Helter Shelter....

Over the last couple of days, we have completed the erection and roofing of the heath robinson architectural folly henceforth to be known as 'The Field Shelter'.

After a beautifully warm and sunny Sunday, we decided not to bother putting the sides on the field shelter, thinking that the llamas could benefit from the shade of the roof, and enjoy the cooling breeze from the side.

Mistake.

Sunday night, we had the Mother of All Storms, with torrential rain, sideways hail, and cold westerly winds. After 30 minutes of imagining a sodden baby llama dying from windchill on her 5th day, we drove up to the field in the dark, with a Very Big Torch, to check the llamas were all safe and sound, and somehow kushed down out of the worst of the weather.

Of course they were. We returned (colder and wetter than the llamas) to a fitful night of further worry, and determined to fix the back and sides on the field shelter the next day.

In the morning, the llamas were all looking rather bedraggled (and a bit muddy) but fine, and although the baby wasn't looking white and fluffy, she was clearly as healthy and bouncy as ever.

The day progressed with occasional sunny spells overwhelmed by frequent cumulonimbus downpours, as we struggled manfully to fit the feather-edge boards to the slightly wonky structure. Every time the clouds opened, the llamas ran for shelter against the tall vegetation at the side of the field, and observed us from their superior position, while we continued to work under the waterfall sheeting down from the roof (note to selves: next job is to install some guttering).

At 8.30pm we stood back proudly to admire the finished article, and despite chattering teeth and purple fingers (mine from the cold, Simon's from the misplaced hammer blows) stood around in the dimming light to watch our family tuck in to a fresh bale of hay within the cosy results of our day's labours. Now this is what I call 'job satisfaction'.

And each time we tried to pull ourselves away, the baby decided to do something funny and endearing or just outright crazy, making it so, so hard to turn our backs and leave. This is such a great life!