kestlealpacas

Farm visits

Apparently, it is best to visit our little farm first thing in the morning. At 5 am the traffic is horrendous! We have a series of cheeky characters roaming around carefree, taking turns as if they had booked by the hour. First are the little birds and then some not so small, all making theContinue reading “Farm visits”

Di mi nombre

This comes up after a prompt. I thought I would share the following, borrowed from a good friend with permission. Si tuvieras que cambiar de nombre, ¿cuál elegirías? Puede que sea un sentimiento ligado a la cultura del país del que provengo. Puede que sea sólo un sentimiento o pensamiento particularmente mío. El caso esContinue reading “Di mi nombre”

Cruella Vetbill

Today I was thinking about the above. Better not to. The last year has been particularly draining, as the weather behaviour has made keeping the health of the farm much more difficult. It is not only wetter, but warmer, and all sorts of insects and arachnids, and the infections they may carry, have taken theContinue reading “Cruella Vetbill”

Learning the fibre

After a really bad weather for shearing day, we have learnt how good we are at improvising. We were able to host the alpacas indoors for the dramatic event of getting them undressed. The process was smooth, Scott was very gentle with the animals. With a light idea gathered of little information online, I hadContinue reading “Learning the fibre”

Who is who

Last year, I had three crías. Just three. Every time, I have to look a few times to discern which one is in front of me. As they’re growing, they’re reaching the size of the young ones, and Dora, too, gets involved in the mix-up. They are all intentionally unrelated. Even more, they’re not allContinue reading “Who is who”

When negative feelings pop up

I got interested in them, initially, to cut the grass. It’s a very valid reason. Then I found myself surrounded by a few of them and felt something else. It hadn’t happened before with sheep, nor with cows or chickens. Not even surrounded by humans I ever felt it. You can call it energy, spirit,Continue reading “When negative feelings pop up”

Pause

If there was a pause button, so you could get on with things before the times go pass too long, I’d most definitely use it. Never mind keeping the audience reading. One lifetime does not feel enough to do everything, if that is not a very ambitious thought. Today a feeling has brought me backContinue reading “Pause”

Abundance

Fruits and honey, jam and liquor, soups and cakes, jumpers and cuddles. This farm gives absolutely everything you may need, and some more. I’m getting ready for the spring burst of life while slowly getting through the stores. This is abundance and, just with a touch of work, it is a gift from Nature toContinue reading “Abundance”

New year’s dreams

After a brief pause in the darkness of rainy Britain, the sun has awaken our inspiration for typing again. Alpacas have been part of our lives for over seven years now. In that time, we have learnt a lot about them, and we have created a quality herd that carries our own name. This takesContinue reading “New year’s dreams”

Beautiful eyes

Today’s blog is a bit different from any previous one. However, I hope some alpaca owners can learn something from it. After my last blog, someone asked me why I check the eyes of my alpacas. Checking the eyes is an essential part of their overall health monitoring and care routine, as it allows earlyContinue reading “Beautiful eyes”