A year ago I took the geldings Brodgar and Stanton Drew to the National Show.  Brodgar is a good llama and impresses so I wasn’t surprised he won the Best Gelding competition.  And I was also not surprised that Stanton Drew didn’t win.  Stanton Drew is the young fellow who is never sure about me.  Sometimes he wants to be my friend and is very enthusiastic and sometimes he forgets and challenges me.  It really doesn’t matter to me at all.  I have my females and have had a very fine summer with them.  Last year I was declared ‘Reserve Champion’ and let’s face it, `Best Male` sounds an awful lot better than ‘Best Gelding’.

 

I return to Newbury again this week and have asked our people if two of my daughters – Belas Knap and Tintagel – can accompany me.  The people have agreed, but insist on taking young Moai (another gelding) along as well.

 

For a really class animal, you don’t need to look further than me and mine.  15-month-olds Belas Knap and Tintagel are cracking.  Their mothers – my wives Maes Howe and Long Meg – have brought them up well.  Not shorn in their first full year, they both look brown, but this is sun bleaching – they are really grey underneath.  Tintagel has a classic llama coat and she’s beautifully proportioned.  A charming little creature, I think she’ll do very well.

 

Belas has a rare coat – it’s not exactly a suri coat (some alpacas have these ‘suri’ ringlets), but she has silky, long tresses with a beautiful crimp to them.  One day she’ll have gorgeous little llamas of her own.

Tintagel and Belas are the apples of my eye.

 

So, our people have decided they’ve had the Gelding Cup for long enough now, with nemesis Ringsbury, Stenness, and Brodgar all retaining it over the last 8 years.  I don’t want to be rude, but with Moai representing Golden Valley Llamas in the class, I think they’re making sure they don’t win.  Moai has a spotty nose, crinkly ears, and sometimes plants his feet and has to be persuaded to ‘walk on’, so ‘rod for their backs’, I say.  But it’s good to give people a laugh, and Moai will certainly do this.

 

There will be two days of competition at Newbury, and after the serious stuff is out of the way on Saturday, Sunday will see the fashion parades and beauty pageants.  Really a bit beneath me, but if it keeps the four-legs happy….. What I particularly don’t like is the Agility Race.  It’s hard.  Last year I came 36th and don’t intend improving on this now.

 

Come and see us at Newbury.  My girls and Mo will be in the outside pen and I’ll be staying dry inside the llama marquee.  I’m really looking forward to it.

 

More Newbury news next week

 

 

Pharaoh gives an update, 23-09-13

 

Little Tintagel came up trumps as expected at the Show.  First class up and she confidently walked around as a little llama should.  Red rosette.  Magical.  Gorgeous Belas Knap was delighted to be awarded a lovely blue rosette for coming second to her sister.  They are lovely.

 

Tintagel competed in the Supreme Championship which is for the winners of all the breeding show classes, and whilst she didn’t win, she’d already acquitted herself really well.  I think she looked fantastic.

 

Everyone thought she looked Terrif and it was really no surprise when she was awarded the ‘Best Presented’ award and then she was named ‘Prettiest Llama’.  This judging’s going Very Well, I thought….

 

…But hold onto your seats.  Moai was judged ‘Handsomest Llama’.  Let me say that one more time – MOAI WAS JUDGED ‘HANDSOMEST LLAMA’.  You What?!?!?!  You Two Legs are strange.  I mean, stand Mo ‘n’ me next to each other, and ‘Who’s the Most Handsome?’  Yes, Me.  Not Moai, that’s for sure.  Blimey!!

 

One of the things we try our feet at is the Llama Agility race.  Sounds a bit grander than it is, but it’s the biggest crowd pleaser.  Not my thing you understand.  Show me a hurdle, and I’ll go around it.  What’s the point?  My little girls were willing but a bit scared and when they were asked to walk across nastycrinklysheet they wisely refused.  In fact, Moai and I walked around nastycrinklysheet too.  Ha!

 

Newbury had more llamas this year.  I saw my old muckers from Staffordshire and Somerset again but there were lots of new llamas from all over the place.  Brilliant.  Great fun.

 

 

It’s not all just llama activity at Newbury, oh no!  We hate being sheared, but are grateful when it’s over and our female two-leg is rather clever at using our lovely fibre.  She sits at a spinning wheel and turns our hair into super yarn. This looks great and when it’s stored as a skein it looks like the fibre on the right.  Our female person spun the fibre with the big red rosette on because she’s a super spinner.

 

Not just that, but she then turns our fibre into fantastic rugs.  Again, being a top weaver, our female person makes these rugs out of combined fibres from different members of the Golden Valley herd.  See this one which has the lustrous fibres of Stenness and Maes Howe in it.  (Hint, it’s the one with the red rosette on again).

 

We sensible llamas charge commission on our llama fibre rugs, and it’s carrots all round when our people sell a rug.  Newbury earned us a small sack of tasty carroty treats.

 

Towards the end of the second day, my girls got tired and I was happy to take them home.  I’m very proud of them.  Six red rosettes.  Not bad eh?

 

More news from Golden Valley Llamas soon