This was the most difficult setting up we have had since we opened. Luckily we put 4 of the yurts up early as went on holiday in early March – thank goodness we did because from the time we got back it never stopped raining long enough for the steep field down to the yurts to dry out. Every trip created yet another muddy track and with the large yurts weighing in at 2/3 of a tonne, carrying them down by hand would have been a nightmare. As it was we had to limit the trips to absolute essentials and even then, Good Friday saw us competing with Glastonbury for mud - Peter bravely slid the buggy sideward down the hill with everyone’s luggage (I’m afraid I bottled out!). Then on Easter Sunday the sun came out and within a couple of days it was hard to remember it had ever rained. Since then it’s got better and better and guests have been enjoying the new bbq’s and the pizza oven. The new Safari tent had already had good use and the solar fairy lights look so pretty.
Easter Monday saw an unexpected arrival – at 4.00 we found a tiny, very poorly looking baby
alpaca – with a very confused 1st time mother looking anxiously on. 3 weeks premature meant our lovely vet had yet another Bank Holiday call out – he gave her plasma but said her survival was highly unlikely. I spent the night making bleary eyed visits to milk her very patient mother and trickling drops of colostrums (the precious 1st milk that contains the magic antibodies) into the babies mouth. Against all odds she got slightly stronger each visit, by the morning I was holding her up to drink herself and within 36 hours she was taking her first very wobbly steps. Looking at her 2 weeks on it is hard to believe she was ever at risk. We have called her Carris and I have a feeling she will be one of those alpacas that I find a reason not to sell!
The last ewe gave birth this morning so we have a lovely batch of black and white Jacob lambs skipping around – real heart lifters. The forsythia outside my window is a blaze of yellow and there is a haze of green on the trees – won’t be long now until our yurts are hidden again.
Easter Monday saw an unexpected arrival – at 4.00 we found a tiny, very poorly looking baby
alpaca – with a very confused 1st time mother looking anxiously on. 3 weeks premature meant our lovely vet had yet another Bank Holiday call out – he gave her plasma but said her survival was highly unlikely. I spent the night making bleary eyed visits to milk her very patient mother and trickling drops of colostrums (the precious 1st milk that contains the magic antibodies) into the babies mouth. Against all odds she got slightly stronger each visit, by the morning I was holding her up to drink herself and within 36 hours she was taking her first very wobbly steps. Looking at her 2 weeks on it is hard to believe she was ever at risk. We have called her Carris and I have a feeling she will be one of those alpacas that I find a reason not to sell!The last ewe gave birth this morning so we have a lovely batch of black and white Jacob lambs skipping around – real heart lifters. The forsythia outside my window is a blaze of yellow and there is a haze of green on the trees – won’t be long now until our yurts are hidden again.
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