Sailing to New Adventure!

 

We're just back from a very last-minute break to the Isle of Bute. Why Bute? It was about a 2 hour trip to get there, the accommodation was very affordable and we wanted somewhere remote where we could throw our phones in a drawer and just claim bad signal. Our research prior to booking was spending about an hour googling for things to do, double checking the per policy for the ferry and then hitting book.

So we really went into this one blind!

We actually arrived a day early. Owing to weather warnings for the day we were to travel, the host of the airbnb contacted us and offered us a complimentary extra night to avoid risking the ferry being cancelled. Of course, I received this message on the morning of our new arrival date (because I would much rather stress about last minute packing than stress about my holiday being cancelled and being stranded in Largs). So we arrived late Tuesday. Got orientated to the place and went to bed.

Having all Wednesday was a bonus, and we explored Rothesay. There were many highlights; a beautiful walk along Bogany Wood and hiding from the rain and watching the soggy birds in their aviary's at Ardencraig Garden. The old Victorian Garden had been listed as closed, so we were surprised to see it open and were very relieved to wander about the greenhouses as the rain passed us by.

The most memorable highlight though was probably Bute Museum. We enquired about Missy and were told that they were dog friendly on the condition that the dog would go into the Natural History section. This seemed an odd caveat to us, so we obliged and trotted Missy over to the side with all the taxidermy. She wandered straight in and instantly tried to dislocate my shoulder in her enthusiasm to say hello to a stuffed seal.

"Lot o' dogs wont go in there. There 'ackles go right up an' they start growlin'." We were informed by the gentleman at the till. Missy insisted she be properly greeted and then we went about our visit. It was very interesting and focused on the history of the island, including the presence of an iron age fort. I admired some embroidery bits whilst hubby was rather enamoured with the midget submarines but then we did the natural history bit and, honestly, that darn seal. I couldnt get Missy to leave it be. And trust me, at 20kg of solid muscle, "senior" or not, if she wants to stay put then hell nor high water will move her.

It was just weird that she wasnt interested in the rest of the taxidermy. Oh, of course the loose fox tail on the touch table got an excited glance, but the nicely mounted squirrel was clearly too dead to be of interest and the birds failed to gain a second glance. There was even a sealskin you could touch which she casually sniffed and moved away from. But that seal...

I conceded in the end. It was exposed to the museum and didnt have a no touch sign, so surely a small sniff would do no harm. Well honestly, it was like I'd just handed her Christmas, tail wagging she sniffed all over its face and whiskers before, with a big sneeze, she'd gotten whatever curiosity it was out of her system and she was happy to leave it be.

"Oh aye," our stoic gentleman at the till nodded as we explained why we were now buying the dog a cuddly toy seal, "that things bin petted by 'unners o wains - dunt surprise me yer dogs all keen o' it."

In hindsight, it probably smelled of cheese puffs, or some other greasy afternoon snack!

I've mentioned before that we are terrible at rambling. So much so that I officially banned ourselves from it after cutting myself up on barbed wire carrying Missy over fences. So it was with great trepidation that we started our next day. We warmed up into the rambling with a small circular walk to the Kingarth Stone Circle. We were almost immediatly lost, but between Google maps and Pokemon Go, we figured out the route and safely made it there.

Emboldened, we continued to the next step in our plans; the Dunagoil Hill Fort (aka the bronze age fort we'd seen mentioned at the museum). The directions were a bit vague at best, but we forged on and found ourselves idling at  dead end. The turning circle said "Strictly No Parkining" and yet we had been promised a car park at this point. The heavens had opened, so we squashed ourselves out of the way and enjoyed lunch whilst we pondered our next step.

Just as the rain cleared, another car arrived, pulled up into the layby and some well equipped ramblers emerged. We both squinted at the layby and, sure as day, there was a postage stamp sized "P" on the sign post. The car was promptly moved and we set off in the opposite direction.

There is very little left in the way of ruins at the fort. However, the stunning scenery more than makes up for the lack of obvious history. Missy has mountain goat on her fathers side, so easily ambled over the rocks and weaved through hillocks as we carefully inched our way along.

We found some caves (but didnt explore too deeply in them) and watched the clouds roll across the sea. There may be little in the way of foundations, but you can still sense that this was a place of importance. The rain had yet to return so we added on St Blanes church, which was technically the ruin the car park was for.

A very successful day.

Friday was a bit of a mixed bag. The weather was more severe, with heavier showers, but we decided to make a go of it anyway. It started well; we found the Midget Submarine memorial which hubby particularly wanted to see. We decided that Missy needed a bit of a rest day, so drove over to Etterick bay with the intention of doing the beach walk and seeing the bird hide.

Intention being the operative word. No sooner had we set off when I heard hubby swear and indicate that, just ahead of us, a dog had jumped the wall and was now running rampant amongst a flock of sheep. Well, if nothing else positive can be said of us, neither hubby nor I can just walk away from a situation where an animals welfare is at stake. So Missy was handed over to the kids who were now watching their father chase after the dog and we went to join in.

