If you go down to the woods today .....

... you might have seen two large black bear-like dogs enjoying the fresh air and warm sunshine. We headed off to our woods, just 5 minutes walk from home.

The sky was blue and the sun was shining when we reached the gate

Which way shall we go today?

Amy chooses the path ... but is quickly left behind.

Wait for me!!

The orchid glade

I think they're Lesser Spotted - the common sort - but very lovely anyway.

Come on girls! (Ben is such a poser)

Look - what's that? Is it a wolf?

Last one home's a sissy!!

A lovely, gentle afternoon's walk in the shady woods - perfect for Amy, though I think Ben will need another outing this evening!

Bluebells and the beach!!

Amy has been put on stronger medication and as a consequence is feeling much more like her old self again. Her operation wound has now fully healed and so we decided to go to the beach. It was just like old times .... the excitement barely contained... the anxious lookings out of the car windows ..... the exuberance when the road to Mill Bay was recognised ... and then .. the rolling on the sand in sheer joy at being alive and on the BEACH!!!

Then of course there had to be swimming .....

But soon the old lady was tired .... she can only manage about 20 minutes or so now ... so she was told to wait in the car, parked in some lovely cool shade, while Ben and I went off to look at the bluebells. After all, she couldn't manage this walk last year, so I know it's impossible for her now.
She watched us go ...

You can't tell how steep the path is here - but it is VERY steep indeed.

It's worth it when you reach the top .... the bluebells were lovely ... but we were only just in time I think, another week and they'll be over.

But so, so beautiful .. these are the true English bluebells, much more delicate than the cultivated Spanish bluebells, and a much deeper, richer blue.. carpets stretching away up the hill ...

And the view back along the beach where we walked with Amy earlier.....

A truly glorious afternoon. And so nice to be out with Amy again. The vet is very pleased with her, he's talking about the possibility of her being with us for the summer ... that would be wonderful ... keep your fingers crossed for her.

Some stories just have to be told ....

"Hey Mum, look at me! Look! LOOK!!"

"My fur has patterns like yours! Don't I look great? Aren't I handsome!! Look at me Mum! MUM!!"

"The boy's a fool!" thinks Amy

Some stories just have to be told!

And the moral is ... don't let your dog help with the painting.

Amy is doing OK, very lethargic as you can see from the photos, but still enjoying her life albeit at a very slow pace.

Taking a break ...

I won't be here for a little while. This is because just at the moment I can't bring myself to blog about life with newfies. I am expecting very soon to have only one newfie as Amy is very very ill. She won't be with me for very much longer - and yes, that's definite.

She has hemangiosarcoma - a particularly aggressive form of canine cancer with a prognosis of 1 - 2 months. So Ben and I need to come to terms with saying goodbye to her ladyship. I don't know how either of us will manage without her ... Ben in particular has never known life without his "mum." The picture above was taken in his very early days. Even then he had to copy and do exactly as Amy did. We're concentrating on making sure her last few weeks are happy ones and we'll be back later in the year.

See you soon .... and you can still catch me on Bustle and Sew if you're into crafty goodness.....

On the mend ...

Update from Chillington Animal Hospital .... her ladyship is on the mend. Amy has indicated that a little white fish poached in milk, possibly some minced steak and some of her favourite doggy choc biscuits would be well received. She has also managed a gentle walk down to the playing field and back.

A weekend away .... and a walk at Blackdown Rings

It takes a very special occasion to lure me back into a big city, but last weekend was Rosie's 21st birthday, so to Bristol I went. The ungrateful canine pair went happily off to their luxury holiday accommodation (not even a casual wave of a paw as they fell over each other in their haste to enter their temporary abode - huh - after all I do for them!) Then, after spending the night in a strangely empty and unhomelike house I boarded the Cross Country train at Totnes. The actual journey is only an hour and a half, and the section of route where the train runs alongside the sea at Dawlish is magical - a treat in itself.

The hustle and bustle at Bristol station is always slightly disconcerting to a country dweller like myself, but over the past few years I've learned to navigate the tunnels and stairs with confidence, soon locating Townie Husband just outside the ticket barriers. Then into a taxi to be whisked off to our hotel at Avonmouth - overlooking the famous suspension bridge.

Clifton village yielded an interesting afternoon's shopping (me) and one or two nice pubs (him)

A florist's shop. Great to take a photo, but the prices of the blooms were, I thought, horrifyingly steep. Still, guess these are city prices....

Then came the sightseeing. A very exotic resident was spotted enjoying the view - spot the golden giraffe below!!

The view was well worth enjoying - it's hard to imagine how 19th century engineers could construct such a bridge without the machinery we have today. And indeed, how Isambard Kingdom Brunel could conceive such a design - after all it was created to take horses and carriages over the Avon Gorge, but today carries many thousands of cars across the gap.

Clifton Bridge and the Avon Gorge

Then yesterday I took the dogs up to Blackdown Rings. It's an Iron Age Hill Fort, on top of which a Norman motte and bailey castle was constructed. The views across the countryside are stupendous, though the hill itself doesn't appear very high from below. It's a great walk as Amy can potter alongside me while Ben can charge around playing at being a Saxon hunting dog (or something similar). And there were no sheep yesterday either which meant I could relax too.

When we've had a lot of rain the ditches fill with clear, cold peaty water which the dogs love to splash around in .....

"Last one in's a sissy!" says Ben

"Not me!" says Amy (spot the bow wave!)

"Come on Mum, it's lovely!"

But I didn't. Guess that makes me the sissy then!