Well the sunshine has appeared at last but newly shorn Alpaca prefer to stay in the the shady barns, thank you!

Does size matter? our lanes are grazed by our pet miniatures but in the wet they cannot so live totally at home, that is at home with people, at home with the dog.. lOL

Well I have to take my hat off to my Mother. At a cute 85 years she attacks Jigsaws on wet days with aplomb and patience I could never have..

whilst we wallow in wet mud..

she makes us think of the heat to come and sunnier places and times.. well done Mum

I know this is an Alpaca Blog but I also know readers placing bets would like to know what colour the little fella dried out to.. I say dried out because the deluges have meant he has been in with Mum and still under wraps!

Here he is all dried out – light chestnut at the moment but that will definitely change – love him!

Well the weather has been something to behold and our new born  foal was literally kept under raps. Well done to our black draught mare who managed this chunky monkey on her own.

Reasons why you need to be on site with your animals – if you look closely – see where the foals head is and the fluid he is in.. without immediate attention from the too tired mare unable to give it, he could have drowned without my intervention

Apart from the foal being born head first into his amniotic fluid and the bag needing breaking by my good self pretty quickly – the text book birth and 7 am too!

gorgeous mare and foal but he will be much lighter chestnut when he dries out – well done girl!

Well the photos below were when we put them all back out after shearing on a sunny day – did I say sunny day? well that took a turn for the worst with wind, rain, hailstones and downpours requiring the Alpaca all back in again..

Well our farm appeared empty for two whole days prior to shearing as we had to keep ALL the alpaca in to prevent them getting wet.. alpaca cannot be shorn when wet and shearing is an essential part of their annual husbandry and welfare.

With shearers normally coming from Australia and New Zealand as well as Ireland and the UK shearers, you simply have to be ready or you will lose your turn.

This means in for a few days to be dry for shearing and then, oh boy did the weather change, in for the following days as literally too cold to put out newly shorn Alpaca.

just to show how small a yearling is underneath the beautiful fleece – just look at that tail..

the before and after – good old Daisy caring for her crew. the wet chins are teething.. has to go too.

There is a time pre lambing and pre foaling and pre Alpaca unpacking (yes it really is called that) when you have everything ready and you are just waiting on “that moment when it all starts”.. in the meantime you can enjoy the beauty of the world wakening up to Spring around you.. great time for photography..

and checking out the Daffodils in my pots I grew this year for people I could not visit due to Lockdown..

Many followers know that in the breeding and farming world (pre covid) a holiday means an afternoon or day out when you have a team on standby at home. One of my sons was going to Cornwall so I tagged along to see old friends and have a day out before the birthing season starts.. I had forgotten how beautiful Truro is..

We had lunch at the Thomas Daniel and it was outside, beautiful food, beautifully presented.. a rare treat for all..

Many people do not notice the changes in their mares, especially if kept in a herd all the time. We notice every single change here at Kensmyth and being “on it” means you are always ready for the unexpected..

these changes are normal though – dropping the belly, wanting to be closer to home and the plates engaging..

will not be long now folks.. we know it is a colt as she was sex scanned but what colour will he be – place your bets now..