We all heard the cuckoo!

We All Heard the Cuckoo!

We are a strange mottley lot, the early morning enthusiasts who walk their dogs down the Chillbridge Road, on the western outskirts of Eynsham, the Oxfordshire village in which Barnaby and  I live.

At last Spring has arrived!

Because the weather has been so wretched for so long we have become accustomed to conducting our conversations with heads down to avoid the full force of the wind and hats firmly fixed on our heads to avoid being frozen to the marrow.

The dogs don't care of course they rush to meet each other and romp round the main field at 70 miles an hour.  Perhaps this is why we all use this plot. Space allows the dogs enough room to run and run and as a consequence exhaust themselves while we walk slowly on, hands stuffed in  pockets scarves tighly wound round our necks.

Well, that was yesterday> Today something quite remarkaable happened - the sun came out. And not out just for a moment only to  hide behind the clouds again - it came out in full - bright glowing and golden. ..and then suddenly while we were gazing at the sunbeams that were lighing up the field, the cuckoo began to sing.  First the sound came from a large clump of trees on the right, then gradually it moved a little to the left and then on little bit further towards the open fields in the Witney direction.

One by one we stopped walking, stood firm where we were and listened.  Having never heard a cuckoo before Barnaby stood by my side with his face towards the sound of the cuckoo's song. He appeared to be listening too!

 Finally the song stopped and one by one we walked on in the direction we had been travelling. Time for breakfast, time to get on with the rest of the day in the knowledge that how ever briefly, we all experienced a magical moment today.

Barnaby discovers the delights of asparagus

Barnaby Discovers the Delights of Home Grown Asparagus

The lovely Jill who works in the farm hut during the summer months and farmer Charlie Gee.

Barnaby says:  " Helen loves asparagus, she got really excited when Farmer Charlie Gee from Medley Manor Farm, Binsey Lane, Oxford, phoned her last week to say that finally the asparagus was  ready to harvest. Apparently this year has proved really difficult. There wasn't a much available earlier but it's growing quite well now.

 Many crops, particularly asparagus, are really late this year.  The asparagus season which is always sorter than most, will be even shorter this year. So, it's a matter of eating it while it's available.
Helen is convinced that the asparagus grown on this farm is the best  Oxfordshire can offer, she is also convinced that the asparagus grown in Oxfordshire rates as the best in the country.

So anyway, one way and another this is her favourite place during the summer, and I believe it is somewhere that she will be taking me often. Medley Manor Farm has a peaceful tranquil air, is full of birdsong and bursting with soft fruits and vegetables during the summer months.

This suits me well as the farm is down Binsey Lane, close to the Perch Inn and the River Thames, which means that every time we visit the farm a good day out is assured, including a bowl of tea at the Perch before we go home.

This is a picture of me Barnaby the Puppy, inspecting the  bundles of asparagus that Charlie and his helpers have picked.  I admit to tasting a spear that he had thrown out because it was misshaped - to my surprise I found it particularly tasty.  Charlie was delighted when he noticed I was enjoying it and so gave me permission to trot along the line and eat any misshapen spears that had been cut and then discarded.

 I wonder if I will enjoy the strawberries too?

The farm is open three days a week until the strawberries are ready, then it is open all day, everyday. It closes in the autumn once the sweetcorn has been harvested. For further information you can phone Charlie on 01865 241251".

Barnaby visits a Bluebell Wood

Barnaby encounters his first Bluebell Wood and it fills him with wonder

Barnaby visits a Bluebell Wood

I am not sure if dogs can fully appreciate colour as we do, but be assured the do feel something when they are suddenly thrust into a bluebell wood on a warm day in May. 

Barnaby entered the wood with a rush (he enters all new things with a rush) then stopped and looked and looked again. It was as if the beauty of the scene had overwhelmed him.  It certainly overwhelmed Auntie Liz and me for even though it's a scene that presents itself year after year after year, that first sight of it in early May is still breathtaking - perhaps this year more than ever because of the cold winter that had gone before.

Bluebells

We were walking Pinsley Wood an ancient remnant of Wychwood Forest, close to Church Handborough, which once bore the name Pins Wood.  Barnaby has visited this wood before, but not when the bluebells are out.
There are many paths leading to the wood, we take the one immediately to the right of the Hand and Shears pub, which stands opposite the church of St Peter and St Paul, with its tall majestic tower.

You can turn left or right on reaching the wood and simply walk around the perimeter or take one of the many paths through the middle - as there are bluebells in every corner of the wood at the moment, it really doesn't matter which way you walk as long as you allow time to  absorb the beauty of this fragile scene which is over all too soon.

The pub is special too.  It is one I visit often as the choice of beer is always good, the food freshly cooked and particularly tasty and the service efficient and friendly.

