Shearing

Yesterday Lissie was shorn, but the shears really acted up, they wouldn't cut and yet I had the combs and cutters professionally sharpened. It took 2 hours and we got through 3 changes of combs and 4 cutters. Last year - when all the kit was new, a comb lasted 6 of them and one cutter did one alpaca. I felt so sorry for poor Lissie, she had a barrel cut with hand shears last summer as we hadn't got our shearing organised the weather was very very hot and she was pregnant, so she looked quite shaggy. Three weeks ago we started to shear her and the motor in the machine kept stopping so it went back to Peasridge to be checked. I had taken one cut along her belly and we had to let her go. But she was a star, apart from the struggle of getting her down and secured, once there she just lay quietly. When finally released she stayed around so she got a few extra nuts as compensation. Then she wandered off and just stood in the middle of the field on her own, eyes half closed, resting a hind leg, just soaking up the sun, she loves to sunbathe so I think it must have felt good.