Long Overdue Return To The Blogging World

Wow oh wow, I'm not quite sure how I managed to forget all about blogging since October last year and we are now in February already, crazy! I have spent the last few days having a huge catch up on everyone's blogs that I follow and do hope you're all well.

I am determined to get back into blogging as I found it a great way of recording what I had been up to as well as a good way of spending some time to relax and read everyone else's lovely blog posts.

Since my last blog post where I mentioned that Jack and I got engaged, I haven't done much in the way of wedding planning, I'm actually rather terrible at it and need a kick up the butt! Jack and I have done quite a bit of discussing about what we both like and have said that we would like to get married in June 2018, so a good 16 months away but that will soon come around and I like to be organised so I'm hoping we can get a lot sorted out soon. We're sticking to a budget and don't want some big fancy showy wedding as that's just not us; we're all about love, family and food quite honestly! So if we have all of them at the wedding then that would be perfect! I'm also terribly shy and I'm already feeling sick at the thought of everyone looking at me but I suppose I will have to get over that, or that's what everyone keeps telling me anyway! As and when we have more plans I will of course share them with you on here and any advice is greatly appreciated from your own experiences of planning for a wedding!

I have also changed jobs since my last post. I was feeling incredibly unhappy in my previous job even though I had only been there for eight months, but it just wasn't for me and it started to really make me question whether I want to do accountancy for the rest of my life - the thought actually made me feel rather depressed in all honesty! I was however approached by a local community-run village shop & cafe about whether I would like to take on their accounts. I thought that this may be a little more interesting than management accounting that I had been doing (analysing, budgeting, forecasting, blah blah - no offence to anyone who enjoys that!) and the shop also asked whether I would be interested in taking on the assistant manager role in the shop and cafe. I did a couple of trial days to see what I thought of it (it's been a long time since my days working in the retail giant Next but I think these came in handy) and I really enjoyed myself. And so I accepted both roles and have been working there since late November. I'm absolutely loving it there. The shop is wonderful and the people I work with are all so friendly and helpful. It's a busy little shop an cafe for a village but word of mouth means a lot and I think it's beginning to become better known now. It's in a very pretty location too so if you do happen to be in the West Berkshire area then do pop in, the shop is called the Hampstead Norreys Community Shop and their Facebook page is here; https://www.facebook.com/Hampstead-Norreys-Community-Shop-157054151020624/ The website is currently going through a re-design if not I'd have given you that. It's a great little place anyway and does a lot to support the local community and stock local produce. We have local artists and crafters that sell their wares in the shop too and they have already asked me if I would like to sell some of my crochet items in there, so I really must pull my finger out and get busy making things! To say I'm a lot happier job-wise is an understatement, it's just so good to have the variety of working in the shop for a couple of days each week and then my other days I work from home completing their accounts, plus it is only two villages away from where we live, happy girl I am! The accounts side has given me a lot of stress initially as there was no accounting software used so I'm in the process of setting this up and getting a better system in place, at the moment it feels like I'll never catch up but I'm really enjoying the challenge of it all. Jack is very relieved to see me much happier about work these days too!

Life at home is all good; we have continued with decorating jobs and I did so much glossing one week that I think I gave myself a throat infection from all the fumes! I have painted the hallway and landing magnolia instead of the white it was previously as white just shows up every little grubby mark, especially with animals in the house! We have been busy filling in the holes and cracks in one of the hallway cupboards which Jack is turning into a pantry for me. It sits right next to the kitchen and I have so much baking and cooking equipment that I'm rapidly running out of space in the kitchen cupboards so I'm very excited at the prospect of my very own pantry! I've shown Jack some photos of pantry ideas on Pinterest and he says I always like to pick the most complicated of designs, but I'm quite sure he loves the challenges I give him! The back garden is looking rather dull and drab which is always the case at this time of the year. I'm counting down to when Spring arrives and there's a little more colour and a little less moss out there. I've just treated myself to some vegetable and flower seeds and I plan on sewing some seeds in the warmth of the conservatory when I get a spare weekend.

