Lovely Bank Holiday Weekend With Family

Morning all, I hope you've enjoyed a lovely bank holiday weekend where I think the weather was pretty good considering it was a bank holiday and they can be a total wash-out.

Beautiful sunshine on Overstrand Beach, Norfolk

We loaded up the car on Friday afternoon and set off to North Norfolk to spend the weekend with my parents, brother and his partner. Usually the car journey from home to Overstrand is around four hours, but it took us well over five hours due to the volume of bank holiday traffic on the roads. I think Jack (who was driving) was rather frustrated with the constant crawling towards the end, but we did eventually reach Cromer where we picked up fish and chips for everyone from Mary Jane's (best fish and chip shop ever!) and took it back to Mum and Dad's where we ate it alongside champagne (we're not posh people, I think Mum and Dad were just very pleased to have their 'babies' home so it called for a celebration!). My brother Simon and his partner Jenna had arrived prior to us so it was lovely to catch up with them too and hear all their good news about the house they're in the process of buying. They are first time buyers so all the stress and excitement is new to them, but so far the buying process seems to be going smoothly.


We spent Friday evening having a good catch up and then we helped my parents with various jobs on Saturday to help them get ready for the garden party they had planned for Sunday. The weather on Saturday and Sunday was amazing and we can't believe how lucky we were! We all had pink faces by the end of Saturday where we'd caught the sun and it was so nice to feel warmth instead of an icy breeze. My parent's garden is so pretty at the moment; full of bluebells, tulips, blossoms, Camellias and Rhododendrons too. Jenna and I took Barry for a walk on the beach in the afternoon and it was beautiful down there and great to see lots of people enjoying the beach and sunshine. We spent Saturday evening having competitions with the Shuffleboard. I'm not sure if any of you will have heard of it, but we're all rather addicted to it now and it's great fun to play! It's a wooden table game where you push wooden discs down it and the aim is to get them through the different holes at the end of the board. I'm not too good at it but then I'm not very good at many games (I'm a sore loser!)

Sunbathing Barry - his fur is growing back slowly but surely

Shuffleboard in the sunshine

Beautiful colours in Mum and Dad's garden

The weather on Sunday was even better than Saturday and it made the party extra special for my parents. They had invited a big group of friends to come for a bbq for the afternoon and I think they all had a great time. I helped Mum with the food and we put on quite a spread. Mum's lovely friends Annie and Jenny made amazing desserts too which went down very well along with Dad's home brewed beer. Their close friend Hugh even played a few songs on his guitar including one he used to sing to me when I was very little called "The baby went down the plug'ole", look it up, very funny (lyrics here, but there are different versions and no-one is sure of who wrote it originally)! I'm glad that Mum and Dad had such a nice time with their friends and that the weather was kind to us all too. Barry was such a good boy around all the people at the party and he was very popular.

It clouded over and got a bit chilly as 6pm approached

Jack and I got up nice and early on Monday morning to take Barry for a final walk along the beach. It was low tide so you can get around the ends of the groynes rather than having to climb over them nearer the back of the beach. A fairly deep pool is always left at the end of the groyne though and Barry completely mis-judged this and ended up disappearing right under the water much to his surprise! Luckily he loves water and is a good swimmer and shook himself off before setting off again down the beach at 100mph! We then said our goodbyes to my parents, Simon and Jenna and endured another 5+ hour journey home (this time I gave Jack a rest and I drove). We eventually made it home all very weary. Sadly Jack had to go into work for a few hours so I just snoozed on the sofa in between putting on a few washes. We have a very tired pooch after all the playing, beach exploring and attention this weekend and Barry looked mighty pleased last night when we said good night and went to bed, I think Barry was asleep before we even reached the top of the stairs!

We've got a busy week ahead of us in terms of jobs to do around the house; I emptied the loft of nearly all of its contents the other weekend in order to sort through everything, throw things, bag things up for charity shops and sell other things on EBay. I've kept it all in the guest bedroom and slowly been sorting through it but now my parents are coming to stay with us this weekend I had better get a move on and finish sorting it. We've laid more loft boards in the loft so you can now walk around more easily up there and as I'm slightly obsessed with being organised, I don't want anything to just be thrown back up there and instead want to know what is in each box. My parents are coming to stay this weekend for a few days as my Dad is kindly tiling our kitchen splash back area and also tiling the conservatory floor. So he'll have plenty to do but have Jack's help too. The weather looks good this week so I'll be able to move my plants out of the conservatory too, more space again!


Finally, just a photo of my two very happy tortoises on waking up this morning to find a whole windowsill box full of home grown lettuce for them to devour! I've tried to leave it growing as long as possible and had better get some more planted ready - I'd quite like to enjoy some too, but it is a lovely treat for Squirt and Lola!

