North Somerset Show

After four weeks without rain, it arrived on sunday afternoon, light and steady, but during the night I heard heavy showers, so when we went out to collect the boys for the North Somerset show, they were soaking wet, but by the time we arrived at the showground, the rain had stopped and the sky was brightening - within an hour the sun was out, we got our fans blowing on Apple Vale Harvey, the junior brown male who would be in the ring within about an hour, and assisted by a breeze he was mainly dry when his class was called.

He was awarded a satisfying 2nd place, behind the eventual Reserve Champion.

The morning held fine and sunny, and Jo Bridge quickly settled into her first show as the judge - at briefing, she had asked us to let her know if she was racing too fast through the oral reasoning, as she had a tendancy to 'gabble' - not even she knew how necessary it was to become later that day.

A bank of black cloud began gathering to the north, and around four o'clock as Jo was summing-up a large class of 'lights' (I think) the rain arrived, and as it intensified so Jo became faster and faster with summing-up each placing, and it sounded like she was auctioning the animals!

Judging was temporarily suspended, and a spectacular thunderstorm passed right overhead, unfortunately taking one gazebo with it. The alpacas all cushed down in their gazebos, unconcerned by the crashing, flashing and deluge around them.

Blue skies returned, and judging recommenced - the white male classes began, and then Apple Vale Fortune was awarded first place in the adult class.

As the supreme championship got underway, another storm was looming:

It didn't come to much, but a lot of gazebos and other paraphernalia was loaded away wet, to be dried out back home -

An ex- alpaca showground;

We had a cria birth due, and I checked the 'phone regularly all day for the message that I hoped wouldn't come - fortunately no birth happened while we were away, especially seeing what was to come the following day...another post coming very soon!