tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50638347980573777132024-03-05T05:39:30.586+00:00Alpacas of LewisAlpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-2595339295010192162013-11-08T11:21:00.001+00:002013-11-08T11:21:19.672+00:00Alpacas for sale<br />
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Our cute furry friends have grown in numbers over the last few years and we are delighted to be able to offer some for sale. We have various options available including individual females, females with cria at foot and packages. Please visit <a href="http://www.alpacaseller.co.uk/"><span style="color: #784d21;">www.alpacaseller.co.uk</span></a> or <a href="http://www.alpacasoflewis.co.uk/">http://www.alpacasoflewis.co.uk/</a> or<br />
contact us at <a href="mailto:info@alpacasoflewis.co.uk"><span style="color: #784d21;">info@alpacasoflewis.co.uk</span></a> or <span class="skype_pnh_print_container_1383897441">01851 850 700 </span><span class="skype_pnh_container" dir="ltr" skype_menu_props="{'numberToCall':'+441851850700' , 'isFreecall':false, 'isMobile':false, 'isRtl':false}" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_pnh_mark">begin_of_the_skype_highlighting </span></span>for more details.<br />
Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-52934628341154801812012-08-09T16:35:00.000+01:002012-08-09T16:35:24.061+01:00We've moved...... to Wordpress.<br />
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Anne has spent quite some time working with Wordpress for her other literacy blogs and so to keep all our blogs in one place Alpacas of Lewis is transferring across.<br />
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You'll find us here from now on - <a href="http://alpacasoflewis.co.uk/">http://alpacasoflewis.co.uk/</a><br />
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Thanks to all our followers and those who left comments. You should still be able to follow us at Wordpress through Blogger. New postings will appear under "Croft News" on the new site.Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-13602902791164307452012-06-16T15:03:00.000+01:002012-06-16T15:06:26.015+01:00Final cria countWe were a little concerned that the last of our bred females was getting quite late and started to doubt she was pregnant at all. Then, on the morning the shearer was due to arrive, out popped a cria. The boys win this year with 4 boys v's1 girl. <br />
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Rose's new boy - still to decide on a name.</div>
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2 brown boys Padington and his uncle Noah</div>
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Jeffrey, a lovely fawn boy like his mum.</div>
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Rumer, our only girl this year. </div>
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<br />Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-81792917358429843622012-05-28T20:25:00.000+01:002012-05-28T20:25:43.338+01:00The highs and lows of breedingWe're thrilled to announce that Nadia gave birth to her first cria this morning and what a gorgeous boy. Just love his rich brown colour. Once Nadia is shorn she is actually a similar brown but over the year her fleece fades with the sun.<br />
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The joy of our yet to be named cria was sadly over shadowed when only half an hour later we discovered Tara who wasn't due for another 10 days had also given birth but was pining over her motionless cria. We suspect she chocked on a piece of membrane which is upsetting as it could have been avoidable although we have been on cria watch for a couple of weeks now.<br />
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All we can do is be as vigilant as posible and hope things go better with our three remaining expectant mums.Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-1312452188422990762012-05-20T14:08:00.002+01:002012-05-20T14:08:40.440+01:00First past the post is......Jasmine, with a lovely fawn baby boy. She's a week early so must have seen the weather forecast and decided not to hang about for it to change.<br />
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Hopefully, we'll have 5 more in the weeks to come but there is no guarantee. One or 2 of them don't appear to have much of a tummy but you can never tell.Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-69666149467096891322012-04-03T19:58:00.002+01:002012-04-03T20:02:40.476+01:00We're on TV tonight!A while back Mac TV filmed a piece with us for a programme about 21st century crofting. If you’re interested the programme is called Trusadh and will be on at 10pm tonight (3rd April), BBC ALBA (Sky Channel 168, Freeview Channel 8). We're on about 15 mins into the programme.Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-18717366172283470332012-02-18T13:13:00.008+00:002012-02-22T15:56:32.657+00:00Toe in the WaterLast week, after many prototypes and various styles of hats, gloves, scarves, hand warmers etc... we took our favorite items to <a href="http://www.lanntair.com/">An Lanntair</a> who agreed to stock our products. This is fantastic and a major step forward for us which now means that, all going well, we will soon be able to cover our alpaca costs and continue to build up our herd. We just checked with An Lanntair and they have confirmed that despite the time of year there has been a lot of interest and have sold quite a few of our items. Time to ramp up production I think... if only I knew how to knit!<br /><br />We continue to get many enquiries on how our CF11 wind turbine is doing. It's now been running for 7.5 months and generated 20,000 kWh which is just about on target for us to meet our annual estimated generation. I previously mentioned the issue we had with our grid connection for the first 3 months so were only running at 6kW (50%). Well soon after, we were told we'd be getting a stronger pitch control actuator but until it was fitted we'd be restricted to about 175rpm or 8kW. I'm happy to say that although there were a few issues relating to the upgrade we are now properly running as an 11kW turbine and have just generated 1,000kWh in the last 4.5 days. Had we not had any of these issues I'm confident we would have / will generate in the region of 40MW per year. I'll be posting monthly generation figures here - <a title="blocked::https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pMgdBC-cyC82Xq-qAdpGMfw" href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pMgdBC-cyC82Xq-qAdpGMfw">https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pMgdBC-cyC82Xq-qAdpGMfw</a> along with other turbine owners figures. See row 30.<br /><br />I'm having to bite the bullet and get access to the turbine sorted. With the recent visits from C&F to sort it and the fun an games getting stuck in a boggy field I'm putting in a bit of a track accross the feld. This is me in the mini digger I hired and Harris doing his best to doink his sister (who is holding the camera) with the bucket!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4keSvIoUTWhSZ6sUDINVzcQGlJ4FHpVgZyuIBA_koHghwRLzaqH53lZnKgZdN3NTpuTMTdqxja3sjPROJLjmO4X8XxJwt6tYY1_n0gve7z39CYELkZ8f7XXF5f3b6G3LR-zmeoHXFOmi/s1600/IMG_1376.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4keSvIoUTWhSZ6sUDINVzcQGlJ4FHpVgZyuIBA_koHghwRLzaqH53lZnKgZdN3NTpuTMTdqxja3sjPROJLjmO4X8XxJwt6tYY1_n0gve7z39CYELkZ8f7XXF5f3b6G3LR-zmeoHXFOmi/s320/IMG_1376.