn't too bad... well not in Roma's league...yet!

It is difficult to see without enlarging but Poppet has a good collection of hay seeds down her neck...Yes you look gorgeous Bahati!

As everyone already knows, I am bias, I love little Finian  (I know he is not really mine Bev!). Yesterday he was in a particular mischievous mood:

Looking for mischief!...

...thinking that Willow might be a good target!..



... Maybe not!

It looks like being another cold wet day here. I had hoped to catch up with some poo picking today...I have very important alpaca guests calling in tomorrow...I wanted to have pristine paddocks...never mind ... I will point out the sign hanging on my kitchen wall..."This place was clean yesterday. Sorry that you missed it!"

Velvet provides the entertainment...

Many thanks for all your comments regarding St. Patrick. Unfortunately I haven't got any more exciting news to share at the moment. It has been a few days of routine tasks: drenching with Fasinex (for liver fluke); administering A, D and E paste (I am still debating whether or not to go on to injections - they actually like the paste and we need to condition score every month anyway!); toe nail trimming; some tidying up around the eyes for some of the cria; and poo collecting of course.

I am still a rookie alpaca blogger, not having completed my first year apprenticeship. I started blogging in the middle of one of the coldest winters on record. Lots of snow and lots to complain about! Then came spring and the anticipation of the births. Summer of course is fantastic for alpaca bloggers, lots of lovely cria and mating decisions to discuss. But autumn...it's just wet...it's generally pretty boring in alpaca world...I notice that I am possibly not alone with this thought...blogs seem to be fewer on the ground...so sorry for the lack of excitement... at least it was dry today so I did manage some photos.

Poppet practising her Irish Jig ready for St. Patrick...Bahati trying to follow the steps!

The next photo had me in stitches. I hadn't noticed Velvet in the picture until I downloaded it. You may have to click on to enlarge. Check out the flying ears...she has definitely got the spaniel version!

Where's Velvet!

With a little help from Velvet I did manage to get all 10 of this year's cria in a  photo together. Note Explorer just keeping slightly aloof!

All ten 2010 cria (click to enlarge)

Velvet and Nutmeg...both growing fast.



Parisien and Poppet...latest best friends...the coloureds always end up sticking together!

I had a knitting lesson today...naturally gifted?...I think not!. I am off now to practice...I have homework. Basket weave I think it is...wish me luck!

Introducing Our New Fawn Herdsire...

I hate keeping secrets...other people's I can keep...but my own I am hopeless at...I get far too excited. Hence, it has been a bit of a challenge to keep it to myself...but I can now reveal the real reason for our trip to E.P Cambridge Alpaca Stud in Wiltshire last week....

Beck Brow Alpacas of Cumbria are the proud new owners of Waradene St. Patrick of EPC. There I have written it down it must be true! I am so excited that we have been successful in our negotiations for this studding fawn male. With Benleigh Bellisimo as his sire he boasts Purrumbete Inti and Purumbette Highlander on his sire's side and a real depth of colour on his dam's side including the famous Purrumbete El Dorado.

Although we already have two lovely fawn males; Anzac Hollywood's Attitude (sire Jolimont Attitude g.s Jolimont Sculptor and g.s Jolimont Conquistador - dam) and Anzac Almost Illegal (sire Cambridge Stormtrooper g.s Jolimont Conquistador) as you can see they have a predominantly white pedigree. Waradene St. Patrick offers a real depth of colour combined with an extreme amplitude, excellent frequency and the brightness is stunning (I quote Catherine Lloyd from E.P. Cambridge...that doesn't count as showing off!!)

Waradene St. Patrick of EPC

Waradene St. Patrick of EPC fleece shot.

If all goes according to plan Paddy should be with us within a couple of weeks, when he will arrive along with Cambridge Lady Gaga. Lady G is in fact pregnant to St. Pat so we will get to see his progeny next summer. I believe that he has been very popular with outside stud services whilst in Wiltshire so we will not be alone! http://www.beckbrowalpacas.co.uk/stud.shtml

The weather has been dreadful overnight. It has been blowing a real gale. So much so that we were without electricity for most of the evening. Thankfully we are well stocked with candles. Paul was away so I couldn't even pretend that it was romantic. It is not very often that Paul can be smug staying in a Holiday Inn but I did get that impression. At least you have the dogs for company he says...yes but how do you play Cribbage with three!