Let me tell you. I have far more respect for sheepdogs. I find livestock intimidating, and when a whole flock charges towards you, its quite frightening. Nonetheless. It took way longer than I'd have liked, but we managed to coerce the dog to its owner and it was caught. The owner was very grateful, to say the least, and thankfully no sheep were harmed and its the wrong time of year for them to be in lamb. Missy was very unimpressed at having been abandoned with the kids and we went our separate ways. Now 40 minutes behind schedule, we started for the bird hide. And the heavens opened.

You know once your pants are wet its time to give up. So we abandoned the plan, went back to the flat to get warmed up and dry before having another pass at the day.

We had decided to keep Mount Stuart in our pockets as an emergency option. Dogs are permitted on the grounds only, which was why we'd initially held off on it, but we decided that it was worth it to try and salvage the day a little. We got there, paid, took the photo above and then the heavens opened. Thankfully there were plenty of trees to shelter under so, once it passed, we made our way about the suggested trail.

The grounds were absolutely beautiful - autumn is creeping in and everything has begun to change colour. The made our way along the private stretch of beach and looped back through the forest. We hid from some more rain and decided that we should quit whilst the going was good and play board games for the rest of the day.

Which we did. To the background sound of Missys snores. Which is a rather good way to spend an evening, and to finish off a holiday.

We had planned on spending a bit more time on the island today but, after popping into the few shops we had missed in Rothesay, decided that we were simply delaying the inevitable, so we may as well catch the ferry and make our way home.

Would we do Bute again? Absolutely! We've left with a much longer to do list than when we arrived! Although perhaps we'll go again "on season", when more things are open and the weather is (perhaps) a bit kinder!

An Expotition

It all started, I suppose, with a bear. 

Since the days before hubby and I were even BF and I, back when we were casual acquaintances playing wingman to my sister and her future hubby, he had one peculiar thing on his bucket list:

To play Pooh Sticks on the actual Pooh Sticks bridge. 

I was not a Winnie the Pooh kid. I liked the cartoons enough, viewing myself, like most in their late-teens-breaching-on-twenties, as a bit of an Eeyore, but had never read the books. Well. That would not do. So as we moved from acquaintance to BF and GF, hubby read them to me. He insisted that they were books best read to you, and so, we worked our way through not just the books, but all of A. A. Milnes children's poetry too. 

I begrudgingly accepted that I was not an Eeyore, but really, I was most definitely Rabbit. He was, and still is, a Pooh bear. Able to see good in every awful situation, and always with a random hum to hand. 

So it seemed fitting, as we moved from BF and GF to something more official, that we would include that bear of little brain there too, and had an extract from House at Pooh Corner read on our wedding day. If you think hard, you can probably guess which part. 

So I think it's clear to see that we are quite personally attached to that little rag tag collection of stuffed animals, which is why, having learned our lesson from losing two years of our lives, we chose to make East Sussex, home of the 100 Aker woods and the all important Pooh Sticks Bridge our next big holiday. 

The plans for our Expotition were rather simple: stay near Hartfield and wing it from there. We had two goals: the Pooh Sticks Bridge and Pooh Corner. 

A lot of people were confused that we would go so far to somewhere without much to do, but in the end, we ran out of time to do all the things we had discovered close by. 

We broke the journey up and down with a break in Manchester and staying at my sisters (a huge thank you again!). We arrived a little early for check in and so investigated some of the nearby walks in the Ashdown Forest. The land is primarily heathland, which is protected in its own right, and it goes on and on for as far as the eye can see. The landscape is a rolling sort, very different to our Scottish hills and peaks back home. Thankfully, heathland is also the kind of place Missys like best. We spent two hours rambling about, keeping an eye on the distant Friendship Clump so as not to get lost, and simply marvelled at out good fortune. March is a dangerous time for holidays, and we had packed jumpers and coats, fleeces and hot water bottles, and here it was, bright and sunny and warmer than a Scottish Summer day. That perfect rose tinted summer of youth, warm and pleasant but not hot and sticky - which was ideal as I always worry about Missy in hot weather! 

Perhaps I am a little like Kanga in my old age. 

Tuesday was the day. We had on our Big Boots, which are required for an Adventure to happen. We had packed our teddies: Pooh, Piglet and my very sad and well travelled Eeyore, and set off on the Winnie the Pooh Walk. We saw the enchanted place, and lost count of the trees, found the heffalump pit and Eeyores Gloomy Place. Photos were taken at the North Pole and lastly, the 100 Aker woods.

Piglet had a bit of an adventure himself, sneaking out of my bag. We realised he was missing and retreated back to the 100 Aker woods, where someone had kindly placed him atop a fence post. A heart stopping moment, but really, it fitted in perfectly with the theme of the day. 

Next was Pooh Corner. This fabulous teashop and "Pooh-seum" used to be the old sweet shop Christopher Robin visited. The website said dogs outside only, which we were quite happy to do, only to be told when we arrived that it was the discretion of the staff - being clean and we'll behaved, Missy was more than welcome inside. We did sit out for lunch and marvelled at the adorable teapots and crockery before I simply sat back and watched my husband become completely overwhelmed in the museum. 

