Garden wafflings on a Wednesday

As I wove little step over hurdles in the garden from the brash left over from the tree removal on Monday, I whispered thank you to the erstwhile cherry tree.  

The tree team kindly left a pile of the longer and lighter branches for me to work with and with the dog's 'help' and supervision by the cat, I spent most of the morning cutting and hammering in stakes along the edge of the flower bed. 

Then after a much needed mug of tea, cat and dog treats, we returned to the garden where I attempted to weave wayward branches along the stakes. Cue a bit of swearing...... ok may be a fair bit.

Despite the formidable pile of brash and branches, it was difficult to find long slender and supple branches to wind along the edge of the bed so it is not as neat and as picturesque as it was in my imagination however it is doing the job it is required to do - Keep Willow on the pathway and out of the flower beds.

Want to finish the first one then attempt a second one today. However, having just looked out, I suspect that the weather will stop play - it is miserable out there - oh what a shame! It means I will have to stay indoors and paint 😆 and - TBH my hands are rather painful today, they still need to heal from years of strain from gardening. 

And to finish on a good note - the amount of sunlight that flooded the garden yesterday morning was utterly utterly glorious - removing that cherry tree has given me soooooooooooo much more sky and  that has lifted my heart 💚☀️

Sleep or the lack of it!

I'd had one of those nights when at about 2.30 the eyes opened then the brain woke up and that was it. No amount of me trying to persuade my head to stop wittering would end the mental debating society enthusiastically discussing the pros and mostly cons of having a shady garden. So I gave up, joined in and pottered off downstairs. 

I sat nursing a mug of peppermint tea while the cat insisted it was cat breakfast time. I decided to quietly read about cottage garden plants, eventually returning to bed around 4am and drifted off just in time to hear the alarm at 6am .... drat.

Having waved Himself off to work, I dragged myself back upstairs and decided that I would go back to sleep - something I very rarely do. I was so tired I fell asleep instantly only to be woken up by my phone.  It was the tree surgeon - 'are you home? We can be there in half an hour'........ 

When I originally spoke to the company they said would get in contact when they could do the tree - to which I said that would be fine, never did I think I would only get 30 minutes notice!

You have never seen me leap out of bed so fast, the dog thought this was a brilliant new game and joined in as I hopped around the room, toothbrush in mouth, one foot in a sock as I kept an eye on the clock. Rushing downstairs I went straight out, there were plants that needed rescuing and access to the tree to be cleared! 

It wasn't until the tree team turned up that I actually began to feel awake and offered them a brew. I am now sitting inside and I can hear the crunch and thud of a tree being brought down to size - I think tonight is going to be an early one .... yawn!

You can see how big the tree is in comparison to the others - 

it towers above everything else

However, it does mean more sunlight in the garden and that can't be bad!

Pigs, hearts and dogs - what more could you want?

 We sat, Himself and I, mug of tea each and ginger biscuits for three (Willow) and as we cronched them we both agreed that they were not particularly gingery - Willow on the other hand just cronched and wanted more declaring them the most delicious thing eaten EvEr!

So we (and still eating biscuits) reminisced about the collies that we have had and how they all seemed to love ginger biscuits then Himself remembered it was actually our second 'bordering on a collie' (pretty sure she was just barely a hint of collie) Cleggy came with a predilection for the gingery snack. Moss who was full on, top notch registered border collie but worth nothing to the farming community due to her inability to be a working dog, she too said that yes - ginger biscuits were yum.

Now Willow, who was sitting quietly minding her own business, leapt up and asked could she too have a biscuit as they were of the ginger type and scoffed them and inhaled the crumbs. Any hoo - where this is leading to is -

1. Are ginger biscuits generally less gingery and seem more sweet than before?

2. Do all collies have an affinity for a cronchy ginger biscuit?

SO!  I then remembered that a couple of years ago I made a load of Swedish Pepparkakor - Ginger biscuits and decided to do it again. When adding the spices I tasted the dough (which was yum BTW) I upped the ginger from one teaspoon for a heaped tablespoon and suddenly it tasted right!

A small and red dog decided that being in the kitchen Was.The.Place.To.Be whilst things smelt warm and gingery and now that the biscuits are out she keeps popping in to 'check if they are cool enough to eat' - well that is what she has told me.....

If you fancy making some here is the link and I didn't bother with the 'let it sit for 24 hours' I just bunged it in the fridge for the time it took to wash up, wrap three birthday pressies and make a brew -then I rolled the dough out and voila - Sweddish(esqe) Pepparkakor Pigs and Hearts.

I have just eaten one - hmmm - not bad, but not quite what I was looking for - the quest continues!

