Barnaby goes on a Bender

Barnaby goes on a BENDER

"What a fuss over eating a little something on the side"

Just making things comfy

Barnaby admits Monday wasn't his best day. He says: "I think I'd better put it down to the cold weather - that chill wind that blew rain into our faces with such ferocity  and the icy cold grass on which we walked.  It's all right for Helen, she wears big walking boots whereas I don't have anything to protect my poor little pads from getting cold. Be assured yesterday was COLD!

When I was sent up to bed in disgrace because I had chewed up my yellow feed-bowl I did a big wobbly and decided to make the bed comfy  by rearranging the blankets - got into trouble for that too. Not sure why because I didn't tear anything, not like last week when I had a little taste of the old leather chair that Helen seems to love so much. She calls it an antique because  it is more than 50 years old.  She has sprayed it with Grannick's Bitter Apple spray stuff so I don't eat it now!"

Walkies through Pinsley wood

Walkies through Pinsley Wood:

Barnaby says - "Ever since I came to live with Helen she promised that one day (when the weather had settled) we would walk through an ancient wood, one with gnarled trees and twisted pathways that thread their way through the trees where gnomes and goblins lived (perhaps).  I have no idea what gnomes and goblins are, but Helen seems to think they are an exciting extra that one occasionally encounters when walking through an  old woods. Anyway we didn't  see any when we went to Pinsley Wood this week.
All we saw were muddy paths, pools of water and more water.  You find this wood by walking the green lane besides the Hand and Shears pub, at Church Handborough, which stands opposite the parish church. Church Handborough is about 6 miles west of Oxford and a charming little village.
Helen loves this pub because they serve a delicious fish and chips and the choice of beers is good too.

Barnaby & Auntie Liz visiting the pub.

Water, water everywhere

Helen's fish and chips

Barnaby before he got muddy.

On deciding to visit the pub this week and then walk the wood Helen and Auntie Liz didn't take the weather conditions into account. The pathway however was so saturated with rain that had fallen during the past week or two that walking was like dancing on soft slippery chocolate.  The further we all walked the more mud covered our boots and paws.  It was not the happy experience I had expected and my lovely Australian waxed jacket got covered with mud. Helen had to dry it over the radiator when we got  home.
You may notice that I am now growing so fast that this lovely jacket is no longer the comfy fit it once was.  It is nice and warm though (Sheep skin!!!) so I will go on wearing it until the weather turns.
When we lunched at the pub, the barmaid made me a really nice cup of tea to warm me up and Helen gave me a chew bone to keep me happy while she and Auntie Liz ate their fish and chips. Despite the mud, it was indeed a rather nice day - though I didn't see any goblins. What is a goblin?"

Sandy's delicious cottage pie

Sandy's delicious cottage pie

Barnaby says:

"Helen's friends are always telling me I am a lucky little puppy as Helen,my mistress, takes food seriously.  They are right.  I doubt there's another puppy in the whole country who eats as well as I do. Helen says that when I get older I will have less meals but they will be bigger - at the moment I get breakfast, lunch, tea and supper, but just in small portions.

Simply delicious - how lucky I am

If Helen looks as if she is going to oversleep and keep me waiting for breakfast at the beginning of the day, I trot upstairs with my green plastic feed bowl and gently tap her face with it.  That works every time, though it sometimes means I get a far smaller breakfast because she is mad at me.
Because Helen is a food writer, she often gets to taste-test certain foods.  Now I am getting older she is letting me help her with that task.

Sandy's ready meal for me to taste

Today Helen visited Sandy who runs Cornucopia Cooks, which  is a delightful little foodie outlet in Eynsham High Street (opposite the Co-op)  that prepares ready-meals (frozen and chilled) for humans.  She was cooking cottage pie when Helen called, which is why I was offered cottage pie for my lunch. Helen said it looked so mouthwatering she couldn't resist buying one for me as I have been really good this week and haven't chewed much of the furniture or chased the cats.

It is delicious, tasted rich and meaty - just what every dog should have for lunch. I was given just one spoonful but will have another spoonful this afternoon when it is tea time.  And providing I don't hit Helen in the face with the food bowl when she is asleep, there's every chance I will have more tomorrow.  I am certainly a very lucky dog to be given such wonderful human food" I might phone Sandy and tell her the pie was delicious - I think her phone number is: 07551876285.

Short circular walk from Laverton to Buckland

Short circular walk from Laverton to Buckland - Cotswold's - 1 1/2 miles 

Our walk

I accept that 1 1/2 miles is not a long walk, but remember that Barnaby is only 5 months old and little puppies like him are only supposed to walk five minutes for each of the months they have lived.  Given that, I do accept it was therefore rather longer than we should have gone.  He should have only walked for 25 minutes and we were on our feet for an hour.

