Young Lordy supervising the new TOFT Studio Access

Work started today at the crack of sparrows on a new drive access for the TOFT Studio... It will be finished tomorrow, we hope because we are open again on Wednesday. For a young boy who's all of three this is better than Bob the Builder turning up.

Damp dudes...on the ranch

Another damp day at TOFT today after what seems the dampest Xmas holiday ever. The mud is sucking at our wellies like a live animal and our beautiful pedigree alpacas look like damp dishcloths on legs. Hey ho...

Xmas comes again...

Way back in the summer Shirley and I were judging the first Norwegian National Fleece show. One night, on the farm where the show was hosted, we sat around a Norwegian fire pit cooking sausages and drinking beer into the wee hours, as you do. I was so impressed by this fantastic experience, especially the Norwegian Firepit. It was so fit for purpose I couldn't stop talking about it. So much so, that on my return to the UK I mentioned to an alpaca friend of mine Richard Kingston of Jigsaw Alpacas who I know works with steel. I showed him a photo asked if he'd look into how I might get one of these babies at TOFT and ...  blow me he only went and made me one. This evening he and his partner Laine delivered this magnificent UK version of the Norwegian Firepit for our enjoyment at TOFT.

My boat has come in. My cup runneth over and my wellies are dripping with joy.  The very second it stops raining, if it ever does, I shall spark this little baby up, cook sausages and 'bondy' tayties and invite friends and family round to drink beer and talk bollocks on the patio into the wee hours of the night. It's a must when you have one of these magnificent babies in your armoury! Best Christmas present ever- the best a man can get! Thank you Richard and Elaine I owe you big time. xxx

TOFT Xmas Open day was a blast !!!!

Talk about lucky... After weeks and weeks of rain and damp the TOFT Xmas Open Day was blessed with dry weather. It threatened a few times but it never materialised and by 2.30 even the sun put in a guest appearance and warmed the cockles for an hour or so. Perfick!

The Tofties excelled themselves one and all. Kerry's pack of yarn hounds buzzed about like Santa's Elves on speed. Shirley and Caroline walked and talked their way around the puddles with the crowds. Uncle Keith combined his veteran car park duties with a stint as the man in red. Scott excelled as the TOFT happy Elf. Linda Freya and I kept a tight schedule moving with great aplomb on the alpaca walks. Tom, Adam Doug and Jules -the TOFT catering department jollied one and all into the sausage rolls and the atmosphere was... Very very Christmassy indeed. 

This annual Xmas fest seems firmly embedded in the calendar at TOFT. My wonderful mother in law and her daughter Sandra threw themselves headlong into Ding Dong Merrily the Bong. Auntie Lorna charmed one and all as the meet & greet lady. My Mum and Dad joined in the festivities toe ensure the octogenarians  were well represented and a great time was had by all. We had a great day on the ranch and judging by the reactions of our guests on Twitter, Facebook & Trip Advisor it would seem they did to - roll on 2016

A huge congratulations to Kerry and her ever expanding team of helpers and thanks to all those who came along to enjoy the day. Here's a few shots to cheer you up post Chrissy.

We hope you had a fabulous Christmas and wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year ! 

And finally in with the new....

At last I get the chance to spit and dish out a little shed envy. Our new shed is finished and I have been so busy trying to get it up and running in the lead up to Christmas that I haven't had tiime time to gloat. Not that I can really do it now as we still have a mass if internal work to do to get it all moving. 

We'd hadn't even got the LX in when Kerry and the TOFT yarn elves started to get busy moving the stock into the new packing areas. Christmas being the busiest of times for the TOFT Studio we have all been running around like Santas little helpers and it's hard to find time to keep everyone up to date. Anyway here's a few shots just to turn you a little green. Unless of course you've already got a great shed, in which case empathise with the workload. Internal shots to follow, when eventually we get tidied up in the New Year.

 

Out with the old...

Just when you think there is time to take stock we are off again. The contractors arrived a couple of weeks ago to dismantle the old hay barn and prepare the ground for our new storage shed. Yesterday the new shed turned up and like magic the steels spring into the air and suddenly we can see what's coming. Excited? Oh yeah, just a little. This shed will make a huge difference to TOFT in the coming years as we reorganise yet again. Weather permitting we'll start moving our stuff in in by the beginning  of November. Watch this space...the roof should be on by the end of the week.

Empty rafters at TOFT alpacas...good luck and Bon Voyage !

That's it they've gone and taken our summer with them. Ever since our first season at TOFT in  1991 I have loved sharing my summers with these incredible creatures. Every year they arrive in the first week in May and leave in the first week of September taking their offspring with them to teach them the way back to South Africa and along the way teaching them a methodology to memorise the route back to TOFT for next year. How they meet this challenge is beyond me. All I know is I eagerly await their arrival, enjoy every nuance of their season as they raise their brood, teach them how to fly and then leave as swiftly as they arrive. 

Last week I didn't need a calendar to know the date.  You could sense it was time  by the activity and excited noise in the rafters as they drew close to their incredible journey. What signifies it is time? Temperature change, moon phase? All I know is by Tuesday the rafters at TOFT were silent and the barn a lonelier place. 

For me their departure heralds the beginning of the end of the season and I make a mental note to relish the dog days of summer ahead as the land begins to change and wish our visitors well and 'au revoir' until next May when we shall welcome them back again.