Fri. 31 st March

There we go, I said I wouldn’t leave it a month until we catch up again and I haven’t……..it’s six weeks!  I don’t get it at all, I know it takes you longer to do things as you get older and more incompetent and time seems to go quicker whilst you’re faffing around being incompetent and dropping things then trying to work out what the bit is that you’ve just dropped is and how on earth it ever fitted in the place it seemed to drop from and still work properly and if it didn’t come from there then where did it come from and why can’t I work it out?…..so many an hour passes in a blur of incomprehension and general bafflement with the world and as the ageing process destroys a few million more brain cells every day my only hope now is that if one regresess far enough one will become a gobby,know-it-all late teenager again capable of functioning on a couple of hours sleep a week,partying all night,up for work next morning,capable of setting-up any complicated newfangled gadget without the need for instruction manuals whilst at the same time sending romantic texts to their girlfriend on one phone and arranging that nights party with their mates on another.  Grumpy?……….me?……….never……………

 

Well, the only problem with leaving it so long again now is that there are lots and lots of photies to fill it up with…. and I probably haven’t got time to do it all !!!!     Stop it and just get on with it will you……..

Ok, we’ve been and gone and bought some more chickens again, you know ‘fox fodder’ but had to do it, it’s been too quiet without some chooks about and the fresh eggs, so the chicken pen has had another security revamp and seven new inmates installed…………

 

 

 

 

 

A mixed bunch of egg poppers

 

 

 

 

 

We delivered the last group of girls and boys the other weekend to their new owners ‘down south’ near Rodez,

          Elianne, Sparrow and Tuppence eyeing up their ride………not convinced on this!

 

 

 

 

 

A somewhat damp and misty south of france for Harper,BJ and Asterix, it’s a lovely view once the mist has cleared boys, honest.

 

 

 

 

  Neighbour Tony wanted to take his digger for a walk the other day as it has been feeling lonely parked up in the barn so asked if I would mind leading it and reassuring it as it gets a bit nervous on the road if cars come by, bless!

 

In between times we’ve started doing a bit of re-fencing of the top paddocks……………..

 

 

 

 

Making wooden things to fill the void between the ends of the wirey bits…….could be loosly termed ‘gates’ but I’d reserve judgement on that until we see if they actually open and close!

 

 

 

      The trusty home-made fence tightener has been working well, we have more trouble getting the posts far enough in the ground not to get pulled over by the super tight stock fence now!

 

 

 

 

 

Had a bit of wind a few weeks ago (it’s that age thing again, well…..that and a good curry) which unfortunately uprooted a small tree overhanging one of Eve’s greenhouses……….nurse,pass the chainsaw please, sorry but it’s for your own good.

 

 

 

It’s the time for ‘Weenlings on excercise’ now, a bit of halter training going on prior to ‘showtime’,

 

 

 

 

As always some are more adept at it than others but this years group have all been good and willing to walk, no refusals or lying playing dead on the ground.

 

 

Unfortunately our one and only Alpaca show scheduled for the end of April has just been cancelled due to staffing problems………merde!  The biggest alpaca shows are going on in the uk as we speak,with entries of 500+ animals and we can’t organise one solitary show for the whole of france……..sad isn’t it,   it’s that time thing again, no-ones got the time spare for all the organising needed. Oh well, try again next year!

 

     So in the mean time…….re-training has moved in a new direction, we will train our own football team to show off!

 

 

 

 

Team tactics were discussed as  kick-off approached……………..

 

 

 

 

        ……….. and off we went, an encouraging  and spirited start was slightly marred by some deliberate and flagrant flouting of the rules……………

 

 

 

 

…….with the first training session match degenerating into a free for all when both teams refused to observe the ‘off side rule’ and the match had to be abandonned for the safety of the referees.  Further training will be required.

 

 

Watch this space for team news.