The day dawned cool and damp from a week of intermittent rain – however, this did not dampen the spirits of our day out in Wellington. Our first stop was at Quenti Alpaca Farm & Mill, just along Oakdene Road on the outskirts of the town.
We were greeted excitedly by Stephen who informed us that one of their alpacas was about to give birth! We all dashed to the field where we witnessed the birth of an adorable little white Alpaca. What an absolute delight – and amazingly mother Lina had no problem with us all being there! On arrival the little baby was obviously very tired from the birth – she was massaged and warmed by one of the Quenti staff whilst Linda told us all about these remarkable animals.
They then moved Lina and her baby into the shed where a staff member ‘warmed’ the baby with a hair drier – we could all notice a remarkable difference in the baby after this. She became so much more alert – after all ‘who wants to be born in a field on a cold Spring morning’ – temperatures outside could not have been more than 16 degrees.
Great excitement when Linda, one of the owners of Quenti Alpacas announced that they would christen the new baby – CAROLINE – what an extreme honour for Time Out!!
We were shown their mill and their shop – unfortunately, because of the long time we spent in the fields with Lina and Caroline it was decided to skip coffee and muffins as it was, by now, very close to lunch.
A short stop at Wellington Dried Fruit where their till rang and rang!! Amazingly the owner told us that she thought they had taken a ‘month’s turn-over’ – the day the Time Outer’s came-to-town!
Lunch was at Perfect Place in town – known as the ‘Best Little Bistro in Wellington’. The restaurant was humming but we had the best seats in the restaurant – thank you so much Susan and your wonderful, friendly staff. We were served a chicken breast dish with roast potatoes and leeks and broccoli in a very moreish sauce! A slice of baked cheesecake and a coffee had everyone raving about the lunch at Perfect Place – a place to return to again and again!
Our trip back to the city was done via Malmesbury avoiding the busy N1 and all the big trucks in the late afternoon.
What a very special day out with everyone in Wellington made extraordinarily special by the birth of Caroline – something I’m sure we’ll all never forget!
Humankind’s greatest priority is to reintegrate with the natural world.Jonathon Porritt