Three French Hens; Two Guinea Fowl; and a Partridge in a Pear Tree....

Another busy few days; starting with me working a night shift on Friday night. Some of you may recall that three years after leaving my full-time position as a Sister (within critical care) to look after our alpaca business; Earlier this year, I decided to go back to nursing (just 12 hours per week as a Staff Nurse on the Coronary Care Unit). However, I usually opt to work a night shift as this doesn't impede my availability to care for the alpacas. What it does impede upon...is my ability to sleep all night and stay awake all day. Thus, having been awake been the hours of 2am until around 5am, I wasn't impressed when the alarm went off at 6 am on Monday morning.

Paul was trying to do his best impersonation of someone who considers himself to have a glass half-full...

"Come on...it's the last one...no more left after this!"

Why did he remind me of market trader selling turkeys? Oh yes...I know...it's because on a wet Monday morning... I was going to be just that (well scarves not turkeys...but it wasn't tempting me out of bed). I hadn't realised when I booked the stall that it wasn't actually a Christmas fair, but just a dozen of us local producers placed around the Market Hall. 

Well, despite my reluctance, we were pleasantly surprised, and sold out of hats on day one. Then out of all of our knitwear on the second day. Yesterday saw our highest takings of any day at a fair (one scarf away from achieving our normal weekend target in a single day).  What was especially nice was that a number of customers came back for more scarves on the second day, having already purchased on day one.

As always I was keen to recycle some of my takings...but with only a dozen of us stall holders my options were limited...none the less, I managed to come home with...24 home baked mince pies; 3 boxes of handmade chocolates; 8 jars of home produced preserves; a muesli loaf; and 2 boned and stuffed guinea fowl! 

Today I have posted off a couple of orders and delivered seven scarf orders. That's it now, I need to concentrate on getting ready for our Christmas. The tree is still in a bucket of water in the garage. Tonight is the night decorations up and presents wrapped.

On Sunday we had a lovely day as we delivered some alpacas to their new home. The girls ( a group of seven, making a fantastic starter herd with some great genetics, including...fingers crossed...one of the first Beck Brow Explorer cria to be born) have gone to a lovely couple. The new owners (forgot to ask if they wished to be named) have a great setup for the alpacas, with fantastic purpose designed accommodation. I have never seen alpacas settle in and investigate their new quarters so quickly. We also got looked after very well with a lovely lunch and a glass of sparkly to celebrate. Cheers!

Right, I started this blog at 11am this morning...I had every intention of getting the tree out of the bucket of water in the garage and up and decorated tonight. It is now gone 8.30 pm and the decorations are still in the barn... and the tree still in the bucket. Maybe tomorrow. I have never been this late with the decorations before...and now I have agreed to do an extra shift at work on Friday...aarghhh.

No time for proper photography today but I did catch some weanlings on my iPad....

Shackleton, Sox and Lullaby...all competing for the starring position

Got there Shackleton...unfortunately not a good look...I think Lullaby takes it!

I have just organised for a rather big package to be collected tomorrow...a chance phone call has resulted in someone going to have their Christnas wishes come true...lets hope TNT dont let us down...not many days left to get there in time!