Norwegian National Fleece Show....

Fantastic few days in Oslo over the weekend with Shirley judging the first Norwegian fleece show. Loved every minute of it. Line Werner of Alpaca Enghaugen organised the event with great enthusiasm and application it rang like a dream. The final presentation of the winning fleeces looked superb and really did justice to the quality fleeces which were exhibited. I gave a fleece workshop on the Saturday to finish off the proceedings and all in all it was a full on three days of sharing and learning with the Norwegian breeders. We had a great team of volunteer stewards helping and a lot of fun was had along the way as they worked through the process in a very professional manner.

Our hosts Eileen and  Sven-Erik train Alaskan Huskies and run a beautiful visiting farm in Asker called Bergvang where the event was held. They truly looked after us all like Kings and Eileen's mother in law delighted us with a never ending stream of wonderful home made cake. 

A huge TOFT thanks to Line and the Norwegian Alpaca Association for inviting us to judge and to all the volunteers who helped make this first show a great success and to Eileen and Sven-Erik for giving us a truly memorable alpaca weekend. We wish all the very best as you continue with your alpaca adventures and see you all again soon.

Irish Alpaca Association halter show at the County Louth Agricultural Show

Great day yesterday at Bellurgan Park in County Louth,Eire judging the halter classes at the Irish Alpaca Association halter show. Great weather, good humour and plenty of challenges in the black and brown classes to get the judge thinking. Terrific turnout in the young handler section. Huge crowds on the Showground. A massive thanks to Berie Neary of Mullagh Lane Alpacas for organising and her friend Siobahn who managed rosettes and microphone like a real pro. Thanks to all the exhibitors and helpers who made this showcase for the alpacas. 

Thanks to the Alpaca Association of Ireland for inviting me. I have so much fun in your wonderful country -I will be back.  Have a great season, may all your cria be girls and see you all soon.

Whoopy Daisy on a rare day off enjoying Amsterdam...

Great poeple, good food and fascinating city. Why wouldn't we want to spend a day rooting around the shops and canals? Fascinating boat trip and then we walked miles and only scratched the surface of this fascinating city... we'll be back. Thankyou Alpaka Association Benelux for giving us the opportunity to visit your lovely country again !

Thanks for a fabulous weekend at the Heart of England Alpaca Fiesta

Last weekend I had the privilege of judging almost 300 alpacas in the Heart Of England Alpaca Fiesta. Two full on days from 8am to 6pm with the ring full of superb Huacayas and Suris. There were some classes of clear winners but the majority were very close and the championships set a real challenge. The standard of Suris was exceptionally high despite the smallish entry. The Suri classes were interspersed with the Huacayas and for me it works great and I hope that other show organisers decide to interlay their Suri entries in the same way. It's good for the breed, good for the breeders and creates interest and promotional points for the general public and Suri breeders throughout the show. Way to go! As for the judges concentration not a problem more of a change is as god as a rest!

The champion Suri went to a superb Intermediate Light Female from Houghton Hall alpacas whose lustre shone deep and bright from a dense, fine, uniform fleece which hung in independent wafered layers like laminate. Lovely.

Mind you there is no room for  complacency in the white and lights. The traditional winners had better keep the ball moving because  the judge's choice went to a stunning Black Junior Suri from the Backyard Alpaca Company who had lustre like wet paint and a density to die for. If that alpaca grows up to fulfil its potential then we might see a bit more colour on the cup in the coming years!

Here we go again for day two of the British Alpaca Futurity ...

What else would you do a wet Saturday...? but get along to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry to watch the British Alpaca Futurity and sample the delights of Fibre and Fashion at the P-Lush exhibition where you can buys all manner of yarns, materials and designs by some of the best in the UK. If you are at a loose end today why not pop along and see us there. 

