Digging for Australia

Digging for Australia

I have now come to recognise that strange sort of silence that permeates my surroundings when Barnaby is enjoying one of his destructive moments.- though actually today's efforts could be called constructive as the hole he dug in the middle in the lawn  is certainly large enough and deep enough to plant a rose bush.
I think I might  buy a rose bush actually if I can find one that has a suitable name. It will act as a constant reminder that this dog of mine appears hell bent on giving both garden and cottage a make over..

Barnaby's effort at getting to Australia

Mud, mud, glorious mud

Another muddy walkies

Muddy path - one of many

Barnaby says: "We had decided to walk the path that leads to the river which was really a very silly thing to do becaue there was mud everywhere.  All the creatures we met along the way seemed fed up with the muddy conditions, particuarly the sheep (in the background of this picture) who are grazing some very soggy grass.  Nothing much happened on this walk, Helen got mad because her boots were covered with mud and so did auntie Liz.  Me?  Oh I just luxurated in the muddy conditions because I am a Border collie and can cope with such things - besides I am confident that the earth will become dry soon. It just has to doesn't it."

Barnaby enjoying the view,

Barnaby & Mr Fox

Barnaby and Mr Fox

Barnaby says: "I say it was Helen's fault. She shouldn't have continued walking round the field, without checking to see where I was. If a puppy is ignored he has to make my own fun. And how was I to know that something like that glorious muck that Mr Fox leaves behind is offensive to humans?

Barnaby drawn by the lovely artist Sue Mynall

When I encountered it in that tuft of grass, all moist and brown and highly perfumed, I found it a simply deligtful smell.  I liked the colour too.
I wanted Helen to take a photo of me covered in Fox for this page, but she refused so I am using this little sketch that my friend the lovely artist Sue Mynall did for me when we first met. Sue has illustrated all the books that Helen and Pythius wrote together and now she is drawing me. I am now bigger than the picture suggests and not quite so fluffy, but it is definately a picture of me."

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