Elderflower bubbly!

It is that time of year! Everything is blossoming and fruiting frantically(and having babies…4 alpaca babies now), and there are not enough hours in the day to do all that needs doing! I did, however, get around to making some elderflower champagne, and this is how:

Ingredients:

8 heads of elderflower (preferably picked when fully open on a sunny day)
1 kg of sugar (I used unrefined demerera sugar this time – slightly better for you than white sugar)
2 unwaxed lemons (only organic lemons-or your own- are unwaxed)
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
10 litres cold water

Method:

  1. Peel lemon rind of thinly with a potato peeler
  2. shake insects off elderflower heads and put in bucket
  3. add lemon rind and the juice of the 2 lemons
  4. add sugar (gently) and apple cider vinegar
  5. pour water over and stir
  6. Stir twice a day for a week, and then bottle (plastic fizzy bottles work best – if you use wine bottles store them somewhere where explosions won’t do much damage – although they’ve not exploded for me yet!)

Can be drunk anywhere from week 2 and up to a year, and is only slightly alcoholic but very tasty! Enjoy!

Baby Alpaca!

Yesterday, the first baby alpaca of the year was born.  A beautiful, strong, long legged rose grey boy cria, who looks similar to his stud male dad, Max. His name is Carthvean Dianthus!

Usually alpacas choose to give birth on sunny days, but there’s not been many of those around, and today was really rainy, so good thing it was yesterday!
Being greeted by all the other girl alpacas
Trying to get up…

Erin & Julie get to welcome baby
Wobble wobble wobble…it took about 30 minutes for him to do what it took Ayla a year to do!!
Love…
Queen Katya the llama on guard!

Training courses for Alpacas, Llamas & Horses

Julie is the only Camelidynamics Instructor outside of the US, running lots of Camelidynamics alpaca & llama courses every summer.  She is also a P1 Equine Tteam Practioner.  Please see her website for more details www.carthveanalpacas.com

Here’s her schedule for the remainder of this year:

Discover Llamas Day  Sunday, 3rd July 2011
Watertown Llamas, Nr Umberleigh, North Devon  http://www.watertownllamas.co.uk  Contact Annie Austen  Tel No: 01769 540840

Two day Camelidynamics Basic Husbandry and Handling Workshop  Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th of July 2011  Carthvean Camelids, Carthvean Farm, Porkellis, Helston, Cornwall   www.carthveanalpacas.com  Contact Julie Taylor-Browne,  taylor.browne@clara.net   Tel 01209 831672 for more information.  Download booking form here

Two day Camelidynamics Basic Husbandry and Handling Workshop  (Llamas, but alpaca owners welcome)  Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th,  July 2011
Game Lea Farm, Eastmoor, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S42 7DB.  www.gameleactt.org.uk Contact: Alicia Hill Tel: 01246 568206  Mobile 07870 160926  Email: aliciahill@live.com

Two day Camelidynamics Refresh & Improve Workshop
Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th of August 2011
Carthvean Camelids, Carthvean Farm, Porkellis, Helston, Cornwall  www.carthveanalpacas.com  Contact Julie Taylor-Browne,  taylor.browne@clara.net  01209 831672 for more information.  Download booking form here

One Day Camelidynamics Refresher Course
Saturday, 13th August 2011
Sapphire Alpacas. Little Haven, Barford Road, South Newington, Banbury. Oxon. OX15 4LN.
www.sapphire-alpacas.co.uk
Contact:  Val Tew & Paul Stead. Tel:01295 721320  Email:prs.stead@virgin.net

One Day Camelidynamics Basic Husbandry and Handling Course
Friday 19th August
AlpakkaBromma, Bromma, Norway www.alpakkabromma.org
Contact: Bjorg and Leif Inge Reime  post@alpakkabromma.org (alpakkaBromma)

Two Day Camelidynamics Refresh and Improve  Course
Saturday and Sunday, 20th and 21st August 2011
AlpakkaBromma, Bromma, Norway  www.alpakkabromma.org
Contact: Bjorg and Leif Inge Reime  post@alpakkabromma.org (alpakkaBromma)

One Day Camelidynamics Basic Husbandry and Handling Course
Friday, 26th August 2011
Österlen Alpaca, Simrishamn,Southern Swedenhttp://www.alpacka.se
Contact: Ann Marie Gerber-Santesson,Tel: ++46 414 101 52 Mobile: +46 730 92 87 57 info@alpacka.se

Two Day Camelidynamics Refresh and Improve
Saturday, 27th and Sunday 28th August 2011
Österlen Alpaca, Simrishamn,Southern Sweden http://www.alpacka.se
Contact: Ann Marie Gerber-Santesson, Tel: ++46 414 101 52 Mobile: +46 730 92 87 57 info@alpacka.se

Two day Camelidynamics Husbandry and Handling Course
Saturday 3rd and Sunday, 4th September 2011
Classical and Mile End Alpacas, Nr Tiverton,  Devon, www.alpaca-uk.co.uk
Contact Rachel Hebditch  Tel: 01884 243579

Four Day Advanced course with Marty McGee Bennett
(Open to those who have previously attended at least one two day basic course with Julie or Marty.)
15th – 19th September 2011.
Carthvean Camelids, Carthvean Farm, Porkellis, Helston, Cornwall   www.carthveanalpacas.com

Contact Julie Taylor-Browne,  taylor.browne@clara.net  01209 831672 for more information.

Download booking form here

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