Have a good week everyone!


Em x

26th December: Ten Mile Boxing Day Jaunt

Hello everyone!

I do hope you've all had a lovely Christmas Day and Boxing day and are feeling suitably relaxed and full of lovely Christmas food! Firstly I have to also say how saddened I am for all the people who have had to deal with the flooding and other after-effects of this terrible wet weather we've had. It hasn't affected us down here but I really feel for those who have had their Christmas ruined by flooding.

Yesterday we decided to get the map out and explore some new walking routes around here. So far we've ventured south towards Newbury on our walks to take in villages such as Beedon and Stanmore, but we wanted to see more of the Ridgeway. This time we headed along a different by-way out of our village, East Ilsley and walked to West Ilsley. The by-way brought you in through a lovely small wood and then past many paddocks with Thoroughbred youngsters. I know Mick Channon's racing yard is situated in West Ilsley so these horses could have something to do with him. They were gorgeous anyway and very inquisitive. Barry, ever the wimp, wasn't too keen to meet these tall animals but Jack forced him up to the fence for a sniff anyway and he soon gave their soft noses a lick. I loved being near horses again, I really miss being around them and I'm determined to get back into riding next year.

 

 

We popped through West Ilsley and up onto the Ridgeway where it was very windy. Thankfully the weather was dry during our walk but very muddy which made the going even tougher. Barry loved it though; muddy puddles, various wildlife to try and sniff out and we met lots of other dogs and walkers too. There was some lovely views along the Ridgeway and I really can't wait to explore more next year (in the sunshine too!). We walked down past the gallops in East Ilsley where we usually join the Ridgeway and instead carried on right down into the next village, Compton.

Once into Compton we carried onto some other footpaths and by-ways, through some lovely forests and back towards East Ilsley.

Barry loves a stick!

 

In all, we walked ten miles and our achey legs prove that today! We got home, showered and de-mudded and then all snoozed for the rest of the afternoon before enjoying cold meats and pickles. It certainly felt good to go for a long walk and I enjoyed exploring new routes.

 

 

 

Em x

Long Weekend in Norfolk

Morning all, it's a chilly one out there today but how pretty did everywhere look thanks to the frost :-) First time of de-icing the car this winter and Barry's first experience of a harsh frost that he can remember - I don't think we had many back in March when we brought him home with us. He liked the crispy grass and ran around a lot this morning to keep warm. There was a beautiful sunrise here this morning over the Berkshire downs and I loved donning winter clothing for a bracing morning walk.

We all woke up tired this morning anyway; it took us almost five hours to drive back from Norfolk yesterday, with a brief stop at Jack's parents in Cambridgeshire to say hello too. By the time we'd unpacked our bags, put some washing on and found something to eat I think we were all ready for bed. I could certainly hear Jack trying to coax Barry out of his snug warm bed this morning to go outside for a wee - the dog that is, not Jack!

We had such a lovely time in Norfolk with my family this weekend; I needed a break away from work and it had been a couple of months since I'd seen my parents or my brother (who joined us, with his girlfriend). The weather was rather wild this weekend and we experienced 50mph winds, rain, sleet and hail. We attempted a walk one lunchtime and could barely reach the Overstrand promenade, so instead ran back to the pub to warm up!

This photo made us all laugh!

We did however manage a few walks along the beach and Barry had a great time chasing seagulls and fetching his tennis ball. He also went jumping into pools of seawater left behind as the tide went out, many of which were very deep which he didn't realise!

 

There were some fantastic sunrises and sunsets while we were in Overstrand, made all the more spectacular by the storm clouds that were rolling towards us - the hail showers really did sting!

 

Overstrand Beach, Cromer Pier in the distance

 

It was of course very important that we got to enjoy some fish and chips while we were on the North Norfolk coast and it only seemed right that we visited our favourite chip shop, Mary Janes'. We opted to eat in though or my haddock & chips may have flown back into the sea!

 

Monster piece of Haddock!

We had a really lovely time catching up and as I mentioned, we had a lot of laughs - mostly at my expense... after one particular windy and wet dog walk along the beach, Jack and I headed to the village shop to buy a lottery ticket. Jack waited outside while I headed in to buy the lottery ticket - which I didn't manage to buy because the lady behind the counter asked to see some ID! I thought she was joking and I certainly didn't have any on me (we'd taken a few pound coins in our pockets), so I huffed out of the shop after telling the woman I'm 26 years old!! I sent Jack in (who's almost a year younger than me) and he had no problems. To say my family found it hilarious was an understatement and I did see the funny side later on, I was just amazed as it wasn't even for alcohol! I'm used to getting asked for some ID when buying alcohol, although the last few times I've not even been asked but it seems I look 10 years younger when it comes to buying a lottery ticket! Oh well, Mum says I'll be glad I look younger one day.

