Happy New Year!!!!
At long last! It is about time I updated this blog… So much has gone on since it was last done.
In November there was the VAOBA Alpaca Expo. It went wonderfully! The weather couldn’t have been better – well, maybe just a tad warmer would have been nice! The Expo was the first show that I was the show superintendent for. I am relieved to say that part of it went off without a hitch. The first day was extremely stressful just because. Once that one day was over I was able to relax somewhat and enjoy the rest of the show on Sunday.
Our boys did pretty well. Nottingham Hollow’s Robin Hood took second place in the Multi class. Robin turned two years old on November 14th. This will probably be his last show.
Nottingham Hollow’s Friar Tuck, who was a year old last April 29th, was our big surprise! He showed in the Light class which was a split class. He actually took 4th place. It’s quite a competitive class. In March, when he was still wearing his cria fleece, he walked the walk not making the cut. So, to have him place fourth in November was quite a surprise for us. Even more of a surprise was the first place ribbon he took in the spin-off! Go Tuck!
The Sheriff of Nottingham Hollow doesn’t show too well in halter. The grey classes are really tough. He has great conformation and I love his fiber but for the second show he walked the walk. In the spin-off he took fourth place. That’s okay- he’s a good looking fellow and we know there is a dam out there that will appreciate him in the next year or so! In the meanwhile I have a friend who just loves spinning his fiber…
And then there is Nottingham Hollow’s Archer, little brother to Robin Hood, son of Clara and River Rock’s Romeo. He is such a cute one! Archer had just turned one year old on October 25th and this was his first show. He was the youngest showing in his Fawn class and took fifth place. Yeah- we would have liked a higher placing but he did wonderful for his first time out!
There was a lot of work to do post show and I was fortunate enough to complete the paperwork and get it mailed by November 24th. There is a 30 day deadline with AOBA and day 19 was good enough for the first show. I haven’t heard anything on the show so I can only suppose that all is well.
Thanksgiving was pretty low key with us as Chuck had to work. And December? Well that was spent pretty much on cria watch. I get all but paralyzed waiting for these critters! Miss Wise Obsession was our first due and she was only due on December 22nd. It is typical in the fall for the deliveries to be early so I certainly wasn’t going to chance having one of the ladies give birth without my knowing it!
On December 30th Miss Wise and Angus of Argyll became proud parents to a true black female! Nottingham Hollow’s Black Velvet was born at 9:45am and has been going ever since. She is gorgeous. She’s not named after the horse; she’s not named for the whiskey. I took a long look at her once she was dried off and wow! Her fiber has such a shine to it in the sunlight – but at the same time it has rich depth. And soft? I am so tempted to send in a sample for the micron count! It would probably be like a six. Of course, I used the hairdryer and rubbed with towels to get her dry so I totally wiped out any crimp and curls that were there. I am watching daily to see it come back and it is. She’s looking really nice.
Tabitha was due on the 31st of December. We were hoping for another girl (like the entire alpaca world hopes for!) and had decided to name her Dame Emily. Her due date was our grand daughter Emily’s birthday. Emily comes with us to the Renaissance faire and was knighted this year, becoming a Dame. It all just would have been perfect. Well, the best made plans and all that… On January 3, 2007 Tabitha (and Angus) presented us with a male. He weighed in at 14.4 pounds and was a bit slow to start. He was totally tuckered out after his birth (which was assisted just a bit) and needed a nap straight off. It was a different experience to be able to get a cria all dry and in his cria sweater without giving any resistance. He perked up after being bottle fed about four ounces of bovine colostrum and then took another snooze. When he woke up after that nap there was no holding him back. He stood and walked out of the barn under his own volition. I really wanted him to stay on the warming mat but what do I count? He found a patch of sunlight and after nursing, settled in a little cush and waited for his “aunties” to come and say hello. It wasn’t long before they did, each one giving him a nuzzle and a kiss through the fence. Black Velvet? NOT. She decided to play shy instead and clung to her mama. My friend came over to help me tube more colostrum into him and after doing that we decided to let them out of the enclosure so they could enjoy the warmth of the sunlight. He has been off and running ever since. I am so looking forward to seeing the two crias play in the weeks to come!
As far as what is coming up? Well, I am going to be show superintendent for the Virginia Classic Llama and Alpaca Show in March. Just for the alpaca part of the show. It is the 13th Annual VA Classic and I am hoping it will be the best yet! I am going to try to get caught up on some housework before getting too busy with that though. I am quite behind- I still need to do spring cleaning for spring 2006! It’s odd how priorities change over time…
Until the next time!
