Pond Boys do Portreath

Two very kind friends, SA and J, invited the Pondboys down to Portreath yesterday afternoon for a walk and a chat. We met up at the Waterfront Inn, and together with Hamish and Fred we walked up the miners trail to Feadon Farm where we saw a couple of reindeer but they were too far away to get a picture on my phone and holding the Pondboys still would have been impossible.

We also saw a new development going up, part of a holiday home park, which was lovely and the views would be superb... only a few log cabins going up there and space between them which was nice. We were given a brochure by the salesman, and if only I had the money lol.

A slow walk down, back into Portreath and a run on the beach where the Pondboys did what they do best, having spotted water they were delighted to make use of it, rockpools, surf and even Murphy athletically clambering up one of the rocks in the bay... SA and J both took photos and I wish I had taken my camera as they were so funny, Hamish and Fred were much more reticent about the water, but still enjoyed themselves on the beach.

A lovely day, and when we had to leave the boys were quite disappointed to lose their playmates but after drying them off and having tea all I could hear was snoring during the course of the evening because they were both tired out after their running around..

Hopefully, we will get another opportunity to walk the dogs together, before the beach is closed off to them during the day but there will always be the evenings to enjoy the delights of Portreath.

A Saturday at Tre Agan

I knew I should have taken photos before and after... yet another fail...

Yesterday was the perfect day, up, walk the dogs, strip the beds and hoover the house... yep all of the house.. so glad it isn't such a big house lol. Put the washing on, head out to the garage and get the hover mower out... find the extension cable - can't find the safety plug nb note to self be extra careful ...

Plug it in, eventually, press the start button... nothing. hmmmm try holding in the handle and press the button.. hey presto.. and the front garden was done in no time at all. Mind you it was defnitely the shorter of the two pieces of grass.

The out the back, pick up the doggy doos.... start mowing the lawn... is it really only 11 degrees C, I am sweltering and the sweat sorry perspiration is running down my neck... this grass is much longer, in places 7-8 inches and slightly damp, so it is much harder going. I have to stop regularly and degunge the wet grass from under the machine, not to mention unload the grass cuttings into bags ready for the dustbin men.

Finally an hour and a half later, the job is done.. there are lots of cuttings still on the lawn, but I am hoping that they will rake up when it dries out a bit now the first cut has been done, or a later cut in the week will pick them up.. will have to wait and see.

The washing dried, almost, just a few bits left on radiators, and while watching the Welsh play rugby against the Italians I cracked on with the ironing... before taking the Pond boys out for their second walk of the day, heading up to the field with the balls to give them a good run.

Afterwards, a cup of tea for me, dinner for them and a nice long hot relaxing bath before tea of warm boiled egg salad with baby leaves...

A good day, a productive day and no doubt I am going to feel some muscles tomorrow.

Traditional - Goosed for Christmas

Last night we finished the christmas goose, it was lovely but we probably won't be having it again in the near future. The last goose I had was when mum was still alive, and she and dad arranged to have a goose from a close friend. What mum didn't know was that this particular goose had been hatched at the back of beyond along with some fellow siblings but when they grew bigger, they along with momma and poppa goose went to live with the friend who had a farm and therefore plenty of space.

If you have never had goose, they are full of dark and succulent meat, just think a bigger version of a duck.. almost so big that some manipulation had been necessary to even get the damn thing in the oven and I was stupid enough to get up at 5.30am to turn the oven on and force it into the confined space.. The pond boys thought this was a treat for them and were sadly mistaken - although they have had more than their fair share of the meat skin.

Served with goose fat roasted potatoes, the infamously bad tasting brussel sprouts (not for me thanks) and carrots/peas with some lovely gravy to die for it was a glorious finish for this bird.

A Kind Gesture

We are in contact with Jasper's former owner, and it is clear that she misses him badly - I would too if I had to give either of them up for any reason. She kindly sent a picture of him aged 8 weeks... be prepared to go awwwww lol

We don't have any baby pictures of Murphy, though we do know who his Dad is (and he is a Camborne Boy) so this is a picture of one of his other puppies.. and looks similar to how we think Murphy would have been at the same age.

