No rain, but great clouds

Last day of summer and at least we had some cloud cover to give relief from the heat.  About midday the wind came up and I could see in the west that rain was falling.  However I knew it would not be coming to us as the boys were still standing.  If they cush to keep their spot dry, it is a good indication that we will get the rain.  I watched the storm move down the west coast and then around to the south - could even smell the rain.   On the news tonight the area south of us received heavy rain  -  some roofs had blown off and large trees had fallen down.  25,000 people were without power. 

Then I watched as another storm approached from the north - great clouds and a wonderful rainbow as it moved eastwards.  Rumblings ensued well into the night, but no rain for us!

 Despite the really hot days (over 20 consecutive days over 30 degrees), the pumpkin vines are thriving.  They wilt during the day and then perk up each night when I water them.  Lots of flowers and baby pumpkins.

You know it's hot......

You know it's hot when you turn on the cold tap and there isn't any cold water.
You know it's hot when you get out of the shower and the towel feels like it has just come out of a hot dryer.
You know it's hot when you get herbs out of the pantry and the tin is hot.
You know it's hot when you pick an apple at sunset and the apple is still hot.
You know it's hot when you take a frying pan out of the drawer and it is already hot.
You know it's hot when you sit on a leather dining room chair and it feels like the cat has been lying there.
You know it's hot when you can't move other than to go to the fridge and get iced water.
You know it's hot when you stand in the shower with your clothes on and then sit under a fan dripping wet.
Only one more day of summer and I hope the end of our 40 degree days.

2 DOWN - and 7 MORE TO GO.....

Our decision to put animals on our land was based on the need to keep the grass down.  Ten years previously I had fallen in love with alpacas and as we had no interest in small cattle or sheep,  off we went to purchase "our boys".  First we selected 4 suris and 1 huacaya - purely based on colour and with not a clue on fleece or conformation.  This was followed up by 3 more huacayas from a different breeder - we really wanted a grey and the other 2 "just had to" come too.  Then, when we thought our herd looked quite substantial I saw a picture of a little suri called Picasso in the window of an alpaca products shop.  A month went by and I could not get Picasso out of my mind so we went to the property where he was bred and he "just had to" come home also.  (He was called Picasso because he was multicoloured - brown saddle on white with some grey.  Breeders like single colour for fleeces, so Picasso was never going to be kept for breeding.)  We initially thought we would buy 4 or 5 alpacas and now we had 9!

One thing I have learned is that each animal has his own personality - some kick, some won't look you in the eye, some run ridiculously fast, some are incredibly curious and one just walks at a snail's pace everywhere he goes.  There is an heirarchy and if there is a standoff, the result is a spitoff.  This is how disputes are settled and the one who gets the other's spit in his mouth is the loser.  He hangs his bottom lip and dribbles for about 30 minutes - the taste must be terrible.  The smell certainly is. One point to clarify - my alpacas don't spit at me. The only times I have received the treatment is when I have inadvertently been caught in the middle.

Getting close is no mean task as alpacas don't really like humans.  You can stand a metre away and all is well as long as you don't put your arm out to touch.  This presents a problem when you want to halter train.  I have read a few books on this and have now developed my own approach.  At the moment we are trying to halter train Picasso.  (See images before and after shearing.)  He is small, but extremely spirited. 

First I bring him into an enclosed area and then encourage him into an even smaller enclosed area.  This allows me to talk to him and move slowly around him until I can stand sideon and put my arm around his neck (best not to get near the rear end).  Camelid necks are like iron bars and they are extremely strong.  The aim is to put your arm out and not have a struggle accompanied by trodden on feet.  Picasso is getting there.  Then you must hold the animal and let him see the halter and slowly get it over his nose - degree of difficulty depends on how the animal feels that day.  (Picasso is a jumpy animal and can turn in an instant.)

Finally the lead is attached.  It may take several attempts over several days to just get to this stage.  This is when the animal either decides to buck, rear up, put his head on the ground, lie on the ground or a combination of all manouvres.  We have been haltering Picasso over the last two weekends and yesterday Picasso and I took a walk around the house and back to the enclosure.  I was particularly pleased as he walked quite nicely and did not try to escape.  Today we walked again - this time a little further around the house and shed - and once again he was very well behaved.  The aim is to be able to take him walking with the llamas as at the moment, Seve is the only halter trained alpaca.  (See the image of Seve who walks like a little pony.)

So as for halter training, soon it will be 2 down - and 7 more to go.....

WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?

