Kensmyth

Well I did say I would try to update stories past. I visited Webb Paton farm meeting some months ago on the new Farming BPS scheme updates. Most informative. However, excitingly I won a competition on the night and £300 worth of vouchers for the company APM supplies.

As I needed a new sprayer it was a delightful win for me and after surveying their site: www.apm-supplies.co.uk chose a Wessex sprayer for the back of the RTV. Setting up is always a challenge with these things and those of us in farming know it is a whole different ballgame to knapsack spraying. here she is ready for action…

Thank you Webb Paton bye bye last remaining thistles and buttercups!

Well it has been a while again since I have had time to blog. It is crazy busy here and most landowners know that May is one of the busiest times of the year. Do not let the grass grow under your feet is an old saying but so true. one minute we are bewailing no rain as we need grass, the next minute like a mantle there is lush grass everywhere.

Regular blog readers have reminded me that I have not updated a few stories and given news on our 20th march born cria “sliver”…

here he is having outgrown his fourth coat. with temperatures still dropping here to less than 6 overnight his warmth is essential to his whole wellbeing and growth so Mary Roach stepped in. She kindly made us an XXL coat which if the weather improves will not get worn but is on standby if needed. it is so sad to hear of breeders losing their cria in the weather conditions we have had so far and sliver is by no means out of the woods yet.

please note the tail loop should have his tail in it but his back is now way too long even for an additional length loop! hence commissioning his new coat!

well thee Election is nearly upon us. I think my overdue females are waiting to see if they are going to be Conservatives or Liberal Democrats – they are humungous. Most Alpaca farms are experiencing late deliveries this Spring.

At least we have had rain at last and the grass is growing.

Cria coats at the ready and more Nikiwax wash in and spray on… its a jolly hard work washing cria coats in mud/rain and dry to go back on again!

The Kubota is ready with the sprayer – next job – all buttercups and weeds beware once the ground is dry again!

Election? What Election – I’m the Boss!!

Well its busy busy and we have had the Canal Trust here this morning and Superheroes over the weekend. more on that another time.

I was asked recently what fencing we used and it is X fence.

It is strong and 5ft above ground. Good job because high fencing IS required for Alpaca …

we all know Alpaca can not only jump but they can scrabble over low fencing.

Impressive though!

well I have been quiet on the blog because I had all the paddocks to harrow and fertilise as well as the duck pens before the rain came and we made it!!

just and today finally it has started raining.

thank goodness as the ground for first crop hay really needs it.

Meantime, visitors a plenty and more husbandry courses. here we are demonstrating the “Alpaca flat Back”…

that is – um – an overweight Alpaca to the rest of us!

Great for showing the ranges of weights though and happily pregnant so good for her coming out of the winter with a little too much flesh on her!

Well actually I made that up but he probably does! I had to put in a bizarre blog tonight because I watched (several years late) two good films recently and wanted to share them with you.

the first is:

What we did on our Holiday, starring Billy Connolly which is fab fun for all and had us in stitches….

the other is well… you will have to wait and see

wow – its been manic. the weather has been fantastic but we need rain. Due this week. so all fields harrowed now and then used the amazing Kubota G23 High dump on the smallest paddocks to pick up the excess. Clean paddocks where smaller ones, larger one left obviously. Let fertilising commence…

onwards and upwards and photos to follow soon if I get a chance to download!

congratulations to Kath, one of my Alpaca friends who has had her first Suri Alpaca cria born.

Regular readers have been asking about “Sliver Moon” the first cria born here this year. First Cria registered with the British Alpaca Society too!

Anyway, he is doing fantastically well. out in the day and coated and barned at night now, changed from coated all the time. he has grown from his 12 inch cria coat into his third size which is 16 inches. That gives you some idea of how tiny he was.

well it has been good weather this week and a bit stressful to say the least. My oven packed in. yup no oven all week as no time to sort.

However, this week end we managed one meal outside together between Alpaca husbandry and farm work. ADE jabs this week too.

With Newlands to the right a whole acre paddock away behind a shared tree belt – you can just see the white house peeping behind the trees in the distance. Photo taken this week end in April …so of course Newlands is totally obscured from us in the summer when the trees are in full foliage. A Doctor and his wife live there.

… and Lock House some 200 metres away to the left … it was nice to sit down.

Lock House is the old Canal Keepers cottage, extended with a flat roof. You can see from the photo it is immediately adjacent to the Canal Towpath Public Right of Way and is situated on the Cirencester Road.  Pretty old house; you can see it on a drive by.

nice to see some really blue sky.