Do you have a suitable punchy ginger biscuit recipe? Or am I just chasing a ginger pimpernel 😆

Thursday's glimmers

The sublime delight of feeling the warmth of the sun

soaking through to your bones

as you eat toast and drink tea in the sunshine.

The softly smug smile as you hang out the washing on the line 

and watch it gently drift with the light breeze 

while the sun plays across the folds and flaps

Noticing the light play through the petals of the tete a tete daffodils and purple crocus 

while an impatient dog reluctantly waits for her walk

Finding dove feathers on the pathway below the tree they nest in

Buying a new eyeliner, trying a different style of applying the facial warpaint and suddenly feeling rather French and fashionable - then wondering if Himself will notice!

Liking your shadow - whilst feeling the sun on your shoulders

Seeing the cat breathing in the early morning air before she sets off to patrol her patch

Walking by the prettiest of camellias on the morning dog loop

What has made you smile today?

What filled you with the springiest of spring feels?

Fields and footpaths

This morning we walked with the sound of bird song filling the hedgerows. The usual silly memes which are rehashed every year round about now call this a false spring or a fake spring and yes it does feel very springlike. Garden edges and lane sides are filled with the promise of daffodils while snowdrops are still abound, they are beginning to fade a little and crocus are shooting up only to be flattened by the wind or the rain. Even if this is a false spring - I'll take it, I have had my fill of a wet winter.

My mind is a whirl of debate and discussion as I try to drag myself out of my head and listen to the birds and the scrunch thud of my boots on the stony track. Willow also in a world of her own, follows scents - lead free - occasionally throwing a look over her shoulder to check I am still there. And I am.

The sky sinks lower as the clouds drag their bellies over the hill, a passing walker clutching a brolly quips up that she thinks that it will rain again - she is beautifully dressed with not a hair out of place as she happily strides down the muddy track to meet the main village road. Whereas I am togged up in my dog walking jeans, mucky wellies, old coat with a scratchy beanie perched above my eyebrows making my forehead itchy.

As we reach the furthest point of our 'dog loop' I impulsively lengthen it by turning left through the marsh field where Willow and I pick our way between the deeply muddy puddles, dark chocolate brown earth glistening with retained water. Ducks are startled by our appearance having thought the marsh field was theirs and theirs alone today. With wings clapping and a chorus of disapproval - three or four take to the air, curl round through the damp air around our heads watching as we slip and slide around the path and then with a noisy clatter land back at their original spot to continue whatever they'd been doing before we appeared.

Willow - who a few short weeks ago would have been startled in fear at the sound- now just glances up, watches briefly then returns to the serious business of following a sticky scent which is calling to her. I am relieved when we finally reach the stile and hop over back on to the stony track. We are not far from where we'd turned off however it added much needed interest and stimulation for Willow Walnut Brain who is loving learning things new.

I can hear little voices through the stand of trees between us and the primary school - play time - which seems to have a fair bit of screaming and shouting involved. Instantly we turn away, choosing another lane to make our return journey. This one narrows to a footpath edged by wildflowers and in summer is beautiful. Now, in simplified late winter garb, it is bare earth with tiny shoots, snowdrops, tete a tete daffodils and crocus drifting down between brambles and moss. At the end we reach a tumble of stone cottages jostling for space along the lane and it is time for Willow to put back on her collar and lead.

As we walk back home, I can feel a pin prick of rain on my face, glancing up I can see the clouds are definitely promising more rain, we only just get home in time, boots off, kettle on when the cat comes in with fur sparkly and wet. She stalks off to dry by the wood burner and in a few minutes, Willow, now towelled down and in bed watches me as I open the laptop and sip my tea.

photos from the weekend - 

Top - Willow in her walking harness - loving her first 'proper' miles and miles walk - most of it off lead, one very tired little doggums that evening
Bottom - wild and windy moorland walk behind the village, with a small dog who wanted a cuddle.

what could be more interesting that me?🐾

 Willow here.

Back from a rather damp walk - she wraps up while I get to romp about free and in the fluff.  She says that she shouldn't  post any more about me coz there are other things that are more interesting - what could be more interesting than me and a muddy pathway??

Please take the photo - I want to run some more - got some serious sniffing to do.

Did you mention the word 'walk'?

Don't you know that makes my ears pop up like a jack in the box!

She says I am a good girl. Some days I know I am and some days I am not so sure, I need lots of cuddles to let me know that I am actually a good girl - might try asking for more cuddles .... hmmm good plan.



Things I like🐾

Walks, cuddles, my bed, my new friends Jed and China

Carrots - I love carrots - she says I can have those as they don't make my tum poorly (urgh - how rood!)
Being ruffled with a towel, my marrow bone

I love love love my orange frizbee - bestest fing in the world!

