Alpaca Shepherdess

So as the rest of the world is trying to speed up every moment I am trying to slow it all down. As many are readily inviting digital and AI and instant hot water taps and robot typed messages and automatic everything, I am inviting analogue and using my brain and waiting for the kettle to boil and letters and manual everything.

An unexpected consequence of learning to handle the alpacas in a gentle and respectful way, was that it was teaching me how I can ask for the type of handling I need as a survivor of abuse and how we, as humans, can learn to accept each other as we are.

Most kids tend to have imaginary friends. I had imaginary animals. Three of them; a bird, a horse and a dog. If I could, I would always choo

Farming, mothering, being the family provider. All of these roles and many more offer little respite. They offer little space to breathe but

Farming with my child in tow was dreamy in the summer and autumn last year but as it started turning cold and went and windy towards the end

The most sensitive of our animals have often been the most poorly handled and often carry an inaccurate label. A label that describes who th

When I first started working with alpacas in the summer, one of the first thoughts I had was that I wasn't sure if I could possibly do this