Four Seasons in One Week

Well, not exactly four seasons.

Wait, very wet with a high of 10...thats a Scottish summer! So yes, all four seasons in one week!

It started with snow:

And then rain:

And lastly, in a brief respite from storm Dennis, spring is arriving:

So we haven't managed much in the way of adventures, but after last week, we all needed a bit of a holiday from the holiday! 

In the down time between going out for what is supposed to be considered a walk, but this week has resembled either an Antarctic exploration or swimming the channel, I have managed some sewing. After coming in soaked so often, I figured Missy could do with a quilt that had some water resistance to it:

Bonus points, it's completely upcycled. The main fabric is some old jumpers that were too well worn to donate and then the batting is actually an old waterproof mattress protector. We bought one thinking it a great idea and then, because they don't breathe, my husbands excema completely broke out and its never gone back on the bed...

So a win win! 

Just a short post this week since we're all still recovering from our bumper week down south!

Razzle Dazzle with the Fab Four

Part 2 of our holiday away! When looking for things to do in our designated Liverpool day, I happened across the Mersey Ferries River Explorer Cruise. Not only was it dog friendly, it had a port based in the Wirral side of Liverpool (a convenient 15 minutes from our friends house who we had planned to visit that night) and it was one of the last weeks she would be sailing in her Dazzle colours. Why the Razzle Dazzle? Created as part of the First World War commemorations, designed by Sir Peter Blake (more famously known for designing album covers for the Beatles) and inspired by the dazzle camouflage of the time, the ‘Everybody Razzle Dazzle’ is a sight to behold. 

The explorer cruise is a 50 minute loop with an audio tour of the landmarks of both sides of the Mersey, and the ticket acts as a hop on, hop off day pass. After enjoying free entry into the U-boat experience (complimentary as part of the ticket), we headed over to the Albert Docks for a stretch of the legs, a wonder and some lunch. We knew it would be a long day, so kept the plans low key. 

Missy met these four guys, who were fab (had to be done!) and we really enjoyed listening to buskers all playing Beatles covers. The day was bright and clear and was pleasant for a wander about before we found an eccentric double decker bus-come-burger van where we had lunch. They kindly gave us some water for Missy and a we were back on the boat. The plan from the outset had been to visit friends for dinner and a catch up and we managed a quick walk together. Ren, another fur cousin, is now 2 and has learned his manners, so both dogs played very nice (although Missy did hump him a little when she'd had enough playing!) 

Didn't get many photos, was too busy enjoying good food and chat! 

And then it was Friday. Going home day. Well, we couldn't resist enjoying our holiday a little longer and stopped in at the National Waterways Museum. This was an absolute gem of a find. Completely dog friendly, Missy could go anywhere and everywhere with us, and again a beautiful, if cold, day for it. I have a huge soft spot for canal boats and recently, through work, have found canals quite fascinating places in regards to construction. For the hubby, who loves a good audio tour, they had brand new tech - a tablet with AR installed that brought the people on the information panels to life. It was a lovely change for me, who usually reads and summarises aloud all the boards, to have them read to be in wonderfully over the top Mancurian accents. 

There was plenty to look at, from the construction of the canal, the mechanism behind the lock keys and even a little terrace of houses each done in a different time period. It made me think of New Lanark and I immediately recommend it to my sister and her young family. Missy was a star attraction amongst the school groups visiting, and she even had a brief flash mob where they all took turns patting her (I made sure she wasn't feeling crowded, but as usual she just lapped up the attention). The cafe, also super dog friendly, provided us with some warming food before we decided to get back on the road and go home.

Overall a wonderful trip! With all the wartime themes, I picked up the Make Mend and Do booklet and was actually surprised that there are some very useful hints and tips as well as some fun upcycling ideas. Keep an eye out for some inspired pieces in the near future! 

Looking for Roman Ghosts and Cold War Mice

We are not long back from a pretty bumper week away at the roman city of Chester. The location was a new one for us, as was the idea of having Missy on a "city break", she being much more of a wild woodland wonderer than a pavement pounder. And it actually worked out really well!

The location was picked because it was a good central point to family we wanted to see and friends we were long over due visiting. We also wanted time for ourselves to do our own thing as well, so didn't want to be intruding on people with the intention of not being 100% social.