Spare time at the moment isn't in plentiful supply because a new bundle of fluff joined our household at the weekend, everyone meet Nigel!

Nigel

He's a gorgeous and playful Border Collie, currently eight weeks old. We first met him and his siblings at four weeks old and really fell for him. His markings were gorgeous and his Mum had such a lovely personality. We always intended on getting a Border Collie this year and had been researching for ages to find the right breeder. The breeder he came from is wonderful, a lovely family with a passion for Border Collies. They only breed to continue their own lines and show their own as well as do some judging too. Nigel's Dad is a very handsome chap also from showing lines and he has show champions in his bloodlines too which is why I'm now considering giving showing a go when he's old enough as an extra activity. Barry adores playing with other dogs though he is initially nervous around bigger dogs, which is why it will be nice that Nigel will grow up here with us and Barry will no doubt be boss! We brought Nigel home on Saturday and Barry absolutely adores him! They play lots and Nigel is a real live wire! A fearless explorer in the garden and wants to eat EVERYTHING!

Sleeping Buddies

Puppies are certainly hard work but so rewarding too. I'm sure both Barry and Nigel will continue to feature heavily on my blog as they're such big parts of our lives! Just as my tortoises are too; they successfully hibernated for 7 weeks over December and January and are back to running around now and chomping away on strawberries and the extra goodies I have been giving them.

I think that's enough in terms of the updates for today; keep all your blogging too as I so love to read all of your posts, I will get around to some comments later on.

Speak soon!

Em x

Dog Walking Holiday; Wye Valley, Wales

We're back from a lovely weekend in Wales; this was my first time visiting Wales and I'm completely in love with the scenery, it's beautiful! I understand there's a whole lot more of Wales to explore but we've made a start at least.

We set off early Saturday morning down the M4 towards Wales and looked a little worriedly at each other as we drove through a heavy snow storm! Thankfully as soon as we got into Wales we had nothing but glorious sunshine the whole weekend we were there. It was noticeably chilly, but you could certainly feel the sun's warmth when lugging the camera bag around and striding out on our walks. I'd planned a whole itinerary for the weekend, much to Jack's amusement, but I think he's glad about me being organised.




Walk 1: 'Trellech Beacon'
First stop was just outside of Trellech, to a Forestry Commission car park. Once parked, we donned the walking boots (my new walking boots have been well and truly christened this weekend) and an excitable Barry was very pleased to be out of the car and ready to explore. Our first walk consisted of an easy 3.5 mile walk around woodland and heathland, also taking in the beautiful Cleddon Falls. It was the perfect way to ease us into the Wye Valley, with beautiful views too. Barry loved drinking and splashing in Cleddon Falls and relished jumping from rock to rock too, we swear he's part Mountain Goat!

Our route

Barry the Mountain Goat

I absolutely loved this mossy wall

Splashing around Cleddon Falls

Part of Cleddon Falls

After Walk 1, we got back into the car and drove back into England to a lovely place called Clearwell, where we stopped at The Butchers Arms for some lunch. The staff here were very friendly and it was lovely to talk about places nearby and about Jack Russells too. Barry was more than happy to sit under the table while we ate some lunch, to see if Jack or I would drop a chip! I did come prepared though and he gobbled up a chew pretty quickly. We then got back into the car (much to Barry's disgust - he's been a very good boy with all the car journeys this weekend though) and headed back onto Wales' side of the Wye Valley and onto Penallt, near Monmouth where we were staying on Saturday night.

I booked a B&B room a while back at the lovely 'Inn at Penallt'. It looked like a great location for some walks, was pet friendly and the menu for the evening looked good too (always thinking with my stomach). We parked up the car as it was too early to check in and instead headed off on the next walk I had planned - all walks I found via Google, I'll provide links at the end of the blog.

Walk 2: 'The Penallt-imate' (Jack's name for it!)