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710477708502568690" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A month or so ago, when walking our dog, I came accross what looked like an injured seal pup which had made its way up our shore and onto the track. It apeared to have blood about its jaw but was clearly able to get about and scurried back into the sea when it spotted us. I managed to get a quick picture before it was gone. A couple of days later I saw it again on the shore and thankfully it looked fine with no sign of any blood.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_zYvBDYRbpVMOLhyphenhyphenHl_CWCQcfkK9pKIpmGwA-4A1eFxQnisx9-HRziOZL_8VBZMjZsi6Juj_all6pBrCozcU58caOUK7fYybuQYDcVMIHv150Biz9x5VIHbL8Dku3WzHZv3rWlAQH07W/s1600/IMG_1470.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_zYvBDYRbpVMOLhyphenhyphenHl_CWCQcfkK9pKIpmGwA-4A1eFxQnisx9-HRziOZL_8VBZMjZsi6Juj_all6pBrCozcU58caOUK7fYybuQYDcVMIHv150Biz9x5VIHbL8Dku3WzHZv3rWlAQH07W/s320/IMG_1470.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710476067047653474" border="0" /></a>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-52936169578524388932011-09-02T14:15:00.015+01:002011-10-05T20:41:42.040+01:00Bring on the Wind!<div style="text-align: center;">We had good intentions of sending off our alpaca fibre for spinning at the start of the summer but have only recently got round to it. We should get it back in the next couple of weeks ready to be knitted up. All our other wool that we had has been made into products and we are just considering whether to sell it on-line or in some of the local tourist shops or perhaps both. Anyway, here are a few of the items we have but are still experimenting with some other patterns.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweakHD23bxG3RHxAxEyfeNywdhJrBQ3kL0_YS2pCq7fwbtBln3qAsuTmHO0WDPn5DnS-1VV8pO4aExCFd3Mb9P6lJ2HhvYe8-Hsjchh03bc3lqcxc-nLwQFsS52AdGgF4b4m1A2tqJp5K/s320/IMG_1018.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660083785990473090" /></div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYuNrHBQcuRwBlh-m9cocWNxX6GK7P-nhD6rUIIPmanQbk3ThXqZw4MymQM6NIEcK5JQFRkK8EgbVTPts95em-aiCfA4R2KTL91dluJTCg74mjO2g4-wdPslb0NIrZwdpsOLkBZzzaqR_/s320/IMG_1013.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660079389317684706" /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR4u4Rad-fHo8MnI7jM9NdxbGLmnUU3WctWtpYLlV_36o2eCkqa7K1szk4P4uaJbLcrhqFWzg5YVQ69qB0cG6qPz-aIJirIuDaS0Qw2TqYv4ja_sH-w3gM138w4n5wART5-OkoDQNx0ar/s320/IMG_1010.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660079380651898402" /></div><div>As we hadn't had a summer holiday for the last few years we decided to treat the kids (and ourselves) to a week at Disneyland Paris. It was fab and brought a lot of memories back for Anne who worked there for 2 years in what was supposed to be a summer job while at Uni. It was a lot of walking and of course a lot of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: small; ">€'</span>s but worth it. Anne's already looking at brochures for next years holiday!</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhwKg3KFZQm5iy6fb7gQKX5MKRjhlgofvG8SpJyPhxYK1thqVYfrMSApwqOA4npNdOtkGJLRvePLYkCaNe5AIO5PlGX4_ImzIDplfhYKhoT2gU-WQdf0tKMbnlVHdclo9Ax-CuEkkUZHj/s320/IMG_0839.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660072771110492674" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We've had loads of enquires about how our C&F Green Energy CF11 wind turbine is doing. We discovered early on that there was an issue with high voltage on our grid supply which was being caused by the transformer we were connected to. C&F worked out and configured us to run at 50% (6kW max) without pushing the voltage too high until SSE replaced the transformer. Despite this, in our first 3 months we still generated about 4000kWh (would have been 8000kWh had we not had the 50% restriction). I'm happy to say now that SSE have upgraded the transformer and we are back on track to achieving our expected generation or maybe even exceeding it. We'll have a better idea after the winter.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0wQ7MSzF_6K7lLWfkB7A6azxZdcFN44ykNOOHzueMxI3doCIqvlU1gI_Z15quY01-vyBVrkMd4LS2xIGgwx2ps5R6dAHUmQ3zbdNn95my8LpX2sJjOFSaQlvfnGUMHgZTtu9nY7mvfgc/s320/IMG_0912.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660071591155165922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzNi1HxIWf1GV08zXWgt6niCRGEifGpeGPeM6AtOA5EzqWrTPYhsuUMq7YHPw4cp7-ekdwr9dmufxcZfr0veA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-50011304752476071572011-07-01T15:01:00.004+01:002011-07-01T15:30:13.796+01:00Newest addition to the croft<div style="text-align: left;">This week, at long last, we got our turbine up and running. Even although there's hardly any wind its still generating and in the short time it's been running has slashed our domestic meter readings by about 70%.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Its typical that when our turbine went up the wind dropped but as anyone who has visited Lewis will know it wont stay that way for long. The installers arrived with the turbine at 5pm on Monday and were away by 9am the following morning.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Our new CF11 turbine on a 15m mast</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5Kk9ud9df5BnDgqbyQuS8P5Bf6IpKGA9Ab90maJqPnnBgJg_zmz7RtN2SNF7Nj0xhakp_OMCXHWSgVYbsC_jxoKPUB-RhO80rIwEdcS6QUSYHYVqrHIXH_Mr7ICNym_cmkyyLGXp7wsK/s320/IMG_0733.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624386004393619986" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSK8iUui05ZoIrBPpqA_dWhGgKnQ97B37C8q5E9dtgvCUJj8TPOw9fXdrgAUmUXKyAejjVmZNFmtkrzazsfaJgxe0_KROmGJdYsasbG1u_nzwa4jwKU9avrVvvauxyJas10bRHc9rCQH50/s320/IMG_0738.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624386001619311970" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>We've also made some progress with our alpaca wool and have recruited some new knitters. We have given out all our remaining wool from 2 years ago and we're already seeing the fruits of their labour so we're going to push ahead and send of the last 2 years fibre to be processed. Once we have a selection of products we'll post some pictures here. <div><br /></div>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-30928444362149229602011-06-07T10:11:00.004+01:002011-06-07T10:45:20.007+01:00Full House!<div style="text-align: left;">We're delighted to announce that all our females that we bred have now had their cria with the final 2 being born last week. 3 females and 1 male for the year.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jasmine (with her new hair doo!) with her cria Jemima</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9ine83nPLHkqQP0aq6dgny0UvCr5peQc9tdp6IOHWWznKJglHVtcseVMzvmCvjTzrLBQT1faKapD_DWSiEiz4pVcAM9zn3ChoaJCPs5D35gl5y6MHpYTXsH2s8Jk5_u44lzb3Oe3k5zz/s320/IMG_0671.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615405177428140562" /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tara with her wee boy, Tobermory</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwlGw_v6RULRN9UI08GpQqiXNA0kWnV4bbnh9cTgdjx6XNPqkTdOWwomFwMcVayX2dh8rsnXw_tsxsNcINTO7prZD-66xFXaFSohLpkdnZuEcmn5gA8ay0T98EZ9E3mPaCWMG-W8oLRJ7/s320/IMG_0670.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615405170754091394" /></div><div><br /></div><div>There was no time to sit back as we were scheduled for Mr Clipper's arrival at the weekend and the weather couldn't have been better. Thanks to the guys for fitting us in again on their UK tour.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I think BB actually enjoyed it - not a whimper from him unlike some of the girls!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqf8uww4d0zQ984CmiBD63N9g11eRqiDtIllpwx8eOGWrPQDFG1HAXSLCwuA13b98maea1OSRHko3voz6P-AnhJ4EEZVLc1sPl8cSL7A7BLjnM9dDOYEjilKDwA2IcpLeOxZVTmue7w0o/s320/IMG_0478.