If i could wish every alpaca to be treated like gods…

 

…like the small group that have now gone to Thailand this weekend.

Living Image, we love him, and if there is a fitting place for him and his friends to end up in is a palace, well that is where Image,, Lexus, Becky, Beyonce, Beauty, Dookie Doll.

The alpacas were received in high style, and are now ambassadors not only for Australian Alpacas but for alpacas in general.

And they want more!!!!

Festivals all this week to celebrate their arrival.

For those who were wondering how Rob is..

Rob has had a very Bad week this week…

A week he says he does not want to re live..

He is feeling a lot better, now, that most of the effects of accidently taking my blood pressure tablet has worn off. The pain in his eyes were just so bad, he could not drive home from our current daily airport drop off. His left eye was the one affected most. The pain was excruciating, and to have his eye deadened with a local to give just that pure relief.

It was quite frightening, and scarey.

His sight is under 40% currently in his left eye, and the eye specialist said that this will come back over the next few weeks,.

His explanation- he cannot explain, as it looks like the outter skin of the eye looks as though someone threw acid over it, and it is very badly scared, and pitted.

It was unbelievable, it happened so fast.

I am afraid with a home business, we have to still keep going, although everyone was so worried about Rob, it is all hands on board, but poor Rob, it was so hard.

With his sight down, on one side, a goat came and rammed his knee cap now his leg is also so swollen. He can hardly walk.

A home business is not always what it is cracked up to be.

Elyse as usual, is there putting in her 150% whilst her parents are falling to pieces around her.

Another trip to the airport tomorrow, and Friday, and then she is off, i do not think we will see her for dust.

Her and Josh, and hopefully Lauren and Jessie are off to Glen maggie for the weekend. For Josh’s 24th birthday.

She needs a break, we all do.

No rest for the wicked with Rob and I, i will be working all weekend on paperwork, and Rob has to try and put up a gate, fix a fence, and prepare some more for Monday and Tuesday to the airport.

Just a hiccup with the alpacas going to Thailand, as we just sort out some wording they will be off hopefully in a couple of weeks.

RAELENE…NO, DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE!!!!

A hectic day at the office, just one of those days that the phone did not stop ringing, one after another the phone rang….meanwhile my sister was trying to get my attention….please, no no she said, don’t answer the phone.

SHE GOT MY ATTENTION…I THOUGHT SHE WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK

WHAT IS DEFAMATION?......WHAT IS FRAUD?

For those that do mobile matings, and try and give good service.
An old fashioned thing, but seems important to us all, especially it seems in the alpaca industry, we all try to give service to new people in the Industry.
Sometimes we make friends and you think these people can do no wrong by you.
Innocently, we in the alpaca Industry can think that we are all nice people.
Most of us, are, and want to spread the good will of alpaca farming and ownership.
But becareful, because there are some people, (although thank goodness only a few), who will take advantage of this friendship, and good service you offer.
In Australia, we give an A4 form for the people to register the offspring from any mating service completed in a live cria from your male.
We do not usually give an A4 form out until the payment has been made.
Call me stupid foolish or what, My husband says i am too trusting. The people say, oh can i have the A4 form, i will send you the money, i left my cheque book at home, and i have to register the cria for a show.
meanwhile, innocently i trust once again.
I give the A4 form, no mating fee comes, and the people meanwhile were not wanting to register the cria for a show, they have already sold the cria.
This is fraud.

I have not got this wrong,
This is fraud
There are people around, that will say anything, some so ridiculous, you wonder how people can believe such rubbish.
But i am afraid gossip, is always more attractive from the truth.
Why do some people do this, you do not affect these people's business, and you mind your own.
But if you are being seen to be doing well, or doing something others are not, then you are a target.
Usually those who join in to be part of the click.
This is defamation.

It happens in all industries.

I can sleep at night as i know, i have not done wrong by others.

