Thursday, April 22, 2010

Spring has arrived....hopefully!!




Now the snow has finally disappeared and spring has arrived we are now complaining about everything being so dry, need a good rain soooo bad. Other areas around us received so much snow a bit ago that roads were closed but we just got enough to cover the ground and it was gone the next day, the winds we are having right now are not helping. But on the good side I did get down to the garden and put some compost on the raised beds and got them all dug up and ready to plant, thought the mice had done in some of the little poppy plants I had started from seed last year but they are slowly popping up. We got some trees planted so had to water them in good and got a few trees pruned. Now have to get at the front flowerbeds.....that is the only place we have lots of green grass these days. Took a few pictures of our other barnyard children the other day, little Bella the baby alpaca has the funniest little face, pretty soon she will have the funniest little body too...shearing time!! The llamas we just do a poodle cut and they look so cute but the alpacas get the full haircut so look pretty naked for a bit. The boys Paxton and Cusco are really growing up but all their tussling around has left a lot of debris in their fibre so they are not going to be happy campers when it comes to getting cleaned up for their first shearing. Just heard from the mill I sent my llama and alpaca fibre to a bit ago and they are just getting ready to spin it up so will not be that long before I get it back, am pretty excited about that!! Had the carpenter in yesterday to finish up the oak railing going downstairs, it had so many funny curves but he did a beautiful job. Well better go and vacuum up the bit of sawdust he left. So glad to have that finished!! Hope everyone is enjoying that spring has arrived!!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Where does the time go!!




Time is going by so fast and it has been so long since I have written a blog post!! Bad Blogger!! But what can you say about painting trim and cleaning. Have to think back and see if anything else is new. I did get some alpaca fibre sorted and sent to the local mill to have some mattress covers and duvets made and have them back already, I put one of the mattress covers on my bed and love it, is so comfortable for the arthritic bones I tell you. Also sent some alpaca fibre to the mill to have socks made, do not have them back yet. Then sorted some of my better llama and alpaca fibre and washed it up and sent it to a mill down east to be spun into yarn, can not wait until I get it back, the mill owner said they could process it right away before the fibre arrives from the spring shearing, so it should not be that long. In a week or so depending on the weather we have to start shearing our llamas and alpacas, we do it ourselves so it takes a while. This year we have four young animals that it will be their first shearing and their fleece is such a mess so will have to clean them up first, much easier to clean the fleece on the animal than stand at the sorting table picking all the debris out. Last night north of us had a snow storm blow in but all we got was the wild wind, we are so dry here the ground is still brown so hope some moisture is on the way, have been trying to get a few small trees moved around in the yard hoping the moisture will come or we will be watering, I had to water the front flowerbeds as they were so dry, had the water going last night and when I went out to turn it off there was ice forming on the fence so it is not that warm yet. Got a few pictures of Blossom and Posy the other day, Blossom was the one that never wanted her picture taken and Posy was always wanting hers taken, now it is Blossom coming to see what I am doing and Posy saying no way she wants me to take pictures, funny girls. Have to get out to the other paddock and try to get a new picture of Bella the little alpaca, I seen her the other day chasing the gophers in the pasture, wish I had been close enough for pictures, it was too cute.