A Fabulously Quiet Weekend

It happened. The impossible was achieved. We had A Quiet Weekend(tm). And it was glorious. 

I have been guarding this weekend all month, deliberately keeping it as free as possible. I will confess that on Saturday I did have a moment: there was a re-enactment event on in Falkirk and I did swither. But by the time I crawled out of bed, got dressed and opened the curtains to a persistent drizzle, the thought had left my mind.

Hubby worked Saturday, so I did both soggy dog walks and got cracking into a large sewing project. Christmas crafts have also begun, but I shan't say anymore lest eyes they are destined for happen across this page. 

I did get out for a bit as we had a get together with friends for the Barbie Movie. I loved it. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but for a feel good childhood nostalgia trip with feminist undercurrents, you can't go wrong. Won't say any more...

Well, except to share my outfit. Of course we had to join in on the pink (except hubby, who doesn't own any pink on the basis that he's far too colourblind to see it). Originally assembled as a Nurse Joy outfit for my nephews pokemon party, my gloriously pink culottes got an outing:

Today was a quiet one with hubby. The shops been done, as have the chores, but in good company. A lots been going on behind the scenes, so it's been what I needed to recharge the batteries. 

So until next time, live your best life! 

Dog Day Out at Traquair

A bit of a quieter weekend for us this time! I had the eldest nephew staying over for a birthday sleepover. There was lots of Japanese food, anime and board games. We also took him for his first ever escape room, and we successfully achieved our mission in 45 minutes with no hints!

Sunday was Missys day. I had asked my nephew if he wanted to stay an extra night and come along for the Dog Day Out or if he wanted I could drop him off home the Saturday night. He chose an extra night of anime and board games!

We met up with my brother and Maisie and all headed down together. My nephew was in the back with both dogs whilst I drove us all down, my brother having just finished a late shift. 

There was plenty to see an do - we watched the agility but didn't have a go (whilst Missy considers herself healed up, she's still to avoid running and jumping for another week or two). There was gun dog demos and there was meant to be a sheepdog one, but the event was cancelled owing to "naughty sheep"! We enjoyed a Story-telling dog walk, hearing stories of different dogs from across Scotland as we meandered about the grounds and of course there was stalls and a dog show. 

I insisted that Maisibshoukd go in for once and, whilst she didn't place, I felt she should definitely have taken a ribbon for dog judge would most like to take home! My nephew was her wrangler for that, my brother insisting that he wasn't going in the ring. 

Missy placed 3rd in Best Rescue and 2nd in Golden Oldie, which was really nice. Her favourite event had to be the fastest sausage eating contest. And yes. You read that right. A sausage eating contest. For the dogs. 

Dogs were put in groups of four, lined up with the sausage placed at the feet of a judge and, upon completion, the judge would raise thier hand. First to raise thier hand indicated the winning dog. 

Missy was in the fourth set of dogs to go through the first heat and, when she clocked what was going on, was desperate to get her sausage.

I was genuinely surprised that she beat a lab and a gigantic fluffy hound in her first run, both dogs much bigger than her! She places 3rd in the second heat and, whilst I returned to my brother and nephew, they both scolded me for giving Missy the disadvantage - apparently I held her back in her dash. So next time I should drop the lead! The audacity of them both! 

Still, two sausages, Missy clearly felt she was a winner for that alone! Part of me really wants to see more events like that at the shows - ones that embrace the dogs as pets, rather than how they look. 

And that was the weekend. A fly by one again, and a great laugh. So until next time, dream of doggos enjoying sausages and life! 

A Busy Weekend for the Little Jacobite

Its a been another busy little weekend. Firstly we started with the Dalkeith show on Saturday. It was my second time at the Dalkeith show and, particularly after my volunteer day at the Royal Highland Show, I couldn't get over how much smaller this one was. 

Still, it was really nice getting to see some friends and watch the livestock. I had gone with my local friend, and my other friend with the twins came along too to say hi. The weather unexpectedly held out for us, barring a short shower at 10am as we arrived, and it was soon boiling. 

Missy did enter the dog show, but didn't place (although she did come second in musical sit, which is pretty good for her!). And by that point everyone had had enough sun and we called it a day.

After thunderstorms and heavy rain from 7pm tell well past bedtime, I was rather worried about our plan to take another friend of ours to Duncarron. It was the same friend who we tool last time and, honestly, just watching her live out her favourite renfaire vibes is delightful. 

