Last week I’d seen a sign about alpacas. I love alpacas. They are so cute. So we visited the alpaca farm on Saturday. Since Mick’s been sick all this week I suggested we stay home, but he thought it might be good to get out for a bit.
We spent an enjoyable trip alongside the river on a road winding through green fields (paddocks we Aussies call them). Following the alpaca signs we turned in to a property where we were greeted by a smiling friendly woman. Behind here were pens of adorable alpacas and llamas. I regretted I’d forgotten the camera. Their soft hum buzzed through the air, mingling with the cries of baby alpacas missing their mothers.
As the woman answered questions, it was obvious she loved these shy, gentle creatures. To her, they were not a group of animals but each one had a name and distinct personality.
Thinking back, I’m still not sure how it happened but somewhere in the course of conversation, she told us after 15 years she and her partner were splitting up. The split meant the property and the alpacas had to be sold and the proceeds split.
The woman and the children who had been living on the property would end up ‘forced onto suburban block somewhere,’ although she hoped to be able to stay put long enough for the children to finish the last couple of years of school. I wished we could have bought even one of the alpacas to help out a little. But at prices starting from $1500 and going up considerably, it was never going to happen. Added to which, on our little block, we could not keep an alpaca.
As we left the property I had mixed feelings. I felt sad to think of the huge lifestyle changes this woman and her children faced –losing everything familiar. That’s the thing about break ups and divorce; they often affect the whole lifestyle of those involved. The other result of the encounter was it made me thankful for my husband. Not sure the outing helped Mick though. He’s still not well.
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