Alpacas, Cows, and Christmas Wishes

Where are we? 

We are still in the Gympie region.

Minding four Alpacas

Towards the end of Nov, we had secured a housesitting to look after four female Alpacas. We parked our caravan in the driveway of the home, bid the couple farewell an hour later, and then set the van up so we could live in it for the 7 days that we were there. We did not need to use the house, since there were no other pets. It began to pour with rain which was truly a blessing. And did it pour! The Alpacas appeared even more comical with their wet hair. 😂 

They were skittish and mostly unapproachable, but by the end of the week they had begun to be used to us. If we carried treats, they would come. Alice, the leader of the pack decided if all was safe or not. If she came forward, all would. 😁 Here she is ...

On a morning I noticed that one, Mona, had an eye infection. After chatting with the owners, they decided to call in the vet. When he arrived later that afternoon, we had secured all four into the smallest enclosure so that she would be easier to catch. The vet nonchalantly asked AJ to assist him, by holding down the animal when he has her in his grip. However, in the process of getting a grip on her, she turned her body and spit, and AJ copped it good and solid! 😂 Full-on frontal spit – from his hat to his toes! 🤭 Afterwards the vet laughingly said, “I didn’t tell you they spit because I needed your help!” Good man! Lol. Fun fact: Llamas kick, Alpacas spit. 😅

During the procedure of treating the eye, the vet found he needed a different instrument and it was in his van… he said, “Hold on AJ, I’ll be back.” Well, with her neck released, she tried to stand up. You have no idea how powerful those animals are, as small as they are! AJ found himself losing his grip and had to apply more shove to keep her down, with huge encouragement from the two onlookers… the vet and I. 😅 But I think it was the fear of being spat on with green goo for a second time that helped adrenalin to kick in, so she stayed down! Oh yes, she stayed down! Regardless of his 66-year-old upper leg muscles burning for a release. 😂😁 

Another fun fact: Alpacas always poo on the same spot. And their poo can be used immediately as compost in the garden. And when one goes to the toilet... they often all do, apparently. 😊 

Shovelling the poo pile

Alice, cooling her feet and chillin.

Too soon, the week was at an end. We went off to stay on the cow paddock rest spot for nomads, just outside of town. There we are off-grid, but goodness gracious, off-grid does NOT work for us in 35 C heat! 

We sweltered through the second day and sat under the awning, praying for a breeze, but the next day, long before it was time to head off, we packed up, parked the van outside Nadya’s house, and sat in her air-conditioned space until 4 PM when we were due to check in at our next homesitting — looking after 24 cattle. 😅

Cows, cows, cows ... and 1 bull. 

December kicked off with us receiving three days of patient instruction from the farmer. Ahead of the time, we had thought, aaah, it’ll be fine! It’s a different feeling altogether when you’re in the feeding camp with 24 cattle! Standing near that huge Brahman bull, while he gives you the once over with his eyeball, makes you wonder if this was a good idea after all.

These beasts are the farmer’s delight… his hobby, his pets, as it were. And says he, “These get a little treat here”, and “These get a little treat there”. And “they love a brush!” And “this one loves a scratch behind the ear, while this one loves a stroke under the chin.”

 

Monday morning, bright and early, the couple were due to depart to Brisbane to catch their flight. Placing the list of the cows and their ‘personality’ description into our hands, he says ‘you’ll be right, we have full confidence in you both”, and off they went! Gulp! That afternoon we prompted each other through the prepping of the feeding camp for the next morning. The next morning arrived far too soon. As we made our way to the feeding camp, each of us silently mulled over the approach to the task. But all went well, and we heaved a sigh of relief. We did not linger to scratch, stroke, and brush. No siree. We hightailed it out of there to our first cup of coffee of the day. No coffee ever tasted that good after having a bull eyeball you, to check you out! Fortunately, the pellets and molasses and fresh lucerne were more interesting! 😂

On the second morning, we noticed that Cassie the cow’s limp had gotten far worse…she was hobbling! What to do? The farmer had pulled a ‘thorn’ (more like a splint to us) from between her toes on her left leg. Clearly, there was still something there and the infection was getting worse. Her foot was swollen. We contacted the owner by email and had to wait for a reply. He contacted the vet and let us know how things would work to get poor Cassie seen to.

A relative would arrive mid-morning two days hence (poor Cassie had to hobble till then) as he was a cattleman and would help us muster them into the catch stall. The vet was only available for a site visit that day, at 13:00. The day before the vet’s visit, we were instructed to open a gate to a smaller paddock after their morning feed and to close the gate where they usually depart from to the larger paddock. That caught them all for the day, in the small paddock. The next morning, 4.30 AM, true to form, they were forced to line up towards the catch stall to get into the feeding camp. Only this time, we would not arrive to let them in. There they would stand until the relative and vet arrived. This broke my heart. They were bellowing away, calling out, “Where’s our breakfast”, until I couldn’t take it anymore and emailed the farmer. He phoned us and suggested we put a few bales of hay over the fence to keep them happy. At least they had access to water. 