Still, we got up to bright sunshine. The storm had cleared the humidity, but it was hot. 8am and the jumper was discarded before I even got out for the morning walk. 

Duncarron was a success as always. There was sword fights and musket fire, although Missy has recently decided that she dislikes the musket fire. Not to the point she's freaking out, but definitely showing us that she doesn't like it - I'm wondering if sorting out her allergies (and the prolific ear infections that we're a side effect) has resulted in her sensitivity to noise increasing. Hubby thinks it's just because she's getting old and doesn't feel obligated to put up with nonsense any more!

That was certainly the case with her outfit today - I had made a little plaid for her and she decided after ten minutes that she wasn't happy so we took it off her. I definitely think it was because it was so hot - she did later oblige me a woodland photoshoot in the afternoon when it was cooler. 

I may have made a coat. We matched. It was awesome. 

That aside, we all had a great time. I'd remembered a picnic blanket so Missy was in princess mode lying across it and refusing to share with humans or other dogs! We watched the archery demonstration, had better luck with the axe throwing, learned all about the plaid and watched the fight demonstrations. 

There were plenty of dogs at this event; a lot of the volunteers had brought thier own and plenty of visitors too. The hunting hawks were also being shown and, the biggest surprise was the very first Cat of Duncarron! 

A very successful day! We have a relatively busy run next weekend and then I have a quiet one planned that I am fiercely guarding to myself! 

Until next update, have a good one! 

Joust in Time

Following on from Missys mishap with the evil squirrels; we had literally booked a trip away the day before - last minute and non refundable. 

We waited out it out and, as she had passed the ten days bed rest and was getting very frustrated and bored, we decided that a change of scenery was perhaps just what the vet would recommend. 

The plan had always been a very quiet glamping trip to de-stress from the rat race, so why not? 

And Maisie came too! We had double booked a weekend looking after her with our holiday, so just extended her stay with us. To stop over walking Missy, we split them up for walks so that Missy was effectively still on bed rest whilst Maisie got a full walk. It worked a charm with, I think, both dogs appreciating the alone time with a human. 

We went down to Penrith and stayed at Howdy Glamping in their gypsy pod. It was exactly as advertised, neatly tucked away in a woodland and in a black spot for signal, just what we wanted! 

We did get in some adventures. One day was spent at Brougham Castle and the neighboring King Arthur's Table. That was our best day weatherwise as... 

 

Our day in Ullswater was rather wet! We did the steamers so that Missy spent most of the day resting barring the short walk we did at Howtown Pier. There wasots of dogs on the sailing, and we enjoyed chatting away to folk. We stopped for lunch at one end of the lake and then had tea and dessert on the other end!

 and then it was time for home and a stop at Carlisle Castle. It was a great castle but I was getting concerned about the amount of stairs. Whilst Missy is a master of the spiral staircase, we're to restrict too much of that motion, and Maisie has legs that are far too short for such tall flagstones. She gave up halfway and I had to carry her the rest of the way!

Theres not a lot to say of the holiday. We didn't spend as long as we normally would at places (thank goodness our passes got us in free!) owing to Missy. And if I'm honest, owing to ourselves. Hubby and I have definitely burned the candle too much at both ends recently. We definitely needed the quiet evenings listening to birdsong and playing cards.

We finishes our little holiday back home with the Spectacular Jousting in Linlithgow. Always a highlight in the calander. We took it super easy: no walk in the morning for Missy. She walked from the car to the Jousting. Lay down and watched said jousting whilst being fawned over for her Sir Checkmate inspired regalia, and then a wee dither about the stalls before we repeated the above in reverse.

Whilst she didn't get to meet her favourite pantomime villain, we all had a terrific time. Missy is definitely on the mend and wants to do much more than we're letting her, but these things take time to heal. So hopefully the cha he in sights and smells will be enough to have her feel less bored for now. 

Anyway, until next time, here is a photo of the infamous Sir Checkmate to tide you over! 

A Short Update

Well, it was bound to happen. After running full swing into the summer with a flower show, a pirate day, and a holiday to the lakes, Missy went for one squirrel too many and, not only tore her dew claw, but pulled her back too.

Needless to say, seeing her in pain is incredibly stressful, so there's been 2 vet visits, painkillers and a lot of bed rest. And that's kinda been it. 