Things I don't like😡

Baths

Pip who has a very pointy nose and puts it where it shouldn't go!

Zero who bounces on me and makes me fall over - grrrrrrrr

Loud men's voices - they scare me

Yawn, time for my post walk nap - I am fully wuffed out.

She says I snore when I am asleep - again how rood!

Early morning

 We set off a little earlier today, lots to do before visitors later. Although term time, it is quiet, the village school is stuffed full of mini students. We cross the cobbles and slip around a traffic free tarred road. The muddy puddles reflect the silvery blue sky and I swear I can no longer smell the metallic scent of winter rather I am picking up the delicate green fragrance of growing grass.

The sky is a soft blue, still fresh and clear and the trees are filled with birds trying to out sing each other - in places they are almost deafening.  Trialling - with my heart in my mouth and my hands ready to grab - Willow off lead. She trots ahead on dainty collie feet, her nose just millimetres off the ground as she inhales her route. Suddenly a 'stickier' smell stops her in her tracks and she stands taking in the odours and their messages.

At a particularly muddy field partially swimming beneath huge puddles, she is still off lead. I whistle and she returns, I praise, she trots off, I whistle - she returns. We repeat this recall along the boggy reeds and sunken pathway until we meet another walker with her dog. So many of the village walkers are women and it seems we have been chatted about on the doggy-grape-vine. They comment how good she is behaving, how well she is getting on and what a lovely girl she is. I swell with pride at my silly dilly foxling of a dog.

Having slid and sploshed our way over the wet field, we meet another track, this time crunchy with loose stone and sticky mud. Again she is off lead, again recall, praise and release, recall, praise and release. The lane turns into a sunken holloway with chicken pens on one side and high hedges with sheep fields on the other. Water trickles noisily down through the stones and birds rustle and sing through the scruffy hedges of hawthorn, bramble, blackthorn, holly and rowan. The lane is cooler, the sun is yet to reach the ground, however shafts of soft light stream through the higher branches.

We turn on to a little lane which narrows down to not much wider than a pack horse and I call Willow back and signalling silently to her to sit, I slip her collar on so we can cross the village road.  Back down in to the village and another very short stint off lead with a recall, silent sit and replaced collar - homeward.

My heart is singing. This little dog is blossoming. 

Now - all I have to conquer is Willow trying to round up the cat ..... the cat is not keen on being thought of as a lamb. She prefers to be thought of as a Polar Bear (she has the temperament on one TBH)

The Polar Bear in question

For Belinda

 You asked ......

Mad Englishwoman19 February 2026 at 11:23

More pics please of Willow! Good luck with the training.

Besides - today is four weeks since her

'𝔾𝕆𝕋ℂℍ𝔸 𝔻𝔸𝕐'

so it seems appropriate to mark her progress.

So - let's see how things have turned out. 

Well - she likes to be warm, loves her bed(s),

buries herself in her duvet.

Puddles are to be avoided but mud is fine

A marrow filled bone for a 'little after dinner chew' is just perfect.

The cat does things that Willow is not allowed to do 

and can do 'magical' things she would never be able to do,

it tickles us that Willow can not fathom how Pan vanishes

through the cat flap out of the kitchen.

She is not a lap dog - goes stiff when she is picked up

so my sons lift her up, flip her over and give her cuddles

she is so confuddled by such affection

Baths are the source of all evil.

What has Willow Learnt....

• Sit
• Stay (ish)
• Leads with a slip chain mean a decent walk
• Heel (err - still working on that one)
• Wait (for two seconds.... then carry on regardless!)
• Not to dash through doors
• Car trips can be fun
• Fetch - best toy ever is her orange hoop
• Recall (using the above game as the basis of the command)
• Sign language - I teach all my dogs silent commands - she is good at these
• Bed
• No - well she should know this one the best - it seems to be the one I use the most!
• Come in/come here
• Not everybody is scary
• Not every dog is nice

And, I feels traitorous to even think this never mind write it down - as much as my Moss was 'my bestest dog in the world' this little red and white fox is quicker at learning, smarter and keener.

No wonder Collies often top the 'Smartest Dog Ranks'. 

What to do when it is too windy out

Knowing today was going to be bitterly cold with a sharp wind and leaden skies I decided that, other than "Willow walks", the day was going to be spent decluttering. 

When my boys were little and they had to tidy their bedrooms, they would become overwhelmed so I devised a "tidy up zone" plan. Choose a section and just do that and do it well. Admittedly the sections they did were quite small but they were left nice and neat and as they grew so did the tidy up zones.

Using the same psychology on me, I started in the north corner of the dining room and selected the shelving unit to launch operation declutter, and to increase the 'accountability', I took before and after photos as further incentive.

