Just for the record.

In my previous post here I complained about the appearance in our village of the huge stones at the entrance to the play area.
At the time, I didn't know how they would be finished. No information was given beforehand..some people obviously knew but a lot didn't.

Now I know that the whole play area is beautiful, the stones have been carved by a real artist , and by local schoolchildren, and are an asset to the village. A wooden walkway has been installed around the lodge so that people can walk easily around the waters edge. There has been a wonderful play area installed and trees have been planted and altogether that part is a great success.
I stand corrected.

At the same time, Lancashire County Council were making a mess of the woods.
I won't go into many details.
THATS the bit I hate.

Its getting better but its still a big brutal change to a lovely wild place. It could have been done in a far more sympathetic way. Giving more people access to the woods seems to involve putting up a lot of new fences.

So anonymous, I hope I make myself clear. You choose not to add your name or e mail address, so I hope this reply will suffice.

Paradise Paved?

Lancashire County Council in their wisdom , have decided that the lovely woodland path I have been walking for the past thirty years is to become a bridleway.
Everything that was nice about it has been destroyed, temporarily I hope, and despite assurance from Mr Ian Hart that it would really not be very different , this is the depressing sight that greeted us last Sunday.
Click this link and Judge for yourself.



This is the path that Willow and I walked almost daily for years.
Further along there was a locked gate in a wall. Sometimes we sneaked through to a lovely linear wilderness.
Now the gate is open and access is freely available but I just don't want it.


The path is a straight line from one end of the valley to the other with no tree branch at lower level so the poor cyclists and horse riders won't be impeded.


Withnell Parish Council have laid down and let Lancashire County Council walk all over them.
(I could print the email which says that some of them objected but to no avail.)
Our council tax has paid for this.

Fortunately on the other side of the Goit is a more acceptable path.
A sheep track with old trees with beautiful gnarled roots

uneven and full of stones, and deep puddles and mud in places.

Just what you expect in the countryside.

More doggie tales

Once upon a time I had two dogs.
Big dogs.
English pointers.
Daisy and Willow.
I didn't know it then, but I was diabetic and would sleep a lot.
One morning, after I had seen my boys of to school and eaten my white bread toast and marmalade, which is terrible stuff if you are diabetic, I felt very sleepy..the kind of sleepy where you just can't go on, and decided to go back to bed.
I let the dogs in the bedroom so they wouldn't disturb me, (this was pre bedroom makeover days) opened the curtains so as not to let the neighbours know I was in bed in the morning, and we all went off to sleep.
Suddenly the dogs began to bark.
They had heard the window cleaner.
What should I do?
He would be up the ladder at the bedroom window in a matter of minutes.
However I had the lace curtains up at the window so I decided he wouldn't be able to see me through those if I slipped down under the covers .
While he was cleaning the bedroom windows the dogs were going berserk, barking as if they'd burst..understandably. ..there was a strange man at their window!
I heard him go down the ladder and away from the house and the dogs settled down and I opened my eyes and behold!
Nothing but a scrap of lace curtain was left at those windows.
Just the bit at the top where there were a few threads left hanging ..the only bits the dogs couldn't reach.
The window cleaner never mentioned it when he came later in the week to collect his money...very diplomatic.
I suppose it goes with the job.
No dogs now, no lace curtains and, now I know what to eat , definitely no sleeping in the daytime.
(Well maybe if I'm really tired I might doze off in the evening......)

Dogs on the shingle

Its hard sitting on this but there's plenty to entertain us.

Three boys carry a boat to the waters edge while their interested black dog encourages them.

A family arrive with a highly excited black Scottie and set up camp to our right on the shingle while Scottie plays King Canute, and barks excitedly and continuously at the waves.

A Jack Russell to our left strains on its leash. It wants to play too.

The big black dog laughs and we can see his white crescent of lower teeth against his glossy black fur even from this distance.

Scottie makes it into the sea and then rolls in the shingle to dry himself.

Jack still pulls.

Labradoodle ..thats the big happy black dog with the lovely smile...runs about while his human brothers sail out to see leaving him to the care of their mother.

Scottie dumps a steaming pile on the shingle. His family most of whom are in the sea, don't notice.

The Jack Russell family do, and their dad brings a childs spade and buries the hot heap in the shingle with a decent sized memorial pile of pebbles on top, just in time for Scotties dad to arrive with a plastic bag.
They dig it up, put it in the bag and he takes it over to their camp placing it delicately on the sand next to their beach bag and walks away.

Jack Russell is finally freed and he joyously cavorts with Scottie.

When no one is looking, he trots over to Scotties bagged up pile and pees up against the unattended beach bag and blanket.

Such fun and frolicks.

Decision

Well, Hazel visited us this afternoon.
I must say she is a lovely dog but my response to her was not what I expected.
I was prepared to love her but it just didn't happen when I saw her.
We have decided not to have her, for many reasons, but I feel bad about it.
Her owner is a very capable and lovely young woman who has done a brilliant job with her, showing her the world outside her kennel.
I just didn't feel that Hazel was the dog for me.
I can only put this down to not being ready.
I thought I desperately needed a dog but I think I need longer to get over Willow and had my heart set on a puppy eventually.
I am so sorry Hazel.

To see more of Hazel and her two companions see Their Beautiful Blog. I especially like the most recent post which shows Hazel, happy in the buttercups.


One uncanny fact: The fight between Hazel and her daughter happened on the day Willow died.

Help!

Oh what to do what to do?

We still miss Willow desperately but she's not coming back so we decided we would wait until the summer is over and we have had a few days of spontaneous travel(!) and then go for an Orange and white pointer puppy at the beginning of November.
But....
I am sitting here desperate for a dog.

So I log on to a pointer website and introduce myself. Just to help mourn and familiarise myself with other dogs.
I get a message from someone who is trying to re home a 5 year old, unspeyed, liver and white pointer who doesn't really belong to her but to a breeder .
(The same breeder we got Willow from.)
This dog we shall call 'H' wasn't thriving in kennels and was quite ill, and needed a home so, (lets call her temporary owner 'C',) took her on .She is on steroids for a condition she has recovered from but needs to be weaned off them gradually.
But H fights with one of Cs other dogs so she can't keep her.

BUT( and I know its probably vain,) H is Liver and I want Orange.
I just like them so much better.

We are thinking thinking thinking whether we want H temporarily.
How will be bear to part with her?
She is visiting us on Sunday.
Meanwhile....
the breeder...lets call her B, has informed me that in November she will have orange and white puppies available.

What to do?

Spot the Dog or...

..where's Willow?



This is particularly apt. I feel she is still here but I just can't quite get to her.
Especially on returning home from a few days away...in the mental picture you sometimes rehearse on your way home, she is there.
But in reality she isn't.
So, coming home was like losing her all over again.
And now Jools is missing too.
We haven't seen him since we got home.