My excuse for walking him so far is that we walked very, very slowly, there were no hills to climb, no stiles to leap over either.  It was therefore, an easy walk.  An enjoyable one too.

He particularly liked calling into St Michael's Church at Buckland, which William Morris restored in 1883. He had never visited a church before.

Barnaby also saw his first sheep today,  an important moment, given that he is a Border collie. Once he had focused on them (which took a few moments) he stared and stared and they in turn stared at him. He then noticed their droppings scattered in the grass, rolled in them and then decided to eat them (the droppings not the sheep!) his fur stank of sheep when he had finished, so did the car when we drove home, but he was a very happy little puppy.

View if St Michael's Church and  Buckland Manor

Sarsden - a lovely Cotswold walk

Sarsden and the Tite Inn Chadlington.


Sarsden is a Cotswold hamlet that dates back to Anglo Saxon times. It stands in the triangle  between Chipping Norton, Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford. It is also close to Chadlington, a lovely little village that boasts one of the most stylish and well stocked village stores and butchers in the Cotswolds.

There was only one snag - MUD.  Three quarters of the walk was fine as we were walking a small country road that circumnavigates the grounds of Sardsen Manor, a classy stately pile built in 1845. It stands in grounds that are so manicured and well-tended it reeks of money.  The bridleway that linked the small roads however was a muddy quagmire that was so difficult to walk we had to move to the edge of a field of winter wheat to make our way round the estate. As the sky was blue,the song of skylarks filled the air, and the bare trees flaunted their beauty, somehow it didn't matter. Yes our boots were heavy with mud and Barnaby was having trouble lifting his paws, but we found ourselves rejoicing at the promise of Spring which was all around us.  Clumps of snowdrops scattered throughout the trail heralding fine weather certainly brought us joy so did the red kites that soared above us.
Having walked a couple of miles we arrived at the place we had started, and after removing our filthy boots climbed into the car, secured Barnaby in his seat belt and headed for the Tite Inn, Chadlington, which was but a handful of miles away.

The fish and chips - delicious!!!

 Barnaby was welcome, indeed the locals made him very welcome, declaring that he was a really smashing little dog (he liked that).
So that he didn't feel left out, I had fixed him a packed lunch which he chomped down with enthusiasm while we ate our fish and chips.
This is now a really fantastic little pub, which has recently been taken over and given a tasteful face lift.
An army of workmen were making good the garden to the left of the pub when we arrived, apparently that will be ready for Easter.

The menu includes many traditional English dishes and the selection of real ales included both local brews and ales of national importance.
But the best thing about this pub is the service, it really is service with a smile. We all felt genuinely welcome - particularly Barnaby.

An Oxford River walk

An Oxford River Walk

Suddenly the sun came out - the thermometer read 9 degrees - it was time for a serious puppy walk so we headed for the Thames and the Perch Inn, Binsey.
Barnaby says: 

Barnaby's 1st swim

"This was my first river walk. Actually I had no idea what a river was until today.  Gosh all that water - miles and miles of it, all lying there waiting to be explored.  And yes, I did explore it, though my first attempts at swimming left much to be desired and frightened me a little. It was rather cold too. I was shivering all the way  home in the car because Helen had forgotten to bring a towel!  Thank goodness I had had a nice hot cup of tea at the Pearch Inn before I went for a swim, that kept me warm inside, so only my outside was cold. I had another nice cup of tea when we got home too."

Enjoying a nice cup of tea 

Port Meadow seemed a magic place, loads of other dogs were there too, all darting in and out of the water, some of them swimming into the middle and back, which is probably what spurred me on.

Barnaby paddles in the floods

Sharing a bed

Sharing a bed:

Barnaby says:  "There's one thing that a chap really appreciates and that is his own bed.
Helen ordered me one on Amazon, it arrived wrapped in loads of plastic and delivered by a really friendly young man.

Well, we unwrapped it (I always help with unwrapping) and placed it on the landing outside Helen's bedroom door and must admit that for the first few days it was lovely, all comfy, warm and secure. Yes, baskets can be secure and this one certainly was - then along came those pesky cats Harvey and his royal highness Prince Buster.  They sniffed it, and then curled round in it, snuggling into its soft cushions.  They now take it in turns to sleep in the bed - last night it was Harvey's turn, he took up almost all the space, leaving me to curl up next to him, half in and half out.

Harvey has all the bed.

