I’ll start with two pictures of our alpacas minus their winter coats. And yes, I am trying to butter you up. š¦
They’re strange looking beasts without all that wool aren’t they? Like a cross between a giraffe and a deer.
This first photo is of one of the females with her cria, Andy.
Andy isn’t the sharpest tool in the box, but he is kind of sweet in a very dopey sort of way.
I don’t think Mamma was terribly impressed with her radical do but she did come up to the fence to say hello. Ah well, at least she’ll be cooler for what’s left of summer.
January is a bit late to be shearing alpacas, but unfortunately the one alpaca shearer in our area is in such demand that we couldn’t get him to do it any sooner.
The weather is meant to be hot again tomorrow so we got them done just in time.
And now for that favour I mentioned. -squirms in embarrassment- Um… if there are any Goodreads members out there, could you possibly vote for Vokhtah on these lists?
2013 Release books to read, and
My undying gratitude to Lord David Prosser for doing what I didn’t have the guts to do.
-huge hugs-
Meeks
Meeka's Mind 
February 25th, 2013 at 12:44 pm
I wanted to thank you for stopping by my blog, fundinmental, and commenting on the book trailer. When I saw the post for alpacas in the email, it put a smile on my face and I had to come check it out. They are usually so cute. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bald one before. LOL
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February 25th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
-grin- I’m glad you enjoyed them. They’re funny beasts and the alpha female is a wily thing. I swear she spends half her time coming up with strategies to get at my roses!
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February 25th, 2013 at 3:51 pm
I guess everything has a sweet tooth.
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February 25th, 2013 at 9:55 pm
I’d rather give her chocolates. š
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February 26th, 2013 at 1:35 am
LOL
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February 8th, 2013 at 11:02 pm
(answering you down here because the comment thread has become veeeery thin š )
The cricket? Aaaarrgggh! I can’t stand it! Why on earth they don’t put the cricket on the digital channel and keep on with normal transmission on the other channel.
Myki I hate! I don’t have one and don’t intend to get one, how on earth can they expect tourists to open an account if they are only going to be here for a few days? Idiots! I will continue to drive everywhere now with no intention of taking public transport ever again…
I still hate the toll road even though we use it. Didn’t we already pay for the Tulla FREEway? Why do we have to pay again to drive to the airport now it is called a TOLLway? Aaarrrggghhh!!!
And why on earth are the putting on the first episodes of the new season of Castle starting on Sunday night at 10 TO FINISH AT 12 don’t they know that people have to go to work/school in the morning!!!!!! *breathe* š
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February 9th, 2013 at 1:09 pm
lmao – go girl! And I couldn’t agree more on all points. Maybe boycotting MyKi will have some effect.
Now… how do you feel about turning this into a rantathon?
This is too good for just comments. š
In fact we could turn it into a blog-hop-rantathon!
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February 9th, 2013 at 11:04 pm
Don’t get me started! We could whinge about everything that gives us the sh**s for days. Don’t know if anyone else would want to hear about it though! š
(why does SBS have 4 channels playing the same thing nearly all the time? aaarrrgh!)
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February 10th, 2013 at 10:52 am
lmao – so true. I don’t watch SBS, mainly because I don’t watch TV much at all, but I guess it’s like the ABC running repeats of Grand Designs when there are no new programs to air – better than nothing?
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February 10th, 2013 at 6:41 pm
Mmmm… Kevin McCloud…. They can play Grand Designs repeats unitl the cows come home and I wouldn’t be complaining!
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February 10th, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Speaking of, did you watch his new show tonight? The Man Cave or something. It was so funny watching Da Boyz felling trees and blowing logs up. š Definitely a side of the gorgeous Kevin I haven’t seen before. Excuse me while I gush but I adore that man!
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February 10th, 2013 at 11:26 pm
I caught the last bit when he was making biodiesel from poo and cutting shingles. Loved it.
He did a similar show ages ago about building a studio type thing on his own property and it was great too. The Man and I are a huge fans, who could resist a person with such passion for his favourite subject?!