This walk was slightly longer than our first walk at 4 miles, but considerably more a 'hiking' route as opposed to walking, with various terrains and hills (my they were hills!). This walk took in woodlands carpeted with Bluebells, open grassland while walking along the River Wye, a couple of pubs along the way (we stopped at one) and a small amount of roadwork (Where we only met one car the whole time). I loved this walk, it was certainly tough in places climbing up through steep woodland, but the views were fantastic and the River Wye looked lovely in the sunshine. I'd certainly like to come back again in the summer when the trees are full of leaves. We stopped at The Boathouse pub for a quick drink part-way around this circular walk before continuing on through beautiful Bluebell woodlands. The climb was tiring on the way up but when you reach the old church at Penallt you're rewarded with stunning views.

Our route

River Wye

The noser/poser

"Come on Mum, keep up!"

Old Church at Penallt

Great views when we had a rest at the church before the final climb back to where we were staying

We finally made it back to the Inn at Penallt feeling a little weary and rather hot in the sunshine and big coats. We checked into our room which was a lovely cosy room separate from the main pub and overlooked the pretty gardens. As soon as Jack had lifted Barry's crate into the room, Barry went straight into it and fell fast asleep, I think we wore him out! We had a little rest for a short while too and a nice shower before leaving Barry with his dinner while we went for ours. I'd had a quick nose at the menu before I booked us in and it sounded great but I wasn't expecting such fantastic food (food in general was good when you're tired and hungry!). I had a lovely leek and potato soup to start, followed by pork belly. Jack of course had dessert too but I was feeling rather tired and full by that stage. The food was delicious and the pub was very popular so a great atmosphere too. You are able to eat in the bar side of the pub with your dog if you want to but as Barry was so tired we decided to leave him to happily snooze in the room.

Fantastic food in the pub for dinner, an added bonus after a day of walking

We slept well on Saturday night and woke up feeling ready for some more walking on Sunday. The breakfast included in our stay was so yummy; we picked from a menu the evening before so it was cooked fresh once you arrived at your table. It set us up for the day and not long afterwards we checked out of the room and drove towards Abergavenny for our final walk.

Tasty Full Welsh Breakfast

Walk 3: Blorenge Mountain

We drove to the 'foxhunter' car park part-way up Blorenge Mountain. Once out of the car the walking route to the top of the mountain is nearby and is mostly over rocky upland, though can be a bit boggy and slippery in places (cue filthy dog and lots of rock jumping too!). It was quite chilly as we set off, although the sun shone which did keep us a little warmer. It was a fun walk to the top; Barry is incapable of walking, he instead chooses to run and bounce everywhere, but he had us in stitches trying to leap over some of the boggiest areas. Sometimes he'd run straight through them covering himself in mud and then other times he'd leap like a Gazelle over them. It didn't take too long to reach the top and front of the mountain where we sat down overlooking Abergavenny below. The views were fantastic as the weather was so bright and clear and we had lots of sheep grazing around us too (as responsible dog owners Barry was back on his lead at this point so as not to scare the sheep and their lambs, even though he didn't show too much of an interest in them anyway). We then headed back the way we came, choosing a slightly rockier route to pretend we too were Mountain Goats! In all this was just under a 3 mile walk.

Our route

So glad we remembered our hats!

Rock climbing can be added to Barry's favourite hobbies

My Two Favourites xx

Barry & I

Wheatear

View from Blorenge Mountain of Abergavenny below

Blurry photo as my shutter speed wasn't correct but it gives you an idea of how Barry chooses to get around!

Flying Jack Russell Again!

We got back to the car, attempted to clean some of the mud off of Bazza before heading back down the mountain and into Abergavenny. We found a Waitrose and bought ourselves a sandwich for lunch to see us through the journey home and ate it in the car park while Barry chomped on a chew I gave him. We then set off home, going back through Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

We had a fantastic time and it's shown us just how stress-free it is to pop in the car, drive a couple of hours to somewhere different to enjoy a walking holiday together. We're already looking into some other holidays and I definitely want to return to Wales soon (suggestions of where to go next are appreciated). Barry still isn't massively keen on the car, but there was no sickness at all this weekend and other than a small amount of panting and crying as we arrived at our destinations he was as good as gold. He was so exhausted on Sunday that when we got all the way home after a 2 hour car journey we were amazed as we pulled onto our gravel driveway and didn't hear a peep from him in the boot. When we opened the boot he was squinting back at us with a wrinkled face, he'd obviously been fast asleep the whole way home! I gave him a good bath on Sunday afternoon as the boggy mud was hard to get off, and he then promptly curled up in my lap to dry off and snooze. We all went to bed early on Sunday night!