We've had lots of human socials: it was the Summer Social for the Magic Circle (also known as "wives night"), I've been doing sewing lessons with a friend, we've had a games night with more friends. I did a day volunteering at the highland show for work which was amazing and so on, but... Yeah, just not feeling much like talking at the moment.

I will leave you with sad Missy, who is feibg much better and is resenting the fact she is still on toilet walks, and will be for a few days more, at least. 

So until the next update, glare at the squirrels and tell them off, for Missy! 

Sketching Out a Great Holiday

Pencil puns are harder than I expected, I clearly need to sharpen my wits...

It finally arrived, the great sibling getaway! What started as a lakes getaway in 2017 has come full circle - since then we've done Disneyland Paris, took a break with Covid, then Wales, and Dundee last year. Honestly, this trip was a highlights tour of all our favourite things to do in the lakes. 

We changed it up a bit with our brother, as part of his 40th birthday celebrations, coming along with everyone's favourite Pouty McPoutface. Owing mostly to the extra dog we decided to break the party in 2, one for the dogs, so hubby, Missy, Maisie, my brother and I, and the other my sister with her husband and both kids. I knew it would change up the dynamic of the holiday, but it was more so than I expected. 

We started in Keswick. Owing to being much earlier risers than my brother, Missy, Hubby and I enjoyed the Derwent Pencil Museum which has undergone a revamp since we were last there. They still allow dogs and, armed with our quizzes, it made for a very nice morning out of the worst of the sun. Then we met up for lunch with my brother, took both dogs a walk by the river, then headed down to the site.

White Cross Bay is a great site. Walking distance to Brockhole and the pier for the boat to Windermere, a mere 6 minutes from Ambleside by car and right on the lake itself. We arrived, checked in, parked up, located my sister and her family and then all went to play in the water, letting the dogs cool down again.

Of course we started with the boats. This was really the one day that was pretty independent from my sisters family as we did the Walkers Ticket. Whilst they joined us in Brockhole and to Ambleside, we hopped on the next boat for Wray Castle whilst my niece and nephew hunted down chocolate dipped ice creams.

Once at Wray castle, we started the 4 mile walk to Ferry House. At 22C, I spent the whole holiday panicking about Missy overheating, but it was all in the shade of the forest or along the waters edge where both Missy and Maisie dipped thier paws to keep cool. This was the key thing for Hubby and I - in years past we tried this route and, owing to a much younger Missy trotting to get past all the ramblers, we effectively jogged the first mile and had to quit the route as I about died from the exercise. Needless to say, Missy is more sedate on walks these days, st least until she spots a squirrel or rabbit.

Once we successfully completed the 4 miles, we hopped on the boat to Windermere and celebrated with chocolate dipped ice creams of our own.

Wednesday was mostly focused on Brockhole and was a proper family day. The treetop adventure had been closed the day before and, at my brothers casual suggestion, that was the plan. I sat out with the dogs as I knew hubby would be sitting out on Thursdays plans.

I was unsure of how both dogs would feel about thier dad's up in the trees, but they were perfectly behaved for me. I managed a cup of tea, some "wild crafting" and then they were all coming down the zip line, buzzing about the adventure. It was the talk of lunch as we ate at Brockhole and enjoyed some of the wider scenery it offered. 

We split paths again, an afternoon swimming in the kids agenda whilst we decided to explore both Skelghyll Wood and Stagshaw Garden. The views we're absolutely stunning, so we'll worth squeezing into the tiny car park for! 

Thursday was definitely the sisters day. We started off with the big "must do" of my sisters - the Stott Bobbin Mill. I did give my brother the choice of opting out, but he was game for anything so came along with us. We were again blessed with superb weather and, as the kids ran about with their bobbin-keys for the kids quiz, the dogs enjoyed a sunny stroll. They no longer allow dogs on the tour, so hubby sat out whilst I joined the main party. 

The tour was superb and everyone enjoyed it, particularly my nephew who received the bobbin that split in half during the demonstration. The gift shop was subsequently raided of all bobbins and, after shaking my sister down by the ankles and determining that she hadn't stolen anything, we were on route to Kendal. 

I was getting very concerned about Missy at this point. Whilst technically no hotter than the days prior, this was our first "inland" day and she was panting like a freight train. Now, let me be clear, she loves to bake herself in the sun and then has to lie on the floor in the hall to cool down.  The heat and the panting weren't really the issue, it was adding in walking that was worrying me. 