I haven't got a lot planned this week though I desperately need to do some sorting in our kitchen cupboards. Ever since we moved in I just put things in cupboards without giving it much thought but trying to get to my cake tins last week was an effort! I'm usually Miss Organised so I must do this at some point. I'd like to make another soup this week too; I'm fancying a pea and ham soup!

Have a good week all :-)

British Wildlife

I've read no end of articles lately saying how endangered our wildlife is here. It's predicted that hedgehogs will be extinct within ten years which is quite scary. We had one visiting our garden every evening which we loved as they're funny to watch, listening to them sniffing around. Not only that but we have A LOT of slugs in our garden and they relished them! We always keep Barry away when we knew the hedgehog was in the garden as I know many hedgehogs are attacked by dogs (which ultimately is instinct for a dog). Sadly it's now been a month since our prickly friend visited us and I believe he/she has probably been run over in the village. Our village is quiet in terms of traffic but I've seen a number of poor hedgehogs by the side of the road (sadly they're not very road-savvy in rural places).

 

 

 

There are lots of other British wildlife species that suffer too so hopefully a few of my photos will help refresh our memories on why British wildlife is so important. If ever I get a smallholding I'd like to dedicate an area of land just to wildlife. It doesn't take much (most of us already have feeders, wildflowers etc. in the garden to give wildlife a helping hand) and it's nice to know you're doing something for nature. I always buy my wild bird feed from RSPB too as all profits go straight back into conservation of British bird species. They also have a fantastic shop if anyone gets a chance to pop by, they have some brilliant Christmas present ideas and their prices are reasonable. A link to the shop is here.

 

Anyway, here's a few photos I've taken over the years in various places around the country. There's still lots of wildlife I'd love to see, to name a few;

• Deer - especially during rutting season, the stags' antlers are so impressive
• Red squirrel - I'm yet to see one in the wild!
• Golden Eagle - planning a trip to Scotland next year to see these magnificent birds
• Water Vole - I find these little creatures fascinating and have seen them before in the wild but sadly not to get a photo

I must get out with the camera more :-)

 

This is still one of my favourite photos - I took this at RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes, Cambridgeshire. I'm sure the Kestrel is gesturing her warning with that mouse!

 

 

This took a lot of patience and a lot of sitting very still!

 

I love this frosty photo

 

Coming in to land

 

Encouraging my photo subjects with some tasty mealworms!

 

Not fantastic photo but these Hares were quite a long way off in the field behind our house

 

Beautiful Red Admiral Butterfly

 

Scandinavian visitors; Waxwings. The first time I've ever seen these beautiful birds and they were perched in our front tree!

 

 

What is your favourite British wildlife species?

 

What wildlife visitors do you get to your garden?

 

Weekend in Manchester

I can safely say I've had enough of car journeys for a while; it seems I spent a large portion of my weekend sat in a car! I left work for home on Friday evening and got stuck in traffic for 3 hours! We were all totally stuck while the road was closed and so until it reopened there was nowhere to go; cue a bit of dusting in the car while I waited for 3 hours to do my usual 9 mile journey home (yes just nine miles and it took 3 hours, did I mention that?), thankfully everyone involved in the accident seems to be ok according to the news. We then spent 3.5 hours driving up to Manchester and the roads were kind to us which was nice, though the journey back from Manchester yesterday wasn't so nice and it took us 5 hours, mainly just due to the sheer volume of traffic on the motorways it seems.

Anyway, enough moaning about Britain's roads! We had a great time in Manchester and it was nice to visit a new place even though I feel like we only saw a very small part of the city as it's so huge. The England Vs Uruguay rugby game at the Etihad Stadium was good, great atmosphere despite the fact we're already out of the World Cup and we had fantastic seats too (should be for the price - honestly, I'm setting Jack a budget next year as he's spent a fortune on rugby tickets this year!). After the game it was a 1 1/2 mile walk into Manchester's city centre but felt nice to stretch our legs anyway and we rewarded ourselves with drinks in a bar before getting a taxi back to our hotel later on.

 

 

Try!