In November there was the VAOBA Alpaca Expo. It went wonderfully! The weather couldn’t have been better – well, maybe just a tad warmer would have been nice! The Expo was the first show that I was the show superintendent for. I am relieved to say that part of it went off without a hitch. The first day was extremely stressful just because. Once that one day was over I was able to relax somewhat and enjoy the rest of the show on Sunday.
Our boys did pretty well. Nottingham Hollow’s Robin Hood took second place in the Multi class. Robin turned two years old on November 14th. This will probably be his last show.
Nottingham Hollow’s Friar Tuck, who was a year old last April 29th, was our big surprise! He showed in the Light class which was a split class. He actually took 4th place. It’s quite a competitive class. In March, when he was still wearing his cria fleece, he walked the walk not making the cut. So, to have him place fourth in November was quite a surprise for us. Even more of a surprise was the first place ribbon he took in the spin-off! Go Tuck!
The Sheriff of Nottingham Hollow doesn’t show too well in halter. The grey classes are really tough. He has great conformation and I love his fiber but for the second show he walked the walk. In the spin-off he took fourth place. That’s okay- he’s a good looking fellow and we know there is a dam out there that will appreciate him in the next year or so! In the meanwhile I have a friend who just loves spinning his fiber…
And then there is Nottingham Hollow’s Archer, little brother to Robin Hood, son of Clara and River Rock’s Romeo. He is such a cute one! Archer had just turned one year old on October 25th and this was his first show. He was the youngest showing in his Fawn class and took fifth place. Yeah- we would have liked a higher placing but he did wonderful for his first time out!
There was a lot of work to do post show and I was fortunate enough to complete the paperwork and get it mailed by November 24th. There is a 30 day deadline with AOBA and day 19 was good enough for the first show. I haven’t heard anything on the show so I can only suppose that all is well.
Thanksgiving was pretty low key with us as Chuck had to work. And December? Well that was spent pretty much on cria watch. I get all but paralyzed waiting for these critters! Miss Wise Obsession was our first due and she was only due on December 22nd. It is typical in the fall for the deliveries to be early so I certainly wasn’t going to chance having one of the ladies give birth without my knowing it!
On December 30th Miss Wise and Angus of Argyll became proud parents to a true black female! Nottingham Hollow’s Black Velvet was born at 9:45am and has been going ever since. She is gorgeous. She’s not named after the horse; she’s not named for the whiskey. I took a long look at her once she was dried off and wow! Her fiber has such a shine to it in the sunlight – but at the same time it has rich depth. And soft? I am so tempted to send in a sample for the micron count! It would probably be like a six. Of course, I used the hairdryer and rubbed with towels to get her dry so I totally wiped out any crimp and curls that were there. I am watching daily to see it come back and it is. She’s looking really nice.
Tabitha was due on the 31st of December. We were hoping for another girl (like the entire alpaca world hopes for!) and had decided to name her Dame Emily. Her due date was our grand daughter Emily’s birthday. Emily comes with us to the Renaissance faire and was knighted this year, becoming a Dame. It all just would have been perfect. Well, the best made plans and all that… On January 3, 2007 Tabitha (and Angus) presented us with a male. He weighed in at 14.4 pounds and was a bit slow to start. He was totally tuckered out after his birth (which was assisted just a bit) and needed a nap straight off. It was a different experience to be able to get a cria all dry and in his cria sweater without giving any resistance. He perked up after being bottle fed about four ounces of bovine colostrum and then took another snooze. When he woke up after that nap there was no holding him back. He stood and walked out of the barn under his own volition. I really wanted him to stay on the warming mat but what do I count? He found a patch of sunlight and after nursing, settled in a little cush and waited for his “aunties” to come and say hello. It wasn’t long before they did, each one giving him a nuzzle and a kiss through the fence. Black Velvet? NOT. She decided to play shy instead and clung to her mama. My friend came over to help me tube more colostrum into him and after doing that we decided to let them out of the enclosure so they could enjoy the warmth of the sunlight. He has been off and running ever since. I am so looking forward to seeing the two crias play in the weeks to come!
As far as what is coming up? Well, I am going to be show superintendent for the Virginia Classic Llama and Alpaca Show in March. Just for the alpaca part of the show. It is the 13th Annual VA Classic and I am hoping it will be the best yet! I am going to try to get caught up on some housework before getting too busy with that though. I am quite behind- I still need to do spring cleaning for spring 2006! It’s odd how priorities change over time…
Until the next time!
posted by Sue at 9:25 PM
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