Dangers of taking someone else's medication

Back to the Airport this morning, was there last night, again tomorrow morning, Wednesday night, Thursday morning, Thursday night, Friday morning.. a big week this week, and the last thing we need is for any one of us, (Raelene, Rob 7 Elyse), to get sick.
Elyse and Rob were so sick last week. we went out for dinner, to a beautiful Pub, an old favourite, whether or not it was a touch of food poisoning or just a gastro, both Elyse and Rob, were violently ill last week, or for the past 6 days.
So to draft the animals last night, to go through 600 animals, and pull out 100, for last nights trip, by the time we got through that, and the drive.
No one else at the airport, loading so it only took 45 mins, where other times, with Trucks going in and out constantly, dozens of fork lifts zooming around, it can take ages, but it was quiet and all went smooth.
Then the drive home, that is when it catches up on you.
Rob seemed ok last night, and up again at 5.30am, to start drafting another 100 animals, and then load them and start to drive into the city again.
Rob woke up with a touch of hayfever, so, he took some Zantec, that usually clears him.
But this year is so strange, we have had so much rain, it is unbelievable.
Different grasses and weeds are coming up, and Rob's hayfever persisted, just as we were leaving, Rob raced inside, unbeknown to us (raelene & Elyse), who were driving in the car, as Rob drove the truck.
We have a box of our tablets beside his chair in the loungeroom, on a side table.
Elyse placed the silver tablet packet on this table, and when Rob went inside, he thought i better take another Zantec, so that this hayfever will not take hold.
Approx 10 mins later, driving into the morning sun as we headed off into the city, Rob's left eye started to itch like as it would if there was something in it.
But as Rob has virtually been bedriden for the past almost week, he has not got anything in his eye.
We get to the Airport, and start unloading.
just a few hassles unloading.
There was alot of activity there as the forklifts buzz here and there, and the staff, were loading up the ULD's, with the parcels to go onto the planes, and others calculating weights etc.
Menzies is so organised, they are a great team to work with.
Then as the morning went on, with i think the amount of climbing Rob had to do, as he moved each animal to the crate, and bending down and then standing up, He was starting to feel very bad.
As soon as we stopped loading, i have to go and get the final health certs and take them to the airport office, so that they can be attached to the crate, and the AWB are corrected if they need any corrections.
Rob said i will meet you at McDonals, i need a coffee.
McDonald's is just about 3-4 kms away.
By the time we went and got the health cert, and then went to the office, etc, maybe half an hour had passed before we got to McDonalds.
Where is Rob.
The truck was there in the car park....in a dark corner, Rob was sitting there, hat over his eyes, is he asleep?
As we approached him, he said, i cannot see.
What.
My eye is killing me, and my vision would be under 50 %, and my left eye is affecting my other eye, and it is hard to open my eyes, and the glare, i cannot see.
I cannot drive home, i cannot see.
Elyse went and got Rob a coffee.
He was in agony, so Elyse went and got some painadol, just near there is a shopping centre, so she raced over there and went to a chemist, who gave him an eye bath.
He placed the solution in the little tub, and as he put it to his face, he said oh that is soothing my eye.
It helped a little.
Elyse decided to go with Rob in the truck, she usually drives me in, as i still getting over my illness from early this year.
As i followed them down the freeway, I could see, that the solution helped Rob a bit, and Elyse rang me said to go straight home, as Lauren had organised a doctors appointment.
I had not been feeling ell, with the constant giddiness still apparant, and my ankles swelling again, which were some of the first signs of my illness at the beginning of the year.

