Mrs Down's Diary August 13

That is until he saw the alpaca in question. Its coat was so long and so thick, the animal looked as it was cut off at the knees. The illusion was created by the fact that the main fleece from its body hung down virtually to the ground.

With the hot weather forecast, Oscar ( the alpaca's name) would truly benefit from going several times over it with the clippers.

Additionally, Oscar's friend, allegedly a sheep but visually an ambulating mound of wool only distinguishable as a sheep because of its eyes and bleat, could also do with a short back and sides.

Their owners, Paul and Andu, knew all this and had tried in vain to get someone to clip them out, but who would come for just two animals? My husband of course. Always up for a challenge. Plus his missus. Always up for a story.

A few minor problems presented themselves. It had been raining and Paul and Andu had not fetched the animals inside.

The alpaca had not been trained to a halter so there was no perceivable way of bringing it quietly to the clipping machine. Alpacas have very sharp hooves as well.

The clipping machine had to be hung from a tree as the animals were to be clipped in their paddock. No shed available.

Alpacas spit as well as llamas. As a ruminant, they have several stomachs and, when upset, are capable of bringing the half digested contents out with great force and ferocity in a well directed burst. Oscar however was not noted for this.

Neither were accustomed to being caught up.

Plus points were that both Oscar and his friend ( not graced with a name) trusted their doting owners and came willingly for a bowl of their favourite sheep nuts. In this way Mrs Sheep was quickly caught, sheared and turned out to be as fat a Jacob sheep in the flesh as she was in her wool.

Oscar watched all the goings on with increasing alarm. At one point he tried to defend his friend. A throwback to one of the alpacas tasks in their native South America where they are used to guard the flocks of sheep.

When the time came to catch him no amount of soft words, cajolements, bowls of nuts would persuade him to come to anywhere near us. This was one very suspicious alpaca. You could read Oscar's thoughts as he gazed at his bald friend. "No way Jos" .

Eventually, by fair means and foul, Oscar went under the clippers. With three of us holding odd bits of him. To be true he was very good. Uttered very strange high pitched squeaking at first (never heard by his owners before), but otherwise lay quite quietly while his coat fell off around him.

Crunch time was letting go of him.

"I'll be the last one to get up," Paul his owner said. Bravely volunteering for a face full of green goo.

Not a problem.

Oscar sprang to his feet, gave us one last baleful glance and disappeared off to the other side of his paddock never to be caught again.