The two International Judges Peter Kennedy of the Australian Alpaca Association and AOBA and Wade Gease of AOBA are busy wading their way through over 400 alpacas representing some of the best young alpaca stock in the UK, Europe and probably the World. They are also doing a fantastic job entertaining the crowd and informing the breeders as they progress towards the big Championships this afternoon.

The glamour of Alpaca fleece judging... Alpaka show Ost

All an alpaca fleece judge needs is a big warm room, nice high table, detailed preparation, good organisation, a good scribe. Throw her a bun regular  and she can keep herself amused for hours. Does she care that we are in the beautiful town of Burgstadt in Germany? Not a jot. The world could end at noon and she'd not notice until the last fleece is scored and done.

Saturday and Sunday in the halter classes will be a different matter entirely Mrs Toft Alpaca Judge has 180 alpacas to judge in one and a half days. She is already behind before she starts at midday tomorrow but there's no rescheduling the ancillary events. It turns out she is also sharing the ring with a fashion show, fleece talks and various other presentations and alpaca attractions. The girl will have to get her skates on early doors to ensure the prizes are not awarded under floodlights on Sunday.

Nice big hall for the halter- the hut in the middle is the association office. It arrived first and the rest is set up around it. Nice scorecards too with the show branding. If the alpacas are as nice as the people it should be a great weekend.There is a lot more alpaca show here than I thought there was going to be and the enthusiasm and commitment is tangible - love it. Can't wait for the alpacas to arrive and the show to start. Somewhere on site this weekend there will be camel riding- what me? No I don't think so. I'll look like a bad version of Oliver Reed in Gladiator.

Alpaca Judge all scrubbed up and ready for action...

Looking her best and ready to go . Here is 'Mrs Judge' at the Golden Fleece Hotel in Thirsk. Shirley is busy strutting her stuff today judging  in the Alpaca Showring at the Yorkshire Alpaca Group Halter Show in Thirsk. 

We shall be at the Thirsk livestock Auction Centre all day today-Shirley in the ring and me playing companion animal. Next week it's back to Germany. Who said farming was boring?

Hope show at the crack of Sparrows

Playing companion animal today as Shirley is judging the Alpaca fleece show at the Hope Show in Derbyshire today. 

So it was up at the crack of sparrows to get the judge here and working. The show is tomorrow so the judge is busy in a big tent on an empty ground today.

Meanwhile the companion animal is going to sneak off for a long breakfast and explore the countryside.

The Judge dun gud!

Shirley had a great day yesterday judging her first alpaca halter show at the Dundalk agricultural show in Eire. The weather threatened to give us a soaking from early doors to mid afternoon and then didn't deliver so we got away with it again.

 She really is the luckiest woman in the world when it comes to weather. If Shirley commands it does not rain, it quivers and cowers and stamps up and down wanting to but somehow never gets up the nerve to go against her wishes. 

As her trusty 'companion animal' I empathise entirely!

Alpaca showing: fantastic results for Toft at the National Show.

What a weekend. Eight alpaca entries  in the British Alpaca Society National Show and a haul of medals and broad ribbons.

Toft Madysen took first and Reserve Champion in the Junior Female fawn

Toft Ikrit took first in the Intermediate Brown Male

Toft Rastaban took first in the Adult Brown Male

Toft Ison took second in the Adult Black Male

Toft Adele took second in Junior Female Brown

Toft Anaire took fourth in the Junior White Female

Then Toft Rastaban took best brown in show!

Eight entries, 6 rosettes and two broad ribbons- what a result.

The British Alpaca Society National Show is the most prestigious show in the season and the competition is fierce. Thanks to Val Fullerlove of Hanley Hall Alpacas and Liz Barlow of Livanti Alpacas for judging the 340 entries and giving such accolades and praise to the Toft Alpaca entries.

Great results for a great Toft Shown Team. 

All these animals are for sale and we have already had a lot of interest. Well done Linda our herds woman who works her cottons off over the weekend!

That's it show season is over for Team Toft. Tomorrow we start shearing.