This is where Barry loves to dry off after a bath, wrapped in a towel on my lap!

Sorry that this post has been so photo-heavy! I have to say it was lovely getting the camera back out again though and the photography bug has returned! I've included a few links below to the walks we completed and where we stayed. It's really worth a visit!

Helpful Links:

The Inn at Penallt B&B; http://www.theinnatpenallt.co.uk/ 

The Butchers Arms, Clearwell; http://thebutchersarmsclearwell.co.uk/index.html

Walk 1: Trellech Beacon; http://www.wyedeantourism.co.uk/system-images/files/Walk3.pdf

Walk 2: Penallt Pub Walk; http://www.wyedeantourism.co.uk/system-images/files/Penallt%20Pubs%20Walk1.pdf

Walk 3: Blorenge Mountain; http://www.abergavenny.org.uk/blorenge.htm

The Boat Inn, Penallt; http://www.theboatpenallt.co.uk/

Em x

Dog Walks: Greenham Common, Newbury, West Berkshire

I'm afraid I stupidly forgot my camera and then my phone went flat half way around, but I did manage to get just one photo of Barry enjoying his walk at Greenham Common.

I used to come to Greenham Common a lot when we first moved to Newbury; I missed all of the RSPB nature reserves back in East Anglia and so I was thrilled to discover this place. Walk-wise it's very easy and flat with stone track all the way around (our walk was around 2.5 miles yesterday). The gorse looks so pretty at the moment and it's great to see so much wildlife (mainly birds, but on warmer days it's quite common to see snakes). I enjoyed a lovely walk here last night with my friend and Barry enjoyed running between all of the gorse. The dark rain clouds threatened above but luckily they held off right until the moment we got back in our cars to drive to my friend's house.


We enjoyed a nice evening catching up with our friends then and Barry was completely worn out having raced around Greenham Common at 100mph! He also didn't think much to going in and out of the car so frequently but he's definitely getting better, slowly but surely.


Not a great photo but here he is fast asleep in my arms, always has to be as near to me as possible in case I decide to leave him! He'd snuggled right in and looks like a little person here! My little limpet.

Em x

Sunbathing Dog

Anyone else have a sunbathing dog? It's the only time Barry will ever let me out of his site, instead choosing to pootle off to find a sunny spot and then the aim of the game is lay there for as long as possible, moving with the sun! His favourite toy "Sheep" is never far away!

Barry Update: Back To Happy, Boundless Energy Dog!

Hi All,


Just thought I'd give you an update on Barry and let you know he's back to normal now after his recent stay at the vets with sickness problems. He's back to going everywhere at a million miles an hour and back to hounding me to play with him and his toys (Barry's motto is; "if one toy fails to get them to play, bring them another... and another!").

We've enjoyed getting back to lots of walks off-lead again and we can only hope he won't eat things he shouldn't. He's not too bad really, I know some dogs are complete scavengers, Barry is more of a 'taste and continue' kind of dog and you'll never be able to stop them completely! Much to Barry's amusement when I shout because he's just gulped down a little pile of rabbit droppings only for him to almost smile back and open his mouth, tongue lolling and say "swallowed them!". I even went for a run with him the other day; the first run I've done in a long while and reminded me I'm rather un-fit running, but could walk and walk for miles. Barry thought it was great fun running along and every time I slowed down to get my breath back he'd come racing up to me as if to say "why have we stopped?" He's certainly a very fit dog.

