More Spring Colour in the Garden and Alpacas on the Move

A few more patches of colour in my garden :)

Yesterday I took Farquhar to join his friends Jack Sparrow and Pierre at Canowindra.  

Once they had worked out that it was their friend Farquhar joining them, they made it pretty clear my presence was no longer required!!

Driving there was very scenic with lush green paddocks full of new lambs and calves and all the canola in bloom.

Colourbration Show - Goulburn

Last weekend was the Colourbration Alpaca Show at Goulburn.  I helped out on the Saturday, and on Sunday showed Pierre.  It was a big, strong class and unfortunately he didn't place, but we had a fun day :)  I took Farquhar along to keep Pierre company.

They are pleased to be back home now, but handled their first outing very well :)  Pierre and Farquhar hang out with Jack Sparrow a LOT!!  If you find one, the other two are pretty much bound to be close at hand.

Sunsets, Cria Updates, Jemma's Overly Long Pregnancy and Visits with Scarlett Rose

On the 17th June I decided we had waited long enough, and I asked my down the road neighbour Gayle to help me load Jemma into the trailer for a trip to the vet.  Once there the vets administered drugs to induce Jemma's labour, and we waited.... it took fully 24 hours for the drugs to have any effect and by then, with the cervix fully dilated, vets Jayde and Penny, could get an idea of the size and nature of the problem.  It was HUGE!!  the cria's head was between its front legs, and the neck twisted, so the forehead was touching the ribcage... nightmare!!  They tried very hard to manipulate the cria into the right position, but were unable... so off to theatre for Jemma.  I really had hoped I wouldn't be the one giving the vets their next experience of camelid caesarians!!  Unhappily the cria was still born, he was a very large, 10.94kg, blue black male and his delivery was intensely physical.  While caesarian born llama cria, Jade, was 'plucked' from her mother's innards, Jemma's cria was wrestled out.  It did not help that he had entered the birth canal, and his front legs were already partially out.  I've learnt a few lessons.... bolting horse, stable door style... and I won't be letting any  of my alpacas go over 365 days from here on in.  The other part of this rule is that if the presentation is more complicated than bent legs, proceed immediately to caesarian, no wasting time, NOW, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Here is vet Jayde Watling, starting the procedure... after that I got Jemma's head to look after, hold the oxygen mask in place, and that's about it!!  I am enormously grateful to my friend Ruth King - Jemma's breeder - for coming in to the vet's to hold my hand and Jemma's paw while all this went down.

Jemma took quite a while to come round after the op and I knew she was still not 'with it' because she had her head resting in my lap, and we were getting on famously!!  LOL!!

When she was able, we walked Jemma back to the stables and the vets let me leave her there overnight as she was still a bit unsteady on her feet when I had to get home to feed the ducks and chooks.  We left the body of the dead cria with her so she could figure out what had happened.  The next day when I arrived to take Jemma home she had plainly come to terms with the cria's non-starter status, and although quite sore and a bit sad, seemed pleased to be back in familiar surroundings when I unloaded her from the trailer back into the home paddock.

Since then she has been recovering well, and is pretty much back to the Jemma we know and well, I wouldn't say so much love as are used to!!  She is giving Vynka the rounds of the kitchen and is at the feed shed door anytime I'm in there!!

Very pleased to have a change of pace on the weekend and go to visit Freya, Dan and Scarlett Rose.  My mother and sister say they can see Freya in Scarlett's features... but I think, she is the spit from her father's mouth and Freya didn't get a look in!!  Judge for yourself... 

Its been a long time since I had YumCha so Freya, Scarlett Rose and I headed to Dickson to enjoy same...

After lunch it was play time on the mat!!

Winter sunsets are always the best:

And crias - what's not to like??  Cumberbatch, a sweetie and a softie:

Farqhar, still as cute as a button:

His mother, Fresian, underestimate her at your own peril!!  She is small framed, but a bloody giant in her head!!  LOL!!

Jade and Trinket, continue to do well, and have put Jade's dodgy start in the world, and the big ask on Trinket on that day, well behind them:

Joeley - motherhood has been the making of her, but that's not her cria behind her, that's Cushla's daughter Scarlett.

This is Joeley's cria, Jumanji - lovely little girl:

Paris' son, Pierre, very nice fleece :)

Another pic of Scarlett, who like Cushla's other cria have inherited her lovely disposition, she looks brownish, but that's cria tips, she is solid black at the skin:

 Wia seems happy to be back with us, she is getting more and more tame and I am confident I will soon have her eating out of my hand :)

Bentley, Paris, Pierre, Rhys, Totem, Jade and the Crias in General

Yesterday I visited Jim and Connie at Accapacca Lodge to deliver Bentley to his new home.  Connie was very excited to welcome him and Bentley seemed to settle quickly and I was very pleased and yes, a bit proud, of how well he behaved especially when walking on the lead to his new paddock, which included a step down and of course, unfamiliar surroundings.  Enjoyed a delicious lunch, cooked by Connie, and then loaded new bugs Paris and her son Pierre for the trip home.

