OUR SMALL HERD

Our original four boys came from Ardo Alpacas in Aberdeenshire. We are not alpaca breeders and have our boys purely as pets. Our experience is that you don't need to be a breeder and that a 'batchelor herd' can give much pleasure to the owner. We have 5 acres including our big garden and grazing for the boys, 15 miles north of Inverness, Scotland. I spin, knit, felt and crochet with the fleece from the boys.

Clicking!!

Just a reminder that clicking on (most) of the photos will show them greatly enlarged.

Sunday, 16 October 2011

Visitors galore!

This has been a week of visitors, much enjoyed by the boys because they know there will always be some carrots and apples on offer!  Last Sunday we had a welcome surprise visit from Mabel and Imantz who have alpacas, Kune Kune pigs and various other breeds at their Aberdeenshire croft.  Mabel presented me with a bag of Hebridean sheep wool to spin and I'm finding it to be a totally different 'feel' when spinning.   Thanks Mabel.  Gully (left) and Fergus weigh up the chances of getting some goodies.
Is this looking at the finer points of male alpacas or just deciding that some members of the herd would do well on a Weightwatcher's  course?
Early in the week we had a visit from friend Iona, her two girls and their friends.  This was a first time experience of alpacas for the children who followed this up with a look at the hens.  Following a question from one of the girls Robbie was left explaining how the one egg in the henhouse arrived there and how it could end up as a chicken.  An interesting lesson in biology, although probably a bit scrambled!  Thank you for the chocolates girls - the photographer really enjoys them!
Mid week saw a visit from Dwynwen and her family from Inverness.  This was interesting because the family had previously seen the boys in their paddocks as they passed and Dwynwen got in contact to arrange a visit, not only to see the boys but to talk about spinning, fleece etc.  She is a terrific hand-knitter and designer with a very interesting blog     ( www.dwynwen.wordpress.com) which now has a feature on the boys and the family's visit.  The boys loved the carrots they brought - spoiled again - thanks folks.
Later in the week we had a visit from neighbour Joan and her two visiting grandchildren Ryan and Lisa. Again, a first introduction for the children to alpacas as well as a look at some of the fleece and garments produced.

They're behind you Ryan!  Faro (left), Fyta and Fergus get close for a photo!  Thank you for the home baking which you brought Ryan and Lisa - Robbie didn't leave much for me!

And finally, yesterday Heather came back to see the boys again - this time accompanied by the whole family and a bigger camera.  We mentioned Heather's last visit on our previous blog and the 'stash' of carrots and apples she brought.  This time there was even more apples for the boys to enjoy - thank you.  These boys have never been so spoilt.

2 comments:

  1. What a fantastic week for visitors...the weather has been glorious ! Those boys will have a great stash of carrots and apples at this rate....looks like everyone had a great time !......Jayne

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