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 27 October 2019

It's pumpkin time again!

The boys are naturally inquisitive and take an interest in anything which is unusual.  The pumpkin lantern only comes around once a year so Fyta checks it out to see if it is worth eating!
Whilst Fyta does the checking, Faro (left) keeps a discreet distance from this strange, orange object with the smiling features!
Fergus takes a much more laid back approach to this colourful object and is happy for Fyta to check it out.
After the pumpkin fun it's time to resume grazing on a lovely, sunny afternoon before the sun starts to set.
Faro, ever alert, likes to be bossy and in charge of everything, but he's a big softie really - when he wants to be!
Fergus's appetite has returned after his leg injury and he can 'hoover' up his granulated feed in no time at all. Faro and Fyta are much slower eaters always chewing their feed whilst Fergus seems to gulp it down.
And finally............. the pumpkin, made by the Grumpy Gardener, is off to a Day Centre for adults with Learning Disabilities whilst the boys in the background soak up the last of the setting sun's rays.

Sunday 20 October 2019

Boys, Heron & Sorbus!

The start of another day and the boys are wondering what to do first - eat some hay or do a bit of grazing?  They chose the hay!  Fyta in front, Faro behind and Fergus at the rear.
Fergus with rear leg raised ready to have a scratch!  His front left leg injury means that he still bends the leg quite a bit, but it is getting stronger.
Best pals - Fyta (front) and Faro behind.  These guys always stick together and are rarely too far apart.
Fyta looks like he's studying the 'busy' sky above him.  These clouds produced heavy rain showers and misty mornings this week.
We did have some pleasant afternoon sunshine some days and when this happened, the boys decided to 'chill!'
Midweek and we went to walk along the Caledonian Canal in Inverness where the canal enters the Beauly Firth.  There is a Heronry nearby and one of the inhabitants was on a fishing expedition on a lovely morning.
And finally...............  we have various Rowan (Mountain Ash) trees around the land but this Sorbus has white berries whereas the others have red berries.  It is a young tree and this is the first year we have had a good crop of berries on it.

Sunday 13 October 2019

A quiet week.

Faro - the main man, strutting his stuff across the paddock!  He has been eating his daily feed well throughout the summer but that has not always been the case.  He has always been a 'picky' eater and rarely guards his food - if another alpaca approaches him whilst eating he normally wanders off leaving the feed.
We can't say that Fyta is a 'picky' eater - should have called him 'Hoover!  Here he is this week checking out the hedge cuttings which the Grumpy Gardener is putting on the bonfire.
Fergus - not at all 'picky' with food - should have called him 'Dyson!'  The boys have all been on their Verm-X granules mixed with the feed this week. Fergus's injured left front leg continues to improve - he's still limping but not so dramatically!
Fyta and Faro checking out the couple of horses and their riders who are passing on the nearby road.
And the two pals once again, this time enjoying their carrot and Swede (turnip) slices in the sunshine.  The Swedes are now nice and tasty and the boys really like them.
And finally..........some autumnal colours in the garden during a very windy day this week.  The Sunflower is one of a few dotted around the garden.  The very big giant Sunflowers have all shed their flowers now so it's nice to see these smaller ones.

Sunday 6 October 2019

A normal week and a mystery flower.

Faro coming to meet the human who has entered the paddock (with carrots!) Fyta is behind and Fergus behind him.
The boys have enjoyed reasonable daytime weather this week but on 3 consecutive mornings we have had to scrape frost from the car windscreen.  Winter is a-coming!
The Grumpy Gardener has made a start on the annual mammoth hedge cutting project now that most of the wasps have gone.  Faro and Fyta are curious as to why he is taking this photo from the top of an orchard ladder.
Fergus continues to do his own 'thing' around the place, going at his speed and certainly not running about as Faro and Fyta do from time to time.
Fergus again, taken this afternoon at feed time.  Today is the start of a week-long doze of Verm-X granules in their feed - Faro is not impressed!  It is interesting that Fergus inherited the brown mark on his right cheek from his mother who had an identical one.
The three boys, taken on a damp and drizzly day today, after their feed.  The weather forecast for the days ahead is for more rain - oh dear!
And finally.............this bright yellow flower appeared this week and the hand written name tag in the ground nearby says it is a Salicifolium (Yellow Ox Eye). We are not totally convinced as we think it could be one of the Inula family.  None of the photos we've seen of either flower identifies it positively.  Perhaps we'll ask the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for an opinion.