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615407729830665698" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The results.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLulMOnu8mrUwL2_BcA7XV2kg6NTak4pn0vjzoe35Saj-6A5VPmvQdGey9N5yvGzVz4s_ehWLPESr9bLo9-FUETjMAERhdXpMOiXKTqPITGJSNiOdcS8tFdvazibwt6UTf5OOesYCLK-PF/s320/IMG_0506.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615407738131464338" /><br /></div><div>It's been a pretty amazing few weeks in our little alpaca world!</div></div>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-63743360041856263122011-05-25T10:19:00.007+01:002011-05-25T11:00:41.004+01:00It's another girl!Yesterday, despite the horrendous weather, Nicholette decided it was time to give birth to her second Lewis born cria. Anther girl and proof that our stud was up to the job last year - we never doubted you for a moment BB King! Her last cria, Rose, was quite a difficult birth and required some assistance but she had no problems this time managing on her own.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jr1y0nWoiobs7iLR8HiuqNyfKc9BzKs9LVZnf8sJ3gLcnKRx1MpcyVg0keIZUlTBuxFBVnjiTWI3XQIvRr7_4tLeAapq8qwSiz8BOS08KFwBZgTVNfLSxRbV4HmP2kIENIa0J3AzNOKd/s1600/IMG_0305.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jr1y0nWoiobs7iLR8HiuqNyfKc9BzKs9LVZnf8sJ3gLcnKRx1MpcyVg0keIZUlTBuxFBVnjiTWI3XQIvRr7_4tLeAapq8qwSiz8BOS08KFwBZgTVNfLSxRbV4HmP2kIENIa0J3AzNOKd/s320/IMG_0305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610584016054506178" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOG0gkV5O0MAxKUn3Pzqvt980y0QDlzRLRO_l5WTnQHSaz6muWry7H2uTnW6EY0z9WJvBOPZDz7UAj8wWyR04mlj0mB9msf9ebGtmjc1_sajwbVWeUFRPbQWuUcTN-8z1x1nZfwpopWFb/s1600/IMG_0298.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOG0gkV5O0MAxKUn3Pzqvt980y0QDlzRLRO_l5WTnQHSaz6muWry7H2uTnW6EY0z9WJvBOPZDz7UAj8wWyR04mlj0mB9msf9ebGtmjc1_sajwbVWeUFRPbQWuUcTN-8z1x1nZfwpopWFb/s320/IMG_0298.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610590442794899362" border="0" /></a>We are hoping for 2 more cria in the coming week so more photos to follow.<br /><br />We've also made some progress on the wind turbine front with the foundations now complete. The turbine will follow in about a month.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gIb4z9Q8Tp8txd9PNCBfq1EbuDSdSvFQCdTiDgUZo2DQCrthp7vXY4yv9QwvVCqZgy0BhRBZt2Ob8LkgDvpUKyR1BhsvVyhhODi77xTDdbbzqh8HojpjdXI8wA7leMF8whpaQ_4ndAUQ/s1600/IMG_0235.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gIb4z9Q8Tp8txd9PNCBfq1EbuDSdSvFQCdTiDgUZo2DQCrthp7vXY4yv9QwvVCqZgy0BhRBZt2Ob8LkgDvpUKyR1BhsvVyhhODi77xTDdbbzqh8HojpjdXI8wA7leMF8whpaQ_4ndAUQ/s320/IMG_0235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610585971907555170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKahpJxIwY4m32pf6AMc7GkC3ISIAtKZvmP3_LHB4BY5DK8H_b3CcVNUokhhLCWps7AWxrEgkWBE9fljSMGMfc47EiGVkTYEYjtMSaygIf2VuhBOCtqSIoWhazJo4TdLprFfac6ngVg80/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKahpJxIwY4m32pf6AMc7GkC3ISIAtKZvmP3_LHB4BY5DK8H_b3CcVNUokhhLCWps7AWxrEgkWBE9fljSMGMfc47EiGVkTYEYjtMSaygIf2VuhBOCtqSIoWhazJo4TdLprFfac6ngVg80/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610585982499056978" border="0" /></a>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-77161851535677944322011-05-06T20:06:00.006+01:002011-05-06T20:25:30.039+01:00Baby News!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86xvRfjJlhaeDBGrenRsZ7te0H3SDg2iOxCJrFQ8B-mpZgLDzq5wAY3g5KRNf1qQEgEYxuRm3GE4chw4-5wWeFYOfZBWvoXdDd_KbqslHVfTBZnwFKx85HpVq1kNyuCSuXQoUPMwVFqnM/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86xvRfjJlhaeDBGrenRsZ7te0H3SDg2iOxCJrFQ8B-mpZgLDzq5wAY3g5KRNf1qQEgEYxuRm3GE4chw4-5wWeFYOfZBWvoXdDd_KbqslHVfTBZnwFKx85HpVq1kNyuCSuXQoUPMwVFqnM/s320/IMG_0133.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603684667366252818" border="0" /></a><br />We are over the moon to announce that last night at 6pm Nichole gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl. As it was late it was a difficult birth, but thanks to our friends and neighbours Dina and Calum - she was delivered safely.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRANTkfv0fjBLPXmg1pYuos61p7u9enM8Q1R29euah3-TErFkElKzYjj0cICAJxJxHkGbZrOO-WvJjaNDI-M-U1ratuPbgY5v_gbexdbV1Ju7bR6aBbBGASA41K8CAH5a70hVfcCsY7k6/s1600/IMG_0136.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRANTkfv0fjBLPXmg1pYuos61p7u9enM8Q1R29euah3-TErFkElKzYjj0cICAJxJxHkGbZrOO-WvJjaNDI-M-U1ratuPbgY5v_gbexdbV1Ju7bR6aBbBGASA41K8CAH5a70hVfcCsY7k6/s320/IMG_0136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603685068895562402" border="0" /></a><br />Despite the constant "cria watch" over the last two weeks, with excitement over the slightest yawning, rolling, head rubbing, Iain and I were absent for the birth. Typical! I was training on the mainland and Iain was in hospital for 6 hours while he had some minor Day Surgery. Of course, Nichole chose this as the perfect time to go into labour. Luckily, Iain's mum was on alert and called in Dina and Calum who are expert sheep farmers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSaXgKHVx_z4T4nn2yboIDcBILW32Qa7D1oNoR6OKDVIeaPhDt9u5-8mJP9yNKEiVHe9Z8vrhKnwUG_VVoyzlemKzA6fmvxfNPIGTvsKLGu5Dm7tvh6KigvxFSZ24tdoJDs3lPi1h3uBw/s1600/IMG_0163.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSaXgKHVx_z4T4nn2yboIDcBILW32Qa7D1oNoR6OKDVIeaPhDt9u5-8mJP9yNKEiVHe9Z8vrhKnwUG_VVoyzlemKzA6fmvxfNPIGTvsKLGu5Dm7tvh6KigvxFSZ24tdoJDs3lPi1h3uBw/s320/IMG_0163.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603685848788681490" border="0" /></a><br />In the end there was only one name that would do for the christening of our new herd member - Dinah - of course! Mum and daughter spent last night snuggled up in the barn - but today Dinah has been testing her legs and running rings round the rest of the herd! She is just perfect!Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-24306143845532246802011-04-29T14:35:00.009+01:002011-04-29T15:16:19.383+01:00Long overdue updateIt’s been quite a while since our last post partly because our camera packed in but also because both Anne and I have been very busy. Anne has taken on a new consultancy job in addition to her teaching which means she is away a lot on the mainland. I have also made a bit of a return into the IT scene by doing some remote software packaging work.<br /><br />With the announcement of the renewable heat incentive (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">RHI</span>) due last year we were keen to push ahead with our plans for a ground source heat pump (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">GSHP</span>). In February we finally got it installed and it has made a huge difference in terms of running cost and the manual effort that came with running a solid fuel range cooker / boiler. We’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ve</span> replaced this with an all electric range cooker which has just been great. No more complaints from Anne about the Rayburn not being hot enough for dinner because I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ve</span> left it to late to stoke it!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Trench work for the 450m of pipe required for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">GSHP</span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_W8EUMCYpGCVHDeK0YAwEdgCzQ2NvkRvwpI2Mrc4RfBfRtjQ569lLlQa98OMgBATd6lf6vNeeVvdZz0_bJ7azHbvizp7CSuzWZjf7K07zyobnOijMM5FvnoqhBceYcVIlyDYl1jtPL3I/s1600/P1020417.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_W8EUMCYpGCVHDeK0YAwEdgCzQ2NvkRvwpI2Mrc4RfBfRtjQ569lLlQa98OMgBATd6lf6vNeeVvdZz0_bJ7azHbvizp7CSuzWZjf7K07zyobnOijMM5FvnoqhBceYcVIlyDYl1jtPL3I/s320/P1020417.