Those alpacas were holding out for something, we didn’t know what! But on the Sunday that my parents and Ged’s parents were here for lunch (6.11.11) in the afternoon I had a little whisper of intuition an took the car down the river flat to see what I could see.
There was Tara with a live baby hanging out of her. It was the weirdest sight – all neck and spindly forelegs and two wall eyes. She was humming piteously while Tara hummed back at her so they were obviously talking their way through the business of birth. Tara was either resting before the next wave of pushing or stuck because she wasn’t doing anything. I raced back to tell the others and then back to check on our big girl. After a few minutes it seemed that the baby must be stuck as its colour was fading somewhat. Time for midwife Sophie to pull and so I did. I think the chest area was stuck because it was hard work and only once I started pulling did Tara start pushing again. It wasn’t long before we had a big baby girl on the ground. We called her Scarlett because she came out of Tara and she had a big birth splash of blood on her til it rained that night.
It was wonderful to sit on the grass on what was a very hot day and watch those first tentative moments of life. It is a miracle every time. And one this time that I shared with my Mother who wasn’t here when I birthed her little grandson miracle here at Avalon.
The Alpacas are very curious and welcoming of each newcomer to the herd and lick and look after the baby while the Mama eats and rests and recovers her strength. Each ‘packer’ comes over to say hi and see what has happened and make contact with the new bub while it recovers from the shock of birth and slowly finds its feet (living on a farm you soon learn where all these old expressions we take for granted come from!)
Scarlett is not beautiful like her namesake but I am sure she will grow into her skin. She is a big girl like her Mama and pure white. I don’t know whether she is blind or not or just wall eyed.
When we came home from Playgroup on Wednesday 9.11.11 we had another one! Blossom who is old and wise and has seen and done it all before just quietly produced the most beautiful of little girls while we were gone. Clover is a stunner and friendly and sweet and curious and charming. Warm honey colour all over and a delight in every way (we are all very in love with her!)
On Saturday 12.11.11 we were going in to Port Macquarie to stay with Mummy and Daddy at The Observatory for the night. It was a blisteringly hot day and the usual mad panic rush trying to get everything done and organised before we could leave the farm in the capable hands of the Wwoofers. I was just going to go for a very quick trot around ‘the other side’ when I saw all the alpacas nosing something on the ground on the hill above the office. Sure enough, Wendy had FINALLY (a year to the day after insemination) given birth to a sweet little boy who was very grubby from rolling in the dust bowl under the tree but it was a great feeling to leave knowing we had three little babies safely landed on the ground and suckling . . . at last!
We do love our alpacas and I can see that this herd will just grow and grow . . . particularly since Orlando is determined to making it so by clambering onto each of these recently relieved of their baby ladies and singing them sweet songs of love . . .