Argh it's all gone wrong!

When I went back to Brighton this time, Alans mum decided to come over a few days. It was great for her to have a break, from her busy schedule plus a bit of emotional support for Alan as, seriously, everytime I go back something goes wrong! Whilst I was away this time Alan had a) A litter of cats that seemed to just turn up, or were put under our fence. b) A local olive farmer asking Alan if he had seen his Romanians, which he had lost (his olive pickers that is) c) A group of men shouting for his attention as they were stuck in mud a couple of kilometres up the track, and they needed a tow! d) And our car battery died one evening. Ken, our good samaritan, fitted us with a new battery, and it seemed to be ok the following day! Nothing desperately terrible then, it all waited, luckily until I got back home!

Ok so I was back and cooing around the place talking about my beautiful granddaughters, and of course my kids too, and it all seemed to blooming go together! Alan decided to go out and play football one evening. He has been desperate to get back to it, but something always stops him. He just needs our friend to be with him for the first night, as of course it's so difficult with the language barrier. He was on his way up the track, excited and hopeful, bless him, when the phone went. It was David cancelling at the last minute, as he was ill. Whilst Alan took the call the car lights were dimming! He sadly turned the car around and drove back home. When safely at home, he turned off the engine, and tried to immediately turn it back on.... it was n't having any of it! The alternator had gone on the car, although luckily we were able to use it during the day! One of our genny's was n't working anyway, so it just left the second to stop working, which of course it did. No genorator mean no power unless it is sunny! Nope, none of that, just plenty of rain, plus our water pump also stopped working. This actually meant that we had water for about a week, but then it stopped! No genny to pump some more, so we had to fill water bottles from our water deposit to fill the toilet cisten, and use bottled water, heated in the kettle, phew luckily we were ok for calor gas, to heat the water for washing! Took me right back to the good old days, when mum said you had to have a strip wash!

So let me spell it out, we could only use the car during daylight! We had to order an alternator on ebay, and wait for it to be delivered to Spain. No water ....... thank the Lord for the bottled type. I would also lke to thank God for the invention of candles. It seriously was a hard couple of weeks.

Pat and Pedro our very good friends invited us over for lunch and a shower one day. Wow it was heaven, beautiful king prawns, clams artichokes and rice.................. PLUS a steaming hot shower, I wanted to sleep there....... no really! In fact maybe even move there!

No photos you will be pleased to know of us sobbing round the candles, so a few festive dogs to help cheer you up now!

Handsome Arthur

Beautiful Blue

Little needy CarlosOur Geri

Our little mad Miliko

Brighton in November 2010

Another beautiful and special trip back to Brighton to celebrate first, the baptism, followed by the first birthday of my beautiful grandadughter Kaci. It was great to be picked up from the airport by Mark, ready for the white knuckle drive on the A27. There are always lots of sucking teeth sounds when anyone drives me around, thse days, I am just not used to the traffic. We have a lot of traffic going passed us at the moment here in Spain as it is olive picking time, however that probably mean less than 10 cars a day, and doing two trips. Weaving in and out of a dual carriage way is rather like being on a roller coaster for me! First stop is to see Mark and Callie's gorgeous little house they moved into recently and seeing my beautiful little Maisie. She is more beautiful than ever, with cheeks you sooo want to squeeze. I was fed and watered, wonderfully by Callie and waited for my little Frankie to collect me after her dance classes, and take me to her and Chris's little home for a few days.

Kaci's baptism was at the catholic Church in Peacehaven and luckily the lovely Fr Tom was happy for Kaci to just walk around the church during the service, it may have been dificult to keep her still. It was a shame it was raining hard all day, but I know Frankie and Chris were so pleased with the turn out. Chris has a large family, but so many friends came too. It was so lovely to catch up. We even managed to get my little Uncle Charlie there, who at the pub, after the service, was given strict instructions to only have two pints, that is quite sufficient for him, bless him! It was also good to see Mark and Frankie's dad Garry, looking so well after a rather difficult year health wise too.