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601000370067396386" border="0" /></a><br />Also, last year we were granted planning permission for our own wind turbine and things have been progressing with the foundation kit arriving the other day. We're scheduled to have the foundations installed in the next couple of weeks so I'd better get a hole dug fairly soon. The turbine will follow at some point in the summer.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Wind turbine foundation kit<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpckeUhqH6ES8dbu7pM9MV9bK8W7C0TdQji5iYqMPQoAqx2j3mGZBTMkgCz9ISvbUrM31fa3ZEwGVbWIX6XUb9vU6xnxSTD7Ja1lbggg5Gs40NhRyHzp4I12ajkxLo1lFKeeuHMRwWYn5o/s1600/Contents.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpckeUhqH6ES8dbu7pM9MV9bK8W7C0TdQji5iYqMPQoAqx2j3mGZBTMkgCz9ISvbUrM31fa3ZEwGVbWIX6XUb9vU6xnxSTD7Ja1lbggg5Gs40NhRyHzp4I12ajkxLo1lFKeeuHMRwWYn5o/s320/Contents.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601000879942117506" border="0" /></a><br />Our alpacas are due any day now - No hurry girls, but the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">suspense</span> is killing us. Although Rose was born here, this year will hopefully mark our first <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">successful</span> home breeding.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt95A6il7ttuilZqfxanFBaaW_F5YxbyONXlE5NkOyJ8icFONc0cvsagCMsKSrQmhHW3mLmBn6QtHKppf9o7meF_C2_gZQ7t1g94IYdSkWxZu0a4C0szKf4CULsOwmNxwb5ZVWRHl8XiQ/s1600/IMG_0097.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt95A6il7ttuilZqfxanFBaaW_F5YxbyONXlE5NkOyJ8icFONc0cvsagCMsKSrQmhHW3mLmBn6QtHKppf9o7meF_C2_gZQ7t1g94IYdSkWxZu0a4C0szKf4CULsOwmNxwb5ZVWRHl8XiQ/s320/IMG_0097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601003928942505602" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Swan taking a few day break on our croft before she continues her migration to the Arctic for breeding season.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziGNty1bNTQVh0DIBm4TET61RUZqzV38uTflAFcVCqPyyqnNrIq8htCVxKb2r0uuOoJ8Gdw5nSC2CuTa5DwGOBsS4kAHvWD60bvCg19fb2tOO6x0x0d58OZjddT6Gt267PNRGMddqYBPi/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziGNty1bNTQVh0DIBm4TET61RUZqzV38uTflAFcVCqPyyqnNrIq8htCVxKb2r0uuOoJ8Gdw5nSC2CuTa5DwGOBsS4kAHvWD60bvCg19fb2tOO6x0x0d58OZjddT6Gt267PNRGMddqYBPi/s320/IMG_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601003923183802690" border="0" /></a><br />Will blog more soon.Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-25080735441108206102010-09-10T21:48:00.005+01:002010-09-10T22:37:29.636+01:003 hogs, a dog and some vegOur first litter of 3 African Pygmy Hedgehogs is now 3 weeks old so there is no risk of mum eating the litter if we handle them. They are so cute and soft to hold. See our blog <a href="http://www.hebhogs.co.uk/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hebhogs</span></a> for more pics.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Harris with one of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">hoglets</span><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DKjxypmO5Y99oiR6Qqrhs4vAZr9foojXZaWlWkVFNgrQ9aTLO_zFzIs7_v0E377LqtxqyHiuNeraYY4vnTW_efPMwDY99St6AdjMgalwzrvukg07mSSSMEnFfTWQWabADZ5Ue_VObUrO/s1600/SDC10426.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DKjxypmO5Y99oiR6Qqrhs4vAZr9foojXZaWlWkVFNgrQ9aTLO_zFzIs7_v0E377LqtxqyHiuNeraYY4vnTW_efPMwDY99St6AdjMgalwzrvukg07mSSSMEnFfTWQWabADZ5Ue_VObUrO/s320/SDC10426.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515393282440412818" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Shiela</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">JF</span> from <a href="http://scalpaylinen.blogspot.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Scalpay</span> Linen</a> paid us a visit to catch up and also collect this years' <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Hebridean</span> wool. As a thank you they kindly gifted us with a cute little dog made out of their own <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Hebridean</span> Harris Tweed which <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">actually</span> contains some wool from our own flock.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOP7xzHd1apP6WbGkZEIB8nF5C_3LuwLxbrsp8ikhF_PP9rtHxsi6StFZ0J5sCZFMkguwx3sKR_ym4BvVXyiY7RodJmLezG_GAryIfMa4Qk79yVeqSrN3BIASmopvBwQfnjI0HnmxfGJPR/s1600/DSCF5851.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOP7xzHd1apP6WbGkZEIB8nF5C_3LuwLxbrsp8ikhF_PP9rtHxsi6StFZ0J5sCZFMkguwx3sKR_ym4BvVXyiY7RodJmLezG_GAryIfMa4Qk79yVeqSrN3BIASmopvBwQfnjI0HnmxfGJPR/s320/DSCF5851.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515393288466584434" border="0" /></a><br />Today we popped along to our local farmers' market and picked up some much needed fresh produce so we have no excuses for not getting our 5-a-day. Everything is grown locally by <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">neighbouring</span> crofters, even the grapes! Bet you didn't know you could grow grapes in the Western Isles.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53tMX1uuxLc7Vxjs-XTmpouZ7GvifcvhI16T9mRtSDMEgx8UBSC1fpWRPQcrKx7GRNq5yZqgXoL1nX-m02pM-p7wBz7mwu8UDZzO-LpAFicvov4K1kzDWa58kwrvJFaHSQwO7Upatr3MO/s1600/DSCF5855.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53tMX1uuxLc7Vxjs-XTmpouZ7GvifcvhI16T9mRtSDMEgx8UBSC1fpWRPQcrKx7GRNq5yZqgXoL1nX-m02pM-p7wBz7mwu8UDZzO-LpAFicvov4K1kzDWa58kwrvJFaHSQwO7Upatr3MO/s320/DSCF5855.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515393300189109746" border="0" /></a>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-77833601017331069172010-08-25T18:14:00.004+01:002010-08-25T18:30:56.878+01:00Back to SchoolWell, the summer holidays are over now and it’s back to the usual routine of getting the kids (and Anne) ready for school and nursery. This is actually welcome news for me as it gives me a little more time during the day where I can work on something with out interruption from the kids (or Anne!). Anne has only been given 2 days a week in school this year but over the summer has successfully managed to secure consultancy work delivering teacher training to schools in Scotland. She spent weeks developing her presentation and delivered it for the first time last week to 50 teachers at a school in Edinburgh. She already has about a dozen more dates booked before xmas so its looking very promising. Although this means she will be away a few nights a month it will mean she has less workload and more time at home than before.<br /><br />Because of the wet summer we were quite late in getting our sheep sheared however we finally got there at the beginning of August. With all the lambs ear tagged and more independent from their mothers we sold 5 ewes and 10 lambs as a starter flock to a couple down near Carloway. This brings our numbers back down to a more manageable flock size of 25.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7D0Fn4Ih5AfdQn5sDayXGLnJBnbA8u71HH2EZTM_UXznJi-aOiqyS1mL2Fc0aDBNE1K_NtEICCK5fOX17hXHxmKEohsOZUlj_SWLVzK1qBu2Z5iSpm7dmS9b_IUm47R-mF9WAEkpp26i6/s1600/SDC10346.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7D0Fn4Ih5AfdQn5sDayXGLnJBnbA8u71HH2EZTM_UXznJi-aOiqyS1mL2Fc0aDBNE1K_NtEICCK5fOX17hXHxmKEohsOZUlj_SWLVzK1qBu2Z5iSpm7dmS9b_IUm47R-mF9WAEkpp26i6/s320/SDC10346.