The Engineer

Our first cria has grown up!

2005-11-25T08:55:00.000Z

If you look back to my earlier posts on this site, you will see a picture of Alejandro, our first Cria. Look at him now, he looks like a very good quality Alpaca. Amazing to think it has only been 6 months since we started this!!!

Catania, Sicily

2005-11-22T14:12:00.000Z

Went on a stag do to Sicily over the weekend. Had a good time. Not sure that Sicilians approve of a group of Brits getting drunk and acting the fool. So we didn't. Luckily we had a number of ladies in the group who were not up for all day/night drinking, or else we probably would have got into trouble with the local mafiosi. The picture is a view of Etna from the Palermo-Catania train. It was the only picture to come out without a blurred tree, bush, telegraph pole or something ruining the picture!!!

Dental Ambulance!?!

2005-11-12T14:08:00.000Z

Passed this while walking through Tbilisi. Couldn't think of a situation when I might need one of these?

Boy climbing to bell? Tbilisi

2005-11-12T14:05:00.000Z

Whilst wandering the city streets of Tbilisi I happened upon this sculpture. I am sure there must be some historical relevance to the city, but I confess I do not speak Georgian, nor do I have any idea what the letters read!!! If anyone recognises this sculpture please let me know what it is as it is very impressive.

Tbilisi, Georgia

2005-11-12T13:57:00.000Z

I've been a bit slack keeping up to date, with all the travelling. Anyway, stayed in Georgia for a while. Fantastically interesting place, but so poor. Only thing of interest to us 'Westerners' is that Katie Melua is from there. Oh and I found two Irish bars! They get everywhere!!!

The picture is of a huge church with a crack all the way down the side. The city is on a fault line and suffered a large earthquake about 4 years ago...

Crete - Holiday

2005-10-08T16:25:00.000+01:00

Finally we managed to go on holiday! Last minute booking, late in the year, wanted to go somewhere warm. Crete is about as far South we could go but still being in Europe, and trying somewhere new. Ended up about 20 mins from Xania in a villa in a small mountain village. Perfect for us, 3 village tavernas, little shop, Souda with bigger shops 5 mins away and beaches 10 min drive away. Would definitely recommend the area to other people. Lots of great walks and views of the White Mountains from the village.
The picture shows a rock we came across whilst walking up a gorge. Again to scale it off there I am below it!!!

Saddle Tor

2005-09-19T17:21:00.000+01:00

Dad, Malc and Cath (Kath?) on top of Saddle Tor in Dartmoor, fantastic views and spectacular rocks make this a great evening walk. Was pretty cold though, I was only wearing a T-shirt (how VERY dare you, of course I was wearing other clothes!) and temperature was only 9 degC. Needless to say I caught a cold!

Now we will never know!

2005-09-11T20:57:00.000+01:00

The chick was killed by one of the hens today. The Cotswold Legbar, Sally, (the biological mother of the chick) managed to get into the chicks run and pecked it to death. Helen was very upset. The surrogate mother is now being bullied by Sally also! If Sally wasn't so scrawny I think even Helen would want to put HER in the pot!

Huge Tree!

2005-09-05T17:13:00.000+01:00

Went for a walk in a nearby village over the weekend with some friends, came across this enormous tree!!! I think it might have been a Yew tree, but then all trees if they are not Monkey Puzzle trees look like Yew trees to me!

Cock or Hen?

2005-08-27T10:44:00.000+01:00

Helen let the broody hen (Bluebell) sit on a few eggs, only had one successful hatching, and we are waiting to find out if it is going to be Christmas dinner (My choice) or a replacement layer... ;o)

Mariposa!

2005-08-26T10:39:00.000+01:00

This is the day after little Mariposa was born, here she is with her Mum Meribel. She was slightly premature but apart from slight knock-knee-edness, perfectly healthy!!!

And another GIRL!

Olivia Jumping

2005-08-21T20:51:00.000+01:00

Trying out sport mode on the digital camera, captured this picture of Olivia springing around her Mum.

Olivia - Born Monday 15th August 2005

2005-08-15T20:48:00.000+01:00

Thanks to a trip to Edinburgh, I missed the birth of this pretty girl. Olivia was born on the Monday, about an hour after I took the red-eye to Edinburgh.

Hiroshima, Japan

2005-07-15T11:46:00.000+01:00

Travelled to Hiroshima for a week, pretty cool place. Impressed by the underground shopping streets.

The A-Bomb site is quite amazing, especially when you consider that it was the only building left standing that was recognisable.

2005-07-07T12:00:00.000+01:00

The SERIES 700, 310kph of train. If only we could have a public transport system like this. Pulls up at predetermined locations and pulls away exactly on time.

It is like being on a plane, except smoother. Travel around Japan is so much easier with these beasts.

Oh, and if you think it looks quite small that's because its me you are using to scale it from.

Charlie

2005-05-19T11:56:00.000+01:00

Helen saved this noisy little bugger from the pot.

Sometimes at 4.30am I feel like putting him in a pot of our own. I think most of the neighbours, in fact most of the village, feel the same.

Stephen the Spider

2005-05-15T12:10:00.000+01:00

I found this creepy little fella wandering around the bathroom. I figured it is pretty successful at what it does, as we don't get many flies in the bathroom. Though I'd not be surprised if it ate small cats too.

Alejandro - Born 3rd May 2005

2005-05-05T21:10:00.000+01:00

This was the first baby born to our Alpaca herd. On the 3rd of May 2005, Alejandro was born. Here he is at 8 hours old. Just in case you thought he looked cute with a piece of grass hanging from his mouth. It is actually part of the embryonic sack. Nice.

The fluffy girl in the background is Fedora, his Mum.