Monday was a travel day. Its a 4 hour drive for us, and we have to break regularly for Missy. We were being extra cautious after her bad stomach at the weekend and stopped more frequently than usual. She was absolutely fine, which is a relief. We had scoped out all the nearby vets as a matter of precaution but thankfully it wasn't needed. We arrived in good time though and, after checking into our Airbnb, had enough time to scope out the local bakeries and supermarket. 

Tuesday was a family day. My sister and brother in law managed a sneaky day away (in what we have playfully now dubbed as "doing an Alton Towers") and they came down from Manchester on the motorbike to hang out. It was a mooch about and hang out kinda day, in which we all ate way too many sweets and snacks. All the school groups were out and we watched them in the Roman Amphitheatre attack each other with plastic swords and shields. I don't remember history being that exciting at school, if it was, I might have pursued it sooner. 

We ate at the Lock Keeper, and my BIL found the pub cat who was blissfully unaware of the dog on the premises. A really good day, it's nice to just hang out sometimes! 

I also managed to pass on my latest sewing project: sandwich wraps (v2) and treat pouches, each in a fabric Specifically chosen for a member of the family. 

I'll just share my nephews tractor and digger set, the rest will be on my Instagram! 

Wednesday was another day where we met a resident cat, the super dog friendly Hack Green Nuclear Bunker had the chilled out Goulash and there was a scent hound training day, so we met some very excited spaniels too! 
The nuclear bunker is pretty much what it says on the tin; an old, declassified bunker used during the Cold War. It was very interesting, although we felt an audio tour would help as the giant humming and clicking computers soon blend into one another. For the kids, they have an "atomic mouse" game where you look for and find all the brightly coloured mice. 

It was an interesting day as its obviously something our parents grew up in fear about. Reds under beds is a joking comment I hear often from my MIL when she's talking about her childhood, and when looking at all the propaganda, it's a grim thought for a childhood. Over well brewed tea from the NAFFI we discussed the liklihood of a nuclear event, and the convoluted politics of the Cold War. Missy was disinterested in such deep talk and flirted with the scent hound trainers instead. 

To shake off the remnants of the Cold War, we went to the nearby Wynbunbury Tower. Apart from its lopsided appearance, and the supposed woodland walk around it (read peat bog, thank goodness Missy is wipe clean), we mostly went because my hubby thinks the name is hysterical. 

On the drive back to the Airbnb, I spotted a giant bee sculpture in a field. Pointing it out, I then spotted a sign for Snugbury Ice Cream. Well, if we can go to a tower because the hubby thinks a names funny, we can certainly get ice cream on the same pretence. The straw sculpture is because they are raising money for save the bees. Straw sculptures seem an odd hobby when you make ice cream, but admiring the photos of past sculptures including a giant dalek and a meerkat, it certainly seems to be one they are good at!

The ice cream did not disappoint, and we ate it whilst admiring the 40ft bee. Missy managed to coax us into sharing the cones with her, so she was very pleased with herself. 

I'm aware this is becoming a very long post, so will share our day out in Liverpool later in the week. See you all then! 

A bad Fright at the bottom of the Rainbow

Well, its been a little too exciting this weekend, but I wont get ahead of myself. The weather this week has been...stoating. Its been swinging between mild and bitter cold and all the time a driving heavy rain that feels like someone is throwing ice into your face.

The only benefit of this has been the rainbows. I spent several minutes on the phone describing the one above to my mother - the photo fails to so any justice as their was nine bands of colour. Despite the rainbows, everyone seems to be ill. I've been steeping in hot baths most nights this week (trust me, I cant afford to catch a chill, biology is against me with my delightful combination of shockingly bad circulation, low blood pressure and raynauds) whilst both my mother and brother have had vomiting bugs.

There had been grand plans this weekend of meeting family in Linlithgow (the members who weren't ill!), but I had to call it off after one of the worst nights ever with Missy. Worse than when I thought she'd blown her back out bad.

At first we thought she had a chill. She was being clingy and just acting out of sorts. Then she started trembling and shaking. Then we noticed that her quilt was wet - she hadn't had an accident, but had more sprung a slow leak. Let her outside, not interested. Fresh blankets and a waterproof under layer and we were dismayed as she rigidly lay, sphinx like, swaying.

