How welcome is this continued frost?...what a relief to be breaking ice on water troughs...honestly anything is better than all that mud. One slight disadvantage is the aroma in the air...eau de manure...all of the local farmers seem to be taking advantage of the hard ground to have a muck spreading bonanza! However, the alpacas seem to be much happier and are now back sleeping outdoors...so at least there is less mucking out in the mornings.
We have been doing some more halter training with the second group of weanlings. Amanda came to give us a hand yesterday and they all did very well...Rumour managed to make it all the way to the lane end and back...only sitting down twice...I had already volunteered that I would take her into the show ring at the British Alpaca Futurity... before I discovered this talent of hers for just sitting down, in the most elegant of fashions, but for no apparent reason.
I have been teaching Magnum to be led as a pair, as requested by his new owner. Actually there was no training involved, he just does it, he is such an obliging wee fellow.
Alfie (left) and Magnum
I had a little moment earlier in the week...I had just completed the test for spotting the early signs of dementia
'Do you forget where you have left things? '
'Do you forget that you have done things and then accuse others of being wrong when they correct you?'
When I had reason to doubt myself. I had misplaced a rather nice Joules sweatshirt...annoying in itself...but it has a matching gilet...so doubly annoying. I had searched everywhere...to no avail. Anyway Robyn (daughter) turns up...I am looking at her sweatshirt...she has a few layers on but I can see it and it looks like my lost property...I question the suspect:
No you bought me this (I don't think so that one was grey not pale blue)
Anyway I have had it for ages (does this give her squatters rights? I think not!)
It would be too big if it were yours (Is there any need! Okay she is a size 8 so she may have a point)
I then nearly wrestle her to the ground... in order to look at the label in the back...it is difficult with so many layers...I even insist that she takes off her coat...and there it is SIZE 14...now I accept that neither of us is actually a size 14...but I am the closest, and it was bought knowing the benefits of Lycra...it is now in the washing machine.
I can't remember now...was over reacting to minor misdemeanours an early sign of dementia!!
Totally agree on the frost v. mud opinion - from your title, I thought you'd solved Bahati's problem - trust she is progressing?
ReplyDeleteAh...Lycra, what a great asset to many a ladies drawers !! Oh thats a different story !! but its still a comfortable alternative ! Ladies of a certain age....tend to suffer from the odd senior moment....unfortunately, I have no one to correct me, so if I loose something...I can be on ages...finding it !!...keeps me entertained...if nothing else !.....the halter training looks like its a success....just don't loose them !!!! Jayne
ReplyDeleteFrost beats mud any day but de-icing the water troughs twice a day gets boring! Stay warm. Shirley & Robbie
ReplyDeleteWe still don't have a definitive answer for Bahati's behaviour Dave. She is still sitting about a lot but rather less so than she was (she is liking frost better than mud that is for sure). We are just watching...maybe she is having twins and is just awfully tired...wishful thinking...but wouldn't twins be good!
ReplyDeleteHard frosts are great, hay delivered to alpacas by Land Rover today instead of me humping it up hill on my shoulder and spending the rest of the day finding bits of hay in my pants!
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