Well as one year ends and another begins, I find myself reflecting on what a strange year 2020 has been, more ins and outs and ups and downs than doing the Hokey Cokey on a rollercoaster!!

It started off so well and I had the privilege of judging one of the few dog-shows that went ahead last year, we all had plans made, shows and holidays arranged and then Covid struck.  Little did any of us know the massive impact it would have on all our lives, anyone who enjoys showing their animals whether Alpacas, dogs or other livestock will have missed meeting up with like-minded folk, admiring their animals and sharing a laugh, a cup of tea or something stronger.

The Covid Fairy visited my whole family, me and my daughters only showing mild symptoms, but my partner ended up in hospital with Covid related pneumonia, scary times, and we feel very fortunate to have all recovered, so many lives will have been changed forever.

We have all learnt how socially distance, wear masks and to chat via zoom (and yes Duncan, rain does affect the signal, I have it on good authority), so our Board Meetings have gone ahead, together with the noise of barking dogs, postman’s visits and gate-crashing children and I have discovered Amazon Prime!! What a revelation.

I think I had the most stressful and disastrous birthing season ever (more of that another day) but I was very glad when it was all over.  We finally moved into our long-awaited barn conversion which is still work in progress but feeling more like home every day, how stupid of us to decide to have a new driveway dug out just before a “Noah’s Arks” amount of rain decided to come down. Wouldn’t you just guess that I managed to fall over into one of the tracks whilst going to bottle feed my cria one night, to cap it off she refused to take her bottle off someone resembling a scary bog monster, ungrateful animal.

The year has ended with plenty of snow for us and I suddenly realised that somehow, I have become a farmer, instead of admiring the views, planning snowball fights, and building snowmen, I have become excited that the frost and cold will kill off parasite eggs and my dogs won’t get muddy!!!

Here’s hoping that 2021 will eventually show us the good times we all want, let’s hope we can get out and about and do the things we all enjoy, whatever they may be and above all let us all be healthy and happy.

Sue

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