No more whinging the sun is out! Plus very pregnant lady chases fox with mop (she needs alpacas)!

Both I and the alpacas are MUCH happier in this bright, frosty weather. I get quite proud of them out in their paddocks with their frosty backs on very cold mornings when other animals have to be tucked up in barns. A couple of neighbours in my village have expressed concern about them being out overnight in these temperatures, giving me a great excuse to talk about the superior qualities of their fleece!

The only inconvenience is having to keep the water from turning to solid blocks of ice within 5 minutes, not something I'm always successful at but it's really noticeable how much more alpacas drink when the grass is frosty and they have to rely on hay.

On other matters, I find that it's this time of year that foxes start to get bolder, I guess it's down to pack dispersal, cold weather and, a bit later on, cubs to feed. My (very) pregnant friend had to chase away a young fox from her chickens today. Bare foot (literally) and (as I said) pregnant, my friend went in fast pursuit of said fox wielding her kitchen mop, but she had to get within 2 feet before it released the hen and went off in search of another. She then grabbed an air rifle and ran (sort of) around the garden shooting into the air, screaming and yelling to scare the fox away. Fox eventually went off, hens were retrieved from various hiding places, and waters remained unbroken. All is calm now. Apparently the incident has been captured on their CCTV and I am currently begging her husband to post it on facebook.

Of course what my friend needs is alpacas to guard her chickens from the foxes...