 

Yesterday morning we decided to check out of the hotel and drive back into Manchester for an early lunch and the boys had fun being big kids in the England Rugby fan zone (bungee cords, virtual kicking, you name it). It was also nice to see more of the city centre in the daylight as it has some impressive architecture. We then had our nightmare journey home on the busy motorways but eventually made it home by 6pm where our excited puppy was waiting for us having been baby-sat all weekend by my brother and his girlfriend. I'm not sure who had more fun, my brother or Barry! Sadly despite warnings of Barry's latest 'trick' the new doormat did not survive and a big chunk from the corner has now been chewed with bits of rubber and bristle hiding underneath the now-frayed mat (was that Barry attempting to hide the evidence or my brother?), so I have yet again purchased a new door mat and I've threatened to duct-tape Barry into it and roll him down a big hill should he dare to chew this new one! He's never been a chewer (I think Jack Russell Terriers have enough going on without adding 'chief chewer' to their job descriptions), but he's reaching his adolescent stage and is testing his boundaries (or the quality of my mat purchases?) at the moment. He's like a teenager on walks; listening to commands after the third repetition and only needing us for lifts to see his mates (walkies) and food! We can't complain though, he really has been a good puppy (most of the time!).

 

Cute when he's asleep!

 

My brother's girlfriend bought me a beautiful vegetable crate, I've been after one for ages and Jack won't let me buy any because he says he'll make some for me. Jenna also bought me an orchid, my first ever orchid. I've heard they're not easy to look after so I do hope I don't kill it! I have a very good relationship with my house plants and haven't yet managed to kill one (except one that blew off the windowsill), so I hope I can keep the orchid happy too.

 

 

 

Finally, a photo of Barry this morning as happy as ever racing around the field on our morning walk, with the sun rising in the distance. It's a beautiful day here today, chilly but sunny, which is just how I like Autumn days to be. Best dig out my gloves and hat.

 

 

 

Thursday's Thoughts

Thought 1: Today's Ramblings
It's Thursday and I'm on the countdown to the weekend; we're off to Manchester to watch England Vs Uruguay Rugby match at the Etihad Stadium. Despite England's demise in this world cup we're still there to cheer them on and have a good time. It's my first time visiting Manchester, actually my first time visiting Northwest England in fact. Whitby on the Northeast coast is the furthest North I've ever been in the UK and that more than proves to myself that I must do more exploring in Great Britain! I keep nagging Jack to take me on holiday to Scotland; I'd love to see Edinburgh and then head West out to the Isle of Mull etc. Scotland looks beautiful. I've also never been to the Lake District despite my Dad raving about his walking holidays there every year. Now we have a dog we have no excuse but to go on some lovely walking holidays and explore the beautiful British countryside :-) Have you all got nice plans for the weekend? Weather looks much brighter and drier, yippee!

Thought 2: Communication
Barry loves a conversation, which is good news because Jack will more than vouch for the fact that I can natter away at times (I blame a very quiet working environment, therefore it's not my fault I come home and rabbit on for a good hour to get it out of my system). Barry listens attentively to our every word as if he's trying his hardest to understand what we're saying. He's perfected the art of the 'head tilt' when listening to ensure he looks extra cute, sneezing and nodding occasionally if I go on a bit (I think in the hope that the conversation will end sooner and end with a tasty treat). I chat away to him when I'm busy cooking dinner or hanging up the washing and he's always sat by my feet staring intently at my face. Sometimes I'm not even talking and he's still staring intently as if trying to communicate some message to me telepathically; the other day I sat on the sofa watching the news and he sat on my lap with his face inches from my own and then he just stares...and stares... and stares. I look around him and so he biffs me in the face with his paw to get my attention. Anyone else's dogs stare you out at times? He's such a funny character and very entertaining; he had us in stitches the other night when I came down the stairs in my new waterproof trousers (for dog walks on these cold wet days). Despite buying the smallest pair I could find they still look more like dungarees on me and Barry thought I was some sort of alien as I made my way into the living room. He then proceeded to chase me around the room barking at said swishy-noised trousers. Anyway, here's a snap of him sat on Jack's lap and again Barry is trying his utmost to understand what Jack is saying!

Thought 3: Sunrise
I've never been one to stay in bed, always choosing to get up nice and early so as not to waste the day. Now we have a dog lie-ins are a thing of the past (Barry yawns loudly downstairs to ensure we don't forget he's there), but there's nothing like an extra early Sunday morning walk in the countryside, so that when you return you still have the whole day ahead of you. We have some beautiful sunrises where we live as our back garden faces Northeast-ish (has its good and bad points), but with the recent rain we've woken to either rainy skies or thick fog. This morning was the exception of the week and after a very chilly night it was beautifully clear and still. I managed to get a photo of the sunrise, what lovely colours it was :-)

Red Kites

Just a short blog to show you some photos I got of the Red Kites that are often seen soaring above our house/in the nearby fields. There are no end of Red Kites around here, they seem to be thriving in the UK once more. We often see Buzzards from the garden too. These photos were taken from our back garden, looking out onto the wheat field.