All ready for her special day

Having a potter about

Oopsy wet head!

Proud mummy and daddyKaci's little cousin Maisie of course came too

Kaci with her beautiful Godmummy Louise
And beautiful Godmummy Mairead

Tuesday 16th November was Kaci's 1st birthday, where on earth has that year gone. It certainly does not seem a year ago we were timing contractions, with nerves and excitement! We began the day with a trip into Newhaven to see my wonderful friends at the Haven stroke club where I was a volunteer, for many years. Back home afterwards, as Frankie and Chris had invited family and close friends over throughout the day. Kaci had such a wonderful day, and some even more beautiful presents. I was so happy to be sharing the day with them!

Birthday Princess

So very cheeky

Little Maisie comes to visit

Freddie has a soft spot for Maisie

My two beautiful grandaughters

How adorable are they!

It was also my son Marks birthday during my trip, so it was so good to be able to spend some time with him and Callie on Marks birthday.

Walking the alpacas

We always thought it would be a great holiday experience to take an alpaca for a walk, and during the months of September and October we did some work with the boys. They had been on halters previously apart from our two youngest, Galaxy and Santa. so we concentrated first with Rafa, Galaxy and Marcus. Our first few times we walked the around their paddock then outside their paddock but still in our grounds. Rafa was a dream, and Galaxy very quickly caught on too, however Marcus was rather nervous, and many minutes were spent just standing still with him, whilst he sadly watched the other boys have fun exploring. Of course we persevered with him and he also now is very happy walking. We have a little route we take them on where they can munch on grass and weeds on the way. It is extremely relaxing and another way of getting close to ur beautiful alpacas.

We also spent time with the girls, Cassandra and Lily were perfectly happy to be haltered. Bermuda we don't think has ever had a halter on during her life, maybe just for her transportation, nothing she would particularly compare to being a pleasant experience. Over the last couple of years we have have had the pleasure of owning Bermuda, she has certainly become less nervous of us, and I certainly feel she has benefited from being in a smaller herd. Although we have not taken her out of her paddock yet, we were delighted to get a halter on her.

A bit of TLC with Bermuda

.... and she ventures out... just!

Great year with our holiday guests!

What a great year Alan and I have with regard to our holiday lets this year. Our youngest paying guest was aged four, and of course my beautiful grandaughter Maisie was here at just around 8 weeks old too. Our most mature guest was 70 and spent his birthday here with us, before jetting off to do his regular charity work in Ethiopia. We have welcomed guests from the UK, France, Spain, Holland and Germany, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of our visitors hve integrated well with our animals and most of the children have liked to come and help feed the alpacas, and cuddle the dogs! However this of course is not obligatory. What a wonderful way of making a living! We had some wonderful feed back too in our visitors book. We have had a few enquiries over the winter, as yes no definite bookings, although we do like to let people know we are rural and of course have no such luxury as central heating, lovely log fire though. We have also been invited into our holiday apartments to share meals and drinks etc with guests too, how lovely is that! We do have four weeks of next summer already booked and deposits paid for.

Looks like another good year..... hopefully!

More great new friends!

A few months ago we had a suprise email from a couple interested in buying some alpacas. They had put "alpacas in Spain" into google, and we were top of the list, good that! The very exciting thing was the only had a house 20 minutes away from us, just the other side of Montoro, and they were coming over to Spain in the next few days. We were emailing back and forth for the next day or so, and made plans for them to come to us and see our alpacas ............. I was so excited. Haha it's good to talk!

