Bit of a job on with Young Will...

Monday and Tuesday spent wiring up the fences with Young Will on the last five acres of new alpaca paddock.  We worked like men possessed until it got too dark to be safe to get all the remaining wire up. I can hardly lift my mug of tea today but I'd lay bets that Will at only 17 doesn't have an ache at all. Life's a b****!

I've probably got thousand staples to knock in before Crimbo- I hope I'll be able to cut the Turk!

Thanks Will for all your help over the past few weeks knocking these fields into shape- have a good Chrissy.

Sod this for a game of soldiers, we're all coming to the party- have a Happy Christmas everyone and a joyful New Year. xxx

OK me and my mate are all ready... Where's the action?

Can anyone join the party? Huacayas too ?

Seems like all the TOFT weaners are keen to join the festivities starting with the TOFT Alpaca Farm Open Day on the 20th of December. Ho Ho Ho...!

So where's the party?

Crimbo has officially started at TOFT alpacas. The TOFT Studio is twinkling, trees are sparkling and the mince pies and brandy cream are pouring out of the Cornflower Cafe. It's as cosy as a Hamsters boudoir in the Studio these days. 

All we need now is a visit from old 'Ho, Ho, Ho'. I hear he's dropping in on the Xmas Farm Open Day on the 20th. Should be a a good un! Ho Ho Ho...

Wires on...

Wires up on the new alpaca paddock. Two strands of plain wire to string tomorrow and three gates to set up and  the next five acres will come online. 

Hey ho, only another five to go and the job will be almost done. Thank goodness it feels like this job has run longer than Emmerdale. I've set Xmas as the deadline -as you do and if the weather rolls our way we will get there. A few good frosts will help now the posts are all in.

It is now almost a year since we took on this land and it has taken all of that time to get it operational. 12 months ago all the hedges were overgrown 25 yds out in the field, there was a decade of debris scattered around and some of the biggest bonfire middens  I have ever seen. The fields were four foot high in nettles and thistles covered in huge thick tussocks you could hardly ride the quad over. 

We started cutting slashing and burning last December and have been working on it most of the year. Twelve massive bonfires later and an awful lot of fencing we are almost there. With a bit of luck we will have 15 acres of very tidy new alpaca paddocks up and running in the New Year! And then? Well some downtime I hope and back to the herd.

Chrissy lights are up....

Time for the twinkling in the twilight as the Manor gets ready for Crimbo...