 

 

Hopefully I'll get some photos of the Buzzards soon. I'd also like to try and capture some photos of the Red Kites playing; we regularly see three or four playing together and they're quite funny to watch. They really are rather huge too.

We've got a busy weekend ahead of us; Jack's parents are travelling down from Cambridgeshire today to stay with us for the weekend. Jack and his Dad are starting the concrete shed base, while Sarah and I have some skirting board to gloss and the outdoor tortoise run to continue building. I'd also like to go for a snoop along the nearby footpaths and bridleways to see how the blackberries are coming along; I'm keen to pick lots this year for crumbles, pies, jams and just to freeze for smoothies. I took Barry for a walk the other evening and saw quite a few had ripened so I'm going to head out early before the blackbirds and others steal the best ones.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend :-)

Introductions: Squirt & Lola

I just wanted to give you a little introduction into the other two creatures in my life; Squirt and Lola, our charismatic Hermanns Tortoises!

Enjoying one of their favourite treats, strawberries

 

 

I love tortoises and find them such fascinating prehistoric-looking creatures. Anyone who thinks they're boring 'go-slow' sleepy animals are mistaken! Tortoises are totally independent from the moment they hatch from their egg and from day one they are funny little characters. They're inquisitive, not quite as scared as they make out and are notorious escape artists.

 

A quick little fact-file for you on my two:

 

Squirt

Species: Testudo Hermanni Boetgeri (Hermanns Tortoise, the most popular and common pet tortoise species in the UK)

Gender: 90% sure Squirt is a female, though we do still call her 'him' most of the time!

Age: 6 years old

Fave Pastime: climbing, eating whatever she can find in the garden

Fave Food: Pak Choi, Dandelion leaves

 

Lola

Species: Testudo Hermanni Boetgeri

Gender: Female (we think!)

Age: 4 years old

Fave Pastime: digging holes in lawns while hunting for clover

Fave Food: Clover, strawberries

 

 

When hatched, Hermanns Tortoises are the size of a 50 pence piece!

 

After much research I decided to get a tortoise and chose Hermanns Tortoises as I thought their shells were beautiful colours and they had quirky personalities. I was lucky to find a lovely breeder locally; she had two separate Hermanns breeding pairs, Totty & Too and Twiggy & Tommy. I got Squirt when she was 10 months old and her parents are Totty & Too. Squirt was a mere 7.5cm in length when I brought him home and he's grown well since I've had him. Tortoises are prone to pyramiding (where their shells grow unevenly and look very bumpy) if they don't have the right diet and other factors. I think I've done a good job with my two and they both seem to be very healthy tortoises.

 

Squirt aged 10 months

 

Squirt aged 2 years

 

Tortoises are more than happy alone, but after keeping in touch with the breeder and hearing that Twiggy had laid eggs, I was keen to get a friend for Squirt. Not only that but Lola is totally unrelated to Squirt so if it turned out I had one of each sex then I could breed them. It looks like I've got two females but I'm thinking of getting an adult male once my two reach breeding size so I can breed them. We actually watched Lola hatching from the egg which was fascinating. We brought her home at two weeks and I was petrified that Squirt would squash her as she was so tiny but they were totally inseparable and Squirt was so careful with Lola. Quite often I'd lose Lola as she'd bury herself in the soil, but I always knew where she was as Squirt was usually asleep in the same place but would only manage to half-bury herself. They follow each other everywhere now, eat together, and sleep side by side.

 

Lola was a Birthday present from Jack, here she is at two weeks old

 

Meeting her new best friend, Squirt

 

Sharing a slice of tasty apple - I'm busy watching I don't lose a finger!

 

Squirt has successfully managed to hibernate twice, but we've had to over-winter her the past two winters because it just wasn't possible to hibernate her while we lived in our rented flat. They're now back outside much more now that we have our own house and garden and we're currently in the process of building them a permanent outdoor run so they can live out year-round and hibernate as normal each winter (though they'll be transferred to boxes and hibernated in the shed where rodents can't get to them during hibernation). This year will be Lola's first hibernation and hopefully she'll be successful. Let's not talk about winter just yet though, brrr!

 

 

Squirt and Lola have been brilliant photographic subjects; I've managed to get a few good action shots of them (best before the sunshine has warmed them up because then they're off!). I can't tell if they like being the subjects of my photos or not but I don't really give them a lot of choice! They're pleased that Barry now has to do his fair share of modelling duties too so they can spend more time devouring weeds in the garden or escaping when I'm not watching them!