There is not an alpaca to be seen this morning. All tucked up in the shelters and barns. The boys usually tough it out so it must have been bad. Now where did I store the thermals over the summer?

Friends of the earth?...Legacy and Snowstorm go green...

With non-stop rain here and more forecast, we decided to move the girls on to drier land yesterday. Although we did get the 'hay field' drained a couple of years ago, it is still the wetter of our fields due to the clay in the soil. So the girls were moved back across the lane and out of sight of the boys.

Now, despite the girls being quite happy about the move...somebody was most definitely not...screeching could be heard...I expect for miles...as Legacy took his frustration out on poor Snowstorm. Poor Snowstorm (a Suri) came as Legacy's companion and "best friend". Mis-named Prince Snowstorm, the poor boy has a life of subservience. Although, judging by the photos I am not sure who came off the worse on this occasion:

 Prince Snowstorm...a wether and our only Suri

Legacy of Purston...looking like he came off the worst...stud male or not!

It looks like Legacy, who is always keen to work, may have a bit of a frustrating time ahead. With Hollywood's Attitude working; two other young boys ready to work in the spring (Anzac Almost Illegal and Viracocha Black Sabbath); and the purchase of a new male (more soon); it looks like he will not get any work here at Beck Brow next year, mainly due to the limited amount of females available. We are now trying to decide whether to put him up for sale, offer to lease him out, or let him retire and be our spit off male. However, it does seem a shame with a micron of 25.3 um at 11 years of age for him not to be working.

I have been back up to Scotland this week; the scenery is starting to look very familiar. Amanda came with me on a day out visiting weavers and manufacturers in the Borders. Tyke came along too and was made very welcome everywhere. I will probably be remembered for the smallest dog seen in a waterproof! It was rather wet! A successful day out; I think we have decided on who will be making what for us. Very exciting!

Velvet was left at home on this occasion. Two dogs might have been pushing it. Velvet just takes herself out of the cat flap when she needs the toilet which makes life rather easy. Tyke who is half her size and 4 years old has never figured that one out. Maybe just as well as I am not sure the garden fencing is Tyke proof!

The Scottish National Fleece Show comes to an end...

The weather is dreadful here in Cumbria; Cold, wet and with snow falling on the Northern Pennines, it looks like winter has arrived. Thankfully we have no late cria due in this 'up North' weather.

Saturday saw us back at Plane Castle for the last day of the Scottish National Fleece Show. We arrived around 10.30 am in order to catch Cameron Holt, who was available in the morning to discuss fleece results with breeders.

We had only entered two fleeces: E.P Cambridge Lady Gaga and Silverstream Galaxy. There wasn't really a lot of feedback to get about the girls more about the skirter. Both girls scored 20/20 for fineness and handle and did very well throughout the categories. In fact Lady G had a near faultless score, and the best in her class until it came to weight...now I have to say this is where she was let down by her owner...what did she score out of 20 for weight?....6!!...yes 6...over zealous skirting to say the least. Ironically one of the points that she did lose was for lack of uniformity of length. Oh well I will know better next time. She ended up with a third place and Galaxy a fourth (she also got 6/20 for weight)! We were however very pleased with the feedback. Lady G received 9/10 for lack of guard hair an impressive result for a pregnant fawn, well Cameron was impressed.

Both Cameron Holt and Liz Barlow gave lectures and talks in the afternoon before the gala dinner in the evening. It was a very Scottish themed evening with locally sourced food and some bag pipes to add to the occasion.

Acer Alpacas, from the South West region were the worthy Supreme Championship winners with a junior white male. It was fantastic to see what is a realitively small breeder do so well. Established with just five females (and no additional purchases) only five years ago, they have chosen their stud services very well. Amazingly they also took the championship at the Heart of England Fleece Show as well with a different fleece! As Mark (Patou Alpacas) would say "you don't have to be big to be mighty". They are a fantastic example of what can be achieved by a small breeder with a considered breeding plan. Well done!