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In our last blog we mentioned our new enterprise - breeding African Pygmy Hedgehogs. We had a mixed week last week with one of the older hogs dying. We agreed to take her on along with the breeding hogs as she was kept as a pet by the previous owner as she had cataracts in both eyes and was barely able to see. It’s a real shame as she was so easy to handle. However on a brighter point we heard our first squeaks coming from the nest of one of the hogs we have mated so we should have a few baby hogs for sale if all goes well over the next month or so. We’re itching to check in the nest but to disturb them at this stage may result in the mum eating her babies. Here’s a photo of my DIY hog house.... more photos to follow when the hoglets are out and about in a couple of weeks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NMJBjwXyEwgF2IpQWKf1_-WLKntOoH5c4kQhHhzqwumdpci2UwItqhhmuLCfAEqcs_IOjPNzLrNMctW3I5KD6BVrhER6f28Wpzc2D0G87ozpzfAeC2ISZRYnw-RiViezV8Ee4YvORUiJ/s1600/SDC10332.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NMJBjwXyEwgF2IpQWKf1_-WLKntOoH5c4kQhHhzqwumdpci2UwItqhhmuLCfAEqcs_IOjPNzLrNMctW3I5KD6BVrhER6f28Wpzc2D0G87ozpzfAeC2ISZRYnw-RiViezV8Ee4YvORUiJ/s320/SDC10332.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Not much news on the alpaca front although we bumped into a couple of distant relatives up at Eoropie the other week. Peter and his 2 lovely llamas have moved to the Ness area and now run a llama trekking business - <a href="http://lewisislandllamatrekking.blogspot.com/">http://lewisislandllamatrekking.blogspot.com</a> We had a long natter about everything camelid and wish Peter every success with the trekking.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The girls coming for their evening feed<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHpYraaLDlxnXyZCoBTv04T0G7_4Wd_Zk4NgHjUI3PdiPVw4zwoTMUJn6JIjPo9oXRX6XZ7MM0-MTzlwAGCgx3woxIMzq6_MPCImhNVPPgMNjVz1vTlsOZVY857Akyzy2BaVOzd_GB-Vh/s1600/SDC10336.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHpYraaLDlxnXyZCoBTv04T0G7_4Wd_Zk4NgHjUI3PdiPVw4zwoTMUJn6JIjPo9oXRX6XZ7MM0-MTzlwAGCgx3woxIMzq6_MPCImhNVPPgMNjVz1vTlsOZVY857Akyzy2BaVOzd_GB-Vh/s320/SDC10336.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>After many weeks spent stacking, bagging and collecting this year’s peat I finally brought down the last load today and this time I didn’t sink the 4x4 in the moor like last year! (<a href="http://alpacasoflewis.blogspot.com/2009/10/wind-what-wind.html">http://alpacasoflewis.blogspot.com/2009/10/wind-what-wind.html</a>) Here is what 500 bags of peat looks like. I just need to clear out the garage to get it all in now!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRFrSpcSefSbOATN2darf5356bj6BC_U2XM_LReyZlqLM7PPOtWI0lPiOLpfA9T61gXTQ_uhHpp2i3HOx7Uhzf6-5PRWWnGoT9uW1wL8dGJx-ALbpeUrQ5eufkgeAg5H8Q-xMgJvnLc62/s1600/SDC10333.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRFrSpcSefSbOATN2darf5356bj6BC_U2XM_LReyZlqLM7PPOtWI0lPiOLpfA9T61gXTQ_uhHpp2i3HOx7Uhzf6-5PRWWnGoT9uW1wL8dGJx-ALbpeUrQ5eufkgeAg5H8Q-xMgJvnLc62/s320/SDC10333.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-79769486464777669192010-07-17T11:41:00.003+01:002010-07-17T11:59:37.987+01:00Hedgehogs of LewisWe've now returned from our holidays on the mainland and brought back with us new additions to our ever expanding croft family. These are the much sought after exotic pet..... African Pygmy Hedgehogs.<br /><br /><div align="center">Sonic (Named by our 4yr old son)</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC00ydlo4z2NFTiFlxlGlamdniyn0S-LJIihqXemY83lgpOEQrjYeeYTRzXSv_pVnvr5-7KbA5A8pPu4F4iSOngVZG-YmoIxTrXbLBf4QpcvPaUe9b8VKY-pVPsJJWjUqQBHIebk9OEX_t/s1600/Sonic+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494824200180329074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC00ydlo4z2NFTiFlxlGlamdniyn0S-LJIihqXemY83lgpOEQrjYeeYTRzXSv_pVnvr5-7KbA5A8pPu4F4iSOngVZG-YmoIxTrXbLBf4QpcvPaUe9b8VKY-pVPsJJWjUqQBHIebk9OEX_t/s320/Sonic+1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center">Tinsel<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRC5jz2AHHhzAQk8VzinNjtUguMflm2tq0hyphenhyphenv4w-OZZBcpTZ_VhN5l6J3DrCktnSxC0kxtd34Q-6UFJ7sXWjE5TYJvas2CRJgwSPmANatX-76JRiJimcZ1YUTstWx7o7uTuTRpM19lroX9/s1600/Tinsel+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494824193285269122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRC5jz2AHHhzAQk8VzinNjtUguMflm2tq0hyphenhyphenv4w-OZZBcpTZ_VhN5l6J3DrCktnSxC0kxtd34Q-6UFJ7sXWjE5TYJvas2CRJgwSPmANatX-76JRiJimcZ1YUTstWx7o7uTuTRpM19lroX9/s320/Tinsel+1.JPG" border="0" /></a>Anne has had her eyes on these for a couple of years now and (after much persuading) we are now proud owners of 14! They're settling well into their new surroundings and are providing hours of amusement (and cleaning out duties!). See our sister blog site - <a href="http://www.hebhogs.co.uk/">www.hebhogs.co.uk</a> for more information and photos of the rest of our herd.Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-43676738251131953352010-06-24T13:32:00.007+01:002010-06-24T14:30:04.370+01:00Alpaca ShearingThis week we had "Mr Clipper" from the US visit us to shear all our alpacas. He has been touring round Europe and is finishing his season in Scotland. When we bought our alpacas a year ago they were already shorn so this event was a first for us. Luckily the rain held off till we were packing up. Thanks to our neighbour Roddy, we managed to get a few pictures of the process.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Putting a noose around each leg, then pull!<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFBetv4kuo5a-jV7GGorEYaKkX91yAQEQt1a4ZcQq8-gOtyf2fRN91bM6xAROMCi_oaYfdOfalgTJhAtm_7QT_2bRWqtEo65Znd56CTta773hbO-M0j0NBP_Z7CW7te95_Xv5P0sCUvB5/s1600/027.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486319987561109186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFBetv4kuo5a-jV7GGorEYaKkX91yAQEQt1a4ZcQq8-gOtyf2fRN91bM6xAROMCi_oaYfdOfalgTJhAtm_7QT_2bRWqtEo65Znd56CTta773hbO-M0j0NBP_Z7CW7te95_Xv5P0sCUvB5/s320/027.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center">She's going no-where!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEslVe-Q_9RKSi8dkTxb4-osQovFhX46DN3ypO2BTOjwtBHg9dAp_ew7hqueuTmnjlqRKlaB-gPrgLrw2RNnYxXNp4fGE-zOFZUw6BV_lYqDb-zNqT0ujA68cHjWkvZouLijAyy3apwmu/s1600/032.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486319996605707538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEslVe-Q_9RKSi8dkTxb4-osQovFhX46DN3ypO2BTOjwtBHg9dAp_ew7hqueuTmnjlqRKlaB-gPrgLrw2RNnYxXNp4fGE-zOFZUw6BV_lYqDb-zNqT0ujA68cHjWkvZouLijAyy3apwmu/s320/032.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center">All our alpacas made this noise throughout except our stud who simply relaxed and closed his eyes. I think he enjoyed it!</div><div align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxEGL2yYV4UPGdi7_Z4udmnrfbV0xq2ykw1iKy7kPU4G07FO9z_iU_T38rnHWvsbcrBEA4yifeI9ZP-kICNUA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><br /><br /><div align="center">Nearly done, anything for the weekend?<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWeGP3jfsq7u_OV9ByWr__RYrQZNqSqcO9F4T0Y_k5InEiZnGzCV9Rs587I3ZbzKU6n40S9X3YG6PfQW0HIX5p3IZ9twiuQAxr3dFXQ6UAURFxLzR-wAT4QL8T84znmUpcB4QgRUIkR0N/s1600/024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486319971855113394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWeGP3jfsq7u_OV9ByWr__RYrQZNqSqcO9F4T0Y_k5InEiZnGzCV9Rs587I3ZbzKU6n40S9X3YG6PfQW0HIX5p3IZ9twiuQAxr3dFXQ6UAURFxLzR-wAT4QL8T84znmUpcB4QgRUIkR0N/s320/024.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p align="center">Nice work Mr Clipper</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRUKN_VLTwiChsnfHJQXaRP0x4sODpxeq5eQe1TyR2SrVM3-nKoyIe9RuF8qkUZ3fszL6vPd9l3s6eRiYugAI60QNdJVxPUSgSpk6EeZ42BAlmkGzcmcGBdPWhk6wW0_iwQ_9DtgbMuDa/s1600/DSCF5644.