TOFT Alpaca introductory Husbandry Workshop....

Great Alpaca day yesterday as the first TOFT Alpaca husbandry introductory workshop kicked off in cold but fine weather at. TOFT Alpaca Stud. Lovely people working with TOFT Champion Alpacas exploring their own alpaca inspiration. Cold but dry and lots of fun and back to the Cornflower Cafe for tea and Homemade cake- Perfick! Thank you one and all for a great day, see you soon and good luck with your own alpaca adventure.

Lunch with the Monks...?

Shared my Chicken Ceasar sandwich and Skinny Latte Lunch yesterday with this group of Monkeys watching me. They had had obviously done a runner from the TOFT Studio and swung down the room preferring the ambience of the Cornflower Cafe! Needless to say I didn't share  ....even though they kept begging constantly with their eyes. Tough love !!

Jack of all trades...

Busy weekend at TOFT last weekend with yours truly working as driver and stall erector helping the ladies of TOFT set up their trade stand at the NEC. The lovely Petra was in charge of executing design and decor and she duly chased the wee members  of Edward's Menagerie into line to look their best for a couple of days. And the results? Well the stand looked marvellous! Congratulations Petra and the Yarnies of TOFT. Me? I nipped back to the Cornflower Cafe for a crafty Cappucino and Cake...Perfick!

Is that almost red?

Certainly a deep rich mahogany with a reddish undertone ... The winter sun presents a myriad of tints and hues as it moves accross the 6 month old weaner paddock at TOFT alpacas. The natural colour pallete of the Alpaca is truly amazing. Grab your cameras in 2015 and come and find an alpaca to kiss your lens at TOFT alpacas. With added treat of coffee and cake at the Cornflower Cafe... Perfick!

TOFT Suris glow too, you know!

Yes, they do and the winter sun really does a job on their lustre...We have a very select prizewinning  Suri Herd at TOFT which is always worth a look at if you are passing. The Cornflower Cafe is open Wed-Sunday and offers some of the best Cappuccino and Cake in the Midlands!

Major works...

It's called child exploitation but he is no longer a child but he is family. Bandido Scottino legendary Alpaquero is having to turn his hand to all the projects that need to get done in the dry before rain eventually stops play. 

We are catching up with ourselves big time at Toft Alpacas fuelled by Cappucino and Cake at the Cornflower Cafe!

Yesterday we moved about 12 tons of old bonfire ash to a new location well away from the alpacas, freeing up about twenty hurdles. Day before we were repairing farm tracks next month will be fence work. We might need some rain before then as the ground is taking on the consistency  of concrete.

It's not just the alpacas who are Champion...

The fish are a star attraction for all those visitors to the Toft Alpaca Shop and the Cornflower Cafe. Like the alpacas, endless time can be spent in admiration.

Toft Alpacas Open Day kicked off early...

It all kicked off early on the  Manor yesterday with visitors knocking  on the doors as we were setting up. 

A massive Toft effort all round with Scott standing in for Uncle Keith on the car park duty with Auntie Lorna and Paul Beswick of Du Prem Alpacas. Doug took over Eddie watch from Auntie Sandra. Freya, Millie, Linda and myself were on the alpaca halter walking. 

Shirley and the studio staff on the walks and talks as well as all the other craft activities. Harriet, Kerry and the interns were all buzzing around like bees on honey. The Cornflower cafe was booming with all the cakes and Sarnies gone by last knockings. Despite the rain a great Toft Alpaca Experience was delivered in spades !

This was our first Open Day where we have  dodged the weather but it didn't stop the visitors coming and a fantastic British Day out at Toft Alpacas was had by all. Well done family, well done Team Toft and may we all conitnue giving the joy and providing this very special Alpaca experience for a long long time to come. Our visitors loved it and I think  we might have changed a few lives along the way! xxx

Alpacas Feted in Dunchurch

If you can actually be feted then our alpacas were definitely that at the local village fete yesterday. England was out in all it's glory in Dunchurch and the whole village and half of Rugby must have rocked through the local sports field. The Rugby Mayor was even trotting around in his finery glad handing all and sundry.

Our new assistant herdswoman, Freya Shuttleworth, was on 'touch and stroke' duty in the alpaca pen entertaining  the crowd with lots of alpaca chat. This was a first for Freya and she did a great job. Once she realised the folks weren't going to eat her she really enjoyed it!

And me? Well I had a lovely day catching up with old friends and acquaintances. It also provided us with a great opportunity to promote the new Cornflower pop up cafe at Toft which we all did in spades. 'Coffee and cake to die for Governor! Here have an ice cream voucher...' We gave it large for the Cornflower cafe. My wonderful mother in law Myra was, as always, a stalwart at making sure no one left without a leaflet. At 82 she's worth three half her age, bless!

The Dunchurch village fete is a real traditional English affair and a credit to the organisers. On a wonderful summers day like yesterday it was a  joy to take part in. There can't be a child within a ten mile radius of Toft who by now does not know what an alpaca is. I look forward to seeing them all again throughout July when they turn up for their ice cream.

Well done Team Toft

Here they are - the full Toft team, minus my good self, seconds before the Toft Easter Monday Farm Open Day.  Apologies for the darkness of the photo but the cars were already arriving as I was taking this and we didn't have time to shuffle the gang into the light. The Herbert in the high vis vest who is supposed to be greeting the people and parking the cars is busy posing like he's in the cast of Oklahoma and it would have ruined the moment and delayed the day to shift him.

Joking aside, we had a fantastic day on the Manor. The Toft Team ran the event with a precision and professionalism that would have made. Swiss clockmaker cry. The cars got parked and left without incident. The workshops created and crafted. The Pop up Cornflower Cafe went down a treat. The people were alpaca walked and talked. The Knitters were able to touch and feel in a unique atmosphere created by all the  Toft Team, who pulled their puddings out to make this a memorable day for all the attendees. Long may the Team Toft continue to bring joy in abundance to these special Days on the Farm. Thank you all and well done Kerry Lord for pulling it all together and making this a very special Alpaca event.

And a very special thanks to all those who came along to enjoy our alpacas on Easter Monday. I was very appreciative this morning when I went on my walk round to find not one single piece of litter on the Farm. I thankyou all for your responsibility and respect.

The Cornflower Cafe will be popping up again soon at Toft. In two weeks time it will be popping up in the TOFT Studio from Thursday through Saturday right though the summer. So make a date to get along get some great coffee and cake and take in a little alpaca. The babies start arriving in three weeks time.