On Monday evening (8th June)  Diamond gave birth to her second daughter here at Pistyll Gwyn. It took us a little by surprise as it was outside the usual hours for an alpaca birth, but all went just as it should, and by nightfall  Heulwen was taking her first steps around the field. She is a brilliant white with a little pink nose.

Whilst Diamond was in labour, Lavender did an amazing job of sticking with her, and then kept the rest of the nosy herd at bay until mum was back on her feet again.

Olive has also been sticking closely by her mum and little sister.
Now, at three days old, she is running about being chased by Blanco.

Well …. we are into our second year, and i have to say it is lovely to see the Spring again. We’ve seen Pistyll Gwyn now in all seasons, and its does feel like we belong here. We’ve crowned the cottage with an alpaca weather vane made by various members of my family for my 50th birthday, and all the animals seem well settled.

We’re still struggling on the money front, and will for a couple more years unless we win the lottery, but it somehow seems less important than it did in the winter months. I’m enjoying pulling up the bracken again, and we are looking forward to the new cria who are due in July.

What is different this year, is that now there is spinning and weaving as well.

I’d only ever seen those swirling clouds of starlings way off in the distance, but the last few days at Pistyll Gwyn they’ve been coming over the hill, flying right over the field and the cottage, and sweeping down into the valley.

Big clouds, small clouds. Hundreds – possibly thousands – of birds.

When it happens everything stops. The alpacas look up, we look up, Gwen looks up, (and probably Herbert too). The sound of all the wings is breathtaking.

Hopefully this will happen every year …

Now the barn is alpaca friendly, the shearing’s done and the cria are all playing happily in the (very) long grass, I can get back to some serious bracken pulling. It’s best as an early morning thing – before breakfast up in the field, looking down as the mist hangs over Talog. The alpacas are about, of course, and curious as to what I’m up to. Sometimes Tyler will have a munch, which is not a good thing.

Fortunately he seems to be the only one of the gang who has a taste for the stuff, but still, the more I can get out the better all round. All in all it’s a great way to start the day. The field is full of life – flowers, insects, frogs, and because of the recent rain, the boggy bit up at the Fairy Dell is almost a small pond.

Anybody got a use for a ton of pulled bracken?

Well, that all went swimmingly. The gang are all sheared bar Silky, who’s being sheared next year, and the cria. They’re now all wandering around the paddock looking rather shell-shocked, and surprisingly small. Prepare yourself…

And – of course – the obligatory picture of Little Dylan (with his sheared mum looking very proud)