Fernhill Llamas

Everyone got shorn to-day! I got everyone, except for the babies, haltered up ahead of time for once. What an amazing experience. Shun kept us all in order with Helen’s help and between Simon, Robyn and myself we had a very smooth operations team. They were all pretty good, very different the way they handled the experience – I think it must tickle. We even got Ambrose and White Knight shorn. They all have different haircuts and differing styles of gorgeousness. I thought it would be so much harder and take far longer, 2 hours all up including coffee!

Ambrose and White Knight were both castrated. I thought it would be a traumatic experience for us all. However with careful instructions from wonderful vet, Monique, and experienced help from Robyn it was fine. Both boys were calm and relaxed and didn’t seem to feel any pain. Afterwards they wandered back up the hill with the rest of the herd.

In the meantime Spangles decided that Lovely Linda was looking (smelling?) very attractive and she obviously thought he was alright too so we had another mating.

tar Spangled Banner).This time he was firmly rejected by both Emma and Lovely Linda but Sensation was keen and, after lunch, they had a lovely mating and much enthusiasm from all the others.

Robyn arrived with Star Spangled Banner (who I’ve affectionately nicknamed ‘Spangles’). He is the most gorgeous dashing and friendly guy – who could resist him. Everyone looked keen. I had halters on Emma and Naomi but Naomi was definitely the one. He clearly chose her and she chose him, everyone joined in and a good time was had by all!

An unexpected and delightful surprise, Miracle’s Joy has produced a beautiful cria boy. We are calling him Mystery. The rest of the herd are all proud co-parents and he is a big strong boy with straight legs and curvy ears – just perfect.

Diane says that Don Peel does a great job carding llama fibre….

His contact details are:

Don Peel

Raes Junction
RD Dunedin
Ph 03 4468 561
Shop: 03 4468459

We have set up a blog for the NZ Llama Association AGM.

There will be updates and information as it comes to hand. Photos and links to the exciting stuff that happens over the weekend will be put up on the blog as they happen. So if you can’t be here with us, come by and have a look after the AGM weekend has started.

I have put some Llama photos up on PicasaWeb. PicasaWeb is a part of the Google empire and works pretty well on the whole. It has face recognition software, which is a really cool way of labeling photos – according to who is in the photo. I wonder if it will recognise llamas?

Rufus is in his pyjamas
He can almost see up to the llamas
He is cold
He is hot
I’m hungry
I’m not
Well, only if there are bananas

He’s waiting to go
Grown-ups are so slow
Let’s run up the hill
I know Tansy will
The cats can come too
But where is my shoe

Rufus is ready
So ready to go
But where are the others?
They’re always so slow

He’s running
He’s jumping
He’s skipping
Up the hill, right to the top
Tansy runs up even faster
Along come the cats but they stop

Ahead, on the hill
The llamas are still
They’re gazing
And grazing
They’re munching
And crunching

Rufus is bouncing
Excited and pleased
Tansy is cautious
She’ll wait for his lead
Dickson’s eyes widen
His fur stands up straight
McCready has scarpered
Under the gate
Dickson is puzzled
What creatures are these
They don’t smell familiar
He heads for the trees

Rufus is puzzled
He’s not going back
Tansy stays with him
They trot up the track

The llamas are coming
Their hooves sound like drumming
The cream ones, the white ones
The brown and the black
Some spotty, some shaggy
They’re not going back

They sniffle and whiffle
And Rufus, all smiles
Sniffles and whiffles
And touches their sides
They breathe down his neck
And they whisker his ears
He squeals with delight
When they nudge up so near

But there’s wind on the hill
And the herd don’t stand still

Even Rufus on nimble toes
Can’t reach the cliffs
Where the llama goes

He doesn’t want to
But sadly he knows
It’s time to go home now
Change his wet clothes

Maybe a story
A short little doze

And he’ll look out for llamas
Wherever he goes

Went up to see the herd (can’t say girls anymore) this morning. Very pleased to see me. They come down as far as the wooden gate. Tansy sort of lies down and waits for them to come past then bounds up to greet (hunt?) them. They are totally un-bothered by her. Emma and Tansy were cleaning up the dropped pellets and sort sniffed noses as they tried for the same pellet, funny as.

The boys are hanging out! White Knight and Ambrose are sniffing noses and sort of going off from the others. Not really playing but hanging around with each other. Ambrose has rolled in llama dung and looks a bit disgusting. The bits of shit stick to his fur. Maybe he got behind an adult while they were pooing. Tried to get it off but Ariel got stroppy, as you would expect.