Exploring fleece

It was an early start yesterday for a trip up to Scotland. Plane Castle near Sterling is the venue of this year's Scottish National Fleece Show and judging commenced on Monday. With 280 plus fleeces entered, all to be weighed, details checked, judged, results filed, rosettes awarded and then the fleece returned to the correct owner, it had the potential to be a logistical nightmare. However Jonathan (Russell) and Debbie (Rippon) had everything well under control and I just mucked in for the day.

The level of entries makes this year's Scottish National Fleece Show the largest fleece show in Europe. Judge Cameron Holt has attracted not only a record number of entries but also entries of a very high quality. Winners will be announced on Saturday at a celebratory dinner in the castle (tickets still available).

Whilst I was away Paul managed to fix the puncture on the poo-picking machine. I should point out that there is nothing wrong with using a brush and shovel....although my technique of spreading is not a good one it has to be said.... this is a user problem rather than an equipment problem...however, when I say that Paul spent three hours in the girls paddock and has left some for me to finish off today, you can see why the idea of hand cleaning was a bit daunting!

Paul somehow managed to end up with a gash on his head whilst on poovering duties. He claims that he accidentally managed to hit himself with a piece of wood. Now...I know how much he hates paddock cleaning...surely he wouldn't have to beat himself with a stick to complete the task?...mind you three hours.. that would turn anyone crazy!!

All the talk of fleece yesterday reminded me that I hadn't checked out the results of our fleece photography from Sunday properly. Beck Brow Explorer gets a lot of attention around here. As one of the first EP Cambridge Navigator cria to be born we are all interested in monitoring his progress. Navigator was sold for AU$ 150,000 as a multiple supreme champion winner. However, with no progeny on the ground at the time, he was an unproven male; So Explorer really is an interesting prospect.

We managed to get a top/midside fleece shot that shows his definition fairly well but doesn't demonstrate that amazing brightness that really makes you go wow when you open his fleece (click on photo to enlarge). I guess outside on a dull day wasn't going to capture that. However, it is possible to see that at 4  months of age he has good length and density.

This shot of his rump shows the brightness a little better...we just appear to have missed the target!

We have a long wait ahead of us to see if he makes the grade to become our next white herdsire, but we will enjoy watching. In the meantime he manages to keep us very amused with his grumbling and gurning (that's pulling faces for non-Cumbrians...we are famous for it here!).

Flat out....well that was the intention!

We have had a mad nine days of constant alpaca chatter. Apart from having a very nice social time; I am hopefully very well trained in alpaca assessment. After attending the Cameron Holt courses last weekend; followed by a week of home instruction; we ended up paying a visit to Cathy and Matt Lloyd at E.P. Cambridge Alpacas on Saturday. Can you have too much alpaca?!!

As we were in Wiltshire on business, we decided to take a look at Lady Gaga, our Futurity auction female who is still at EPC. I have to say that she is looking gorgeous. Her third fleece is fantastic and is already showing great length. She appears to be holding her pregnancy to Waradene St. Patrick of EPC and is due to be scanned shortly. All being well the plan is to have her with us before the end of the month.

Yesterday Bev and Andy joined us for Sunday lunch at one of the locals and managed to take plenty of photos of their new boys. We did rope them in to some fleece photography. We have had some requests for photos of Explorer's fleece and we thought the more hands the better. We still didn't manage to capture his brightness but I do think that we are improving!

The plan today was to catch up on all the jobs on the farm. The poo picking has been getting seriously neglected. We had managed to do the boys fields yesterday but today was to be full on in the girls paddock. At least it wasn't raining. No stopping until it was pristine. Well that was the idea, however five minutes in and I encountered a problem:

Oops...and no spare tyre! What to do...I hate poo filled paddocks. I did think about using an earlier invention...some thing dating pre-paddock cleaning machines...something called a brush and shovel with wheelbarrow attachment. However, I could see why we had moved on...more spreading than cleaning. Oh no...lets hope Paul can fix it.

As I always have the camera with me on the quad, I had plenty of time for some photos:

Tyke...obviously preferring the whites

Camilla with Lucie and Noah behind. Lucie looks much like Camilla. She is gentle and feminine...something that you definitely can't say about her boy...Explorer! 

Explorer...all male

Explorer...so hard he chews on thorns!!

With no poo picking to do I decided to nip over to see Amanda...lots to tell...and more alpaca chatter!