Think fruit and without a doubt, oranges alongside apples, will be first to pop to mind. Oranges are certainly the most commonly available and most sought after fruit on the market. We take them for granted, buy them in large bags, press them into a fresh glass of juice for breakfast, peel them and eat the flesh, savouring the refreshing and tangy splash of the juice filled pockets as they explode under the teeth. We make marmelade, candied orange slices. We dry them in the sun to weave them in crafts and chritsmas garlands and wreaths. Oranges are fully integrated in our life style.
It is a very different picture to that painted by my grand-father when he was a little boy. This was a long time ago, and we would need to time travel right through to the end of the XIXth century, at a time when society wasn't so deep in consumerism and children weren't expecting an avalanche of toys on Christmas day. His only present would be an orange, a rare and exotic gift, along with a bag of sweets. He would bounce the orange against the wall in an attempt to ripen and soften it. Whether this rough child play worked magic is debetable, but after all his was the only gift to be enjoyed in as many ways the vivid imagination of a child could create.

WHAT DRAWS OUR HEART SO IRRESISTIBLY TO THE ORANGE?
it merely takes one look at the orange to fall under its spell. The colour orange emerges from mixing red and yellow, the energies of excitement, motivation and happiness. By itself, orange promotes enthusiasm and creativity, a general sense of well being whilst balancing our emotions.

As some of you may already be aware from the little snipets in our newsletters, I have a strong interest and passion for animals big and small and can't help but share with our readers their wonderful nature and the work I do with them.

NOVEMBER 2025

A GLIMPSE INTO ALPACA FLEECES

The rainy, temperate climate of England or even Scotland hardly offers a suitable habitat for alpacas. They originate from Peru, more precisely the Andes known for their dry, extremely cold and unforgiving climate. Alpacas along with other members of the camelid family, llamas, vicunas and guanacos, are built to sustain such harsh living conditions. They are very compact and hardy animals gifted with a thick and dense coat that not only keeps them dry but insulates them from the intensely freezing cold of the winter months. Their fibre has been praised for its softness and fineness and for being hypoallergenic as it is lanolin free..

The quality of an alpaca fleece is measured in micron and how much crimp it holds. The smallest the micron, the softer the resulting yarn will be and the least amount of itchiness it will cause when wearing the knitted garment. Only a small part of the animal fleece is used for spinning purposes, Called the blanket, it is harvested once a year from the back and sides of the animal as shown on the picture of Topaz above. The rest of the fleece, comprising the neck, underbelly and legs may be used for carpet making, stuffing or insulation or just be discarded.

One of the parameters of breeding alpacas is to follow a genetic line of animals who will grow hair of the finest quality. Not all animals are born with such specifics and their fleece may not necessarily meet the criteria required by the spinning industry.

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ALPACA TRAINING AT LIBERTY