Then came the moment. The Pooh Sticks Bridge. We walked from Pooh Corner (they kindly gave us a map) and found our way safely to the bridge. There was almost a sense of a pilgrimage as sticks were gathered and we dropped them into the water, as Eeyore describes, in a twitchy kind of way. 

I had always been under the impression that those from the South weren't the sort to chat (having "Northerners" as in laws is to blame for that impression), but that was not the experience we had on our trip at all. As we hunted down Poohs house (and Piglets and Owls), a passer by filled us in on what it was like to live by the bridge and told us all about the little houses and the area. 

Truly, a wonderful day. 

Wednesday was a "let's see what else there is" kinda day. I had scoped out a dozen options for the key part of the day before we settled on Battle Abbey. Firstly, it was the most dog friendly option, and secondly, it would be rude not to learn some English history. It was another beautiful day and, opting for the tour which was fascinating (so much so it overran the 1 hour it was meant to be and lasted two), we spent far longer than we expected. Really, we could have spent the whole day there, but I had done a Rabbit and organised a list to get through. 

Camber Sands was the next stop (we were out with the bathing season, so no restrictions). We had originally planned to do Rye first, but had overrun at Battle Abbey, so decided to do the walk first. It's a huge beach, some 5 miles in length (don't worry, we didn't walk all of it), and Missy preferred the sand dunes to the water. Still, it was beautiful and she had the chance to run and shake off the cobwebs from her history lessons. We shared a fish and chips between the three of us before setting off to Rye. 

I was excited to see Rye as its a medieval town with one of the most photographed streets in the UK (Mermaid Street). We arrived, found a great wee petshop and then as we left, realised everywhere had shut. Unperturbed, we found Mermaid Street to find it....closed off with a giant JCB on the middle. Hubby just laughed, it would make a good story to tell, really, and I should take a photo of the JCB instead. I did, then found another street of medieval buildings and got Missys photo there. It wasn't a wasted trip, it was nice to look about at the oddly named buildings (such as "the house with two front doors" and "the house with the seat") before we found a dog friendly pub for our dinner.

I had come up with all sorts of ideas for Thursday and then Hubby suggested that, since we had come so far for the purposes of seeing the world of Winnie the Pooh, that we should revisit it all again. I couldn't fault the logic and happily agreed, so long as we got to see the Sheffield Park and Gardens which was only 15 minutes away. I'm always a bit wary of repeating a day exactly!

Missy had woken up rather stiff that morning. At 9, whilst she would like to go all day, she doesn't know her own limits anymore and had clearly overdone things chasing Rabbits friends and Relations at the beach the day previous. I scrapped her morning walk to just a bathroom break and insisted on a quiet morning until the Gardens opened at 10. It was oddly charming sitting in the sun, hearing birds sing as we listened to the first Winnie the Pooh book.

Missy was raring to go come 10am. Her long morning sleep had re-energised her and she happily hopped into the car. The Sheffield Park and Gardens are like a Botanic Garden - lots of beautifully organised trees and plants. There were bridges and ponds and trees you could barely make out the top of, they were so large. Its short leads only for dogs going about the Garden, which suited us well as I had decided we were going to keep Missys walks to a minimum for the day.

Hubby had tried to book us an afternoon tea at Pooh Corner, but sadly they needed 48 hours notice for that, so we decided we would have a normal lunch there instead. He also wanted to eat inside this time and, even though the sun was shining and it was glorious, I agreed to humour him and sit indoors. I am so glad we did. At first I thought our luck had finally begun to fail as we were relegated to the smaller side room owing to all the folk having their afternoon teas being in the main room. We were recognised by the staff (as the couple who had brought their teddies with them and the really calm dog) and they chatted away with us, clearly realising that we were just happy to be there.

Then the owner got chatting to us. At first it was polite chatter. Then it was long stories about how we'd fallen in love with Winnie the Pooh. Then it was discussing Disney. We learned that they were putting together an exhibition about AA Milnes and Christopher Milnes military service and from there we just kept chatting. One thing led to another and we found ourselves getting to hold an original alpha bear in the collection - a vintage teddy the same type and age as the original Winnie the Pooh. 

I was impressed that Hubby didn't start crying from happiness on the spot.

After that, I felt we'd had enough excitement for the day and insisted we save the main Winnie the Pooh walk for the Friday morning before going home, and that we just walk Missy to the Pooh Sticks Bridge and back again.

Quite the perfect way to end the day.

Friday rolled round too quickly. We packed the car, said goodbye to the barn we'd been staying at, and went once more to Gills Lap (or Galleons Leap, as it is referred to in the books). Our aim, having just relistened to the book, was to look at the lone pine more closely before having a proper explore in the 100 Aker woods. We did try to find Owl, who lives there, but sadly couldn't. Missy did find some more of Rabbits friends and Relations, but thankfully they came to no harm. 

And then we were on our way to Manchester again, to good company and good food, and a long promised walk at the Quarry Bank Mill, before the last leg home.