A weekend of sport

Not content with refereeing on Saturday, SOH decided to do the same on Sunday morning. Luckily the Saturday game was down at Clijah fields so the boys and I walked down to meet up with him at half-time and then walked home again. The weather is dry and mild, which is good, but the boys boredom threshold is even lower than mine. Normally I sit in the car with a good book, or work to do - I have even been known to do some marking!

Sunday, I didn't go with him, instead preferring to get the lunch ready, we don't normally have this at lunchtime, but in the evening but it is nice to have a midday meal.

Interspersed with the football, we have watched last weekend's european rugby action with Bath v Montpellier and the premiership of Northants vs Saracens something we have been lucky enough to be present at when we lived at the back of beyond.

I have in between times, pulled the sofa's out from the wall and hoovered the carpet underneath and moved one round to make room for the christmas tree which won't be too long in going up although one house in a nearby road has had its christmas decorations up for a couple of weeks - too early methinks.

Sunday Sunshine

Yesterday we, in Cornwall, were blessed with sunshine and warmth. Unusually so for a late November day, but we had the windows and doors open, the washing on the line and even enjoyed a cup of coffee on the patio.

So it was somewhat of a surprise to hear how badly the eastern partof the country was affected by thick fog and bad weather so much so that flights were cancelled or delayed at many of the airports.

This time last year we were full of ice, cold, snow and dreadful weather. So much so that road clearing had to take place to get the cars out of the estate. Going home was equally problematic, and filled me with trepidation until I was safely parked and in the house - only to face the same thing the following morning.

The big kid in me wants to have snow, for the pond boys to run around in and run off some of their excess energy. Jasper is the big puppy dog, and full of beans luring Murphy into wild chases and slipping over in the muddy grass but both of them enjoying their walks together and much more calmly now we have halti's on them both.

Jasper has truly settled in at Tre Agan, and Murphy looks after him, ensuring his ears are clean - however this is not reciprocated by Jasper who is a bit of a Kevin at times... the unruly teenager just enduring care not appreciating it.

Fireworks

I will admit to being a big kid and loving fireworks, but in the right place and at the right time. Right outside our door is a big communal green area (that the management company would like to build on but that is another story), and one of our kind neighbours decided in their wisdom that this would be a great place to set off their fireworks on Friday night.

They parked their cars safely away from the area, while other neighbours property was put at risk for a few bangs and sparkles; SOH pointed out, quite correctly, that if anything had happened either property affected or people injured they would have been liable but thankfully on this occasion all went well.

The pondboys looked up at a particularly loud bang, but didn't really react badly at all and other than a few more on Saturday night we were not particularly inundated with them. Other pet owners dread this time of year, as their pets get very stressed out by the fireworks both noise and colour. The sooner they clamp down on private sales the better for me as I think the best displays are the organised ones.

My sympathy to those people affected by the M5 crash on Friday night, it is never easy to lose a loved one, but in those circumstances it must have been horrible.

No More Cages

Jasper came to us at the end of March, and up until October he slept in a cage downstairs in the living room. This was partly because he was a bit of a chewer and we didn't want to risk his health or the house contents while we were out.

If we didn't shut him in at night, he would bounce around like a demented tigger, so we all could get some sleep if we used the cage. The drawbacks were that the dog hairs would be trapped underneath and it was very heavy to move daily, not only that making Jaspers bed (a double quilt - spoilt or what?) was damned difficult.

We made the decision to do away with the bed, when Jasper settled down enough, and replaced it with two plastic dog beds one for each of the pond boys. Murphy sleeps upstairs in his den (under our bed) and Jasper after a few nights of wandering upstairs and being told to go to bed is as good as gold and sleeps downstairs in his. He hasn't chewed anything other than one of my old socks and both boys looked guilty of the offence so no blame could be put on one or the other.