Barnaby enjoys his nice bowl of tea

The lovely Eileen, who looks after the bar, knows that Barnaby will want a cup of tea when he calls and so begins preparing it the moment she sees my Mini draw up in the car park opposite. That's what I call service and something rather special in this busy world where so many places we visit are too busy to really care about our needs and certainly not the needs of a dog.

Because The Hand and Shears is in the middle of the Oxfordshire countryside and several miles from Witney or Oxford, they offer take away fish and chips which the locals really appreciate.  So do I actually, for although it means driving for a couple of miles from my home in Eynsham to pick up an order, the fish is so delicious it really is worth the effort.

A Burford river walkies

A Burford River Walkies and a Nice Bowl of Tea

Barnaby says:

"Well Helen did promise me a special day out once it got warm and the sun came out, and true to her word she organised it yesterday (May 7 2013).  After bundling me into the Mini with Auntie Liz, she drove to Burford, a lovely historic Cotswold town which you reach by travelling the A40. Her father Jim Richards lived here when he was a boy as grandfather Richards ran the blacksmith shop at the bottom of the hill. He had a dog called Silvo who he walked through the Burford fields, Helen says she rather likes the thought of us walking in Silvo's footsteps.

Having parked at the free public car park we all trotted round to Witney Street, and The Angel Inn, which is a glorious little 17th century pub with a secluded garden at the rear.

The Angel Inn, Witney Street, Burford

Helen's fish and chips

It was here that we met the kindly licensee Terence King and his partner Gemma Finch who served us a superb lunch (Helen and fish and chips as usual) and I had a nice cup of tea which they served in my food bowl, having tossed a few ice cubes in too to cool it down a little. It was really refreshing.

After lunch we turned right out of the main door and trotted down Witney Street for about a quarter of a mile until we came to a little stile with a special dog entrance on the left. Here we encountered the most glorious field, well several fields actually, and a meandering river that gently wound its way through the landscape.

 Oh what fun we all had - how beautiful it all was.  Helen told me that if we had followed the river all the way past Witney and on towards Newbridge then we would get to the point where it joined the River Thames.  Apparently we might do that walk one day, but not until I am older and my bones are nice and strong."

Barnaby's moment of glory

Rory & his lovely assistant ask Barnaby to pose

Barnaby's moment of glory

 

They  say that every dog has his day, and I reckon that Barnaby the Puppy has already had one or two - BUT his really important debut takes place this weekend when his photograph will go on display in an Oxfordshire Artweeks exhibition by the award winning photographer Rory Carnegie.

Rory contacted Barnaby earlier this year when he was just a fluff-ball puppy and asked him if he could come to his Parktown studio and pose for him.

Barnaby had no idea what a photo shoot was all about, but agreed to pose anyway. 
Rory was amazing and so patient, but nevertheless it took more than two hours to get the shots he wanted because Barnaby kept moving just at the moment when we thought that he had got it sorted. 

However the finished pictures are breathtaking. Both Barnaby and I are thrilled with the results of Rory's patient labour. 

The exhibition, which includes some really splendid photographs, takes place from 9th to 12th May from 12am to 6pm at Rory's studio, 45 Park Town, Oxford OX26Sl.   
Sorry I can't display the photos on this page - you will have to visit the exhibiton to check them out.

Another Nice Cup of Tea

Another Nice Cup of Tea

Barnaby says:

Helen was invited to get into the spirit of summer by attending the grand opening of the Aspall Cyder Garden at The Fishes pub, North Hinksey, Oxford, yesterday.  She said yes, as long as she could bring Barnaby".  Sarah, the lovely woman who had invited on behalf of Peach Pubs laughed and said that anyone inviting Helen to an event these days automatically assumed that Barnaby comes too. So I went as well. Apparently Peach pubs, who run the Fishes have invited Helen to lots of their special events, and always permit her to bring a canine friend. I have already visited the Fleece at Witney, which is one of their pubs.

In the Water Meadows

First we walked the lovely water meadows that stand besides The Fishes. They are full of bright yellow dandelions at the moment and look particularly lush and beautiful.  Having walked the meadows we then  entered the Aspall Cyder Garden through the back gate, having walked a full circle through the meadows.
Helen drank a lovely long chilled glass of Aspall's Premier Cru, Suffolk Cyder once we were inside, which she described  as the perfect drink after a dog walk.  Me?  Oh, Helen requested a nice  cup of tea for me and remembering  how much I had enjoyed my bowl of tea at the Fleece Pub, Witney, the lovely Sarah brought me one.  On noticing steam coming out of the bowl as she placed it before me she threw a few ice cubes in to cool it down - am I not the lucky one?

Drinking my nice cup of tea

Helen ate something from the Barbecue, (I just watched because I had already had my lunch) and together we chatted to friends and listened to the music performed by three acoustic bands.

Thanks to the impressive hospitality supplied by The Fishes staff, the sunshine that suddenly poured into the garden also my nice cup of tea, Helen's glass of cyder and the music, we really did have a  wonderful time.  Am I not a lucky dog?