I lost my childhood dog to a series of strokes so was starting to get inconsolable. I insisted, slow leak or not, she be allowed on the bed so that if she deteriorated any more we could get her straight to the emergency vet. An hour later she threw up a ball of leaves. Yes. Leaves. From trees. Rancid smelling leaves. A huge ball of them. We changed the bedding, watched her have a stretch and a potter about the garden a little and decided that she clearly was looking better for getting that up and out her system and tucked her back up.

I'd insisted that she had to go to the vets regardless the next day, and when we got up, despite some indignant shivering at being sent out of a warm bed and out to a balmy 2C walk to the bottom of the road and back, she seemed fine. The new bedding and quilts I'd put down for her were completely dry and she was alert and looking for food. With the slow leak I had fallen prey to Dr Google and matched up a few of her symptoms to a possible urine infection.

Picture this. Its 8am. 2C. My hubby is walking Missy on the lead and I'm stalking her with some old tupperware. All I can say is thank goodness she cocks her leg when she pees on things!

You've probably beaten me to the punchline. What was wrong with her? 

She's eaten something bad. Probably the leaves, which is a new one on us for her to eat.

That slow leak? The weird overly alert swaying? Staggering walk? Stomach cramps, more likely than not. I'm sure I'm not the only person who has been curled up on the bathroom floor wanting to die with indigestion before. It also explains her almost immediate recovery after being sick.

She checked out perfect. Temperature, spot on. That urine sample? Everything was absolutely normal, all in the ideal range. The only thing to comment was that she wasn't keen on having her stomach and bladder poked at. Cant say I blame her.

I relayed my concerns about my childhood dog to the vet and was assured that she was absolutely fine. And she has been fine. Missy is fed up of me checking all is dry (which it is), her appetite is good and she was chasing squirrels on her afternoon walk.

What a dog, I tell you!

Needless to say, its been a sofa day. Lots of cuddles and being cosy and warm whilst watching the rain. None of us have slept well, so all in all, its been a perfect sort of day to just chill out and doze listening to the rain over the sound of the radio. Its rare for us to just switch off from the world outside, to just appreciate the physical company of one another and say nothing, to enjoy the moment and the passing of time.

We should do it again, but, perhaps, without all the drama beforehand!

Adventure is out there!

So Missy got some very exciting news at the end of last week:

She's officially an Explorer for DogFuriendly.com! What does that mean? She gets to share her adventures on a bigger platform and we can spread the word of all the awesome dog friendly places we have been to and think you should go to too. I was really impressed with the selection process that had us fill in an online application form and then, after being shortlisted, write a listing for the site. For once the dogs are being chosen because they will do well in the role, not because of Pedigree. 

So, with that in mind, I'm hoping it will refocus the blog which has become a bit of a place for my meandering thoughts and commentary on life.

This weekend was a flying visit up north to visit the in-laws. I'm not sure if it's a man thing, or if my close proximity to my mother somewhat negates the desire, but sometimes all my hubby wants to do is go back home to his old nest and be pampered a little. I certainly agree it's nice to relax and not be guilt tripped by laundry needing washed or paperwork needing filing, so we happily packed the car and made the journey. 

My in-laws certainly enjoy us visiting and they take being grand-paw-rents seriously having already organised the weekend dog walk intinery. It wasn't just for Missys benefit, Ruby, now 8 months old, is at the terrible twos stage, and will steal shoes and hats out of sheer petulance if she doesn't feel she's getting enough attention. I think they appreciated a bit of a break as we played with the puppy and Missy snuggled with them on the sofa! 

We started our new role as Explorers with a revisit to Crathes Castle. It's a National Trust site and, whilst dogs are not permitted into the buildings, they are more than rewarded with a beautiful woodland walk. The worst of the boggy areas have boardwalks, but it's not the easiest terrain underfoot - which is exactly what Missy likes best! Both she and Ruby tore around, noses to ground, looking for rabbits and mice and thoroughly exhausted themselves. 

For the humans, they have just erected wooden carvings of native animals; we found an otter, a squirrel, a kingfisher and a beautiful heron dotted about the route. 

We finished with hot chocolate and cakes from the cafe which we discovered was dog friendly. We stayed out in the courtyard though, both In-laws didn't feel Ruby could be trusted yet in a nice indoor space. Perhaps next time. 

We celebrated Burns that evening with a truly Scottish dish: fish suppers and mushy peas! Forget haggis, we went for the real deal, at least by 21st Century standards. 

