Time flies

The weather has been just fab - true autumnal weather , clean , crisp with some sun to warm our hearts. The alpaca are taking every opportunity to enjoy the mild days before the wet sets in. Tonight I realised that they are over all the trauma , I saw them all pronk for the first time since Pudding died .Pronking is a hilarious activity , not confined to alpaca , more commonly observed on wildlife programmes , when springbok etc strut around , all 4 feet leaving the floor at the same time as if they are bouncing ! It is something that alpaca only do when they are full of the joys , and it was started by the two smallest members of the herd and gradually everyone joined in ! they pronk in a long line ( a bit like a conga ) and go round the field in big circles - hilarious and uplifting to watch .

Artemis and Acantha start a conga

Chickens have had a re-shuffle , all the birds I believe are laying have now gone into one hen house , and those who are obviously moulting ( most of them ) or are young cockerels have gone into the other . One house has a completely enclosed run , and will encourage them to lay where I can retrieve their eggs , I have scoured hedge rows and cannot find any eggs , but I know that 3 at least are laying .
Weekend plans are looking good . We have some close friends coming to stay , and they are always keen to help with projects . It must be said that a fair amount of time is spent at the 'dog wash shop' buying 'essential tool s! However, a superb weather shelter is going up for the alpaca , and some more ditches will be dug , wood chopped and stables painted - or that's the plan !
The ' dog wash shop' is so called because ( and I kid you not ) they have a machine for washing your dog ! only in Wales ! Its a bit like a small car wash and you put your dog in and it comes out clean , needless to say the boys are fascinated . I would suggest it is well worth a visit for the hilarity factor if nothing else . In fact , I am crying with laughter just thinking about it !