The old catcher

The new cow catcher

It was a blistering day! The sun was merciless. We waited. And we waited. The relative cattleman let us know he was running late. The cattle stood. We waited. The sun beat down. The flies even let up. Just too hot. The cattleman, just when he was due to arrive, let us know that he was 40 minutes away! 😩 

The cattle stood. We waited. It was 11:30, but it felt like 14:00. Finally, he arrived, and we made our way down. And there stood Cassie, near the front of the queue. All they needed to do was close one gate and she was where she needed to be to enter the cowcatcher (my name for it 😅). Cassie plus 3 other cows were closed up, while the rest were let out to feed.

We waited. The 4 cows stood patiently. Two hours later, the vet arrived. I had called twice to find out why it was taking so long. The second time I think the tone of my voice gave my dismay away. Twenty minutes later she arrived… friendly smile, pony-tailed and bouncing on her feet. But did she handle that cow?! She caught her in the catch first time, bringing that headlock down into place. She managed the block and tackle to hold her fast with ropes and examined the hoof. A couple of (gigantic) jabs later, Cassie was good to go. Was it 15 mins? All that, for 15 mins. 😅 I had stood aside observing, far from the action. AJ was there in the thick of it, lending a hand where he could. In fact, at one point he saved the day when the cattleman inadvertently gave Cassie an escape route. AJ was a star throughout. The next day Cassie was way more comfortable, and two days later she was walking normally. Quite the experience for two greenies.

Cassie being treated

On the second day of our stay, we also copped a hail storm like no other. It was our first time to experience such huge hail stones. It was a miracle that the van was not pockmarked afterward, and even our awning was out because we were unprepared for  the suddenness of the storm, as well as its intensity. Frightening, to say the least.  

One hailstone broke through a skylight in the house and AJ had to give it a temporary fix. We always pray that destructive storms would not come our way. We got the tail end ... they were few but mighty. In Gympie proper there was massive damage. Poor people.  

As the days progressed, we grew more comfortable with reading the cows. I began to face my fear and gave the odd one a brush and one morning even managed a cuddle. Yes, cows can be cuddled … on their terms. 😆 AJ patted those who were interested, and overall, things went well. We were grateful.

Cuddling a cow

The calves are a favourite

Deb insists on a brush

We had one incident where the cows were pushing and shoving at the closed gate before their feed, and Eric, a small calf, was pushed halfway through the barbed wire fence. There it lay, half his body on this side and half on the other, unable to get up and extricate itself. Being closer to the poor thing than AJ at that moment, I reacted instinctively to help it. Remembering at the last minute to do everything slowly, and feeling rather fearful, I lifted him by the side of his belly. Finding his feet, he stood up. The wire had done some damage, but thankfully not too much or too deep. Poor baby.

The sunrise is spectacular from the house. Three weeks flew by. 

While we were here, we had our caravan serviced to maintain the warranty. Oh my goodness, we did not know what we were in for. The whole van had to be emptied. Luckily we had access to a shed for storage. 

We sorted through everything, cleaned it thoroughly, and then packed it all back again. It took a week! 😣😖 And all while we had a heatwave going. 😅

It was such a good feeling though when it was done. 

The farmer and his wife arrived yesterday after island hopping, and we are hanging around on their property to watch the cows again for two days when they go to Brisbane for Christmas with their daughter. On the 26th, we head back to Tandur to look after our favourite four-legged friends, the French bulldogs.

Merry Christmas 

Christmas and all its customary celebrations are only days away. Over the last few weeks, we have been part of a team at our church, working on a Christmas Lights display project, to tell the community the true Biblical story of Christmas. What a blessing to see families come through and read about the wonder of the gift of the Christ-child born long ago. Many Bibles were accepted. Tracts were given out. And of course, the humble candy cane delighted each child (and some adults too! 😁).

 

At this point, we would like to wish every one of you, our family members and friends, a blessed Christmas season. May your barbecue be blessed, your trifle be a success, and the Christmas cake last into the New Year.  May your joy be complete as you gather with loved ones and enjoy each day to the full, wherever you might be, as we ponder the wonder that was the miracle virgin-birth of Jesus Christ.

Image by Kevin Sanderson from Pixabay

We know that the actual day of Christ’s birth is unknown and that the day assigned to the celebration was merely an attempt to Christianize pagan traditions. Nevertheless, it is a celebration we can enjoy to the full, knowing that God sent His only son to be born fully human. He grew to be a man, to teach us about the Father, and to demonstrate God’s grace and love. This is mind-boggling — to know that He willingly obeyed His Father, even unto death on the cross. But He arose victorious, having overcome the enemy, so that we can have a gate through which we might enter the Kingdom of God. This gate opens to those whose hearts are turned towards Him, and who acknowledge that Jesus is the Saviour, the Son of God. The ultimate, priceless, gift. 

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2 vs 9-14.

 

Merry, Merry Christmas to you.

Thanks for stopping by. 🙏🏻