A great morning out

I am fortunate enough to live a short drive away from a fellow blogger, Dawn, and yesterday I went to her lovely smallholding to have a natter and learn a new craft.  Of course, one of the attractions was to look around the smallholding, and meet the latest addition to her band of Alpacas.  The above photo shows, I think, Liberty, who is a sort of Alpaca teenager (I think!)

Here is the new cria Kara with her mum Daffodil, and I managed to time this beautifully so as to get another Alpaca having a wee in the background!

Alpacas do a great line in disgruntled looks and the bland back-of-the-head look is a good one too!  Gormless photographer . . .

A pensive-looking Dawn with - I think - Liberty, again.  I learned so much about keeping Alpacas, and know that the cardinal sin is to stretch out your hand towards them as their long necks are their weak point, and so they always back off in case you mean to harm them.

This is one of the boys - I'm not sure if it was Knick-Knack or Odd-Job . . .

but I do know that this is definitely Lambert. . .

Here are the Christmas turkeys, looking very healthy and safe inside their vermin-proof caging.

This little corner of Dawn's land houses the bees, and is also being planted up as a small orchard. This really is part of the path to self-sufficiency.  A little bit of everything and a great setting for it too.

What a lovely setting.

The main polytunnel with tomatoes, melons, grapes, aubergines, sweet potatoes and other plantings.

All the outdoors vegetables were doing well too, and I came home with a huge armful of celery.

Then we went inside to Dawn's fabulous craft cabins, but I shall post about that tomorrow . . .  Now I'm off to make Blueberry Syrup, which was a recipe which Dawn put on her blog this week.  It sounds delicious (and healthy).