It will make Christmas easier as the cage took up a lot of space in the dining room, and we are in the midst of the run up to christmas with all the adverts starting to sell, sell, sell.. SOH and I have our christmas present as we treated ourselves to a new tv (I can hear the groans from Kath lol) but we don't tend to go out much so this is our socialising entertainment - we traded in our two years worth of tesco vouchers to pay for the majority of it and rest came from the remainder of our holiday money.  Just have to work out the technology now as this tv also comes with internet access when I get it sussed.

Arriving Back from Africa

We arrived back from Africa (or more precisely Tunisia) this morning, in the wee small hours. I will post something about the holiday when we have recovered from the trip, some 4.5 hours on a plane and having had lovely sunny days, with the odd rain shower and then coming back to the cold and chilly weather... brrrrh

The Pond Boys have been to stay at a local pet hotel (actually just a posh name for kennels) and will be relieved to have us back again.. I would love to take them abroad at some point into the future but we will have to see.

October Dawns

The dawns are happening later and later, the nights are drawing in and the mists are more frequent. I don't mind, the side benefit is the glorious golds and reds in the fields and trees. Saturday saw me go with SOH over to HMS Seahawk (or Culdrose to the uninitiated) to watch him referee the navy boys against a local village.

It is nice over there as their clubhouse is open, so I was warm, dry and comfortable and had the space to lay out my paperwork and crack on with some college work. Culdrose drew 1 all with the other team, but were not the politest team on the pitch.

Me, I enjoyed a cup of coffee, while watching from afar (which suits me) I prefer rugby and hope to see some more local teams playing this season. When we got home, we watched the very disappointing England's performance (or lack of it) against France, and enjoyed a chinese take-away for tea.

A good day, was had by all... shame then that Sunday the Sun didn't make an appearance we had misty weather pretty much all day, but I was busy downloading audio books onto many mp3 players ready for holiday which is fast approaching.

We have finally taken the cage down, which has been Jasper's home since day one. He now has a plastic dogbed with his quilt in it and he accepts it as his new bed, although he would prefer to sleep upstairs with the rest of us.. Sadly for him, as he can't stay still for more than 5 mins... can a dog suffer from adhd? .... he gets to sleep downstairs in his posh new pad but finally I could hoover up all the loose dog hair hiding behind the cage. We are now in the process of selling the cage which has done us proud over the past year and a half.

Wet Wednesday

Today, two weeks to go and we said hello to the wet weather yesterday. No more blue skies, sunshine and warm autumnal weather and hello to the after effects of hurricane ophelia; lots of wind, rain and gloomy outlook.

The boys had their last jabs today, ready for a stay in kennels. I don't like the idea of leaving them in kennels, I have never been a fan of them, but luckily Murphy is used to it and it means Jasper will have some company.

A trip to Halfords saw a replacement bulb for the car, the second one that has blown since last year - mind you I cant remember whether it was the same side or not so that doesn't help, but it is now 10 years old and showing her age a bit.

Brunch was a McDonalds, though too cold for a milk shake so a hot chocolate accompanied a very plain burger in a bun but even that was too much for me; I really only have one to remind me why I don't eat them more frequently.

Boys first visit to the vets

Today the boys had their boosters, or were supposed to, Poor Murphy has had to start his injections from scratch not much fun for him.

We had him in June and assumed incorrectly that he was protected until this June, Jasper in the meanwhile was due in November but it makes more sense to take them together so Jasper was going early and Murphy a bit later. Only when the vet went through his card, he hadn't had any jabs since his first ones in September 2009 so the poor lad has to start again. His second jabs are on the 5th of next month.

Both of them were good and as a result are now enjoying a rawhide ring to chew on which they are tucking into as I write this.

Arghhhh

It's Friday, I have been rained on over the last three days incessantly... while walking the dogs.. needless to say they don't care but when you only have a finite amount of time available in the morning and that when two black labs get very wet they take a bit of drying and therefore some things I do in the morning, like breakfast, has to be sacrificed.

It has been not much better when I have got home, they look expectantly at me in the hope that another walk is in the offing, sometimes I take them just across the road and play ball with them until they start to puff... it is very hard to wear Jasper out he is very athletic, but poor Murphy starts to get tired quite quickly as he is more stocky - please note I don't mean fat - they are just different builds.