Willow was NOT sure about this - surely she should get out and have her walk FIRST? Well that was the plan and no sooner than we crossed the road and the wind hit her little red ears - the snarky collie side eye she shot me over her shoulder was enough to make me chortle. Still we managed just shy of a couple of miles before we both called time and sped our way home to warm up and get out of that WIND!

With her wrapped up in her bed and her sleepy eyes watching me, I decanted the contents of the shelves onto the dining-room table, cleaned the unit (we have a wood burner and everything needs a regular wipe down). I worked my way through each book - with several not making the grade and then the ornaments, cones of carpet wool, crafting tins and sewing tubs all were removed, cleared and moved to their correct homes. Pictures were removed, a tatty basket demoted to the greenhouse and twisty witch sticks burnt in the woodburner.

There is now a 'charity shop box' nicely filling up - and it has made me feel positive about giving the whole house the 'tidy up zone' treatment a section at a time.

And despite Willow's disapproval  - don't worry she has had two good walks - we've just returned from our second and she is fast asleep in her crate. We have left it up and she uses it when she feels the need and I suspect after hurtling around the playing fields sans her lead has tired her out, in fact I think I can hear her snoring right now hahaha

I was inspired a couple of years ago when I heard about Swedish Death Clearing and planned to do it but with working and life in general, I never found the time to get round to it - however today at 'Operation Declutter' - I have started.

leaps and bounds

 Willow is steadily finding her feet. 

She is quick and smart - so a typical collie. However she is overly sensitive, an overthinker, keen over achiever - likewise - a typical collie. She is also desperate to 'do things right',  to be loved'  to be 'part of the pack' and it is exhausting. For me but even more so for her.

Originally we were told she had to be kept in a crate to help control her as she could be 'too much' and they were worried about her chewing the kid's toys, that she sometimes urinated in the house when she was too excited. Hearing snippets of their reasons for needing her gone and watching the family dynamic I could see they were at their wits end and the dog had no boundaries, no leadership and they had no time.

After the initial allowance of all her foibles and issues, we have worked through and reenforced and reminded and repeated and rewarded new behaviours. She now is the 'proud' owner of three beds and several toys - although still not sure what to do with them, we're going to try and remedy that today (if it will stop raining) when we go out for our walk.

This last weekend has been an absolute test for her, visiting different houses, travelling in the van, fence building, hedge removals, meeting new dogs, new cats and our house full of people. That little timid, desperate, fearful red and white dog stepped up and was 'part of the pack' and she knew it.  Gone were the frightened eyes, the trembly legs and despite still feeling timid - she was 'there and in the mix' and although I know we have a  long, long way to go - I was so proud of her. 

......just have to keep reminding her that the CAT is 'Top Dog' !!

Running free together

Attempt three!

I've written a few non starters this morning, this one, hopefully will make the grade (also a change of subject will help!)

When Youngest was at senior school, I would walk up to the local nature reserve to meet him as he hopped off the bus. He would rather I collected him in the car, but I had a dog to walk (Moss) and a brain to clear (mine) so walking it was. The silly thing was, at the end of it we always had a good walk, time to chat and if the weather was good and the homework not too demanding, we'd end up in the cafe for a hot chocolate and put the world to rights.

I would try to get to the reserve earlier than needed so Moss and I could walk around before the bus arrived.  And, as you do, you get to see the same folk wandering around with their dogs too. There was an older chap with the most glorious head of white hair and the twinkliest blue eyes with his border collie.  We would chat as we passed each other around the paths.

Our first meet was to exclaim how alike our two dogs were as they were both strikingly unusually marked border collies. There were subtle differences however the similarities were impressive. Over the year of walking and waiting for Youngest at the bus, Angus and Zack were regular ports of chat each afternoon.

We, Angus and I, often wondered if our dogs came from the same breeder as they both had the white face with a large black 'cape' of fur on their backs, Zack's fur was longer but they could have been 'cut from the same Border Collie cloth'. They were both failed farm dogs with good breeding, had professional sheep dog training and came from the same area. Their gait and their behaviour were incredibly similar and although Zack was two years younger than Moss - they could have been litter mates.

Moss died roughly two years ago - her liver riddled with tumours and her heart failing - she was only ten and it broke my heart.

Zack died two weeks ago - of the same disease......... he was ten. 

I found typing that last sentence hard - I know that Angus will be as devastated as I was. A mutual friend commissioned the pebble, I was going to deliver it to her today, that will have to wait - It is a bit of a blizzard out there - Willow might just have to hang on for her walk a little longer. 

Not that I think she is fussed about at the moment as she is asleep in her bed underneath her duvet .... spoilt? 

Not in the slightest...