10 Beautiful Alpaca Photos

Before I can go back to the Alpaca farm I have to wait for the snow to melt as training can be futile in this weather. This is the first time in my life that I've been annoyed with snow cancelling my work plans. And I guess that's a good sign. It's been driving me crazy none the less. Every morning I open the curtains hoping to see the green light of the grass.

I'd like to say I've been really productive while I'm cooped up inside. If you call looking at alpaca photos productive; you'd be right! Here's 10 of my favorites:

1. I'm a sucker for contrast in black and white photographs. Throw an alpaca into the mix and I'm smitten.

 

 

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wadegriffith/2918853650/

2.  Wild Alpacas. A sight I'd really love to see with my own eyes one day.

http://apusperublog.wordpress.com/page/8/

 

 

3. If you're not already obsessed with alpaca haircuts, you should be.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/266345765436676268/

4.  Pretty autumn leaves. Gorgeous light. AND a fluffy alpaca!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alpacas/

5. Ok not alpaca. But technically it's alpaca wool and it's cute.

http://violentlydomestic.com/2013/09/30/neer-do-well-knits-preorder-details/

6. I love this intimate portrait of an alpaca. The light and expression in this picture is beautiful.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65835088/limited-edition-print-alpaca

7. This looks like a great little alpaca family. I love how curious they are.

uncredited

8. Add your own caption here.

http://www.picmonkey.com/p/V035BgbfEp4

9. More alpacas in the wild. These guys could almost blend into their surroundings.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielvirella/5331315127/

 

 

10. Not an alpaca. It's a lama. But a great photo none the less. Almost like a dysfunctional family portrait.

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c1/7c/27/c17c2748ba6d7b29fa74a6c1d7c976b8.jpg

 

So now that's out of my system I'm going to finish designing a product range. Updates on Nikolai's training when the sun shines brighter.

New Furry Friends

Working hard at not working never really worked out for me until now. Physical work always appealed to me but my school grades and good sales record at a previous job typecast me to prospective employers. And it drove me nuts. I was never given a chance to prove that I could be good at something new.

Moving to the US helped me. On the presumption that I'd just be shovelling poop at the Alpaca Farm I felt liberated of my resume and school grades. I've been given a chance to prove myself. To myself.

An ember from the fire of the Do Lectures had rolled onto me and smoldered for years. Meeting the owner of the Alpaca Farm added tinder. Meeting the alpacas for the first time covered me in gasoline and set me ablaze. 

She called the girls from the pasture into the barn where we stood with chickens flowing around our feet. The herd moved towards us as if it were one animal. These creatures are connected but all so different. Each one has a defining hairstyle. Some of their fleeces graduate from a heather grey to white crystal tips. Others have a single identifying dot. Each face is warm with curious eyes that look straight into yours. Being with alpacas for the first time felt surprisingly intimate and serene. 

Instead of being asked what I'm good at I was asked what I wanted to do there while I was volunteering. Moving here already felt like winning the lottery. My bank balance had doubled in front of my eyes, I got a new shoe size and I lost two dress sizes without lifting a finger. Being a novice I didn't know what needed to be done other than the obvious poop scooping. I offered my help with any time consuming tasks and she asked me to help training the alpacas. I had no idea what this meant but it sounded great! 

Training the alpacas helps get them comfortable with human contact. It makes trimming their nails and trips to the vet less stressful. I felt like a part of me should feel nervous about this, but the privilege of petting alpacas for hours at a time quashed any nerves that began to stir. 

The next day I was shown around the farm and learnt the basics of keeping all the animals safe and happy. For the first time I remembered everything I was told. The time came to get in with the alpacas. I wasn't sure how long it would take for them to get accustomed to me. I was expecting weeks rather than minutes. One of the girls, Willow, instigated the mass sniffing of my face that followed. I felt like part of the herd.

When I went on a poop hunt in the boy's pasture I was followed around by a sweet brown alpaca with goofy teeth. He stayed close to me the whole time even though he's one of the more nervous characters. He will be my first training buddy, Nikolai. We start training together when the snow melts.

The Start of a Great Adventure

I never wanted a job. Growing up in Wales, it seemed mandatory to hate your work. A means to an end  for most, a vicious cycle for me. The only advice I ever took seriously was this; 'If you do something you love, you'll never work a day in your life'. Ever since I've worked hard at not working for someone else. Just to be and enjoy. So I can exist in a world built on my own ideals. Complete Independence and self sufficiency is my ultimate goal. 

12 days ago I moved to the US to live with my fiance. We spent over 2 years living between two countries. Always in Limbo. Now I'm finally here for good I feel like I can do anything I want. Maybe it's the leap across the ocean or leaving the warm hug of the mountains. The landscape opening up has resulted in more doing and less dreaming. This comes as a relief because in 2009 I volunteered at The Do Lectures in West Wales. I washed dishes in exchange for soul nourishing talks from people who are encouraging positive world change. It was the best thing to happen to me until nothing happened. For five years. I had jigsaw pieces of a life I'd like to live but nothing fit together into a solid achievable plan. I was waiting for the eureka moment to come. I had so many more baths than usual!

The eureka moment never came. Instead, it revealed itself slowly. It was born, with peaks and troughs like contractions. In the defining moment I felt a new kind of smile grow across my face. A knowing smile. One I couldn't shake off. I'm doing it right now. 

If you don't believe in fate or the power of the universe it happened completely by chance. 

The first sign came a year before The Do Lectures. I was a freelance photographer and enjoying the freedom of working on my own schedule. I spent a few days sofa surfing in Camarthen where my friend was studying textiles at University. The next day she had to prepare for end of year show and asked me for some help using photoshop. We spent an hour on the computer in her class before I was distracted by the half finished projects all around me and took an interest in how they were made. So I just hung around and learnt a little about felting and using knitting machines.

This experience stayed dormant in my brain until Christmas 2012. My fiance and I had been together a while and we were about to spend our first Christmas together. I wanted to make him something special. That something special turned out to be a needle felted kiwi bird which I cut in half and added a kiwi fruit detail. This was the catalyst for other far out creations I made over the course of a year. I was free styling to say the least but learnt techniques through creative play.

My First Needle Craft Project: A kiwi bird/fruit

Then we decided to get married, I think the kiwi bird swung it. And now I'm here. We're getting married in a few weeks and I have to fill in more laborious forms until I can officially work. Considering this post started with the words 'I never wanted a job' you'd think I'd be happy with this. Well I never wanted to be idle either. I wanted to keep myself occupied with work but wanted to love it. Especially since I'd be doing it for free. I've never had the opportunity to take money out of the equation an do something just for the love of it. More than anything I wanted to be paid in knowledge.

A few weeks before I arrived here my mother-in-law to be told me about an Alpaca farm down the road. It'd been there a long time but she only just took the initiative to visit when she saw an ad in the local paper. The farm has a store with handmade Alpaca crafts. She thought it would be a great place to visit. I thought it would be a great place to work and learn. I contacted the owner and she said yes. And this is where the adventure begins.