He's been a fantastic guard dog this weekend too while Jack has been away. I did sneak him up to bed with me on Friday night seeing as Jack wasn't there to tell me off, but Barry is the most annoying dog to share a bed with! My Nan used to have a gorgeous big Boxer called Tess that would sleep on the bottom bunk bed with me when I stayed there as a young child and Tess used to stay stock still all night, does a small Jack Russell in a big King Size bed do this? No he does not. He insists on sleeping practically in my face, meaning I can't move the covers and if I try to then Barry dives under them quickly because he likes burying himself in the covers. Every time I did manage to nod off I'd get a little lick across my cheek as if to say "thanks for letting me stay up here mum". Needless to say, I got up at 5am to let him out for a wee (little sod laid back on the covers to tell me he wasn't moving!), then returned to bed where he'd already shot up the stairs and snuggled himself in with his head on my pillow!!! For the rest of the weekend he's been sleeping quite happily back on his bed downstairs and I've enjoyed a few peaceful nights of sleep!

Em x

Chocolate Easter Cake

Hi All,


Yesterday I spent forever hours baking a rich chocolate cake which I then decorated with an Easter theme (called an Easter basket cake). I'm really pleased with how it turned out and I think that's only because I did actually take my time for once rather than rushing the decorating part.

So it's a very moist and rich chocolate cake, with fresh whipped cream sandwiched in between, then covered with a thick chocolate frosting, with green sugar sprinkles to represent the grass. Then, mini eggs and little chicks to finish the Easter decorations.

Jack wanted a slice of it last night but I slapped his hand away and put it safely into its container and in the fridge ready for Jack's parents who are due to arrive with us this evening. They have a sweet tooth like Jack so despite it being a rather large cake, I don't think it will take long for us all to polish it off, I might even treat myself to a small slice if I can manage how sickly sweet it will all be (give me savoury any day)! I think I upset my new work colleagues when they got wind of the fact I like to bake but didn't bring anything in for them, oh well it will be their turn next!

While busy baking up a storm in the kitchen yesterday (or making a big mess as Jack says), I also tried a new recipe following on from one of the New Years Resolutions I set myself this year and cooked something new at least once per month; I did a simple but very tasty Chicken and bacon potato pie. It was creamy and lovely and I served it with some tenderstem broccoli. It was so easy to put together and pop in the oven once the cake had come out and made for hardly any washing up either - the perfect kind of meal!

Thanks for all your love for Barry, he's feeling much better and just about his normal self again, so he sends big wet kisses to you. He's back on his normal food (much to his dismay as I think he prefers boiled chicken and rice to his usual biscuits), back to normal walks and just his usually happy chappy self, so a big relief for us. The illness cause still remains a mystery; we're waiting for biopsy results but they think the likelihood is that these will only show up inflammation and obviously we'd rather they came back clear anyway. The vet seems to think he might just be the kind of dog that has a bad flare up (kind of like IBS) every so often and it will result in a stay at the vets for him each time in order to get fluids into him because he gets so dehydrated from the days of constant sickness. Hopefully he doesn't have too many cases of it because he's a fit and healthy dog apart from that and doesn't have too many disgusting habits, though he can't say no to a little taste of a rabbit poo or two on a walk...!

Sleepy yesterday evening after a long walk and monitoring my baking progress - he refuses to go and have a lie down while I'm cooking and instead stands in the kitchen doorway the whole time watching me. Jack says one day Barry will take himself off for a lie down but I highly doubt it, he doesn't ever stop!

Right, I had better get on with tidying the house and making up the guest bed before Jack's parents arrive. Jack is on hoover duty and I'm on bed making duty (because for the life of him he's useless at putting a duvet cover on!), then we're rewarding ourselves with a very rare Dominos pizza treat seeing as it's the long weekend and pay day today.

Have a lovely Easter everyone, hot cross buns in the morning!

(Apologies for talking non-stop about food...)