Its been a the kind of holiday which was exactly what we needed. Warm, almost summer, weather. Stunning scenery and dog walks. A relaxed pace - we'll get there when we get there. And a very large dose of whimsy.

And tea rooms. Is it really an adventure without tea and cake?

This has rambled on long enough. So I will part with what I my favourite line from Winnie the Pooh:

"So they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing."

An Unexpected Week Away

 

Its been a bit of a crazy week! As I've mentioned previously, Missy is an Explorer for Dog Furiendly and, owing to changes in restrictions in different parts of the UK, the opportunity for a last minute staycation in Durham was offered. Having the week booked off and, with nothing to lose, I put her forward and Missy was fortunate enough to be chosen!

We didn't have a lot of time to plan, and with the threat of new Covid restrictions in the North East, decided to keep planning relatively minimal and wing the week.

 

On our drive down we decided to stop in an see the High Force Waterfall. I'd found mixed reviews online about the best way to see it; either going to the Rabys Estate and paying, or going to Bowlees Visitors Centre and taking the free walk. With time of the essence, and some pretty harsh weather, we opted for Rabys. It was certainly an expensive 20 minute walk with £3 parking and then the £2 per human, but if you are short on time or have mobility issues, then this would be a better option than Bowlees (spoiler alert, we did that at the end of the week).

After checking in to the Heather View Leisure Park, which as explorers we were to officially review, we explored the local village and scoped out the route that would double up as the morning walk. Time to make the battle plans, we had a whole County to conquer.

 

Our first full day was designated to Beamish: The Living Museum. This has been on our to-do list for years, and we finally had a base of operations near enough to it that it was a feasible option for us. We had to pre-book, as most places do these days with Covid, which as unfortunate as it was the wettest day of our holiday. Saying that, we all had rain coats and umbrellas, so werent put off and we managed to find shelter for the worst of the squalls.

Beamish, whilst very dog friendly, does not allow dogs in the buildings, so we had to take turn about with Missy, however there is so much to look at that we never really felt like we were idly waiting about. There is reduced staff and some areas have had to be shut owing to the current way of the world, but it was still a really enjoyable day for us - we arrived for opening and were there until it was almost time to close, with a stop of course to enjoy our afternoon tea in the 1950s area.

Being a bit of a Downtown Abbey fan, the Edwardian village was probably my favourite bit, although Missy would say the Georgian farm was her favourite, owing to the pigs and the horses. The gift-shop at the end does allow dogs in, and despite being soaked, the staff were all very pleased to see Missy and she was much fawned over.

 

Our second full day was in the village of Barnard Castle. The castle there, unsurprisingly called Barnard Castle, is an English Heritage site. Having held our Historic Scotland passes for more than a year, we are eligble into these sites for free (and I'm certain the reverse is true for those thinking of a trip North of the border), so it made sense to bag a few of these sites whist in the area. Missy is a master of the spiral staircase and has been nosing around castles for years now, and this one did not disappoint.

Again, we had to prebook, and the staff were great with us. We were told were the hidden gems were and got the back story of the ruin before being left to find a sunny picnic spot and then explore. The staff also told us about the walk from Barnard Castle to Eggleston Abbey (which was a general free to visit site and didnt require prebooking) and, emboldened by the bright sky, we went for it (after a stop at the Ringtons cafe for lunch were we sat outside - there were plenty of dog friendly cafes, but they were all busy, which I like to see).

I'll confess this now, we are terrible ramblers. Spoilt after years of Scottish Heritage walks where there is a sign every 10ft, we inevitably get lost. So, if anyone wishes to follow this walk, read carefully: after getting to the river and following the sign to the Abbey, you end up in a caravan site. Do not panic. Follow exit signs and then go through the fields following the direction of the river. Eventually you come to a very narrow gate, just squeeze through and follow the road a few minutes and you are there. We, and another couple, all got lost in the caravan site and thankfully got directions from a visitor.

The Abbey is a quaint ruin and worth a stroll about, although we felt some more signs about it would have been nice. There are no facilities at the Abbey, so we didnt stay too long as the weather had turned and decided to risk retracing our steps.

Quote of the day, from yours truly, "But sheep are really intimidating!"

 

Our last full day was a revisit to the waterfall. We had done a touristy thing, we'd done a historical thing, so it was time to enjoy some of the nature that is considered part of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We went with the Bowlees Visitors Centre route this time so we could compare the two. The visitors centre is dog friendly (though not in the upstairs gallery) and the staff were keen to explain the routes available to us. Armed with a map, we decided to go and see all three of the waterfalls available.

The Low Force Waterfall was first in line and we had the surprise of a film crew setting up a fallen bridge prop across it. They were very friendly and had left plenty of space for us tourists to go and awe over the falls. Then we followed the very nicely marked path up to the High Force waterfall. There was two viewing platforms, one literally across the river from the Rabys viewing post, and another literally on top of the drop.

To compare the two options, we preferred the second route - Missy is a dog that needs a lot of walking (she did 15miles and was still ready for an evening walk), and we were well equipped to handle the rough paths, however, as I said earlier, the Rabys option is perfect to allow those who may struggle on uneven paths or simply don't have a few hours to spare, so I'm not going to discredit the option.