I admit it is nice to cuddle up to a little ginger cat, because he is a very sweet little cat, but actually I would appreciate it if he moved over a bit so I can have more room on the soft cuddly bits."

The potatoes were delicious

The potatoes were delicious - so says Barnaby having managed to rip open the sack.

"I must admit that it took longer than I thought it would to get into that large sack of potatoes Helen had placed in the main room, but I got there eventually.  She was confident that dog's don't like raw potatoes, so it was quite safe to leave it there, whereas lots of other things like smelly old boots had been placed on sky-hooks to prevent me from getting at them.

She was wrong, raw potatoes are delicious - I loved them and now continue to help myself to one or two from the sack when I feel particularly hungry and she is not looking. I must admit though I like them best when they are cooked, mashed with lots of butter and then placed on top of a cottage pie."

Barnaby's sticky up ears

Helen says:
I have owned some very handsome Border collies over the years, but none of them have had sticky-up-ears, and how I have  longed for a dog with sticky-up-ears.

When uncle John drove me to Old Sodbury to pick up Barnaby I found myself keeping my fingers crossed.  I had asked his breeder many questions, but forgot to ask about his ears.

When she handed me this little fluff-ball with his bright blue eye his ears were folded in firm against his head. Indeed there was nothing special about them at all, however the affectionate look in his eyes, the depth of his feather-soft fur and that lovely milky smell that comes with a 8 week old puppy seduced me.  Who cares about ears?  Cuddling the quivering little bundle I made my way to the car and home.

Both ears working now

It was two days later that something twitched in the ear department and the left hand ear suddenly shot straight up into the air.  Three days later that one fell flat again, but the other one went up - and so it went on, both ears struggling to come to terms with their place on the top of his head.  Finally, just before Christmas, it happened. BOTH ears stood high and proud.  I accept that they kept changing their mind and for the entire length of January one would stand up and the other would lie flat....BUT now BOTH ears stand firm - it is a wondrous sight. What an amazing dog this little fellow is going to be.

It was time to see the snowdrops

Helen says: 
"Despite having a little puppy rushing round the cottage trying to cheer us, January proved such a cold, damp month we all needed something to dispel the gloom that this wretched month had infused into our lives.  Even Buster hates January and spends most of his time tucked away in the far corner of the airing cupboard, only moving now and again when he believed food is being served.
So - with the arrival of February we decided to visit the charming little Cotswold village of Filkins which is but a few miles from Burford and the Cotswold Wild life Park.  It's here that wild and cultivated snowdrops grow in abundance in fields, lanes and gardens.
No trip to Filkins is complete without first visiting the Five Alls, an 18th century Brakespear pub that serves the best food for miles around. The beer, including Oxford Gold is pretty good too.

Barnaby places his paws under the table

The delicious fish and chips

Snowdrops

Barnaby surveys the scene

We go for the fish and chips, beautifully served.  The fish is always so moist it melts in the mouth and the chips so crunchy and crispy you find yourself wishing for more

Our walk took us from the Five Alls, down a green lane, across a couple of meadows and towards the Cotswold's Woollen Weavers Center. Along the way we encountered the most beautiful display of wild snowdrops. They were so prolific, it actually looked as if the ground was covered with snow. Although I knew the snowdrops would be there, having seen them often over the years, the sight of them is so breathtaking it still has the power to take my breath a way.


This was Barnaby's first Cotswold walk, and his first sight of snowdrops.  The little fellow loved it, ran round and round the field, jumping in the air like a little lambkins with all four feet off the ground at the same time. A delight to watch.


Leaving our car in the Five Alls car park we began our walk by turning left on leaving the pub and walking the main road until we came to Rouse Lane on the left hand side - a red pillar box marks the spot.  Walk this lane and you will soon encounter the snowdrops.  A stile on the right hand side leads to the first meadow and a right hand turn at the end when you reach a hedge takes you to meadow number two and then the Weavers Centre.
  A lovely little winter's walk, which is but a mile long".

Paws for a pastry brush

Helen says: "When you welcome a puppy into your home, you have to accept that it won't take the little fellow long to leave his mark. Barnaby is particularly fond of wooden furniture, in fact he just loves digging those sharp little puppy teeth deep into almost anything made of wood. Even the wooden floors are not exempt and oil-soaked pastry brushes a special favorite, particularly when they are really old-worn-pieces of equipment I've owned since attending catering college many years ago.

It all began when I left the pastry brush on the garden table next to a salad while returning to the kitchen to collect my camera. I was using it to paint a mix of grenadine and oil on some salad leaves to enhance their appearance. On returning I discover the brush was battered, its bristles chewed and its handle worn and ravished. He had licked up the grenadine and oil mix too!"