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486320023705321058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRUKN_VLTwiChsnfHJQXaRP0x4sODpxeq5eQe1TyR2SrVM3-nKoyIe9RuF8qkUZ3fszL6vPd9l3s6eRiYugAI60QNdJVxPUSgSpk6EeZ42BAlmkGzcmcGBdPWhk6wW0_iwQ_9DtgbMuDa/s320/DSCF5644.JPG" border="0" /></a> <p align="center"><br />It was back to peat stacking the next day!</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7qLwIO0xcArtkhdDqX8ivIkweGYIYF9LLRIChAtUZ0ue37MKuB3NgjGgMOIwwbZa8yCYEGDrRJBGZSwTzVNxnqDJXp2Ca0FXzklMIzmJ-2eSdHyMgmj01iwMC16Y41pID_-nCdHEWxN_/s1600/DSCF5648.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486320650855599986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7qLwIO0xcArtkhdDqX8ivIkweGYIYF9LLRIChAtUZ0ue37MKuB3NgjGgMOIwwbZa8yCYEGDrRJBGZSwTzVNxnqDJXp2Ca0FXzklMIzmJ-2eSdHyMgmj01iwMC16Y41pID_-nCdHEWxN_/s320/DSCF5648.JPG" border="0" /></a>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-79834072947555203192010-06-08T19:08:00.007+01:002010-06-08T19:36:20.385+01:00Here come the girls<div align="center">BBKing giving the girls the eye!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvBZbucEH10rNYYqN4vQqulv2Re11wAvuR7Ykj_bSt4oRqzrK_eHgamDHlgS9pq1ZDxhaAz4QyLX_u69XgyzL86n0UPik9cHpRfOqutxHH7qd-zo-PfVYQgifDqIJWL1zT6azQnHmbzsX/s1600/DSCF5596.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480466946093614690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvBZbucEH10rNYYqN4vQqulv2Re11wAvuR7Ykj_bSt4oRqzrK_eHgamDHlgS9pq1ZDxhaAz4QyLX_u69XgyzL86n0UPik9cHpRfOqutxHH7qd-zo-PfVYQgifDqIJWL1zT6azQnHmbzsX/s320/DSCF5596.JPG" border="0" /></a> Follow the leader<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbRMgXBouw72kpUOri47HSROzK3hakJF-QEkyQlnhyphenhyphenQFGCoXZLAFfsUkOKNOyPxbljjSpXIstWtv1doe-NmFkz8TVuSJJvXb6aIF_TRZMvE2ae4AT6YVdYfv7WKeH7WTOP1lII9sA71sp/s1600/DSCF5603.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480466955617235714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbRMgXBouw72kpUOri47HSROzK3hakJF-QEkyQlnhyphenhyphenQFGCoXZLAFfsUkOKNOyPxbljjSpXIstWtv1doe-NmFkz8TVuSJJvXb6aIF_TRZMvE2ae4AT6YVdYfv7WKeH7WTOP1lII9sA71sp/s320/DSCF5603.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><p>Our focus shifted back to breeding the alpacas last week and it seems BBKing has the hang of it now - he has covered all of our adult girls. We will repeat the process in the next week or 2 to check for spitt off's. (Female alpacas are good at knowing if they are pregnant and will be quick to tell the stud!)</p>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-40308243732652937702010-05-25T18:44:00.008+01:002010-06-08T19:31:07.340+01:00final tally<div><div>Our 16 ewes have now all lambed so lamb watch is finally over! We have had 24 lambs in total, (17 girls and 7 boys). Everything was going so well until ewe number 13 lambed and showed no interest in her wee boy. After keeping her in the barn for a week with her lamb and holding her to allow the lamb to feed there was still no signs of them bonding so, "Oliver" is now on the bottle 4 times a day. He follows me everywhere even when I feed the alpacas in another field - he is really attached to my black wellies. 14 and 15 lambed no problem and this morning our last, number 16, had twins - a big boy and a tiny girl. The girl is too weak to feed, even from a bottle so we tube fed her colostrum and will feed her until she is strong enough to fed from her mum.</div><br /><div align="center"><br />Harris with Oliver<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmruxZ-hsnYGYRPpfPaC_eaMCfNxZQ1-TphyYTu2WPHEWUz7moAVGq5qpTjgoNH9r6cPDE4JyQflPq2PcuA2QUzUrojIJSoZdKBM_u3c353r3f2MSdXGufU-nLPs6XXjBNWcwBDuALusb/s1600/DSCF5529.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475275167826731266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmruxZ-hsnYGYRPpfPaC_eaMCfNxZQ1-TphyYTu2WPHEWUz7moAVGq5qpTjgoNH9r6cPDE4JyQflPq2PcuA2QUzUrojIJSoZdKBM_u3c353r3f2MSdXGufU-nLPs6XXjBNWcwBDuALusb/s320/DSCF5529.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div align="center">16 with her twins - you can't really tell but the lamb in front is so small, hopefully she will gain her strength to feed for herself.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTfbPgbm4npLH7ML_3RuwX90cbTGWNl1U-PH-9bET3g0bIN6nNCZ6bMraCsDEIRUFWveCwETj33W9Oe2Frvl6KGfiWpxRcG2JxnU2AxpLbP4MjCcSXbgKatd69qb0J0OctIUOWDN8wj1d/s1600/DSCF5536.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475277588147039922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTfbPgbm4npLH7ML_3RuwX90cbTGWNl1U-PH-9bET3g0bIN6nNCZ6bMraCsDEIRUFWveCwETj33W9Oe2Frvl6KGfiWpxRcG2JxnU2AxpLbP4MjCcSXbgKatd69qb0J0OctIUOWDN8wj1d/s320/DSCF5536.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Although we've been busy with the sheep we have managed to try and start breeding the alpacas. A couple of times I had put our stud (BBKing) in a small paddock with the girls with out much success and then one day when moving some of our early lambers to another field BBking sneaked through an open gate and got amongst the girls and did his thing. Just shows you can lead a horse... Anyway, we will continue to give him opportunities over the coming weeks so hopefully he will have worked his way round the girls otherwise we will start penning him in and playing our "orgling" cd to get them the mood. (Orgle - the noise the male makes while mating -<a href="http://www.intrepidalpacas.com/Sounds/orgle.wav">http://www.intrepidalpacas.com/Sounds/orgle.wav</a>)</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqhkhgVmh13AjoYgMOwBq36ejkIRy9raiQqmA5mCRLb6Kddeu-WVj51hf8-bfXtw-_6POy0Eq5VRZEickQNeVSCeavU3PCjrCd7BOS6vKzFzRU35TC-c4nUjbaH-lgdGvg6OSv-VPUjza/s1600/DSCF5546.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475275178026612242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqhkhgVmh13AjoYgMOwBq36ejkIRy9raiQqmA5mCRLb6Kddeu-WVj51hf8-bfXtw-_6POy0Eq5VRZEickQNeVSCeavU3PCjrCd7BOS6vKzFzRU35TC-c4nUjbaH-lgdGvg6OSv-VPUjza/s320/DSCF5546.JPG" border="0" /></a></div>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-58230316882077262352010-05-07T19:42:00.007+01:002010-05-08T19:20:28.701+01:00more twins.....<div align="center">7 of our 16 ewes have now lambed - all but one has been twins so far! The girls are winning 9 to 4 boys.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmj7uoCD9kQHX9HCaZDdRmc1dPCgXZq_1E70-txaRtBsxIsqQrx_Vo8V3OWzTjm4gCChFXoMVR5uItM6FFicWvwslzkU_I1BgWnyODX_ry79GFZ8_OlPHCaYTvV6NIOGlfAuSzNcn6wXc/s1600-h/DSCF5466.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468604745435927442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmj7uoCD9kQHX9HCaZDdRmc1dPCgXZq_1E70-txaRtBsxIsqQrx_Vo8V3OWzTjm4gCChFXoMVR5uItM6FFicWvwslzkU_I1BgWnyODX_ry79GFZ8_OlPHCaYTvV6NIOGlfAuSzNcn6wXc/s320/DSCF5466.JPG" border="0" />It's a hard life </div><div align="center"></div><p align="center"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERQUJ1NpIMv6IaVQ6sG32Fmu3deRnzNZTZ-LdtZ_gOnmZl28RS5hzjn2N9jg12KYOEyfvosRXty7BZi6rryKlEEPcCcn0nFCK6zhPuA8nwq2e6_Cgih5jNzZR5_FNqstUPiTIVoSqchJm/s1600-h/DSCF5498.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468604754778293042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERQUJ1NpIMv6IaVQ6sG32Fmu3deRnzNZTZ-LdtZ_gOnmZl28RS5hzjn2N9jg12KYOEyfvosRXty7BZi6rryKlEEPcCcn0nFCK6zhPuA8nwq2e6_Cgih5jNzZR5_FNqstUPiTIVoSqchJm/s320/DSCF5498.JPG" border="0" /></a> Enjoying the sun</p><p align="center"><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz_qpq55PdzYrW_tmbmCS7QYzbZzUxqkUgQyzXWqFLUAAS8ljWV0PHQFEDZHoER8MwAi_IvKwLjVejgEQb0fQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p align="center">The alpacas are fascinated by the new arrivals</p>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-4255167185969966722010-05-02T15:05:00.008+01:002010-05-02T16:51:19.493+01:00Who's the Daddy?