After admiring the falls, we decided to give rambling another go. We had a map this time that clearly outlined the other half of the circular route, so what could go wrong? We went over to the Rabys Estate, grabbed some hot chocolate after deciding it looked too busy inside (dogs were welcome, but given the current situation we decided to avoid it), we set off.

It went well to begin with, there was one turnstile we had to pick up Missy and pass her over, but we found the right sign and were emboldened. I'm not sure when we ended up in the wrong field, but have to stress that at no point where we genuinely lost, we were just a field too far over. Eventually we could go no further and had to admit defeat and follow the road. Missy was disgruntled to be picked up and once more handed over a fence like a sack of potatoes, but accepted it with grace and as much dignity as she could muster.

We were only 5 minutes from Bowlees at that point and accepted that perhaps we should give up rambling for another year. In order to redeem ourselves, we made our way to the last waterfall: Summerhill Force and Gibsons Cave. I'm pleased to say we didnt get lost!

 

And that was us. There were plenty of ideas and options for dog friendly stops on the way home, but with all the castles needing pre-booked, we decided to just pack up and get up the road again. Its safe to say though that we found so many things to do that we are going to have to come back again.

But, perhaps, we're best to leave the rambling to the experts next time!

Inchmahome Priory revisited

Missy has previously done Inchmahome Priory (back in 2017!), but we weren't going to turn down a puppy play date just because we've been before!

It was my brother and Maisie, my mother, Missy and myself. My brother kindly offered to pick me up from the house and we were soon on the road. He was looking forward to trying Maisie on a boat, as she hadn't been on one yet, and he was hoping she would prefer it to the steam train. 

I just laughed and told him that I would have thought for her first boat he would have done a proper big boat. 

I swear, if he could have stopped on the motorway he would have. I was drilled as to what kind of a boat it was and, thinking he was concerned about Maisie, tried to play it cool by describing it as a rowboat with a motor.

Would we be given life jackets? He asked with some alarm.

Life jackets? For the dogs? Then it clicked. My brother cant swim. 

Yep. Enjoy the irony - I, the scuba diver, has a dog who will actively avoid water whilst my hydrophobic brother has a dog that will find any excuse to leap into it. The more I think of it, the funnier it seems!

Well, I wouldn't be writing the blog if we never made it. So despite his panic, the boat did not sink and even though I insisted I wouldn't judge him, he declined the offer of the life jacket. Maisie enjoyed it more than he did.

We got onto the island with no fuss, got our tickets and stopped for our picnic. Now, like everyone else, I'm trying to reduce plastic and waste and picnics are one place I find myself still seeking some plastic sandwich bags - not anymore:

Tada! A sandwich wrap (more photos on my instagram @missdaisysewing) - just simply put the rolls in the middle and assemble the velcro the right way and voila! I made a few earlier in the week so was pleased to road test it. Missy and Maisie were keen to share the spoils as we all enjoyed the unexpected beautiful weather.

The priory is a complete ruin. The foundations are completely intact and some of the buildings have most of their walls, but there is only one roof and that's the chapter house (Missy went on point in the completely empty, dark and chilly room so we didn't linger, just in case she had spotted a ghost).

What does remain is beautiful. Stone arches and tall plinths which are perfect for having dogs pose on (Missy and Maisie would not cooperate together, I have lots of nice photos of them individually, but they wouldn't sit nicely together!

As with all sites across the central belt, there is a lot of fuss about Mary Queen of Scots (she seems to have visited just about every castle - I'm waiting for the day I find a privvy with a sign stating "Mary Queen of Scots had a wee here") and there is a boxwood bower it is said she planted. My brother isn't a fan of the priory's and abbeys, much preferring the castles, so his highlight was the grounds of the island and its abundant trees. Despite only being half a kilometre long, there is a sizeable portion of 'woodland' which both dogs enjoyed.

Missy made friends on the boat ride back and Maisie decided to nap, a far cry from her excited barking going to the island. I was sat in the back with both dogs (they were harnessed in, Missy normally has the boot to herself) and they both fell asleep on the ride home. Definitely a worthwhile day out.

Trains and Rosettes

The 1940s and 50s day at Bo'ness had been on my radar for a while. I originally spotted this advertised when taking my friend to the railway earlier this year and have subsequently stalked Bo'ness and Kinneil railway through all their social media channels since. Ironically as I hated it as school, I've developed a real love and passion for history of all kinds in my old age and try and get along to all the reenactments that I can. This was obviously not a reenactment but a celebration of the time period with live music, dance displays, both steam and diesel engines and, of course, encouraging everyone to dress up. I love dressing up. Which is funny as I'm always in dog walking trousers, walking boots, a baggy jumper, tatty baseball cap and an obnoxiously bright hi-vis coat. My own mother today told me how lovely it was to be seen in a dress and my response was that they just aren't practical when walking the dog. But still, any excuse to embrace something bright and fun and I am there!

