well with Autumn chill at night despite relatively high daytime temperatures, hay needs putting out for all livestock to supplement rapidly fading grass nutrition – start too late and your Alpaca will not pick up over winter especially if they are pregnant… bless the Kubota…

its not like they are waiting for their feed too is it… LOL

Blackberries – yum yum and yes, we too let our Alpaca graze adjacent to these as they love them. However, unless you are constantly around to see what mischief they can get up to with the hooky thorns, you will be ill prepared.

look closely at this Alpacas eye and see how a thorn has gone into it above and caused irritation… don’t check your Alpaca and you simply wont see it…

check your Alpaca – watch out and don’t graze them near hooky thorns and falling Acorns which are poisonous right now

Well our infatuation with Alpaca is approaching its 13th year and when you see what you can produce in cria year on year is it surprising ? Have fun with your Camera and enjoy your Alpaca… not everything is black and white!

Well when you ask hubby to get a few pieces of fruit from the Orchard for the fruit bowl for our Visitors – would YOU expect this?

luckily Mum needed some for Apple pies !

well I have been alluding to things afoot at Clay Meadow and we have been shattered I can tell you but it was worth it.

With Rachel and Dave from P & S Rawlings Transport assisting on the day along with Hubby and the two lads on farm, we took our two Draughts with foal at foot for their Breed Society Grading. This meant producing them as if for the show ring, including the foal which took some doing but I am pleased to say they looked superb. Thanks also to Rebecca for coming to assist on mane pulling as I could not stand on my leg for that length of time. In fact I was on crutches most of the day of the Grading – good days bad days but we got there.

Our beautiful 3 year old Draught filly attained the highest accolade – Class 1

and wait for it…

our stunning Draught Mare also achieved the highest accolade in a Supplementary Grade Up with her stunning foal – Kensmyth Perugia.

it was an exhausting day with traffic delays 4 hours to get there and 3 back but plenty of rest and incredibly professionally run at a super yard.

well done and thank you to all assisting us and especially our incredible Foundation Draught Girls and Saturn 5 (Kensmyth Perugia) who was remarkably well behaved … and independent!

Home again…

oh – and it looks like he will be the same colour as his Sires Sire – Dark Liver Chestnut !

Alpaca make me laugh so much I can split my sides…

some like bedtime outside…

and some cannot wait to get inside…

we lost Daisy this week and could not find her anywhere. she is tiny and easily missed in long grass…

always with her partner in crime Kinda whom we could see but where had Daisy gone?

The Alpacas were not letting on cheeky monkeys they adore her…

shes the funny looking Alpaca on the right and boy is she tiny

no – they don’t usually graze together but when she limbos under the fence…

September 1st today  – where is the year going? so much still ahead to look forward to and so many memories to look back on…

I say it every year about the War of the Worlds and Justin Haywards song… Forever Autumn and I love it still.

I am constantly advising not to cut your long grass too early to my clients as we invariably have hot weeks later in the year. Alpaca can lie and cool in the dewy grass or moisture and ours are no exception…

I am not a maudling person, life is too short and days and time too important but I have been touched by the constantly arriving cards and messages of sympathy from our clients, friends and family for our sad loss so a big thank you and heres  just a few with the home made cross my favourite!