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeblbHay2b8UKZLBnEAQ0DFj6gk25MM4fi0CNro8VYDJHgS48lFKPOKc8IS6Y-ycThM1czSKlF8Ne-oenL1Y5mOyKs7eBPI9LXX4Xr35HYu4c30t_uE51c0Qq_aEH5kqlFe55s_xMC_Kw/s1600/DSCF5412.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466675725264673986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeblbHay2b8UKZLBnEAQ0DFj6gk25MM4fi0CNro8VYDJHgS48lFKPOKc8IS6Y-ycThM1czSKlF8Ne-oenL1Y5mOyKs7eBPI9LXX4Xr35HYu4c30t_uE51c0Qq_aEH5kqlFe55s_xMC_Kw/s320/DSCF5412.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXhkd8B2d2SHLq3r6vHHxPn1L5U2KBzqkbpAGyyPgvjA3C5xmtORGJ3HhLnu2WfweXhVESZdgV-Z3gNHSnhAfSFDJ-Ve0_dISvd4_CB4tx8Qxem0Sl7FQUgnKdeQN-fKqnqjElYF_Xgp7/s1600/DSCF5405.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466675258789833330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXhkd8B2d2SHLq3r6vHHxPn1L5U2KBzqkbpAGyyPgvjA3C5xmtORGJ3HhLnu2WfweXhVESZdgV-Z3gNHSnhAfSFDJ-Ve0_dISvd4_CB4tx8Qxem0Sl7FQUgnKdeQN-fKqnqjElYF_Xgp7/s320/DSCF5405.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Congratulations Mr Four Horned Ram from Scalpay Linen - you're a daddy!!<br /><br />Our first lambs were born today around midday - twins - a boy and a girl! So now Lamb Watch begins in earnest as the rest of the flock look ready to follow suit at any time. By the looks of the bellies...the twins are going to have plenty of company! </div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINU86PqL_wBx9A4y37QDCbw6FN-RA5S2f0igXE_hGlDBxRnotHMTOuo6cY4hVVV3gAUsp9QauB55lTCwjHU0l9KLDiCYHWq20quTCOa9HmHFMM8VLYSw1LpfcSW6SUOyegQeM_6uJknRi/s1600-h/DSCF5427.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466684486048807810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINU86PqL_wBx9A4y37QDCbw6FN-RA5S2f0igXE_hGlDBxRnotHMTOuo6cY4hVVV3gAUsp9QauB55lTCwjHU0l9KLDiCYHWq20quTCOa9HmHFMM8VLYSw1LpfcSW6SUOyegQeM_6uJknRi/s320/DSCF5427.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />And the proud foster parents...Farmer Iain....<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCltAVtn4HDGysT_0SnUOpa_qqwp6qkfyW7Ybh1coxG9VCt6-deRFb_AAYqeUvRblBNpi4T5Fwnt3nZjUL4pHCJGZ38QH_ae-oh0ra-98RrhihNF6pKA7_Eh9XxQAOTG9ICBuRUFmyExDo/s1600-h/DSCF5436.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466685409791877442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCltAVtn4HDGysT_0SnUOpa_qqwp6qkfyW7Ybh1coxG9VCt6-deRFb_AAYqeUvRblBNpi4T5Fwnt3nZjUL4pHCJGZ38QH_ae-oh0ra-98RrhihNF6pKA7_Eh9XxQAOTG9ICBuRUFmyExDo/s320/DSCF5436.JPG" border="0" /></a> ...and Croft Wife Anne!<br /><br /><br /><br />Even BB King dropped by to see the new arrivals and pass on his warmest congratulations to Mum!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTObMrVuuJoZwMxzxNufrPEsvxy-LteTfi9PMXnUSIEa6XEVReJB4jSypnm03XJr1r8pW9mxs0VyJkmxBZ0iXbMn3Xz1etJL9lm2x2HytHOFIUPlWIMvITdK3cLVkkEytwFW28eyz5yPu/s1600-h/DSCF5450.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466686092389004594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTObMrVuuJoZwMxzxNufrPEsvxy-LteTfi9PMXnUSIEa6XEVReJB4jSypnm03XJr1r8pW9mxs0VyJkmxBZ0iXbMn3Xz1etJL9lm2x2HytHOFIUPlWIMvITdK3cLVkkEytwFW28eyz5yPu/s320/DSCF5450.JPG" border="0" /></a>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-15268991940308629382010-04-15T13:55:00.010+01:002010-04-15T18:18:20.087+01:00Spring at last<div>It's been a while since our last post and although we've been very busy there has been no real news on the alpaca front.<br /><br />A few weeks ago we decided to return Karl to the original breeder on the mainland as the 2 boys were constantly fighting. They had been kept in a field out of sight of any females prior to arriving here so I guess their hormones went a bit crazy once there were girls on the scene.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>Anne has had some prototype garments knitted.....I'll let her blog on that when she gets a chance.<br /><br />Now that spring has arrived we will soon be starting to breed the alpacas. We decided to give the girls a winter break… it seems such a long time ago since Rose was born. It will be another year before any new cria arrive but I know the wait will be worth it.<br /><br />Our hebrideans are due their lambs in the next couple of weeks and as we haven’t scanned them it will be interesting to see how many there will be. We have 16 ewes so I expect we will average 1 per ewe with some not producing and some with twins. Cute photos to follow soon.<br /><br />I’m afraid the batteries have been flat in my camera for a while, I’ll get them charged and promise some new photos in the next blog. Here are a couple I took back in February (click to enlarge). </div><br /><div> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXe_3gRDnic39wdDBQA9-207hssbTCRQPzDrpQDWHlrNEAdftkJLxQ4qGz5nJZsGQfaeNjZkkP7iF7IWalFBEghKegZDF9avwmjjnh_qrMo2hamqQv9tIY3nNqghDWeo6-7QWk2SSasUr/s1600-h/DSCF5319.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460359237054361570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXe_3gRDnic39wdDBQA9-207hssbTCRQPzDrpQDWHlrNEAdftkJLxQ4qGz5nJZsGQfaeNjZkkP7iF7IWalFBEghKegZDF9avwmjjnh_qrMo2hamqQv9tIY3nNqghDWeo6-7QWk2SSasUr/s320/DSCF5319.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6icsMJB7Kzwif9HYsKuurJDZnz43PALJT0wuQGALTQtxe9_NZ3caV4_t3BcWX9e-iNwo-ktZYZbF_-UX3M_rbV69ZP6w3ZduYue_X6L_dQR1ReX6pgttoV_C8_LbXGjfZpepSfNpEX03Y/s1600-h/DSCF5322.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460359231581439570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6icsMJB7Kzwif9HYsKuurJDZnz43PALJT0wuQGALTQtxe9_NZ3caV4_t3BcWX9e-iNwo-ktZYZbF_-UX3M_rbV69ZP6w3ZduYue_X6L_dQR1ReX6pgttoV_C8_LbXGjfZpepSfNpEX03Y/s320/DSCF5322.JPG" border="0" /> </a>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-75111534508208835402010-02-21T11:40:00.008+00:002010-02-21T12:27:58.261+00:00We have SNOW!Well we know most of you have been suffering the snow for a while now - but here at Black Sheep Croft we have been missing out! Apart from the occasional dusting there has been hardly any snow to speak of - not even enough for a snowball.<br /><br />However, on Saturday the children were delighted to wake up to a snow covered garden! Cue sledging, snowballs and a snowman...<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZG2gIWmdp4ylzr3Fudp37sPxCVdPoHjk4kHthXH6PtKDd5Pxhyc_CIVmWv6OSYdEgjDURKdOuPBlihN59BCpVNsPU7bCmAFvGrzZeAmL9v7iGuFAlor9cZdYhWRKtsPpxT0N9sK2tir62/s1600-h/DSCF5148.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440665033386213090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZG2gIWmdp4ylzr3Fudp37sPxCVdPoHjk4kHthXH6PtKDd5Pxhyc_CIVmWv6OSYdEgjDURKdOuPBlihN59BCpVNsPU7bCmAFvGrzZeAmL9v7iGuFAlor9cZdYhWRKtsPpxT0N9sK2tir62/s320/DSCF5148.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8qy5gOTa4-LjPWlOgPMBJGZBULpntWUqNE3I0TUTY_vUwIloR6JAmQMuf_WdklPP_48ryKEa0QIFxHO1WgrhGDSWguZblzsQRKjKsIKpf5QR88OcxwFuIpEmf_tJ7D-ADrOHB94vXSvO/s1600-h/DSCF5122.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440666803497839778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8qy5gOTa4-LjPWlOgPMBJGZBULpntWUqNE3I0TUTY_vUwIloR6JAmQMuf_WdklPP_48ryKEa0QIFxHO1WgrhGDSWguZblzsQRKjKsIKpf5QR88OcxwFuIpEmf_tJ7D-ADrOHB94vXSvO/s320/DSCF5122.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvyGy_I_9zX5K_8GBxemRUgn1fumVsYCuk9uTX5KkN6yP5ttmDlpQltexl5mrjtvf0FoDsbZwwZDfY0QXPLwMNhsf788w1cz-Dydbean5upldIc-qaDRzTdjwk2sG4r9yf_YPKMyF-if5/s1600-h/DSCF5128.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440666811732254546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvyGy_I_9zX5K_8GBxemRUgn1fumVsYCuk9uTX5KkN6yP5ttmDlpQltexl5mrjtvf0FoDsbZwwZDfY0QXPLwMNhsf788w1cz-Dydbean5upldIc-qaDRzTdjwk2sG4r9yf_YPKMyF-if5/s320/DSCF5128.JPG" border="0" /></a> And even a snow-alpaca...! </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC31HN2gJWt2ezYdveTlE4YfgcfHlkBpQnl9YGFzolqYD7hqlRqcwkru1TD1Kj9YUa2awf9OPkdzttMEy4IGdhuhUuHKHYNuoiYr4jR4aWyWcf23C4XN6SEy0Qgo7bJWnqZ37zpZXxSkJ/s1600-h/DSCF5141.