new baby alpaca

A new arrival was waiting for us in the alpaca field, when we came back this afternoon. We have called this little fella, Cocoa - and he is pictured here, taking his first wobbly steps, hardly dry yet. The female pictured with him, is not his mum, more like a concerned aunty. In fact, we are expecting trouble ahead, because the only way we could work out which animal was his mum - was to get all the females in, and check each one for evidence!

This alpaca is a first-time mum. So far, she does not want anything to do with her brave little chap, and runs away if he comes anywhere near. It is quite common for new mums, in all farm livestock, to be hesitant and unsure what to do (let's face it girls, many of us human mums experience something similar) - but what we are seeing today, is a bit extreme.

I have fed him some powdered colostrum, which is the first, rich milk, all mothers produce - full of antibodies to kick start the newborn immune system, and essential nutrients babies need to thrive. He would be better off with the 'real stuff' but we have had to compromise for now. Henry and I 'milked' the mother alpaca later in the evening, with great difficulty from us, and a lot of screeching, spitting and kicking from her. I can tell this is going to be a long haul. We have shut mother and baby inside for tonight, and hope that a few hours of quiet dark together, will coax out the mothering instinct.

shearing

This spring saw a combination of warm and humid conditions, bringing an anxious lead-in time for sheep shearing. Apart from the visibly ragged pieces of fleece hanging down, and the scratching and rubbing that sheep do, when they get too waram and uncomfortable, it's what goes on underneath all that fleece that causes the worry.

Flies. Flies lay eggs in dirty fleece, which hatch into maggots, that literally eat their way into the animal. This cause and effect is known as fly strike and is deeply unpleasant to deal with - can be treated if caught early, but can also be fatal in some cases.

Like every other skilled seasonal trade - shearers are in huge demand by everyone, all at the same time, and many are unwilling to take on small flocks (economy of scale and all that). This can mean a long wait.

I consider ourselves fortunate, that our shearer was able to come to us when he did, despite the fact that we had less than an hour's notice before dark, to get all sheep in, as it had forecast rain overnight, and you can't shear wet fleeces next day. All sheep were fine, except one, where maggots were just appearing in a lump of poo stuck to her fleece. A couple more days, and they would have been burrowing into the sheep's skin. A lucky escape for her and for us.

Our ram, Frodo, was led in, looking majestic and imposing in his woolly robes, and then led out, as you might imagine a naked king Henry VIII to look - with nothing to hide his rotund and portly appearance, and no way of concealing the evidence of over-indulgence in the eating department.

There may well be a few people out there, who like me, can empathise with Frodo, as summer approaches. You know how it is, when you have to peel off those layers, and come to terms with all those flabby bits you pretended weren't there during the winter. Time to wake up and pinch an inch or two!

garlic bread

Any other Peter Kay fans out there, will probably recognise a catchphrase in the words 'garlic bread' . As food items go, it's one of those 'love it' or 'hate it' things, like marmite, or olives, or coffee cake.

For me, there is almost nothing to beat the appetising smell of hot and crusty garlic bread, brought straight from oven to table, and there is almost nothing worse than coming downstairs in the morning to be greeted by the rising aroma (now travelling up the stairs and all around the house) of the garlic peelings that got left in the bottom of the kitchen bin the night before.

Wild garlic grows in great abundance here along the river bank and edges of streams. It has been particularly stunning this year, with bold, green leaves and a mass of white flowers, literally carpeting whole stretches of riverside. The best time of day to enjoy the whole freshness of it, is early evening, following a rain shower, as the warm air lifts and carries the scent.

Henry tells a story from the old dairy farming days, when the milking cows got out, and gorged themselves on garlic leaves along the river. The milk was tainted so badly, they could not send any milk for four days, and had to tip it all away. I can imagine a different outcome these days. There must be a cafe bar somewhere, that would leap at the chance to serve garlic milkshake?

Personally, I think I'll stick to garlic bread.

be informed, inspired, involved!

This is the logo strapline, and the raison d'etre for WIRE, which stands for Women in Rural Enterprise. The website alone, www.wireuk.org should be enough to fire up even the most reluctant sole trader into some productive networking, planning and PR.

WIRE brings together an eclectic mix of women in business - from start-ups, to those moving on, from wannabe entrepreneurs, to self-made gurus. Any ladies out there, with a rural connection (however tenuous) should take a look - there is still plenty of grassroots activity, to give everyone a genuine say and the chance to shape what's on offer.

Dare I say, running your own business has become positively fashionable these days, with plenty of real-life case studies to be found in glossy coffee-table mags, and lifestyle media programmes. You know the ones - those women who seem to harness their natural creative flair, and design a unique artisan product, in between doing the school run and an evening out at the theatre. They engage in some apparently effortless business activity, in the same way as they might join a health spa, and hey-ho, their once comfortable lifestyle, is now sickeningly even more comfortable. And aren't they always immaculately turned out with manicured nails?

Not for them, a galloping business overdraft or hours of unproductive cold-calling, or working into the small hours after children are in bed, packed lunches done, and the ironing is down from crisis level (no clothes left to wear) to manageable (one change of clothes to wear.)

What these 'business accessorised' women are missing out on, are the many and varied network groups, that are quietly mushrooming, up and down the country. Whether they are WIRE networks, or other business support groups, they are worth a look, because getting involved, can keep you inspired.