So, I've already said I wore a dress so the post today is a little back to front:

I actually made this nearly two years ago. It had not seen the light of day until now - not because I wasn't happy with it, I adore that I made something with a vintage pattern and the trials and tribulations I had as a novice at sewing at the time, but it's just so...fancy dress. It's bright and colour blocked and really in your face, which is exactly what I wanted until I realised that I had no opportunity to wear it! It was a vote two to one against a 40s vintage pattern outfit I've made (I'm keeping that for later!) and so off I went whilst wondering what I'd let myself in for.

My mother and I arrived in time for the first train of the day so we caught that and had brunch whilst the rest of the place was set up. We were both pleased to see three other women dressed up in our carriage having had a moments hesitation in the morning (whilst I don't care what other people think, the weather was changeable and I was concerned everyone else would be sensibly attired in macs). Missy had on her party collar and all three of us received compliments and we equally gushed over the other outfits.

Once off the train we jived a little and watched the dance demonstrations. We had already decided to skip the second train and decided to go warm up a little with some tea in the cafe. The staff all had on poodle skirts which I thought a wonderful touch. As we had our tea my eldest sister and her two (niece 14, nephew 10) arrived. I swear my birthday doesn't seem to be ending this year as I was handed pressies.

I noticed very quickly my niece didn't seem right. It clicked as we watched a group of flapper girls laughing in front of the pack of photographers - I had been actively trying to encourage all my family to dress up. My mother and myself were the only two to do so (credit to my nephew he wore a waistcoat and a flat cap to look a bit vintage) and had spent most of the morning explaining what we were wearing and that they should join in. My niece is at *that* age. She is very fashion conscious and doesn't like to break free from the herd and be different. She clearly expected my mother and I to be the only muffins dressed up and had instantly regretted that she had missed such an incredible Instagram opportunity. Those dressed up, I could see her little mind thinking, were clearly getting the most attention and having the most fun.

My sister had wanted to get me afternoon tea for my birthday but had lost out to two things, firstly that the buffet car is the only place you can have it and it's also the only place Missy is unwelcome, and secondly, you have to book months in advance. Even on days were there are no events it sells out right away. She had therefore decided to bring a picnic and we all enjoyed that on the next train. The ride was fun, my sister blagged me a shot on the foot plate at Manual saying it was my birthday and I got to hang out and play pokemon with my nephew.  A good day all in all!

After the excitement of the 40s/50s day, it was a day for Missy as we went to the Paws at the Prom event held by the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. We did this last year and had a great time and, with the promise that this year was to be bigger and better than last, hopes were high.

In the car and off we went, picking up the entourage on route - my mum was coming as was Maisie; she was getting a wee day out without parental supervision owing to my brother working. We arrived in good time - I parked in Portobello and we walked over to the home, and both dogs were keen to say hi and meet new people and other dogs. They have recently built new paddocks on site and were using these as zones (Education in one, shopping another and so on) in addition to the arenas and stalls in the main field. It meant that even though this year was definitely busier than last (the good weather was most certainly the reason for that), it felt less crowded.

Gotta love a photobooth!

Neither Maisie nor Missy placed in Bonniest Girl and we decided to commiserate with lunch at the burrito van. My mum particularly loves the golden oldies category and, waiting for it to start, I got chatting with the "paw"rent of one of the competitors. I think they appreciated me checking if the dog was human or dog nervous owing to its harness being bright yellow with "nervous" stamped across it, and was told that it was a "generally everything" type nervous. We cheered them on, although we were pleased that a very elderly 17 year old dog won.

Following on from Missy completing her level 2 training, I had decided to place her into best trick as well. She decided that instead of spin and turn she would much rather lie down or give an unenthusiastic paw. Humiliated (but in good humour, Missy wasn't the only one to get performance shy), I returned to my mum and had to laugh that our new friends had stayed to cheer Missy on.

Maisie watching the competitions very seriously

We then went to the QandA session they were running at the Education Area and got some good advice to pass onto my brother about Maisies reactive barking. Then it was back to the main paddock for the last competition I had entered Missy in for: Best Rescue. The day had turned warm and the sun was out and Missy had decided that she didn't want to stand or sit pretty, she just wanted to lie down, sunbathe a little and have her belly scratched. Which is absolutely fine, but in a paddock full of dogs within a field full of dogs, certainly gains a lot of attention!

With the judges going through the names, I complied to Missy and gave her belly a scratch and she stretched comfortably and made herself very at home. I could hear people laughing at scene, even the DJ, when he clocked sight of us as he called out Missys name, laughed and said that she was clearly relaxed and enjoying herself. The judges deliberated for a while before announcing third place to the dog on my left, then second to the dog on my right. They clearly weren't going to pick all three dogs from the one corner so I was shocked when they called out Missy who "was clearly embracing her life as a rescue and showed perfectly just how wonderful a rescue dog could be".

Absolutely overwhelmed. Missy got to pose with her rosette and clearly didn't understand what the fuss was about. An over-proud doggy-grandma, my mum insisted we return to hers and celebrate (with tea, I was driving!).

