Well – I may have mentioned these before and sorry to those dieting but after all the Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, over indulgence etc, you have to have quick food ready don’t you?

beans, guacamole, doritos, salsa, sour cream and grated cheese – a few minutes in the oven…

and in this weather yum yum!

The first week in January and between Christmas and New Year is always the time to visit old and new friends at Kensmyth – or they visit us.

this year was no exception and we hared around the countryside with the farm in good hands whilst we met new friends and old … and everyone loves a Llama!

I hate taking everything down, knowing we will not see it again for another year. So I look at each piece of each Christmas and keep it back for the next one. Christmas cards are cut into labels and put away to use for the gift tags for next year, memories from the year before.

Thank you to Mum for a beautiful cake, and the beautiful tree, to theTurkey Farmers for producing the fabulous turkeys… and TK Max for the Alpaca gifts!

And yes – I am ahead of the game its not twelfth night yet!

I looked back at last year and realised that each road you go down can have a different ending if you take a different turn each time. there is no need to head towards an ending that is forecast that you do not want – all you have to do is change direction.

I read on a Facebook page recently a quote from Maya Mendoza who said:

“No amount of security is worth the suffering o a mediocre life chained to a routine that killed your dreams”

A dream is never a goal until you put a date on it.

Change your dream and put a date on it – it really is that simple.

Happy New Year to everyone from us all at Kensmyth and welcome January

 

 

Well as the Fireworks are starting to go off, despite it being only 11.15 pm as I type, and we do last field checks for 2017, I look back at a few of my own thoughts of 2017 and share them with you…

True friendship – early in 2017 and having to call my friend in South Cerney at 2 am to help me birth a Wensleydale who was having twins and I could not get the second one out without assistance… she got to me in under 8 minutes and we managed together with all lambs out safely …

Saddest – when two yearling Alpaca galloping around the field, crashed into a female getting up from a roll, knocking her down and fracturing her spine, she was put to sleep but her genetics live on in her son and daughter retained in our breeding program… bless her heart she is missed

the happiest… when my parents celebrated their Queens Telegram worthy Wedding Anniversary…

and the most memorable… Celebrating 10 years of breeding Alpaca… on the Front Page of The Times…

but the best part of that is having “presentswithpaws” needle felted Alpaca mini replicas to remember the trio’s haircuts by forever…

       

of course many, many things happened in the course of the year but these just stand out…

wherever you are, whatever you are doing – take care, drive carefully, stay safe and from all of us at Kensmyth…

Happy New Year 2018  

 

 

 

 

well here comes part 2 of 2017 at Kensmyth, again every picture tells a story…

            

        

 

         

     

         

     

      

      

      

      

     

      

       

      

     

  

    

    

     

   

   

      

          

    

      

 

     

 

           

 

           

       

     

    

   

     

 

        

       

     

   

   

     

and so tomorrow we think about what lies ahead for Kensmyth in 2018 …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well it is “that time again” when we reflect upon the Year gone By (2017) before we look forward to the Year ahead (2018)

So, we start today with the first half of 2017 and the joys it brought to us – each picture tells its own story!

                     

 

 

             

 

                

          

 

    

    

 

                  

    

     

   

    

so what a beautiful first half of 2017 we had but if we thought that was busy, wait for the next half!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

well after the rain came… snow again. Ground pretty boggy now all over the County – but my lot thought it was hilarious…

and I saw this on Facebook and I too thought it hilarious…

well it was certainly a wet one here. If you think there is any respite from the weather as a Farmer – guess again, livestock come first, end of. Ground conditions not great but plenty of grass and ad lib hay all round.

It was mild but wet here and I managed to burn the Turkey Crown

as I spent so long doing my repeated livestock rounds… managed to get everything else done by covering…

and Thank You Mum for the Christmas pud…

mmm too much brandy perchance?

 

As Christmas Eve is upon us and our thoughts turn to safety of loved ones travelling, we remember the long journey all those years ago…

tonight some of the Alpaca were definitely wondering “which way to Bethlehem?” Merry Christmas to all from Kensmyth