British Alpaca Futurity 2013

 

I have to admit that Mike and I are both feeling a bit shattered today after going to the Futurity last week.  We got back home late last night.  Ten out of ten to Mike for driving all the way.  It was pouring down when we left Birmingham and the traffic was awful but we got home about 10.15pm.

 

We had dithered on about whether to go to the Futurity this year but we are very glad that we did.  The standard of entries was even higher this year than last but we still managed to bring home 3 rosettes.  Most of the entries are from breeders who own several hundred alpacas and due to a rush of sales recently we currently have less than 30.  Minerva, Maximus and Isidor all got rosettes – 5^th, 6^th and 4^th.  Although we had hoped for higher places, the judge did say in her summing up that the final line-up of alpacas in these particular classes represented “The best of the best” and even the 5^th and 6^th placed animals were exceptional alpacas – pretty good then! 

One of the great things about going to such a big alpaca event as the Futurity, is all the people you meet.  It was so good to catch up with our alpaca friends from all over the UK, Europe and Sweden.

 

We were really lucky to have Lucinda and Andrew house-sitting for us in our absence.  In fact, as I type Lucinda is cooking supper.  I think it is roast chicken but there is a rather mouth watering smell of pear and ginger crumble coming from the kitchen too.  In our absence, they have been testing that Piccalilly I made a few weeks ago and it seems to have got the thumbs up!

Bookings are starting to come in now for our holiday cottage in Corbridge which is really exciting.  We have got our first guests arriving there for Easter weekend – only a couple of weeks away.

No chance of putting my feet up here for the next few days though as I am off to Rutland tomorrow to stay with my son Peter and his wife Iona and wee Archie. As a judge trainee I am going to Toft Alpacas on Tuesday and Wednesday for the judges’ training clinic run by Amanda Vandenbosch who was judging at the Futurity. 

We had hoped that the weather here might get a bit milder but it is snowing again now.  Just as well that we bought a new cria coat for little Hester who is struggling at the minute.  She has been refusing to take hard feed and as we have so little grass in our paddocks we have had her penned in our orchard.  Whilst at the Futurity we did get hold of some of the GWF Hembra and Cria feed which we have been trying to get into her today.  Fingers crossed with that one!

The question is – will Mike need to dig out the snowdrift from the top of the drive tomorrow?