A bad hair day!

'customers' before and after, relaxing after a short-back-and-sides - the 'salon' has a fake palm tree!

Spent the day at Classical Mile End alpacas today learning to shear. Knees are raw, joints creaking, and despite having had several washes followed by a shower, still smelling of spit!!! ...but feeling very accomplished, having shorn two alpacas, ground some teeth, and removed a fighting tooth. It  was a  day spent in the company of six other breeders who got on so well, split into two groups of three.

A good classroom introduction with notes, by Chas, followed by one of Rachels legendary lunches, we then had a demonstration, and off we went, with guidance from Chas and his stockman Ondre, taking turns as shearer or 'headman'.

Despite having Superglue on stand-by, no-one made any accidental cuts causing bleeds! I did cut the teeth of one female a bit low, and caused a little bleed  of her gum, I must confess - it was a very good day, and new friends made.

North Somerset Show on monday, so trying to finish off halter training Camelot, and to get him and Bramley into some kind of show condition - fortunately that does mean paddock condition - we don't pretend  to have the best animals. but they do have good qualities, and we leave it to the judge to see what their best attributes are, and hopefully that will see some recognition.

In three months, he won't know he had a bad haircut!