Well… Ric is still at home with the alpacas. I am in England visiting my mother on my annual trip to my home country. Usually I travel earlier in the year, but this year shearing, crias and new a new puppy meant I postponed my trip to the fall.
Today England is warmer than I remember it being in the fall (or autumn as we tend to refer to it in England). The English summers have been getting warmer and drier, the storms more severe and the fall and winter milder. You cannot help but wonder about global warming when such climate change takes place. I think you would have a hard time convincing many British people that global warming is not a fact.
During my trip I will be helping my mother with tasks such as filing her tax return and anything else she has on the to-do list for me. My mother has coped remarkably well since the loss of my father last year, but there are a few things she needs assistance with (and let’s face it who really enjoys filing tax returns anyway!).
I also will be spending time with my good friends Linda and Val (with a very special party on the agenda but more on that later), my nephews and former sister in law Roisin (who is still very much a member of our family) and of course Laura (step daughter), Ren (Laura’s husband), grand-daughter Aida and Paul (step son). Also on the agenda is a trip to Totley in South Yorkshire to visit my Dad’s cousin Stella and hopefully see a nearby alpaca farm and while I am there I am hoping to be reunited with my friend Anne-Marie who I have known since pre-school. Anne-Marie and I have kept in touch on and off through our parents and now via Facebook which has brought us together again.
At home Ric is very busy with caring for the farm. It’s a lot for one person to take care of, and now has he added task of looking after puppy Blue who will let you know in her own way (by chewing something you treasure!), if she feels she is not getting enough attention. I fully expect Ric to be somewhat worn out and possibly a little thinner by the time I get home – although our dear neighbor Darlene is providing him with some meals and so I know he will not starve to death (A big Thank you Darlene as always!).
As well as routine chores Ric will be hauling loads of hay while I am gone. We finally found some wheat hay that satisfies our requirements, with only one drawback; it has some wheat heads in it. We really do prefer beardless wheat hay, but this year have not been able to find any that is nutritionally correct for the alpacas. The hay we purchased is almost perfect in its analysis and was cut just as it started to head out, so we felt that it was the best option available to us.
As if all of that is not enough Ric also will be keeping a close eye on Theresa who is due October 25. For her first four crias Theresa gave birth on day 345 of her pregnancy, but then threw us for a loop by not delivering her fifth cria until day 368 in temperatures above 100 degrees. So who knows when Theresa will give birth this year. Before I left I checked Theresa, her udder was not yet developed and she was not puffy under her tail so there should be at least a little time before she gives birth. I had a word with Theresa too and asked her to hang on to her cria until I was home, but not to wait until day 368 again – I guess we will soon find out if she was listening.
My blog entries will be sporadic during my trip I am sure. Ric may decide to post an entry or two – in his spare time that is, but whether his entries will be coherent or just consist of a string of exhausted zzzzzz’s will remain to be seen!
A Taste of Life at Windrush Alpacas 