We got to the castle and made a beeline for the city centre for some food. A huge shout out to the Pizza Express there. We had to sit outside owing to the dogs and, without prompting, we were handed a huge old margarine tub full of ice water for Missy. At last, my last minute panic buy of a neon orange cool vest was put to use. Dipped in the water and secured on Missy and she perked up right away. 

Content that she was well, my sister and I split off for the Quaker Tapestry Museum. Again I asked my brother if he wanted to decline, and this time he did! Clearly viewing tapestries was a step to far for him.

The museum was thoroughly enjoyable. I thought it was  going to be a collection of old tapestries, not the Quaker equivalent of the Bayeux Tapestry which told the history of the Quakers. So it was a pleasant surprise.

Just as we finished up in the gift shop hubby rang, it was fine, but Maisie had broken her good streak and chased a rabbit. He had to rescue her after she got trapped in brambles, but all was well, but they were done now, were we?

So we all congregated back at the car. Maisie was scolded for being naughty and all was well again. 

We celebrated the end of the holiday with desserts at the pub, which my sister snuck away to join us in. A toast was made to a good holiday and all was well in the world. 

We finished off the week back in Keswick, this time revisiting the Puzzling Place. It's an oldie but a goodie and the kids loved it, though I don't think Missy wants swapped out for a daschund anytime soon.

And then it was lunch and into our separate cars to go back home. Upon pulling into the driveway, hubby, Missy and myself looked at one another an knew the holiday blues were awaiting. I got a message from my brother, Maisie had refused dinner and was sulking, so clearly we weren't the only ones! 

I did get an invite out for a dog walk yesterday with my brother, so clearly I didn't drive him mad on holiday! Missy was in her cool coat again for it, but safe than sorry, its very hot! 

Al in all, a very good holiday. I did miss crafting with my sister in the evenings, but in the whole felt it had balanced out well. 

Until next time! 

Flowers and Canons

It's been a weekend of 2 halves, both absolutely brilliant and full of getting to hang out and see friends.

Winding back a little, Friday was a trip over to the House of the Binns for the long awaited photoshoot of my eldest neice in her prom dress. I am not at liberty to share them here, but trust me when I say that she looked absolutely stunning.

The fact that one of her friends has turned one of the photos into a mock cover for Vogue is far more flattering to my photography skills than I care to admit!

Saturday was a rather last minute outing with my friends to Scone Palace and their Garden Fair. My Inverness friend came down for the day and we came to realise just how incredibly twee we have become in our old age! After a few hours admiring the competition gardens (Missy and I liked the one with cake best) and looking through the plant stalls (I was good and only adopted one peppermint plant), we found a nice shady area and chatted away. 

There was a few shady walks and also dash around the maze. Missy got us absolutely lost in the maze, which only added to the fun. 

And then it was time to get going. Once back in Edinburgh, I briefly saw my brother for a slice of cake for his birthday. We have adventures planned to celebrate which I will tell you about next week. 

Sunday was an absolute 180. From house and garden and calmly mooching about neatly mown lawns with peacocks to being back in Duncarron for thier Pirates event.

It was Missy, hubby, a good friend and myself who all went. Our friend had been lamenting the lack of Renfairs in the UK, so we told her this was probably the closest thing we could get. And it was an absolute success, we did the archery, the axe throwing and watched the displays. For lunch we hid in the shade of the pirate tavern and Missy got so much attention. We humans did too as we had also dressed up, but as always Missy went into tart mode and we all made fast friends with everyone we met.

The absolute highlight of the day was best dressed pirate. As with the Viking show, we decided it would be funny to enter Missy except.... 

She was the only entrant. The heat and lateness of the day had driven off most of the little pirates I had seen running about earlier. Fortunately, Jack Sparrow ran off and rounded up all the kids he could find and we had a competition. There were introductions and Missy got her time honoured laugh. Then the judges all huddled together to pick a winner. I did hear a "it's gotta be the dog" followed by a "ye cannae have the dog win! It's gotta be one of the bairns!" which gave me a good giggle.

We all clapped when the kid beside us won a little shield and sword and then Jack Sparrow stood upon a barrel and announced that Missy had won runner up. We were handed his autobiography (a dvd of one of the Pirates films) and a jar of dirt (tastefully put together). At that point, the lass running the kitchen ran over with a hotdog which was proudly presented to Missy. 

There was much laughter as it was immediately gobbled down! An excellent end to the day. 

And so, Missy will always remember the day that Captain Jack Sparrow gave her a hot dog!