Still a long weekend lies ahead of me, and next week is going to be a lovely week with some much needed holiday although not as much as I would have hoped.

Sunday Sunshine - where was it?

The sun didn't shine for Sage on Sunday.

We awoke to grey skies, with a hint of blue.. but as we walked up Carn Marth with the Pond Boys, you could see the mist coming in to cover Carn Brae and it was heading in our direction. It was the first time that the OH had come with us to the Pond, and it was fun showing him our preferred route not to mention the excitement the Pond Boys showed when they caught sight of the water.

I did take the camera, but was too busy throwing balls for the Pond Boys + Roxy a Mix of black lab and weimeraner into the pond. When Murphy got tired, having sunk lower in the water, we headed back to the small quarry and the bog snorkelling part of the expedition. You can let the Pond Boys off to explore the lower part, while we enjoyed a cup of coffee and hot chocolate in the upper part. By now the mist had surrounded us, and although we were out of the breeze it was not warm. Jasper has some legs on him, and while they played chase, it was more of Murphy lying in wait for Jasper to show himself.

15 mins of this and the boys were bushed, so we headed home and past the horse event at the top of Carn Marth. Apparently there is a third quarry, known as the amphitheatre and I hope to visit it with the Pond Boys soon as they have regular events up there with plays and such like. Can but hope for warm weather and this time will have camera in hand.

Pond Boys go to the Beach

Yesterday we woke up to fog, but it was a false fog as when we set off to the beach with the pond boys, the sun was shining at the bottom of the hill and it was not only sunny but very warm.

This is the freshwater pond, which has grown smaller since my last visit; it is just behind the beach which sadly the Pond Boys are no longer welcome on until October.

The Pond Boys loved the water, which gets quite deep and you can see that Jasper has already been dunked under by the water running down his head.

Murphy's first visit here, saw him go under and he didn't enjoy it at all and took a little while to realise he wasn't going to drown (not that I don't worry about him) but now he has every confidence and swims strongly.
Jasper uses his legs to great benefit, and therefore is faster in the water as well as on land. Hence we have to take two balls one for each one to fetch back.

However when Jasper has the ball, Murphy tends to lay in wait and ambush him generally though Jasper has the upper hand, he is quicker but also taller.

An hour's exercise here did both dogs the world of good, and they slept yesterday afternoon allowing me to finish the painting of the downstairs acid yellow toilet.. actually it is growing on me and I think more like mediterranean in colour.

Murphy is 2

Happy 2nd Birthday to Murphy, he has enjoyed a lovely walk, a birthday biscuit and some new toys including a purple squeeky bone.. Jasper is confused but he will get the idea when he turns 2 in August..

Here are some pictures of Murphy to enjoy, complete with a picture of mini-me a leonardo figurine. On the right, he is contemplating where to start on the postman's leg (Note : this is not a real postman, nor from a postman's leg but a beef bone).

This was taken, not long after he came to us, looking lovely and slim - oh dear what have we become chunky monkey Murphy!

This was taken in March, the picture on the right, and that is Jasper's rubber toy he acquired.. I think he swapped it for a rope toy which Jasper promptly chewed up.


Jasper has his birthday in August, so expect more pictures then.

Boy did it rain yesterday

Woke up to a heavy downpour of rain, which while expected nevertheless was not appreciated by anything other than the garden.

Still, after a busy day Saturday catching up with the hoovering and the washing it was nice to be able to spend some time yesterday having a baking day. My total at the end of the day was two sponge cakes, one fruit cake, a toffee peach sponge (which was to be dessert after the roast chicken dinner), roasted chicken with roasted new potatoes cooked with fresh mint from the garden and petis pois and carrots.

We had a late lunch (or early dinner), and afterwards the Pond Boys and I took advantage of a lull in the weather and headed out for a walk before they had their dinner and I had a leisurely bath with some well deserved Sanctuary while OH watched the swamp drive of the Grand Prix of wherever (if you can tell I don't enjoy F1 you would be correct; but a girl can't always enjoy what their others halves do and better by far to do something for themselves lol).