Em x

Looking Forward To Easter & Poorly Pup Update

I hope everyone had a nice weekend, the final one before Easter weekend which I’m sure most are looking forward to. Do you all have nice plans for Easter? Jack’s parents are coming to stay with us from Thursday evening until Saturday so I’m sure we will plan a nice day out on Friday. I’m going to have a go at cooking some sickly sweet, rich, overindulgent chocolate Easter cake, but I’ll buy hot cross buns to save me some time! I love Spring Lamb too so I’m sure there’ll be a leg of lamb on the cards for the coming weekend too (have I mentioned I love food??). We might try and go to Thame Country Fair on Sunday; it’s not too far from us and looks like it has lots going on. A couple of my friends from Cambridgeshire are also taking part in the Horseboarding Championships and I’d love to see them in action.

 

Barry went from bad to worse last week so we had no choice but to take him back to the Vets on Thursday as he was very dehydrated from the constant vomiting. He was still bright in himself though quiet, but we couldn’t ignore it as the sickness had been going on for over a week and he was beginning to look a bit tucked up. The Vets decided to keep him in overnight to get him on some fluids and do some investigative tests the next morning; they did an x-ray, ultrasound, took biopsies and he had an endoscopy so the full works! Luckily no obstructions were found or anything untoward so it still remains a mystery. They kept him in for a second night to continue with the fluids, some antibiotics and some anti-sickness medicine to ensure he managed to get some food successfully through his system. I went and saw him on Friday as I couldn’t go a whole day without seeing him but he was still very groggy from the general anaesthetic, although they let me take him outside for a tiny walk (the staff at Donnington Grove Vets are all so wonderful and friendly). We were then allowed to pick him up on Saturday afternoon after a successful first day and night of no sickness. He’s very happy to be back home with us and we are too as we felt lost without him. He’s got a shaved tummy and various other shaved patches so he looks quite funny, but for the first time in a week he picked up his toy last night to play which we were so relieved about – he usually doesn’t leave us alone and is ALWAYS playing with his toys. It’s hard to know what caused the illness; severe gastroenteritis, a virus, or a food intolerance are all possibilities, but we’ll just have to keep an eye on him. He’s still on boiled chicken and pasta for a few more days along with some probiotics that the Vets gave us to help perk him back up again. I’ll be glad to have our boy back to normal J And thank god for pet insurance too!! We’ve certainly proved why you need insurance for the past year with Barry (see broken leg blog posts)!

 

 

In other news, after my rather moany last blog post, I can report I’m much happier having completed a month end at my new job so I’m sorry for being negative in my last post. I’m not sure if I previously mentioned but I took quite a step up when starting here and I’m now in a management accountant role so it’s taken some adjusting to the accounts assistant roles I’ve done over the last 6 years, even if it was a slight drop in hours to give me more time to relax and continue my studies. I’m really enjoying using my brain a bit more, even if I only have a little brain! I think it’s just going to take a lot of adjusting and this role requires a lot of knowledge about what’s going on in the various company departments, which will only come gradually over time. I was certainly feeling much more positive at the end of last week and I think that’s made me feel more relaxed at home. Perhaps soon I can start enjoying the small drop in my working hours and make the most of my free time! I haven’t even picked up a crochet hook and yarn for weeks other than when I made my Mum a mother’s day present, so I’m hoping to get back into crochet again soon.

 

On Saturday I went to try on my bridesmaid dress with the other two bridesmaids and the bride, my best friend Jess. Our bridesmaid dresses are beautiful, the colour is a gorgeous dusty pink and they’re just so pretty! We all need some alterations, mainly as they’re far too long, but I’m glad mine fitted. It feels slightly tight across my ribs but the bridal shop assistant assures me this is just the boning detail in the dress and that you’re just not used to the feeling of the fitting… let’s hope so because I don’t know how to lose weight around my ribs! 10 weeks to go until the wedding though, so it gives me a good excuse to get back into doing my daily abs challenge to tone up. Jack has also signed up for an 88 mile bike ride at the beginning of June so he’s also just about to start a 10 week training programme he’s designed, so it’s nice to have an excuse to exercise and eat healthy together.

