Berry Ag Show, Pumpkins, Valentine's Day and Sweet Pea Pops

On the weekend of Feb 15/16 I made another quilt run to Nowra :)  On the way I stopped in at Berry Ag Show, right across from the poultry pavilion - where I was delivering ducks - was the animal nursery, always a fun spot :)

As usual I enjoyed my stay with Shayne and Brad at Camberwarra and got to catch up with Tarquinn - outstanding in his field!

Also talked to one of Shayne's bunnies - DJ - hardly ever still!! but very friendly and very soft :)

And her Call Ducks

And her geese :)

Not sure who this goose had just told off, but whoever it was, they are minus a few feathers!!  LOL!!

Exciting garden news is that the Marina de Chioggia pumpkin has started fruiting.  This pic taken 13 Feb:

Growing well - 25 Feb:

Last, but very definitely not least, in the way of news was the early arrival yesterday - 24 Feb - of Sweet Pea's cria.  Finally a break in the series of males, she's had another daughter - YAYYY.  She is mostly white with some pale blue patches, on the back of her neck and her tail... will take a few days till she's all cleaned up and we can really see, and it will also take a few days for her to get over the premmie traits of floppy ears and low on her pasterns.  She is up and about now, has figured out where the milk supply is and seems to be doing well so far :)  We've called her Bianca.  Late afternoon birth, but text book in every other way, luckily a nice warm day so plenty of time to dry off before nightfall.

When I posted this entry I forgot to put up a pic of the gorgeous red roses Eddy got me for Valentine's Day, here they are:

Crimson Rosellas, Lucien, Yves and the Fat Ladies in the Home Paddock

Immature Crimson Rosellas in the cotoneaster, knock yourselves out team, I am not a fan of this plant!  Started removing it, then realised it provides a lot of shade from the western sun for my bedroom.... need to put something else in to replace it before giving it the chop!!

Sweet Pea did not regain her figure after the birth of her last, and very late - therefore very large -  cria.  She is pregnant again and the lack of muscle tension seem to have given this next cria plenty of room, and its taken full advantage!!  It was over 35 degrees this morning, but she was still taking a nap in the sun, I say taking a nap, but she looked like a beached whale!!  She is due on March 10... if she doesn't burst before then!..... should be said she got up and moved into the shade shortly after this pic was taken!

The alpacas were taking a more sensible approach and resting in the shade from the get go!  All of these girls are due in March.

When is a baby bulge, not a baby bulge??  In Nellie's case its when your body score is 5+, note the flat area across her shoulders, room to rest a coffee cup!!  Unfortunately Nellie is not ready to give up on the game yet, so will have to wait until she is before we start over again!  Disappointed as this was an outside mating.

Lucien finally has a name!!  and he's a week old today.  He is looking good and strong, which is quite a feat since its been over 40 degrees everyday since he was born and he's had a nasty bacterial infection in his gut that he caught from Yves.  Luckily I had the meds on hand, and started him on the treatment straight away, so he barely got sick, before he started getting better :)

He is very curious about everything, but will be very pleased when next Wednesday rolls around and he can leave the yards behind.

Always wanting to know what I'm doing makes taking photos harder some days!!

 Today marks the 'cessation of symptoms' for Yves, so only another week in the yards to go and he, and his mother, can be allowed out into the paddock.  For their part, Yolanda and Orchid, have well and truly had enough of being confined, they have started to have a little of that 'cabin fever' look about them....

Yves is a plucky little guy, I had to take him to the vet last Friday, and I got quite a few stares as I drove along with him sitting on the front seat beside me... but he was very well behaved and remained cushed for the entire journey.  Despite the vet's fears that he would fall in a heap, he's hung in there and only improved - however slowly - from the time we started the treatment - daily IM antibiotics.  The reason Yves fell ill is unknown, he appears to have been susceptible to a common or garden variety of bacteria that I can do nothing about him or future cria coming into contact with, fingers crossed none of them go down this path again!!  He is not pleased to see me when I visit the yards and is very hard to catch now... having a needle stuck in you every day will do that for you!!  Will have to work hard to rebuild his trust.... last injection is today!

My trip to the vet was only made possible by the kind loan of 'the work ute' by my neighbour Alan Coles, thanks also to his kids for driving out to meet me, and further meds for Lucien were made available with the help of Peter and Ruth King of Lavender Park Alpacas.  Very grateful for their assistance :)

Orchid's New Cria, and Updates

While I have missed the births of all the cria so far this season, yesterday I was there for the birth of Orchid's cria, which was good because he got stuck at the shoulders and needed some help to make his way into the world.  If he'd been an unassisted delivery I probably would have missed it again!!

Trying her best but getting no where.

 Put camera down, render assistance, pick camera up when we're all done!!  He's 15 days ahead of schedule, but looks fully 'cooked' :)

He was soon dry, up and feeding.  Another boy!!

Orchid is a first time mum, but has taken to it like a seasoned professional.

This is a first cria for dad, Carter, as well.  Did not expect such a lovely black cria from 2 mostly white parents.

Today he's still looking good, don't know why I love black animals, they are so hard to photograph!   This little guy needs a name, should start with O... but I've broken the rules before today!

Nellie is due tomorrow, and should have been next... but Orchid can't read the calendar!!  Hopefully Nellie will break the girl drought.... or I'll have to rename the place Testosterone Park!!

Yves and Yolanda continue to do well, this morning he is trying to get mum to play wrestling games!

New Bugs, Sun Bathing and Fat Ladies

Aymara is settling in well, sensible enough to be in the shade today.  She's not certain she wants to be part of the main group and spends a lot of time with 2 old biddies up in the back corner... politically probably not the best advised move she could make.

Tikal is settling in well too, and seems to be making some much more politically astute decisions than his cousin Aymara.  He's learnt that staying about 1m from Azzura affords him the protection of her high rank, so nobody will approach him, without being close enough to incur her displeasure.  He is starting to fill out nicely and look a little less like a gangly teenager.

Morse thinks the weather is perfect for sun bathing.

And is not inclined to stir even if I am prowling about with a camera.... serious sleeping to be done!

Myriah, always hopeful that I have treats about my person.  She has one of the most over developed kick reflexes of all time and I need to be careful where I put myself in relation to her!!

Orchid is another girl who is constantly on the lookout for more treats, she's earned the nick name Orky Porky!  She wastes no opportunity to at least ask if I've got some!

Except when she and her enormous baby belly are doing beached whale impersonations in the dust bath.  She's due 20 Feb :)

Pearl is looking good, and we're very much looking forward to her cria in March.

 Her daughter Phoebe, recently mated to our black boy Alba, have to wait till next year for that cria :(

 This morning Yolanda tucked in heartily to her brekky, so I thought, must be tomorrow, better weather for it then anyway.... and went off to finish feeding the ducks and chickens.  While my back was turned she got on with the job and presented us with a white male cria we've named Yves.

Yves and Yolanda:

Legs are not just painted on, work fine :)