The boys enjoying summer.

The sheep in an adjoining field are always of interest to the boys - here is Faro giving them the 'once over!'

Fyta can be very playful - here he is playing 'Peek-a-boo' with the Grumpy Gardener in the field shelter.

Fyta also always takes a close interest in the contents of barrows!  Faro doesn't share the same interest so carries on grazing in the background.

Fergus having a wee lie down in the shelter.  He is not as energetic as the other two boys and enjoys nothing more than lying down and chewing the cud!

A very hot day and all the boys hit the sand pit!  Fergus remains alert whilst Faro and Fyta get their heads down.

This photo shows the flowers at the top of the very tall Giant Himalayan Lily in the garden with Faro and Fergus behind in an adjoining paddock.  The Lily is now almost ten feet tall and it's grown all of that size since Spring when it is at ground level as a shoot.  Amazing!

And finally............here in Scotland during this pandemic, wearing a 'face covering' in shops is mandatory so nothing wrong with promoting Llamas and Alpacas at the same time!  Stay safe wherever you are reading this blog.

The boys and the garden.

A bag of hay is held up by the human and shortly after this photos was taken, Fergus starts to munch the hay straight away.

However, when offered the same hay Fyta decides to rub his nose and face in it and play with it before eating it!

Faro stands apart, keeping an eye on the other two boys, the hay - and the human.  Faro does like his hay but prefers to eat it from the hay bucket in the field shelter.

A nice photo of Fergus munching the grass! 

One of the boys' paddocks is next to the veg garden but they don't seem to be interested in any of the 'goodies' on the other side of the fence.  Fyta and Fergus are seen here.

Looking through the Ligularia flowers at Faro on the other side of the fence.

This shot of the 3 boys in the paddock next to the garden was taken yesterday evening as the sun began to set.  The field shelter in this paddock has been cleaned out and the boys use the shelter in the adjoining paddock.

And finally..............this season's growth on the Giant Himalayan Lily (Cardiocrinum Giganteum) now standing at nearly 10 feet tall!  There are two stems with unopened flowers on top.  Hopefully, in the next couple of days the flowers will open in the sunshine - photos next week!

The weekly photo mix.

Fyta loves water! He likes to stand in the water tray for long periods soaking his feet then usually ends up lying down in it.

The boys had a change of field shelter again this week and the usual melee ensued with all of them taking a turn to roll about.

Faro, in one of his 'aloof' poses - tail up, ears back, not looking directly at the human although watching closely at what he is doing.

Another day and an argument in the shelter between Fyta (left) and Fergus who has his head up in the 'ready-to-spit' stance if Fyta comes into his 'personal space!'  On this occasion Fyta is ignoring Fergus but that is not always the case and the pair will often have arguments.

Yet another dreary morning with mist and rain, it has been like this for most of the past week, and the boys are ready for some carrots.  Here they are waiting for the humans to serve up the 'goodies!'

This photo was meant to show the very big, black cloud before it poured with rain, but it does not appear to have captured that.  However, it does show Faro in front with Fyta looking out of the shelter.

And finally...............Delphiniums from the garden in two different colour shades with a 'humble bumble' on the middle flower.

Taking shelter.

Fyta (left), Fergus (middle) and Faro.  We've had some really hot days this week so the sand pit is a favourite spot.

Fyta (left) and Fergus in the pit with Fergus chewing on a piece of carrot when the photo was taken!

Faro - who has been suffering because of flies and other flying 'beasties' this week and one day we sprayed his legs to keep them away.

This week has also been misty as well as hot, perfect for midges and other flying creatures which none of the boys like so they have spent long periods in their shelter.

'Red Hot Pokers' (Kniphofia), Phormium and Gunnera plants with the boys lying in their shelter behind on the slope.

This was taken early this morning when it was pouring with rain and the boys decided to stay inside and chew on their hay.

And finally......... this Buddleia 'Globosa' is certainly attracting the bees this week - if you magnify the picture you will see that there is a bee on almost every flower.

Much cooler dudes!

Fyta boy - feeling much cooler now having been sheared a couple of weeks ago and now with his fringe cut off.

Fyta's best pal - Faro.   He's also benefiting from having less fleece, especially when we have very hot days.

Fergus being told that he's a 'good boy' - the other boys get told this but, unlike Fergus, they are not keen on being stroked.

The 'sit-on' was in action several times this week during dry weather but Faro (left) and Fergus are not concerned by it's noise.

Even less concerned is Fyta who stayed in the sandpit whilst the mower cut the grass in the adjoining paddock!

The weather has been good this week but there has been a lot of moisture in the air, especially in the mornings.  This has brought out the midge population and Fergus and Fyta in particular do now like them so they have spent lots of time lying in the darkened field shelter trying to avoid them.

And finally............ Kniphofia (Red Hot Pokers),  a favourite flower.  Over the past few years we have been planting them along the road side and they make a lovely sight when they are all in flower.

Toileting times!

It was good for the boys to have some sunny days following their shearing as the week prior to shearing had been so wet.  This is Fergus sporting his new clean-cut look!

This is Fyta (left) and Faro.  Alpaca owners will know how important toileting is for their animals - unlike cattle, sheep etc who will go to the toilet anywhere in their field, alpacas have designated areas where they go, putting all their waste in one area.  There are a number of reasons for them doing this and it is not unusual for us to see two, sometimes all three of the boys go to the toilet at the same time.  Here, Faro has just been to the toilet and Fyta comes along and smells the spot.

Fyta then adopts the 'A' Frame position and goes to the toilet.  It is a common occurrence that when one boy does the toilet, another will come and go on the same spot.

The three boys enjoying a bit of sunshine now that their heavy fleece has been sheared off - from the left, Fyta, Fergus and Faro.

A long range shot of the boys with Fergus lying in the field shelter, on the other side of the Keder greenhouse in the veg garden.

And finally...........we have a number of different Iris varieties and colours in the garden and all are flowering at present.

Hosing - and shearing.

Just look at the expression on Fyta's face as his legs and 'under carriage' are sprayed with cold water on a very hot afternoon - bliss!

Faro loves to be sprayed on his nose and mouth as well as his under carriage.  The first couple of days of this week were really hot and the boys were fleeced up before shearing.

Fergus (left), Fyta and Faro have had the water hose spraying them and now go for a roll on their rolling spot so that they can cover themselves in dust!

Fast forward from the hot temperatures earlier in the week to the wet and very cold weather we have had over the past couple of days.  Taken this afternoon, here are Fergus and Fyta waiting their turn to be sheared whilst Faro is undergoing his 'short back and sides!'

Shearer Jamie goes to work on Faro whilst Sophie keeps everything neat and tidy.  Faro accepted his trim with very little resistance!

Sophie trims Fyta's top knot so that he can see clearly once again!  Thank you Jamie and Sophie for doing such a great job shearing our boys.  Hope you continue to have a good journey through the rest of the Highlands and Islands, hope the weather is much better than it was today and look forward to a less Covid restrictive visit next year.  Take care.

And here is the result of Jamie and Sophie's hard work - a proud looking Faro, showing off his new, sleek look!

And finally.............. this beautiful Iris flowered in the sunshine earlier in the week - the colours are stunning.  Take care of yourselves and stay well wherever you are reading this blog.