 

I had a busy day yesterday getting lots more seeds planted; I potted on my mangetout and peas, but I’m keeping them indoors until the risk of frost has passed. I also potted on my cherry tomato seedlings, Gaillardia and cayenne peppers. I then planted some runner beans, pak choi, mixed lettuce leaves and small sweet Frigaletto peppers. I’ll have to fight the tortoises for the pak choi as they go mad for it, along with fresh young salad leaves. I also planted quite a few flower seeds; a few sunflowers, lots of sweet pea and antirrhinum (does anyone else call them ‘bunny rabbit flowers’ like me? That’s what my Nan used to call them). I’ve also planted Borage, Cornflower and Lavatera, all of which are for my wildflower bed at the bottom of the garden. I’m very conscious about the fact we had to cut down the Buddleia in the back garden last year – it was over 10 feet tall and resting on the conservatory so we had no choice but to cut it down. We cut it back to about 4 foot tall and it’s full of shoots and leaves, so I’m hoping it will flower again this year after the harsh hair cut as the butterflies and bees were frequent visitors to our garden last year almost solely due to the Buddleia. That’s why I’m ensuring they’ve got lots of other flowers to visit in the garden. We do still have a huge Buddleia in our front garden too which the wildlife also loves. Cornflower blue is one of my favourite colours anyway and I have lots of lavender in the garden as I love the scent, so hopefully I’ve not put the wildlife off. The little Wren who frequents our garden is certainly enjoying hopping amongst the grape hyacinths which have come up in droves in our back garden and front garden. We have a big noisy family of sparrows who love singing away in our privet hedge too and they love the fat balls I leave them.

 

 

Finally, I have my conservatory back! Hurrah! I can also show you photos of Jack’ finished shed and I’m very proud of him as it looks great. I’ve got one final bit to paint (yes I’m the paint slave), but it’s lovely to get all of the tools, lawn mower, gardening bits and bobs out of the conservatory and into the shed where they belong. I now have more planting space, the torts will be moving in there shortly before they move to live in their outside run and then I would like to get a rattan seat or two so I can enjoy sitting in the nice warm conservatory with a book while admiring my garden.

 

Have a lovely week everyone and an early Happy Easter (just in case I don't get around to another blog post for a little while)!

 

Em x

Frosty Morning Dog Walk

There was a beautiful sunrise here this morning, really orange and pink. It was lovely to see everywhere white with a harsh frost and so I donned the layers to take Barry for a walk; Jack usually does his morning walks so Barry did in fact have two this morning, not that he's complaining as he loves walks and gets quite a few every day!

I love the crunch of the frost underfoot; there were frosty snowdrops and daffodils in flower as we made our way to the field where we walk Barry in the mornings and Barry enjoyed attempting to chase a Red Kite who sat perched on one of the fence posts! Sadly he flew off before I could get a photo.

We didn't bump into any of Barry's doggy pals this morning, much to Barry's disappointment but he chased after his tennis ball instead and attempted to sniff out rabbit poo - one of his favourite foods!

And a close-up of his face as he actually stood still for five seconds; though his usual alert ears were back as he could hear the distant traffic of the A34 rumbling past!

Have a good day everyone!

Em x

22nd December: Collecting The Turkey & Poorly Pup

Christmas really is just around the corner; the traffic on the roads in Newbury is crazy during the day with everyone rushing to do some last minute Christmas shopping. I'm so glad I'm all sorted already with that!

I'm full of cold as of yesterday which is just typical with Christmas fast approaching! Trying my best to shake it off before Christmas arrives. It meant I had a terrible night's sleep last night but was also a blessing in that I was up a decent time to drive to the local farm shop to pick up our pre-ordered turkey crown. The queue in the farm shop was phenomenal considering how early in the morning it was but I suppose everyone has the same idea to collect it first thing before the day has started. It's now tucked up in our fridge ready for Christmas, it weighs 4kg so it'll provide plenty of meat for the two of us on Christmas day and also provide me with lots of leftover meat for cold meat dinners, pies, pastas and soups.