It's time for another camelid story.  I have often wondered where all my boys sleep at night in the paddock.  Do they stay close to each other?  Do they actually roll over and go to sleep?  Do they stay in the middle or get near a fence?  Does anyone stay on watch?

Well a near full moon and cloudless sky provided some answers last night. 

To set the scene, our property is in the dark - no street lights, no other building lights - just pitch black.  So when the moon is full, it is so bright you can read your watch.  After donning boots (wouldn't want to tread on a snake), we walked down to the fence and saw all the boys cushed in the middle of the paddock in a natural valley.  Then we picked up 2 plastic chairs and proceeded to where they were.  The boys all got up and milled around - WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE at night?   After some sniffing of shoes and our hair and taking about 10 minutes to decide where to lie again, one by one the camelids took their positions.   Dust bowls are treasured by the boys and now we found they had a dual purpose - for dust baths during the day and comfy beds at night.  The llamas were first and it wasn't long before big Udo had his head on the ground - how relaxed is that?  The alpacas followed and it was interesting as each took their position using their rocking motion and they all lay in different directions almost as though to guard in case an intruder appeared.  The eternal friends TopDeck and Scrumpy didn't disappoint and stayed quite close to each other.  Camilo, always the last to do everything, was last again. We sat in our chairs and watched the flashing lights of planes  flying across the southern sky into Perth in the distance and the 11 boys lay silently around us listening to the occasional dog bark or horse neigh.

The temperature was perfect. There was a wafting breeze, just the noises of the night and wide open skies.  After about 30 minutes we left the chairs in the middle of the paddock and crept slowly back to the house.

FIGS FOR DINNER

Yesterday I spent the afternoon trying to dis-entangle the grape vines from the netting which has protected them from the birds.  The vines have responded really well to the spot where they were planted and must be receiving enough water from the irrigation.  Most have now reached the tops of the poles and I am bending them to go back down.  I will need some more instructions on these vines.  It was time to head back to the house - enough squats for one day so I crawled in under the net on the little fig tree.  What a treat to find these wonderful ripe figs and be able to eat them for dinner knowing no insecticides had been used to produce them.Yum!

ORANGE EGGPLANTS

There's not much happening in the vegetable tanks now in summer - far too hot. However the eggplants are thriving (if I remember to water them).

Three varieties were planted - Early Long Purple, Rosa Bianca and Turkish orange - bought from Heirloom Farm - and all 3 have provided healthy eggplants.  The orange ones which we have not seen before are really tasty if sliced thinly and fried in olive oil like chips.

The only produce coming out of the olive grove is from our 2 little apple trees - plenty for 2 people to enjoy.

Night air

Pains in hands....

Pains in feet....

It's a sign of age

Too young for this
So much to do
Instinct is to rage

Cool night air
comes to my aid
Moon shines down ...
I'm being laid
by beams of the
most pure light

Come out, come out
into the night

There is no sun
There is no heat
Just cool night air
and pure light.

DON'T LOOK AT ME

It's a special time

When I feel his breath

A head outstretched

I stand beneath

A tower of strength

But gentle is he

I glance up

He turns away

"Don't look at me"!

You can stroke my chest

You can talk quietly

You can embrace my neck

 but "DON'T LOOK AT ME".

On "the edge" of the 29 January 2011 Storm

It seems very little of Australia is escaping Nature's fury at the moment.  The big events like flooding and cyclones in Queensland and their devastating effects are well publicised.  Last Saturday our little patch - always on fire alert in Summer - became the latest casualty.

As mentioned previously we are forever celebrating at any hint of rain and last Saturday we were experiencing very strong winds as a result of a cyclone well out to sea.  We were standing outside enjoying the cool and could see this huge dark cloud very low to the ground moving quickly from north west to north east across the back of our block.  The colour was an intense blue and red and we later found out it carried an enormous amount of dust - hence the red colour.  We watched the cloud head towards the next small town called Northam and little did we know the havoc already in its wake and that within an hour homes, sheds, shops and schools would be unroofed and cars crushed by large falling trees.  Then as we sat on the verandah steps loving the rain falling on our faces, the storm also devastated another small town called York.

We were very fortunate and lost power for about 6 hours.  We enjoyed a candle lit dinner on the verandah as we watched a kookaburra in a nearby tree, but some people in our town still don't have power now - 4 days later.  So next thing on the neverending list is a generator as even turning on a tap or flushing the toilet is dependent on power out here.

On Monday I drove along the road to Northam and all the speed signs along the road had been flattened to ground level. As I continued to drive and see the damage, I was very thankful that we were only on "the edge".