You know occasionally in life you have met up with someone and you just know you are going to click, and be grea friends? Well it was like that with Kev and Sue. Since meeting up that first time at our place, we have also had lunch at their lovely little house which will soon become their full time residence. They also came to us, with their lovely family for a bbq and swim in the summer, ooooh and we watched the semi final of the world cup at the park together on the big screen. One night we shan't forget in a hurry was in the middle of summer when we were eating outside in a lovely little restaurant in town, and totally out of the bue, we had, what felt like a mini tornado with torrential rain. Chairs and tables were flying everywhere, and all Sue and I could do was laugh hysterically! It was lovely to meet briefly this week as they did a flying visit, with brekkie and a chat in Cordoba. Good times! We are very much looking forward to seeing them in January on their next flying visit :)

In actual fact our first meeting was months ago now, but I like to ask friends if they re happy for me to mention them in my blog, I don't want to take it for granted!

Santa and the figs

Santa the alpaca adores fresh figs, and we used to allow him one each day with his dinner, and the other alpacas too. We were thinking of weaning him, but he is a big baby and loves being with his mum, so we had just put it off. However he escaped twice to get to the figs that had fallen off the tree, and we knew it had to be done, and sooner rather than later.

One evening Alan had gone into town and I was feeding the alpacas, on my own. I knew immediatetly something was terribly wrong. Santa was lying on the ground with his head on the floor drooling. He struggled to get up as I got close to him, which was a good sign, although he did not eat, and he was drooling a lot of the time. Alan had the only phone with him, but luckily we had guests, with a phone, so I phoned Alan to tell him to get the vet, who of course does n't drive! However I guess I did n't sound paniced enough so he went to our pharmacist friend who gave him some medicine for him, then called into the vet to check it was ok or him to take. Andres the vet did say he could give him a couple of injections to make him more comfortable. But Alan just brought the medicine home, and not Andres!

When Alan arrived back he soon realised Santa was not in a good way. So we buddled him into the back of the car and took him to the vet in Montoro. I phoned Andres on route and told him we were on our way as it was around 9.30 pm and his surgery closes at 9pm. Santa was ok in the car, humming loudly of course as alpacas often do that when they are unhappy. Andres came down to the car, and we got him out. He was making a terrible crying noise, he was of course feeling like a child at a party that had eaten too many cakes and sweets, AND he wanted his mum! As we got him out of the car so Andres could listen to his stomach(s) (they have three), a little dog came running barking at him, I bet the little dog did n't know what on earth Santa was, nor would any of the neighbours in the area, I'm sure! Poor little Santa! Andres did not seem overly worried, and he gave him two injections which once again made him cry like big baby. One was a painkiller and the other to help with his digestion.

Andres and Alan bundled Santa back into the car again, and we managed to get him home without too much humming and crying. We had to make a snap decision that it would also be the best time to take him away from his mum, otherwise he may have been over the fence eating figs again. So at around 11pm we did a little "musical alpacas." Galaxy and Santa had been together as babies so we thought they would be perfect together until we wanted to integrate them with the big boys! They are still together now, and look rather like Siamese twins, although different colours, always close together.

Bermuda, Santa's mum did fantastically, with very little upset from her, and Santa and Galaxy are having a lovely time growing up together. Thank goodness, all is well!

A couple of days before the fig incident, we were trying to entice Santa out. Mum Bermuda looks up at him lovingly!

Meeting of great friends

We do a regular shopping trip to another town around 45 minutes away from us each week, it's a day out really, plus a chance to stock up on things we may not be able to get in our home town. Like Montoro thre are very few English around there so I jumped at the chance to say hi to an English couple around the fruit and veg a few weeks ago. Not only was the lady English but lived 10 minutes drive from where I used to live in Brighton!!!!! How crazy is that! Pat's husband Pedro is orignally from Montoro, his family had a huge olive farm there many years ago. Pat and Pedro lived in Portslade near Brighton for 40 years then deided to retire in Jaen, the province slightly north of Cordoba and near Granada. After exchanging email addresses, we promised to keep in touch. We certainly have, we have lunched, dinnered, barbequed and swam. Funny is n't it, we have made such lovely new friends, just from a supermarket trip!

Pat and I, in the pool

Haha, Pedro trying to cuddle Blue