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February 11th, 2013 at 12:22 pm
Oh I remember that one – hay bales wasn’t it? And yes, you’re right. It’s his passion that carries everyone along with him.
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:01 am
my daughter showed one for 4H this year. The costume contest was hilarious. My favorite was the Shaggy/Scooby pair. Even better, on camera I caught our friends trying to wrestle an alpaca into a grass skirt. Too low and it stepped on the bottom of the skirt. Too high, and it ate the costume. Such gentle creatures, even on the obstacle courses. They only gave problems when the nearby chickens got noisy.
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:28 am
lmao – they must have been very well trained alpacas then! Ours are cunning, or at least the alpha female is. But they are fun. š
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February 6th, 2013 at 7:25 am
Voted!
So funny, I first dipped into your blog during your posting about Alpaca poop phase. Now, I get to see the creators of those “volcanos’ shorn of their wooly coats.
Wacky looking creatures. I like them.
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:30 am
Thanks Candy .:) And yes they are quite odd looking. One day I’ll regale you with tales about how the alpha female outsmarts me. š
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February 6th, 2013 at 3:35 am
Found the second list, just need the first – you’re #1 by the way. Woo hoo.
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:35 am
-blinks- I am? Wow… Thanks Yvonne. I know it’s just a numbers game but every little bit helps, right?
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:55 am
Just checked Yvonne. Thanks to you guys Vokhtah is now 122. š -hugs-
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February 6th, 2013 at 3:35 am
Tweeted this, Meeka. But having trouble locating you on the list to vote. Can you give an approximate number for each list?
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:36 am
You’re a doll Yvonne! Last night I was 189 on the big list if that helps. Sorry, I should have thought of that.
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February 6th, 2013 at 3:01 am
Voted and voted. I also sent you a friend request on Goodreads. š
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:37 am
You’re there too? Oh that’s great! I’ll hop on in just a sec. And thank you!
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February 6th, 2013 at 12:33 am
No thanks necessary. The book deserves to be in the lists and it deserves to do well in them.
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:38 am
And YOU deserve a massive hug. -HUGS!-
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February 5th, 2013 at 9:45 pm
They should be happy alpacas now, were having a hot one tomorrow as well. I’ve started reading Vokhtah, will let you know when I’m done. According to the kindle, only about 15-20% through after a couple of hours yesterday. Now, back to it.
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:43 am
-hugs- The beginning is slow because there’s so much new stuff but it does heat up soon. š I’m so thrilled you’re reading it too!
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February 6th, 2013 at 1:20 pm
I’m persevering, not being my normal reading material it is harder, but the story is slowly sucking me in….
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February 6th, 2013 at 1:48 pm
-sigh of relief-
I’ve been biting my nails! -hugs-
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February 7th, 2013 at 4:43 pm
Just posted my review on my blog. Will get around to the Amazon one soon. Thanks for a great story. š
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February 7th, 2013 at 10:20 pm
Ah! Sorry I replied to the most recent comment first. Going to check it out right now. š
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February 7th, 2013 at 11:02 pm
I loved your review Jen. I’ve tweeted it and I’ve reblogged it and now I’m going to go to bed with a huge shit eating grin on my face. š Thank you.
-hugs-
Meeks
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February 8th, 2013 at 6:54 am
Oh wow. Glad you liked it. Now I’m a little speechless, not sure I know what to say. Thanks, and thanks for a lovely read. š
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February 5th, 2013 at 9:37 pm
Sorry, I’m not a Good Reads member (I have a conspiracy theorists aversion to signing up to more than the bare minimum of websites š ) but I’m voting on the inside!
The alpacas will be pretty happy to be naked with the hot days we have coming for the rest of the week!
Look at that poor dry grass š¦ You would have laughed if you had seen me this afternoon with the grey water hoses doing my best to keep them up high so I could get them to the upper level of the grass around the washing line!