Finally Rob and ELyse got hoome, and i was waiting for them, as my sister Dianne helped Rob out of the truck, and escorted him to my waiting car, we drove him straight to the doctors.
A new doctor in town who was quite good.
She checked everything out, but at this stage the agony Rob was in, he could hardly lift his head.
He has two ulcers on his cornea. What trauma has caused this, she got another doctor in to check as well.
He also said what have you done, Rob said my eyes were itchy but i just rubbed them, no there has been more trauma to do this.
Rob was in too much agony and it is hard to watch a strong person, to be so much in pain, that he was almost beside himself.
We came home, and Rob, said to my sister, maybe another zertec may help.
He said to her those tablets there.
Dianne said these tablets, and he said yes they were the ones i took. Dianne said these are not Zertec, these are something else.
Dianne bought them into me, who had just also got home, to a dozen messages, and calls, and i said no they are my tablets.
rob was about to take my tablet (now we realise, that when he went inside he took my blood pressure tablet, he did not have his glasses on and picked up the silver paper), rang the doctors, he took the wrong tables which threw his blood pressure up, and has done something to his eye, we have to go to a specialist tomorrow.
But still his agony ios apparant.
We are off top the airport tomorrow, morning, so we hope he will be ok to drive, if not, elyse, lauren and Jesse, and myself will be driving vans and trailers to the airport.
It has been so constant, and very tiring.
But Rob he just said i have never ever ever felt this before, and wow, i just hope his eye is going to be ok, it is looking horrible at the moment, looks as through it is ready to burst.
The moral to this story, put your glasses on before taking tablets. and make sure you are taking the right one.
Thank goodness he asked Dianne for the tablet, and she noticed it was not the tablets he was suppose to have taken, i would hate to think what a second tablet would have done to him.

ULtrafine fleece gone up again

The day after my last Blog, the price for

Ultrafine fleece went up another 25%.

I am told, that the reason the highest prices paid in 20 years is for 

the Ultrafine fleece, si because it is a natural fibre, and the trend is

to go for the natural fibre.

This can only be good for alpaca.

Alpaca can breed quicker to the finer microns than you can with the sheep wool, because of the structure of the fibre.

Not withstanding all the other wonderful qualities about alpaca fibre.

Warmth, lightweight, stronger, soft handle, non allergenic.

Fashion designers are taking up alpaca because not only it is lightweight but unlike wool, the alpaca fabric will drape, where wool will not, so i am told.

 But who can go past an alpaca without wanting to give them a cuddle.

They really are the best animal to farm.

The Confession: A Novel

ULtra fine........it is the way to go for the future of our alpaca fleeces.

People interested in entering the industry always ask, ""what do you do with your fleeces?"

Wool hits 20-year EMI high                THis can only be good for Alpaca.....We just have to get volume.
Remember 17 microns in wool, is equivilant to 20 microns in alpaca, so what could we get for our 15 microns and under. if we had enough volume for the manufacturers to buy.


BY TERRY SIM

04 Nov, 2010 01:50 PM

WOOL prices have reached their highest levels in US dollar terms in 20 years, with growers finally positioned to start reaping the benefits of domestic Chinese spending power and a long-term global shift in demand.

The Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) closed last week in its dearest territory of the year at 949 cents – or US926c.
Independent Commodity Services analyst, Andrew Woods, said this was the highest the EMI had traded in US dollar terms since March, 1989, when it peaked at US945c.
He said limited supply had been a big driver of last week’s rally which had lifted the EMI by 18c.
Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) director, Chick Olsson, tipped wool prices had more room to move in the next 12 months.
Mr Olsson and AWI’s market intelligence and trade reporting manager, Paul Swan, said new markets and changing demand for Merino wool had helped swing wool’s fortunes.
Dr Swan said the addition of the major emerging consumer market in China to traditional markets in western Europe, North America and Japan was starting to be reflected in wool prices.
“There had also been a shift over the longer term to lighter weight fabrics for more luxury lightweight, casual, sports/outdoor and ‘baselayer’ or close-to-skin clothing,” he said.

“What this means is you can make more square metres of fabric from every kilogram of wool.
“This adds up to a shift toward more retailed dollars per kilogram of our fibre and the grower shares that benefit.”
Dr Swan said the “third wave” wool was riding was the increasing consumer interest in all things natural.
“So it is basically a real confluence of events.
“Consumers increasingly are preferring natural safer products, there are more wealthy people able to afford wool and we’ve got the right sort of products to supply them with.”
West Australian wool merchant, Peter Scanlan, who is just back from Europe, said he saw shops there full of wool and wool blends that were reasonably priced and extremely fashionable.
“Consumers are buying and creating the demand we are seeing as a result, with Italy the main driver for fine wools,” he said.
“We saw last week a two-and-a-half year high of the price premium for a 19 micron type, over a 21 micron type rapidly heading back up towards its long-term average.