Missy was glad to get home and fell fast asleep on the sofa (after I had put away the spoils of the day, you know, just in case I dropped some of the free sample dog biscuits). Her rosette and certificate are by her bed - a perfect end for the weekend.

A Ruby in the Castle

As its the birthday run, the hubby and I took some time off work to go up and visit his parents in Aberdeenshire. We had originally planned on a sneaky trip to the borders, or maybe Oban, but with the stress of the bathroom and that going over budget, we decided that sneaking away to the countryside and being fed cake sounded like a very good plan.

We also got to meet Ruby properly, their now 16 week old puppy Visla. And she is gorgeous, and she knows it!

The weather was too kind. It was bright and sunny the whole visit. We started our trip with us all going to Crathes Castle where Ruby showed off her recall and we got her into the water for the first time. I had to take my socks and shoes off and wade in the river to encourage her to do so, and we had good results. Missy joined in for a paddle too, clearly taking the opportunity to cool off.

We stopped in at the cafe which was very busy and bought drinks and cake and dog-friendly ice cream for the dogs. Missy loves ice cream and, not being allowed dairy, it is a huge treat for her to get anything akin to it. Then we finished the walk and it was good to see them both interacting with one another - Ruby has mostly grown out of the typical bad puppy habits; she isn't jumping on other dogs faces and understands a growl means that the other dog wants space, so the visit in general was much easier than I expected!

The next day we decided to let the puppy rest and the hubby and I took Missy to Dunnattor Castle which has been on the to-do list for a while. Its a half hour drive to Stonehaven where the castle is situated and its impressive from the onset. You have quite a walk to get to the actual castle from the car park, but it does give plenty of opportunity to get some really nice photos!

It was a fairly intact ruin with some fun tid-bits of history. It held off Cromwell and had its fair share of scandals - including the "Whigs Vault" where 167 Covenanters were imprisoned for three months in a tiny vault. Some died whilst others attempted escape or where tortured. Its last Earl was also convicted of treason for supporting the Jacobite rising and the castle was subsequently seized by government. 

It was another glorious day and, whilst at first it was very pleasant, after a few hours it was unfortunately getting too hot. Missy does not do well in the heat despite her short coat and she started to hobble a little so we decided to see if she wanted to cool down by the sea. She dipped a paw in but wasn't interested so we called it quits and headed back so that she could cool down properly and have some sleep.

We finished the evening with a puppy walk at Castle Fraser and, as it had cooled considerably, it was much more enjoyable for everyone! Missy chased rabbits and Ruby delighted us all with some sprinting, although she really does need to grow into her ears! Shes at that really funny stage where she's starting to look like a dog, but isn't quite there. Her legs are too long and gangly and her ears are hysterically too large on her. She takes it all in her stride though and clearly doesn't care what we think.

On our way home, we all stopped at Stonehaven. The hubbys parents had decided to try Ruby in the motorhome (latest update is that she hasn't chewed it to bits yet, but has figured out that its tremendous fun to jump between the seats) and they decided to go with Stonehaven as, if it was a disaster, they could easily get home. We joined them for a walk on the beach and some ice cream before deciding to head home ourselves. Lovely as the visit was, its always nice to go home and sleep in your own bed.

This weekend has been a busy one and I'm aware this post has rambled on long enough, I'll update you all on this weekends adventures later!

Bo'ness and Birkhill Walk

So this was a funny weekend in terms of plans. A puppy play date was always on the cards and there was a list of places my brother and I want to take the dogs to. When asking my mother if she was free and fancied joining us, it was revealed that my aunt (who is undergoing cancer treatment and cant get out much) was coming through with her son, my cousin, and that my mother had already promised them both that we would all be going out and doing something together.

News to me!

Nonetheless, after pointing out that what doggie play dates generally entail is a lot of walking, we bumped heads together and decided on the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway. I quite recently took a friend there, so wont go into too much detail about the site itself, but it seemed a good choice as the weather has been particularly unpredictable of late and there wouldn't be much walking about. Owing to Maisie requiring her six weekly spa day and pamper, we agreed on the 2pm train and managed to talk my sister into coming along as well.

 

Anyone who knows me knows that two in the afternoon is a day of adventuring lost, so I decided that, after dropping the hubby off at work, I'd just head off and see what I had time to do in regards to local walks. I'd gotten very keen on the idea of walking from Bo'ness to Blackness Castle (a 4 mile circular) but as it was already hitting 20C and we'd be walking on an exposed coastal path, I decided against it. Coincidentally, as I was purchasing an annual ticket for the railway (there's at least one event I want to do this year, and I'm pretty certain I'll end up along there at least once more after that, so it will have paid itself off before the years out) it came out on the tannoy that there was the Kinneil house walk and the Birkhill walks that could be done as part of a journey.

I'd previously scoped out the Kinniel walk and knew it would be more than an hour, which would be cutting it fine to catch the train on return. A quick query with the station master revealed that the walk at Birkhill was a 20-25 minute amble of a walk and I'd have half an hour to do it in settled that for me. Missy decided to cuddle up to and hug a train spotter who made the mistake of smiling and making eye contact with her and, after assessing the situation where he was rubbing her face and ears and posing for selfies with her, I decided she was clearly causing no bother and got some photos of the train coming into the station.