My parcels also arrived from e-bay and contained a number of interesting things including a bowl from the celtic pottery (I can't afford Troika even if I liked it!) and from the same seller two green men with holes to thread cord through. I have threaded them onto Cornish Tartan ribbon and may place one at the front door and one at the back I haven't quite made up my mind. My other purchase was a clarinet, something I have wanted for a very long time and although not an expensive (or new) one, there is a nice feeling about owning a pre-loved one.

Pond Boys go Large

I know, late as ever with the photographs.. sorry, life and work got in the way.

Last week, on Tuesday, the Pond Boys and I walked up Carn Marth again, this time past the quarry, heading for the top where I had been told there was a larger pond.

Here are the boys enjoying themselves, and as you can see much larger than the other pond

Both of them enjoyed themselves immensely and I want to go back there again soon.

Pond Boys II

I hope to load up the pictures later so please excuse my tardiness. We had an extra day off, something for being good little people and it is a nice idea, better than an extra day at Christmastime when the weather is definitely not for doing outdoor jobs.
The boys and I set out for Carn Marth again yesterday, the rains had eased and it was just a little damp with the hint of a blue sky and hopefully sunshine we headed off up the hill.

We took the same route up as last time, staying off the main roads in favour of the footpaths and bridleways and the growth of the flowers (Weeds and nettles) since the last visit is truly spectacular. This time instead of turning off the bridleway towards the quarry we carried on up to the top and to officially mark the top of Carn Marth is a Waystone. We carried on around the trackway to the right of this stone and Murphy could smell the water, pulling harder in an effort to get there faster.

Eventually we arrived at a point where we could see the water, only it was about 15 ft below us, not that Murphy would have minded but he and Jasper stayed on the lead until we reached the beach location at one side of the quarry and then I let them off. It was like watching two teenagers in action, anything and everything had to be explored and then they would shake themselves causing mini-storms and rainbows in their paths. Jasper is quite keen on water it seems, he is happy to put his head under water to explore what is underneath and came out with a large branch wagging his tail in joy.

However when this was thrown back in the water, it immediately sank again this time without a trace. Shame on me as I didn't bring a tennis ball which they could have fetched but it does give us a walk to a swimming place as now many of the beaches are off limits to the boys until late o clock.

From the side of the pool there is a viewing platform, with views out to Bodmin more, the Falmouth estuary, Stithians reservoir etc even the tip at United Downs is listed as a viewpoint for some strange reason?

We eventually headed back down the hill, stopping at the little quarry for a runaround to help them dry off in the now warmer sunshine before heading further down and home via a bridleway/right of way which may or may not offer a short cut.

The boys were tired out yesterday evening, stirring only for their evening meal and then curling up together to sleep again. I would get photos of this companionship but I never have the camera to hand and as soon as one of us moves they wake up.

Back to work today.

Late Spring Bank Holiday

So much for the weather forecast of rain overnight clearing by 9am, it has only just brightened up here but we still have threatening skies.

The pond boys and I went for our walk earlish this morning, later than an early and earlier than a late walk. We met up with Ruby who is a brindle dog, some sort of terrier but I wouldn't like to say quite what; she is the size of a boxer and on first meeting can 'talk' very loudly. The pond boys are used to her now and knows her talking means nothing. We strolled along together through Victoria Park and into Trefusis where all three dogs were let off the lead and had a fun time playing with each other although when the tennis ball made an appearance I had Jaspers full attention.

Tomorrow, subject to the weather, we will take a walk up Carn Marth to the big pond that is up there, my back which has been aching since carrying a heavy box on Friday is finally recovering helped by me not a) overdoing it and b) a two day course of painskillers and inflammatories; such are the joys of old age.

As I type, the pond boys are sleeping off their early morning exercise. Although if I move an inch, they are wide awake instantly expectant of either more walks or treats, they don't mind which and in any order.

I am taking it easy today, just concentrating on the hoovering, and some much needed craft time. How are you all spending your Bank Holiday?