In our occasional A to Z of Twilight life series we’ve reached the letter G, so this week it’s time to introduce the Twilight garden friends. Whilst we often write about the lucky Puds who live in the house, did you know that there are other lovely rescue animals living at Twilight. Let’s introduce Jacob and Bobby, the alpacas, Ben and Jerry, the goats, and not forgetting dear old Puss.
Jacon and Bobby the alpacas
Leeanne has always had an affinity with these wonderful South American creatures and around four years ago dreams were fulfilled with the arrival of three boys whose owner was no longer able to care for them due to medical problems. It was love at first sight for Leeanne and Toodles, Bobby and Josh. The three boys soon settled into Twilight life, but after a while it was clear that little Toodles was feeling a bit left out. His two bigger chums had paired up and he really needed a new best friend. Enter Jacob, the new ‘black sheep’ of the family. Sadly, both Toodles and Josh have departed over the rainbow bridge, leaving Jacob and Bobby to share their field with Ben and Jerry the goats.
We have had some fun in the past shearing the alpacas, including some DIY attempts, but they are now sport professional haircuts, and have learnt to behave quite well during the process. There’s nothing the guys like more than a good roll in the bonfire ashes. Although this is good for them as it keeps the mites away, it plays havoc with their fleeces which will need a lot of washing before they can be made into a jumper!
Puss, the resident rodent patrol
Puss the resident Twilight cat seems to have been around forever. She keeps the rodent population in check out in the garage, where she also has her living quarters. Although officially an outdoor cat, Puss is quite keen on her comforts and will often sneak upstairs to snuggle under the quilt. Nothing seems to faze her – thirty barking dogs, squealing alpacas, hordes of visitors on open day, Puss takes it all in her stride.
All creatures great and small
From time to time we also have a few free-range hens and ducks patrolling the garden, supposedly keeping the slugs out of the vegetable patch and scratching the dirt adds to the relaxed atmosphere. Although they are not specifically rescued, there is often someone seeking to rehome hens or ducks on social media posts, perhaps because they need to return to the UK or perhaps their own flock has grown a little too large, so the doors of the Twilight henhouse are always open. Unfortunately, Mr Fox is a regular visitor, so the flock is ever changing. However, for those that do go on to old age, there’s no policy of the cooking pot when they stop laying. Like the dogs, once they have passed through the gates of Twilight all our animals have a home for life.