Both Missy and I had lunch on the train in the 15 minutes it took to get to Birkhill and then disembarked at a scenic little station and found a clearly marked woodland walk sign. I was quite disappointed to realise there used to be a clay mine in the area and that the visitors centre attached was closed to public visitors in 2013. I found some old signs and peered down into the gorge before trundling along the track. With the thought of the return train in the back of my mind we briskly walked the circular route and were done in less than twenty minutes. I ambled about the remnants of the mine information for another five and then headed back to the station. 

As usual when I have time to kill, I had Missy pose about the place for some photos and we quickly gathered a bit of an audience who were all very impressed at her sit and stay abilities. She made friends with a little boy who, after realising they were the same age, begged his mum for a photo of them together. I'm rather enamoured at the thought of Missy making her way into someone else's holiday snaps, and was more than happy to let them have a picture together.

I timed the trip back well as everyone was just arriving as the train pulled into the station. It was good to see my aunt and cousin again and I was pleased that my sister arrived in time as well for the train. She had brought her very elderly MIL with Wee Ben in tow. She's too old and frail now to keep him full time, which is why my sister usually has him, but she has been desperate for some time now to come along on a puppy play date as I always make sure to send her photos of the dogs having fun together.

Tickets were bought, group photos taken and on the train we went. In contrast to the previous train I had gotten this one was mobbed. Clearly the post-lunch train is popular! We made do with what we could and I found myself chatting to my sisters MIL and my nephew. He was perplexed as to why we'd all want to go on a steam train (alas, he's clearly forgotten when I took him to a Thomas day many, many moons ago and he was inconsolably happy) and I joked about a lack of screens and enjoying the scenery.

He did enjoy it once he'd realised that this was his opportunity to rule the conversation and we spent most of it chatting about Pokemon Go. His mother and grandmother clearly thought we were speaking another language, but enjoyed the time all the same. Maisy however, was not happy. She looked miserable on my brothers lap and refused treats, so on the return we moved the dogs to a different car where they could lie down properly and Maisy seemed a bit better but still unsure.

After we disembarked, I mentioned that the tickets were an all day ticket and there was another train still if they wanted to go again. I found a booth in first class and they all crammed in except for my brother and his friend who'd found a roomier space in a different carriage. They messaged me and said they were going to do the Birkhill walk I had done earlier and I offered to take Wee Ben out and agreed to join them.

That's where the day was almost an absolute disaster. 

Missy spotted a deer or a rabbit or something and basically went missing. After ten minutes my somewhat nervous but its-all-ok attitude melted into blind panic and we split up to try and cover more ground to find her. 

After 30 minutes I realised that we were going to end up missing the train. My brother very kindly offered to get the train back, fetch his car and drive back to the station to help with the search. The rest of the family (barring my sister who was driving) had found out that the buffet car served alcohol and would be in no state to help having been left unchaperoned for so long, but he was resolute that they could suck it up and be left at a pub in Bo'ness if it came to that. He was going to come back and help.

40 minutes and I had reached meltdown. I couldnt shout anymore so was on the verge of sobbing out Missys name over and over when my brother called. No sign of the train yet and Missy was on the tracks. 

I've never run so fast in all my life. Missy was soaked through and cried at the sight of me before doing a 360 turning cuddle and whimpering and licking at me as I hugged her. Our guess if that she fell in the gorge, couldn't get back out and had to go downstream, cut across the woods at a distance where she couldn't hear us shouting and then made her way back along the tracks to find us. I have genuinely never been so frightened.

The train pulled in as we were all hugging Missy with an apology from the conductor about being late back (we said nothing, but boy, I was so pleased they'd run late) and we were back on the train. We reconvened at the station and, as my family staggered along and insisted we raid the gift shop, I discovered that the reason the train was late was that my sisters MIL decided to try and chat up the train driver and then stole his hat. There are photos of them all smiling with the driver taking turns in his hat.

For once in my life, I am not cross or embarrassed at them.

On a different note, today (asides from looking at dog trackers on Amazon at great length) I had a go at a craft project that's been on my to-do list for a while. Beeswax wraps!

Ok, not super exciting, but I'm trying to reduce plastic and this is whats being touted as the new clingfilm. I've made a few test sheets in some scrap fabric in different sizes to see what works and will revisit the project on a larger scale if successful.

Missy is asleep on the sofa. After a thorough check, she's non the worse for wear after her misadventure. Not even a broken claw or misplaced hair. 

She's stiff today but, after checking her PitPat activity monitor that doesn't surprise me - those 40 minutes I spent pacing and screaming for her, she ran at full pelt. She was very sorry for herself last night, and had clearly got a bad fright herself as she just velcroed herself to us. Saying that, clearly though she's not sorry, she vanished off after rabbits on her morning walk, but thankfully returned to me within a minute looking a bit sheepish.

Hopefully next weeks adventure will not be so hair raising!