Willow and Barry

I never meant this blog to turn into a 'What Willow did next' waffle but it seems this is another post about her 🐾😆

As I type she is lying on my feet which although rather sweet is incredibly uncomfortable, however I would rather she did that than be curled up in a corner facing away. We've only had her three months and although there are still 'teething' problems she is settling in and finding her feet and her place in her new pack.

What triggered this post was a rather important appointment - although Willow would disagree.  She went for a pre-spey check up at her veterinary surgery. Oooh scary stuff.  Poor girl thought we were going for a walk when she threw herself at high speed into the car  however, when we obviously did not pull up at her FAVOURITE PLACE EVER (until the next favourite place - it changes....) but in a rather austere tarmac carpark her body language changed instantly.

Gone was that eager 'let me at 'em' look on her face as she immediately became a cringing scaredy little piece of red rag and could not get closer to my legs if she tried. I can not fault the kindness and gentle understanding by the staff as I explained about this little whimp and her rescue history. You never saw such relief on her face as we left and she could hurtle back into the car!

However, I did promise her we would go to the playing fields before we returned home and as soon as I parked up she squeaked with joy. We were there a lot later than our usual visit so the grounds were empty and it was just us. I decided no training today - too much for an already fried little Willow walnut brain and we went straight into play - you could see all the tension lift off her shoulders as she sprinted around in huge circles around me, blasting out all her pent up nervous energy and stress.

Just as we'd almost completed a rather whirlwind circuit of play and ball chase, one of Willow's little buddies and his dad landed. As we get to meet more folk with her, she is gently getting used to other dogs and people and we've had a very positive breakthrough with her making tentative steps to being interested in actually 'saying hello' to people. 

This particular pairing of dog and dad are rather sweet, both getting on in years and a bit rusty around the edges, the dog - who I have been told his name but each time I don't quite catch it is something like Tooby or Dobby or Scooby or Dooby or something like that and his dad is called Barry. Now, Barry has a life well lived face, with time and work etched on his skin and a gently rough northern voice. He chats quietly about his life - it seems he has spent it entirely in the village including his school days, living not that far from where I do and yet we have never met before. I now know he has a neighbour who is a musician and he can hear him practising whenever he is home. He has a small garden and loves it only breaking off to bring Scooby/Tooby/Dobby well you get the idea, up for his daily potter around the fields.

Today the dogs ran around us as we chatted, well... Willow trotted with a typical rangy collie trot while Tooby/Frooby etc barrelled along on little old Jack Russell legs as he tried to keep up.

Barry and Blobby/Tooby/Tubby/Toby (whatever) usually shuffle around half the field then return to the car, Today Willow tired out Booby/Moody/Jooby etc fairly quickly then we all wandered back to the cars. I was glad that Wills had already had a good stretching run and play and was ready to return. 

As we waved each other off Barry said 'See ya luv, good speakin' wi ya'  made me wonder if he doesn't always get the chance to chat to folk.... Willow and I shall keep an eye out for Barry and Booby/Pooby/Who-bee - I better find out what the dog is actually called!

Mud and Ice

No decent spring walk would not have significant levels of either mud or ice or in the case today - both.

Not a particularly inspiring photo but one that would make a happy Willow wuff 

Her ball, mud, puddles and shards of ice.

The last few days definitely dipped back towards a last wintery flurry and yesterday we had snow and hail on and off through out the day. However, like the most of the uk - today is utterly glorious (if a little fresh still). 

We, Willow and I, set off after a short stint of lead training - can see this will probably be a long term lesson as the pulling has not decreased in any way. I have been offered loads of (not necessarily good) advice including different types of leads and harnesses, but I will persist - she is a collie, they do charge on ahead, they do think for themselves and think for you too, so this is more a battle of wills rather than just obedience training. We'll get there (eventually!)

There is a whole different life in the village during working hours which I knew existed but never was really involved with - until now.

 A sense of purpose and busy-ness by the volunteer gardening force, a cheery chattery-ness of the dog walker (mostly women with the very occasional man - they seem to do the dog routes on the weekends).

Delivery men and posties marching from house to house, the screaming kids from the primary school playground during recess, the surprisingly quiet traffic passing through and the general chatter as neighbours get on with their lives and pass pleasantries over hedges and fences.

 Admittedly today's weather certainly helped buoy the joie de vivre mood. 

I am - still to a certain respect - known as an off-cumdun (which means new comer) in the village, however it has evolved over the years. We were from out of the village when we first arrived and with me being 'foreign' - we did stick out a little. Now we've been living here some time and since leaving work, once again I am the 'new person' puttering around the village and having a red and white collie makes us stand out a little haha.

I wish the washing machine would get on - it is taking ages to chew through the washing today, I want to get the bedding out on the line whilst it is sunny and fresh - the smell of line dried sheets is sublime.

And I shall leave you with a certain elderly princess basking in the sunshine making it impossible to straighten the bed hey ho.....

