Kensmyth

Alpaca & Muscovy

Flying the flag for Clay Meadow, Cirencester – local lads do well

Whilst I have a massive sense of pride in all we have achieved so far at Kensmyth Stud at Clay Meadow, it is also the home of our “lads”. With Oliver gaining excellent results at the local Cirencester College in Business and off to University, Mitchell meantime continued his studies in Media and Film at Cirencester College too – local lads using local facilities and doing well!

We were all delighted that Mitchell could fly the flag for his home at Clay Meadow, between South Cerney and Siddington, Cirencester, having attended Cirencester College and achieving top grades in his media when he received an invitation to a Presentation at Cirencester College recently.

Mitchell was awarded the ” The Immediate Media Prize for Media and Communications” amongst hundreds of other high achievers of the College – also being presented with awards for their success.

The words read out at the Presentation for Mitchell were:

“Mitch is a highly talented and creative student who achieved a triple distinction star in Media and gained a distinction in every single one of his 18 units, a truly outstanding achievement, requiring consistent motivation and high standards. He also used his creative flair when producing videos for clients and was the driving force behind an installation video made for the Corineum Museum”

 

“shorn” the sheep at Kensmyth, Clay Meadow, Cirencester

Well with the Alpaca shearers booked for later on, the method is totally different for sheep so we had a shearer recommended to us for our “long wools”. with a hectic farming  life requiring husbandry (120 plus toenails on average each time) and topping a necessity to keep good grass growing all the time despite munching mouths, it was the time for the first shear for the Wensleydales!

Pride – first Registered Wensleydales at Kensmyth, Clay Meadow

Having bred Pedigree livestock all my life (even hamsters when I was little) and having helped pull out my first foal aged 7 years – breeding Alpaca has always given a sense of achievement with every new birth and new registration – we have bred over 50 cria now and in 2018 reach 10 years of breeding Alpaca – flying in the face of adversity when so many have given up.

But when I decided to add a handful of Rare Breed Wensleydales and had the “lambing baptism of fire” a while back, I was reminded of that sense of pride you get … when you register your first progeny for the very first time…

The purebred Wensleydale Register and Kensmyth first Blacks and Whites are added!

and yes – the lambs have been tagged with EIDs in accordance with all rules – just as Alpaca are!

 

Kensmyth visit the Thai Emerald Cirencester – a lunchtime treat

with someone on Farm duty, we managed to get out recently for Sunday lunch. Not wanting a “roast” which the Pubs seem to favour, we plumped for Thai. The restaurant was quiet and it was amazing!

       

     

   

makes you hungry does it not?

and the décor is amazing too…

      

A very special birthday cake – from a friend

we have been celebrating Birthdays and Anniversaries which all seem to come together. I received some fantastic presents and cards  – more on that later – but a very special friend made me a very special cake and it was enormous…thank you so much – you know who you are!

         

the Piggies are because I am a Farmer before any of you think of being rude hahaha!

Welcome April and not so welcome theft !

As April launched its showers upon us I was extremely annoyed to find on Bin day someone took one of our Green Wheelie Bins – we know who you are – shame on you!

I have now marked them all so everyone else will know who you are too – !!

 

and my sons are less than impressed too – hopefully it will be returned soon

Busy Busy and everything is growing – fast

Well we have been crazy busy and not letting the grass grow under our feet – although I have been having serious words with a few creeping thistles lately!

the Black Wensleydale lambs have proved a massive hit with our Visitors…

as have the white ones but even at 70kg they are still lighter than our lightest Alpaca at 78.2kg !

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