It was easy to tell that Bentley will enjoy life in his new home :) and I know he'll bring a lot of joy.

This pic of Paris and Pierre taken today, they are settling in very well and enjoying the company of new friends.

Pierre:

All the crias are doing well, and are very inquisitive, following me, following them around the paddock!  LOL!!

Jade is growing well, and filling out, she is a very solid little cria now:

Her best bud Rhys is also doing well:

Totem - no show without Punch!!:

3 Weeks Later, My Computer is Back - Lots to Catch up with :)

My computer is finally home after its trip to the repair shop, just don't get me started on the unreliability of Macs in general and their graphics cards in particular!!  Lots of people are just getting along on their old PCs... there is no such thing as an old Mac.... nuff said!!

Let's start with our newest grandchild, Scarlett-Rose, here she is on April 6th, getting ready to go out shopping with Freya's friends, while Freya is shouted a hot rock massage :)

With mum, Freya:

And here she is a week later (April 13) having a cuddle with me :)  She's a month old in this pic.

And last week, (April 20) showing off her new trick of trying to stand!!

Back at the farm our newest arrival is a medium brown male cria for MidSummer, he is a big cria and required some help to make it into the world.  At first MidSummer was not certain she wanted my help, even though it was plain she needed it, thankfully she acquiesced after a little while and he was safely delivered.

We've called him Mad Hatter :)

My journey to collect new bugs Lla Traviata and Red Riding Hood meant travelling down the back roads to Dalton, on the way I found some interesting sculptures:

Then found the letterbox:

Across the road from the letterbox:

And on the other side of the driveway from the letterbox:

And further down the driveway:

Many thanks to Ruth King of Lavender Park Alpacas for her astute observation that Jade's symptoms may represent a vitamin B1 deficiency.  The vets agreed, but didn't have any B1 in stock - Ruth did, for which I am forever grateful.  Jade's sight has been restored after 7 days of treatment and she is now a fully functioning member of the 'gang'.  She and mum Trinket are about to make front page of the Crookwell Veterinary Hospital Newsletter :)   Will post a link when its published.  On my way to collect the 'stuff' for Jade I stopped to photograph Peter King's fab Highland cows - the calf is just too cute!!

Enjoyed a trip to Accapacca Lodge to collect a new boy, Accapacca Mandrake, a dark fawn boy with lots of style - pics soon.  On my visit I also spent some time with the Accapacca studs, a small selection shown here, but including the distinctively marked A. Grey Minstrel:

Also got to visit with Murumbung Paris and her son Pierre who will shortly be joining the Maison Mauve team:

They weren't very keen to come closer, but Jim managed to catch Pierre so I could have a proper look at him, on a scale of zero to cute... he's cute!!

 You can tell that Jim is justly proud of the little guy, he is a Callisto son and looks like he'll have a very nice fleece :)

We have chosen Grey Minstrel to be the sire of Paris' next cria - fingers crossed for a grey girl :)

My friend Shayne has indulged me with a very good deal whereby I keep her 2 lovely boys Tarquinn and Tikal, in llama lollies for a considerable period of time in exchange for these fantastic art deco club chairs for my reading nook, hopefully its a win/win!  Cant wait to have them installed :)

And lastly, in the yards today, darling Lucien, with his 'who me?' look:

Aymara, filling out and looking happy :)

Bentley, who will be leaving us at the end of next month for his new home:

Yep, definitely a stunner!!

Bentley is going to a very good home, and while I'm sure he'll be happy there, he will undoubtedly miss his pal Lucien - they are as thick as thieves!!

In the home paddock the crias are growing up, still looking gorgeous is Collette's daughter, Chianti:

 Growing well, Joeley's daughter Jumanji:

New bug Lla Traviata, a very laid back girl with lovely markings and a friendly disposition.

Misty was enjoying the sun this morning, and in no mood to leave in a hurry.  She'd just like her llama lollies delivered please!!

Namoi's cria is looking good and gets richer and richer in colour, delightful.

Noisette, attracting more attention from the young boys than she'd Iike I expect - they are all over her like a rash at present!!

Another recent arrival, Red Riding Hood, is a lovely BIG TALL girl, but a little bit shy.  She is settling in well and we are getting to know each other.