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 11 January 2015

Stormy weather.

Thursday night of this week will not be forgotten in a long time!   Howling gales, no electricity and no sleep as the whole of the north of Scotland wondered if their collective roofs were going to stay in place.  We lost our greenhouse, our main gate will never be the same again and the black polythene on the veg plots beloved by the grumpy gardener was draped around various hedges! Considering the amount of damage caused especially to local trees we've been lucky. We got our electricity back on Fri morning only to lose it again on Fri evening but as I type this there are still thousands of people who are without power, late on Sunday afternoon.  A major concern for us was how the boys would react to the extreme weather and the first four photos show that they were fine although they all looked a bit bewildered.  This is Gaucho with Faro and Fyta behind.
No chance of big boy Fergus getting blown away, should have used him to anchor the greenhouse!
Fidget always looks bewildered anyway!
Rufus was a little more anxious.  We know that he does not like being pushed by strong winds so what he must have thought of the Thursday night gales can only be guessed at.
Robbie's initial inspection by torchlight early on Fri morning did not reveal this large birch which had come down over our fences from our neighbour's field but it was discovered an hour or so later.  At this stage it was a tangled mass of branches and to the right, out of shot are another 4 large trees also uprooted but thankfully staying on our neighbour's side of the fence.  The initial work with the chain saw cut a path and got rid of the pressure on the fence.
By the end of the day only the main trunk remains to be felled, the chain saw is red hot and Robbie's arms are hanging from their sockets!  So still plenty of sawing to do but the consolation is that we now have next winter's log supply sorted.
And finally................this morning's scene with some overnight snow, as the boys come to greet us and tell us they are ready for their breakfast.  If you've been affected by the storms this week, hope you are OK and that you have suffered no damage to your property. 

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2 comments:

  1. Apple Vale Alpacas11 January 2015 at 20:46

    Glad nothing too seriously damaged, and you have next winters log supply, hang on to your hats! (free advice)

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  2. Judi B14 January 2015 at 13:19

    Hope that's the last of the storm damage! We had lots of our neighbours trees down last Winter and, like yours, they always seem to aim for the paddock fencing don't they?! We still have lots waiting to be cut up as some of the trunks are huge but, like yours, they'll burn well!

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