Celebrating the small stuff

Up early this morning to see Himself off to work gave me the absolute pleasure of being able to slip back into a still warm bed and catch up with reading or replying to comments on my blog. It was rather fresh first thing when I took Willow out however the dawn chorus was spectacular. I listened with clenched teeth to stop them chattering before returning to the warmth of my bed, but not before I used my bird app to help ID all the birds I could hear. 

I was very happy with that list!

After breakfast, boots and leads were collected and a pathway followed. When I used to walk with Moss, I allowed her to 'choose' the route (within reason) and it would vary from day to day. 

The last couple of walks, I have gently allowed Willow the same freedom of choice (again within reason) and today she took us up and round the village along stony tracks and muddy lanes then through a rough field and a scruffy meadow twice - because she knows she can play fetch with her favourite ball there. 

To do that - she would have had to mentally plan the route to be able to return back through the fields without turning back or repeating a track, either that it was a very lucky guess!!

I recently mentioned my love of punchy home made ginger biscuits and I was sent a flood of recipes - so - today I am going to start experimenting with every recipe offered - it is a mission and some one has to do it!! (oooh oooh pick me, pick me!)

Todays photos a mix of our walk, what we found, in the garden and in the kitchen - I do have quite a long 'to do' list but - hey there is always tomorrow!

How has your Monday been?
Are you doing things YOU want to do or are you procrastinating?

Gently sharing the love

Edited to add:

 apologies if I don't reply to you here or comment on your own blogs - since yesterday afternoon Blogger has refused to let me comment??!! any idea why?

I spent the whole day in the garden yesterday - let that sink in......... (apart from nipping into the house to put the kettle on, make lunch or use the loo but that aside).... 𝕥𝕙𝕖..𝕨𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕖..𝕕𝕒𝕪!

At one point the three of us (Willow, Pan and I) were sitting in the summer house having a break and we were all just a little too warm - hang on a minute - does that mean.... there was sunshine, actual sunshine??

Yes! and it was absolutely blimmin' marvellous.

And there has been a bit of a break through - it is amazing how a good dose of sunlight and being outside can help soothe differences. 

I had to hold my breath - long may this gentle progress continue

After years of working at the walled garden where there was an almost indecent need to sow seeds in vast quantities for the coming growing season, this year I really needed to rein in my enthusiasm for filling every available tray or module with potting soil! 

Fortunately I do have more than my own garden I supply plants for - both my sons and my brother have new gardens and sharing plants and seedlings is a form of love. Eldest's garden has just reached the point where he is able to start sharing back - splitting herbaceous perennials, passing on self sown seedlings and collected seed heads. 

So, while my two supervisors were investigating the back of their eyelids, I made 'seedling rolls'  filling them with summer annuals for my brother's garden. Once made up, they take up so little room that it makes them easier to transport (up to Scotland) and then all he has to do is un-roll them and plant out the seedlings.

Today, I am planning another day out in the garden, I am sure my two side-kicks will be more than happy to play out again. Although I do have to take Willow for her walk first otherwise she natters at me until I get the message!

Yesterday's walk produced a very muddy doggo - which I think we can call a win - means she has played hard and is happy to hang around and chill while I potter with plants.

Hope there is sunshine where you are today☀️

And if you are working in your garden, hope too you see all the new shoots and the promise of this year's plants and flowers beginning to wake up. Certainly here in my shady garden in the north of the country - we are considerably later than others, my anticipation is bordering on desperation!

What did we get up to yesterday?

 A photo an hour 6am - 6pm - well, as near as I can get it.

6am (actually a little after)

Curtains thrown wide revealing the day before the weather turns

7am - back in bed

Pan having eaten breakfast, slipped out in to the garden, has now returned to bed.

8-ish am

Toast - food of the gods, 

especially with lemon curd or marmite and washed down with a mug of tea

9.30ish

The morning walk, post breakfast, with Willow.

It seems we are now part of the 'Women who walk' their dogs in the morning. 

More talking that walking seems to occur. 

Willow and I pass our greetings then walk on leaving them to natter.

10.30ish

In the greenhouse, tidying it in preparation of the new growing season.

11.45ish

Someone has found a rare slip of sunlight, whilst we are inside for lunch

1pm

Back outside and spotted some primroses in the wild part of the garden

2pm

Working in the garden with these two, 

tidying up the shredding from yesterday's garden hurdle making

2.45pm

Planting onions in modules to give me time to prepare their growing space

3.40ish

A precious half hour at my art desk,  

quietly working on a year long project following the seasons

4.40pm

Sewing on a butterfly patch whilst the pasta sauce simmered - 

I'd torn my trousers whilst working in the garden today

5.45pm

Our 'getting-on-a-bit' old lady - a proper heat worshipper 

Thank you for coming along with us through our day. Hope yours was as gentle and productive as ours.

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!

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?