New, New, NEW!!

Just to make sure the level of crazy doesnt slip around here, today we've welcomed another new puppy into the household.  Today we collected Coco, Yoyo's sister!!  She will be with us for a few weeks before heading for her permanent home in Melbourne with Alan, Aleisha and Jakey Baby!!  She's a bit of a princess and bedtime tonight required 2 firm 2 finger taps and a gruff NO! to settle her.. much more effort than was required for Yoyo!!  Hopefully tomorrow will be easier!!  She and Yoyo have had an exhausting time this afternoon renewing their bonds and racing around the yard like lunatics!!  LOL!!  She is as cute as a button and will fit in here perfectly :)

We've also welcomed some new crias to the home paddock, a really tiny and darling little solid true black (STB) female, Elani for Nefertiti.  She is a real live wire and has no idea she's punching way above her weight!!  An STB female for Phoebe, Flora, who is the apple of her mother's eye, a dark brown boy, Fabian, for Chianti - a first cria for her and for father Mandrake.  A stunning little grey boy, Esiotrot, for Cushla (by Bracken) and they all are good running game friends for Daisy, who has been just dying for some friends to turn up!!

Azzura with Avocado baby, and a visiting Esiotrot.

Tiny little Elani who was only 5.13kg when born, but is a real live wire!!  Her mum Nefertiti is a smaller alpaca, but Elani is even smaller again, despite her dad, Ez, being one of our biggest stud males.  She is a delight :)

Dark brown boy, Fabian, a very pretty cria, bit of a challenge for first time mum Chianti, but she's figured it out now and thankfully he is a robust and foreward little cria.

Phoebe is nearly 4 and she's been desperate to be a mum, and finally its happened in the best possible way, little Flora is a stunning little STB sweetheart and Phoebe is as happy as can be!!

Cushla is battling a stomach ulcer, so we are very glad she's managed to carry this baby to term.  She has produced a gorgeous little medium grey boy, Esiotrot.  Cushla's treatment continues and she is doing well.

Lots of Crias!!

Rhys and mum Azzura, very close.  Azzura's cria last year died when he was 18 days old, it is lovely to see her happy again - hope we can do much better with this baby.... Medallion is not allowed anywhere near him!!

Bianca is growing up, and slowly improving in the lead and halter stakes!

Lucien is walking well, and pretty much the star pupil.  This is his, I did good, can I have a treat, can I? can I? huh? huh? look!!

Jade is battling the odds remarkably well, every day is a major achievement!  Her eyes are clearer now, but she cannot see very well yet, and when Trinket gets more than a metre ahead, she cannot seem to 'find' her at all, and walks in circles... so plainly some neurological 'issues' yet to sort.

She is feeding well, so that's a good start!!

Joeley and her first cria Jumanji, both doing well after Wednesday's difficult delivery.

 And now that Maggie's boy, Magellan, is no longer wet or in dappled shade, I can see that he's not actually black, he's medium brown... I think!  He looks like roan, without the white... so he can't be roan!!

Namoi and her son, who is more what I think of as medium brown....

Funnily little Scarlett is a real trick!

Autumn is definitely here, there are toadstools around the base of nearly every tree.

New Crias and Updates

Yesterday Azzura gave birth to a very striking male cria.  He is a big solid lad and so we are going to name him after our grandson, Rhys, who is also a big solid lad!!  This is a second son for Dad Carter.

Jade is just over 3 weeks old, and you can see that while only being hours old Rhys is bigger than her!!

Today Maggie gave birth to a black male cria, we've called him Magellan.  She needed quite a bit of help to deliver him, and was a little uncertain what to do about him at first, but is bonding with him now, and I think they will be fine :)

Yesterday Jade was looking a bit off, sleeping a lot, but still feeding.... today she is worse and the vets think she has a viral brain infection, her sight is affected and she is very lethargic.... except when I try to bottle feed her, then she has all the strength in the world to resist my efforts.  Think good thoughts for our little girl as she battles this latest obstacle, the odds are not attractive!

These are my good samaritan down the road neighbours, Gayle and Laurie Gardiner.  They have been rendering their time and energy to get Trinket injected with antibiotics to combat the infection in her c-section wound.  Today she has to have 2 injections and a third on Wednesday.  I am very grateful to Gayle and Laurie for all their time and help :)  It would have been impossible without them.  Gayle is a nurse, and so all I have to do is 'hold' and she does the tricky bit :)  She and Laurie also volunteer their time to rescue, care for and release injured wildlife and are currently caring for a baby galah.

After the fog, out came the sun

This morning began with a thick fog, which cleared to beautiful clear sunshine.

Lead and halter class this morning went well :)  The Jester is still the star pupil, once his circuit is complete he likes to rest his chin on the rail while I remove the halter - very cute!

Yuri probably has the furthest to go to be fully trained.  The rain last week has given him a distinctly grubby appearance!

Misty only likes to participate under her own rules, but this morning, after an email from the hugely talented Marj, I went back to the beginning with Misty and got good results :)

Noisette looks quite fetching her in halter, and she getting much better about having it put on, but she doesnt like you to use it to lead her around... not part of her plan, improving slowly, but still a way to go!

Up at yards Azzura is looking well and happy.

There's a bit of dithering going on, Trinket and co have headed off, but there is a big gang of stragglers!!

Jemma, doing well in the road paddock even though there arent treats for breakfast, lunch and tea!!

Michelle is doing well too, she doesnt look very round or fat, so while I'm hoping she's pregnant, I'm not expecting it!!

Midsummer - in mid winter!!

The fawn girls, Midsummer, Yolanda (at the back), Nellie Melba (middle front) and Medallion (Midsummer's look-a-like!), I've been doing a little research and I think they'll all be going to our grey boy Bracken next season in the hope of black cria!!  This time round Nellie and Yolanda have been mated to whites, and Medallion and Midsummer have been mated to our black boy, Alba - roll on 2014!!

Orchid, demonstrating the economy size 'sulk'!!  LOL!!  Not sure who she had the argument with, but they definitely won!!

Pearl, looking gorgeous, even with dust on her nose!!

More milling of stragglers!

This is Vynka, she's not black, but I am very fond of her, she is a gentle soul and very friendly, especially if you might have llama lollies in your pocket.  Vynka and Tiana Rose (front left in the above photo) are both due to pop in November, so 2013 is not without merit!!  LOL!!

Back in the home paddock, Cushla seemed to be in need of some of the cooling effects that can be achieved by dipping  your feet in the water trough.  Even though the sun was shining I cannot believe this was warranted even for a black alpaca - surely you cant over heat when the temperature is still in single figures Cushie?

Cushla's son Casper, who is a little sweetie, very calm and quiet like his mother.

 Missy Moo and her mum, Myriah enjoying an intimate moment, which is really nice to see as mostly Myriah seems a bit over the mothering thing!

Kids in the sun, Missy Moo, Nanook and Casper

 Nanook is very curious and seems endlessly fancinated by the camera.  He has a dark wishbone of colour across his nose, a nod to his black mother?  He's going to be quite a big lad, like her, and is enjoying life and the general rough and tumble of home paddock life.