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:50 am
-grin- Thank you for the inside vote! Believe it or not I empathize with the whole thing about not signing up for everything, everywhere. I wouldn’t be on FB, Twitter or Goodreads if I hadn’t read a marketing guru say that I should. -sigh-
Re the greywater, I bit the bullet and bought a small [500? ltr] water tank for the greywater. Most of the time I just let the water flow straight out but recently I’ve been collecting it and then letting it out at the end of the day so the extra bit of pressure runs a low pressure sprinkler I bought from Diggers. Was amazed that it actually worked.
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February 6th, 2013 at 9:48 pm
Maybe I should get organized and get a grey water tank.
As it was my 20m of hose came out of the propped open back door, over the verandah rail and through the air to the top of a tree fern, through the strong branches of a grevillea, over the top of the Weber (threaded through the handle so it wouldn’t drop) tied to the totem tennis by the ball string, over the top of the wheelbarrow and across to the top of the step that leads to the washing line; all held in place by two bricks for tension…. š
I realized yesterday that I have started timing my washing with the best time to water the grass and not when the hose has been out in the sun in case it burns the grass!
Ahhh, the things we do for a bit of green! The Man thought I was an idiot until today when the grass there was noticeably greener in one large patch.
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February 7th, 2013 at 8:14 am
lmao – Oh please take a photo of the hose threading through that obstacle course! As a greywater fanatic too, I applaud you. š
During the last drought, when our water storages were so low, the greywater kept [bits] of my garden alive. Precious stuff, especially with the summer we’re having.
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February 7th, 2013 at 1:23 pm
I will take a photo of it next time š I had to undo it all to water the lower part of the garden. Plus the wheelbarrow was blocking the steps!
Since I have had such success with the back grass (I hesitate to call it lawn) the Man is now trying to work out how to get the water to the front easily.
Remember when we were kids and we could play under the sprinkler all day? Now we use yucky grey water and haul buckets instead of just letting water run down the drain or onto the ground. How times have changed!
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February 7th, 2013 at 2:14 pm
Wow – playing under a sprinkler on a hot summer’s night is one of my first and most favourite memories of coming to Australia! -sigh- I also remember when it was ‘illegal’ to have a rainwater tank in the metropolitan area.
Can I have a gripe about all the storm water going to waste while we build a hideously expensive desalinization plant? Or the fact we use drinking water for industry and agriculture?
No, on second thought I’ll just hush. I’m hot, and grumpy because I can’t work on my book with 774 jabbering away. š¦
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February 7th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Gripe away! I hate the desal plant for so many reasons, not the least of which is that we aren’t allowed to fish or pick up shells along that beach because it is (rightly) a protected area but they can belch salty sludge into the water so idiots can water their lawns and wash their cars. Grrrrrr…..
I suspect that giving every house a water tank plumbed into nothing but their toilet would probably do just as much good as that stupid plant.. grrrr again….
Why on earth do the coal fired electricity plants get to use good drinking water? If only people realized that saving electricity is also saving water that might help too.. then again they build such big wasteful, ego-stroking houses that saving water and electricity is probably not as high on the list as it should be. (end rant š )
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February 7th, 2013 at 11:44 pm
lmao! Pandorra’s Box is open. š Yes, there are so many double standards there should be a special form of insurance for people who trip over them.
And what happened to good, old fashioned passive solar resistance in the form of eaves and verandah’s? They were replaced with modern plate glass, open plan living and astronomical heating and cooling bills….
You do realise we could write enough to fill a book?
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February 7th, 2013 at 11:51 pm
I bet we could! Let the ranting begin! š
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February 8th, 2013 at 3:27 pm
Ooooh. -rubs hands- I’m tempted to start with the cricket on 774 but I know that’s just a personal gripe. Hmmm… MyKi
Call me a fuddy duddy but would it really have killed anybody to spell it MyKey instead of MyKi?
I don’t have one yet but I know I’ll have to get one eventually. That means I’ll have to contribute about $20 to whoever runs Myki on the off chance that I’ll need to take public transport one day. I wonder how many $20 I’ll lose due to the fact that I don’t take the train very often?
The alternative is worse though. “Nice old lady gets fined for travelling on an empty MyKi”. That is just as likely to be me. š¦
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