I've got to take Barry to the Vets tonight; he's had an upset tummy for almost a week now and despite feeding him plain boiled chicken and rice for the last couple of days he's been sick overnight and on a couple of other occasions, so best to get him checked out. He seems happy in himself and eating/playing well but for peace of mind I'm taking him in now that it's gone on for a week. Knowing Barry, he's probably eaten something he shouldn't have and it's upset his tummy - Jack was chasing him around the garden the other morning because Barry had found a dead decomposing frog, so it could even be that! What is it with dogs and dead things?! I'll let you know how it goes. Just the two of us again tonight anyway as Jack is off to Ally Pally to watch the darts, so once we're home from the Vets I'll be snuggling up with the dog for the evening before an early night to hopefully shift this cold!

 

Have a good day!

 

Em x

18th December: Christmas Jumper Day!

The Christmas jumper trend has really taken off in the last few years and is a big market now! I for one love the idea, everyone can wear them whatever age and no-one looks silly as they're all meant to be fun. I prefer something more subtly festive, whereas Jack likes the really funny ones. Today is National Christmas Jumper day in aid of Text Santa, who raise money for various charities including Macmillan Cancer Support and Save The Children, it's for a good cause and I've made my donation.

This year we decided that Barry needed to be in our Christmas jumper club, especially on Christmas day and so Jack ordered him a very smart fair isle patterned Christmas jumper from Next (link here).

 

It fits perfectly, and he looks very smart; our parents found it hilarious when we sent them a photo of him in it! Barry seems to love wearing it too - when I hold it out he pushes his head in, stands still while I put his legs through and then runs off to snuggle in his bed in it!

 

Hope it puts a smile on your face anyway, have a good weekend!

 

Em x

1st December: Lots To Do

The crazy month has arrived where there's lots to do, cook, make, wrap and most importantly EAT! You can keep all the sweet things, pass me the pickled onions and sausage rolls any day!

I've been busy making lists, I love list making and not a day goes by that I don't make yet another list. This time it's planning what I need to get done every day in the run up to Christmas, what Christmas presents I have left to buy, who I need to make Christmas card and tags for etc. etc.

I sent a little goody box to my brother and his girlfriend yesterday with an array of Christmas-themed items including tree decorations, chocolates, a winter-scented candle and cosy socks! It's their first Christmas living together which I think is very special, it certainly was for Jack and I a few years ago (just as they continue to be!) :-)

 

I need to put my creative 'knickers' on and get making because...

 

 

My wreath rings have arrived ready for me to have a go at some wreath making...

 

 

I need to make some more crochet Christmas trees to finish making my little garland...

My bargain card craft pack arrived - it's 'Folk Christmas' themed and I just loved all the colours. I've got no excuse but to get making more Christmas cards and tags!

 

Finally, I made a start on wrapping a few presents that will need to be posted to our friends in the coming weeks. My favourite part of Christmas is wrapping presents and I love using lots of tissue paper, wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and anything else to make them look pretty! Jack gets very frustrated when opening presents from me as he says they're an extra challenge - he especially likes it when I put Christmas confetti in his card hehehe! I think I'll have to give the confetti a miss this year; I can just imagine it exploding onto the floor from Jack's Christmas card and Barry gobbling them all up; Barry says "if it falls on the floor, it's mine". He shared a clementine with me last night!

 

 

 

We also had a very excited puppy (actually, I think I was more excited than Barry) this morning when we opened his advent calendar for him.

 

 

 

How are your Christmas plans going?

 

I'm very excited as our new sofa and armchair are being delivered tomorrow! This is our first ever sofa purchase, which we had to reluctantly made as the sofa we were kindly gifted by Jack's parents is falling apart. It's a very old sofa that's been in their family since Jack was small and it's very worn out now! I think it will stay with us for a while longer until we get around to taking it to the tip. I may do some more patchwork to it to see if I can jazz it up but the legs are falling off, springs have gone so it really is beyond much repair. Hopefully I'll have photos for you tomorrow of our new living room seating. The issue then is whether we let Barry join us on said new sofa for cuddles... it's going to be a tough decision..!

 

Em x