My MIL loves crafts so we managed to fit some time in to get on with that. I haven't quite finished the piece I started, but will hopefully have the embellishments finished soon. I did however get the chance to show her what I had done with an Xmas present she had gotten me:

An art form in progress for sure, but I was pleased with how these turned out - they are a mix of soy and Beeswax, hence the creamy colour. 

Well, I will leave things there for now, Missy is snoring away and those jobs I put aside for the weekend won't wait any longer. No rest for the wicked! 

Compasses ready at Cammo Estate

Missy turned her paw to a new hobby this weekend; orienteering! Despite absolutely no sense of direction, I used to love orienteering as a kid and, over the years of spotting those familiar red and white plaques, I've learned that this was an equal passion of my hubby's when he was a boy. Every time we spotted an abandoned control point, we'd discuss that we should find out the local groups and... that was it.

Earlier this week I spotted an advert on Facebook for an orienteering open day at Cammo Estate and decided to give it a go and see if it lived up to my childhood memories. It was originally to be a solo event but, through the power of "do us a favour", I ended up with Maisie (but no brother), my older sister and BIL, thier dog Wee Ben and eldest nephew (10) accompanying me. I won't beat about the bush, my nephew hates outdoor pursuits and activities. If there isn't a screen involved, he won't partake in it. I've managed to get him into some board games (exploding kittens is a favourite) and, thinking myself clever, got him into Pokemon GO. What's wrong with that? Nothing to do with the game (I've played it daily since it launched) its just that he doesn't actually want to walk and play, he'll stand and catch pokemon and, screen glued to face, shuffle at the slowest pace. Not ideal for dog walking, or being anywhere near traffic! I've digressed. I was worried as he'd already expressed disdain at the thought of the sport, even though I'd tried to dress it up as "treasure hunting".

A quick run through for those unfamiliar to the sport; you get a map with points marked on it and, going 1 through to 20, use the map to find all the points as quickly as possible. It's all modern now, you have little trackers on your finger that you pop into a little reciever which beeps and records the time stamp. In my day it was a literal stamp made from pins that you punctured the sheet with!

Indicating North, I handed my nephew the tracker and map and off we went. The first one is always easy and, as we organised ourselves to find the next point (I was having him do it all by himself and was just guiding things along) I asked where North was. He pointed. True North. It was like the clouds parted and the heavens shined upon us, the first in my genetic family line with an internal compass. He was clearly delighted with this unexpected praise and elation and, recognising he had a natural knack to the sport, was hooked.

No complaints of being tired, he ran as soon as we spotted the next navigation point. No complaining for the phone or making excuses to stop and delay, we made our way round that track in a very respectable time, telling his parents to hurry up. 

Highlights included a fleet of cavalier King Charles in pyjamas (no photos sadly, we were admiring at a dash) and some huge tree plates from some fallen trees which, for reasons unknown bearing in mind his usual vampiric dislike to Sun and outdoors, my nephew finds totally fascinating. 

Afterwards we parted ways and I heard later from my mother (who they visited next) that it was all he would talk about. Hopefully his parents will encourage him and make it a hobby, I'll certainly be letting them know if I spot another one! 

I'm going to leave it on a high, with a comment to say to tune in next week as Missy has some exciting news to share! 

A Sleepy Start to the Year

It's that part of January. Everyone is back at work (or, for those who didn't take all the holidays, it's the first full week back), it's still cold, it's still dark all the time and it's just miserable. Yep. The January blues are in full swing across the nation and in my household that basically means everyone is just exhausted.

A combination of just really bad weather and illness saw plans of a girls trip to Perth cancelled (although my locally based friend still came round for lunch and we had a good gossip about life), so it was a quiet weekend for the most part. With the dog walk really being more of a paddle and swim, Missy hasn't been interested in going out and neither have I!

And yes, I do stalk Missy and take hundreds of photos of her sleeping!

Its not been completely unproductive, holidays and future adventures are being planned during the dark evenings whilst the wind howls and the rain lashes down on the central belt. Hubby and I have been like something from a 40s novel; we've whiled away the evenings playing board games and working on jigsaws whilst listening to audio books and dramas. Its really been a week to recharge the batteries and get prepped for the year ahead.

When not playing the housewife, I've had a good week to push on with projects, mostly stash busting, but as most are gifts I cant share them just yet! But I will share these Potter themed tote bags:

Just a short post this week, after our recharge we should be back to regular programming in the near future!