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440668077897524242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC31HN2gJWt2ezYdveTlE4YfgcfHlkBpQnl9YGFzolqYD7hqlRqcwkru1TD1Kj9YUa2awf9OPkdzttMEy4IGdhuhUuHKHYNuoiYr4jR4aWyWcf23C4XN6SEy0Qgo7bJWnqZ37zpZXxSkJ/s320/DSCF5141.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The alpacas however, don't seem as enthusiastic about the change...<br /><br /><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmsICNLKTZG8D0t0WCPO93HMbS8wL1Fn40IPgdFpzj3Lla4UPUikhCjm-y6W5HEc6MIkfJ0mxkd5yvvXlcyljo6bKuDZXwkJG4FOssmycKegHvIMr2-N2yLNxuztJgJnQ-EaGNBQZQa46/s1600-h/DSCF5119.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440666795846377682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmsICNLKTZG8D0t0WCPO93HMbS8wL1Fn40IPgdFpzj3Lla4UPUikhCjm-y6W5HEc6MIkfJ0mxkd5yvvXlcyljo6bKuDZXwkJG4FOssmycKegHvIMr2-N2yLNxuztJgJnQ-EaGNBQZQa46/s320/DSCF5119.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPi4Bipk2Y-V02ORVnzV78K2VNL1IGg_zJEWcsNfMfprbtb1vqSGCcnIdgMs6TuWgy6GFC0ne5GhJJej-OViaXw_NKmr2eTa9AYMsGCXRxr9HGAIXBVRx6zORZUzigkDkPxoNTOI20iEdM/s1600-h/DSCF5097.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440666783439669298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPi4Bipk2Y-V02ORVnzV78K2VNL1IGg_zJEWcsNfMfprbtb1vqSGCcnIdgMs6TuWgy6GFC0ne5GhJJej-OViaXw_NKmr2eTa9AYMsGCXRxr9HGAIXBVRx6zORZUzigkDkPxoNTOI20iEdM/s320/DSCF5097.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I have had a long weekend off school and have been catching up with all things alpaca. We have recruited an enthusiastic, talented and dedicated local knitter who is going to produce our first proper knitted items from Jasmine's wool!!! We can't wait to see the results!<br /><br />Also, we have been contacted by The Heb which is a glossy, annual magazine and pictorial as they want to do a small feature about us and the alpacas.<br /><br />I have eventually got round to felting with some of Jasmine's left over bits. The bag is wonderfully soft and such a lovely mixture of colours...BUT although it looks ok in the picture there isn't actually a proper handle and it didn't felt as well on the inside - so it's back to the drawing board!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3V8bMxP55u93LDmovkTFwzHFpu2bbWdHHhk8ca1qde64Vj3kFPmwL7ho-XGHZs0uh5g7NBY6OTdhebYgw1sH-w_qcSPaVqAavGq5fZD1Qjh3sWtJ5ixivQEoPOT7qywoJT6bMw1tPp51/s1600-h/DSCF5160.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440668070897854178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3V8bMxP55u93LDmovkTFwzHFpu2bbWdHHhk8ca1qde64Vj3kFPmwL7ho-XGHZs0uh5g7NBY6OTdhebYgw1sH-w_qcSPaVqAavGq5fZD1Qjh3sWtJ5ixivQEoPOT7qywoJT6bMw1tPp51/s320/DSCF5160.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, I have been chained to the computer developing our new website, complete with shopping cart, however in keeping up with the current trend...<em><strong>it is a secret </strong></em>and you'll have to wait for the grand unveiling! </div></div></div></div></div></div>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-31899779109578166452010-02-01T18:53:00.004+00:002010-02-02T10:00:30.747+00:00The boys are in townAfter a 600 mile round trip and 2 ferries at the weekend I arrived back with our stud, BBKing, and his pal Karl. Alpacas don’t like to be on their own so we thought it only fair to bring Karl along for the journey and to be his field buddy. They are best pals and have worked together in the past on fox duty for other sheep farmers.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72yf-zG7_cs4g4f4zLWH_yQGWm7-hvxHsla8GVdhjCRpOoPNiP7X4ZYmU7NnqAOLkenLxrXVVc5F9EGeH_y6JcuTNh8ILTZg_1gQTkDfptH1FJWKjmBEWby63ZRJJ99cvMWXFakQwndwn/s1600-h/DSCF5052a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433390194668442402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 255px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72yf-zG7_cs4g4f4zLWH_yQGWm7-hvxHsla8GVdhjCRpOoPNiP7X4ZYmU7NnqAOLkenLxrXVVc5F9EGeH_y6JcuTNh8ILTZg_1gQTkDfptH1FJWKjmBEWby63ZRJJ99cvMWXFakQwndwn/s320/DSCF5052a.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">BBKing admiring the girls!</div><div align="center"><br /> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nWRChlkCZci5Z8OU2w-YeSU5sa_L623wrgXdjYRRsQG7AIQrsnomOmScyW-KiMX-5huTi2wGtD8Lf2i5LScmEzCFi8nrB9uIFvAw6yxnhE1pONM2xMnmn2LMkdCgPn8hOQ4nkaIsvffO/s1600-h/DSCF5056.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433390201794766658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nWRChlkCZci5Z8OU2w-YeSU5sa_L623wrgXdjYRRsQG7AIQrsnomOmScyW-KiMX-5huTi2wGtD8Lf2i5LScmEzCFi8nrB9uIFvAw6yxnhE1pONM2xMnmn2LMkdCgPn8hOQ4nkaIsvffO/s320/DSCF5056.JPG" border="0" /></a> <p align="center">BBking (left) and Karl<br /></p>Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063834798057377713.post-25755389396771751122010-01-29T14:49:00.007+00:002010-02-02T09:58:51.652+00:00To a Mouse...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAECkS9dZVgauZWGdP-B9In0RGJKj4qgEaD8TX_26hwSBl3PUUmmunD8bMPlbbQnuNCBbru_-hoRJodwWSc6mglhmKKi_QeaWXjSjqFXpJaV-ZSca-LA_JdEb2ZvEbNV5KeXbducJxOd1l/s1600-h/DSCF4928.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432175004630029618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAECkS9dZVgauZWGdP-B9In0RGJKj4qgEaD8TX_26hwSBl3PUUmmunD8bMPlbbQnuNCBbru_-hoRJodwWSc6mglhmKKi_QeaWXjSjqFXpJaV-ZSca-LA_JdEb2ZvEbNV5KeXbducJxOd1l/s320/DSCF4928.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Belated Happy New Year!<br /><br />Sorry I’ve not posted for a while, we’ve been very busy over the holidays with visitors and then getting back to the usual routine with school, nursery etc.<br /><br />We’ve been very fortunate with the weather compared to the rest of the UK although our kids don’t think so. This [pic above] is the worst we had of any snow and it was gone within a day. Stornoway and other parts of Lewis did get it quite a bit more but I think since we are a few hundred yards from the shore then the sea air has an effect.<br /><br />Anne did get a chance to experiment with felting, not sure if we will put this into production just yet! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtiCoFNktNTW6OkmQPAwaGh7yJrKQTQe5jLfrZrCONLMdapGUBUVFjyO96KRyCvYnLEg0WsbMTv3rdJAtWrRqf661TPLj_iHN1pQukk-eItHc038P_fE5GQUfeXiy6bwzu_XxvxkcpmPp/s1600-h/DSCF5024.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432175585638071730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtiCoFNktNTW6OkmQPAwaGh7yJrKQTQe5jLfrZrCONLMdapGUBUVFjyO96KRyCvYnLEg0WsbMTv3rdJAtWrRqf661TPLj_iHN1pQukk-eItHc038P_fE5GQUfeXiy6bwzu_XxvxkcpmPp/s320/DSCF5024.JPG" border="0" /></a> Neddle Felted Guinea Pig and Needle Felted Mouse (using merino wool and glass eyes)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLnTbeE2KKCLgqMzpol3SpZQ_qmc6K-zsaDbTKp5CekarN7pCNUbFh9lDCDDFi7SJWjPkJE8c1U_hbd6uww5_kj5yUPPV1jkD72U0H5HeF7byxJiGKflBo8rJSWZRUbsAl7Uz-ClvXWTJ/s1600-h/DSCF5037.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432176043408045538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLnTbeE2KKCLgqMzpol3SpZQ_qmc6K-zsaDbTKp5CekarN7pCNUbFh9lDCDDFi7SJWjPkJE8c1U_hbd6uww5_kj5yUPPV1jkD72U0H5HeF7byxJiGKflBo8rJSWZRUbsAl7Uz-ClvXWTJ/s320/DSCF5037.JPG" border="0" /></a>Felted Rose Necklace (wet felted and needle felted with sewn on seed beads)<br /><br /><br />I’ve been working hard on the fencing so that this weekend I can pop over and pick up BB King, our stud from Campsie Camelids.Alpacas of Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13232529269315681638noreply@blogger.com5