Whilst dad was going to work this morning he spotted gliding in the sky, the unusual sight of a hot air balloon.

These are fairly common in south Cumbria but to see the Virgin hot air balloon over the streets of Carlisle was quite a sight, he said.

Virgin Hot Air balloon over Carlisle, coming into land

Although quite a distance away, the big red shape stood out against the clear blue early morning sky.

It must have been very big as he could still see the distinctive Virgin logo clearly on the side in bright white letters.

Balloon launch sites

Checking the Virgin balloon website, it appears that the nearest launch site to Carlisle in near to Penrith, at Dalemain.

If this was the start of the flight earlier today then the passengers and crew should have had a really good view from the basket  as they floated north.

Possibly they used the M6 as an aerial reference during the journey.

It appeared as if they came down to the west of the city, possibly near to the recently opened Dobbies store.

Maybe you know more about the flight? Let us know via the comments area below.

We are pleased that our canine comrade Harvey has returned with a new advertisement, this time he is staring with his best friend Rabbit.

As Rabbit dangles perilously over the waste bin, will the power of TV advertising be able to save the day?

Thinkbox TV Harvey and Rabbit web pages

Fluffy best friends are really important when your human is not around, they keep you company at the kennels, they know your innermost thoughts and they help keep you warm at night.

I have a red Mr Happy and Buster has a stuffed monkey which is almost as big as he is.

About Harvey
Harvey is played by Sykes, a dog actor from Clifton, Oxfordshire, catapulted to fame in 2010 following his appearance in Thinkbox’s television commercial, “Every Home needs a Harvey”.

The advertisement was named “Advert of the Year” by ITV for 2010 and his latest already has a huge following.

Found roaming as a stray in 2004, Sykes was re-homed with Oxfordshire stunt dog trainer Gill Roddings who runs Action stunt dogs and animals.

Sykes (aka Harvey) has also appeared in a number of films, including Hollywood blockbusters;

• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• The Other Boleyn Girl
• Young Victoria
• The Dutchess
• Alexander
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• The Wolfman
• Clash of the Titans.
• Midsomer Murders – March 2011

He appeared with Peter Kay as “Tondo” in the John Smith’s Brewery advert “Dog Show”.

Working with Harvey
Thinkbox TV have a dedicated “Harvey”  section where Actors and production staff share their thoughts on working with Harvey.
There is also unseen footage and behind the scenes features as well as some great “Harvey” pics for your desktop or phone.

Harvey also won the Dogs Trust Celebrity Canine of the year award and you can find out more about this and view his acceptance video.

Watch Harvey’s new Friends advertisement

Follow Harvey on Facebook
Action stunt dogs and animals – See how many of Harvey’s actor colleagues you recognise

The guys from one of the national pet insurance companies have come up with some great animal treat recipes, including our very own fish and chips.

Pet healthy fish and chips

Humans give us occasional treats but their research has revealed that three quarters of dog and cat owners regularly feed their pets leftovers, including fish and chips, pizza, curries and burgers.

The people from More Th>n, asked Charlie and myself if we would give their healthy pet recipes a taste test.  How could we resist?

Taste test

We chose fish and chips, because we often have a little fish when our mum and dad have theirs, but we now we can have our very own portion of fish and chips.

To encourage a more healthy approach to treat time, More Th>n have teamed up with professional animal nutritionist and founder of the Canine Cookie Company, Stephanie Mehanna to create five healthy, pet friendly recipes of popular human dishes.

These take very little time to prepare and we can be assured that we are getting healthy alternatives.

The recipes

Vets are keen to point out that animals should not eat human food, not just because much of it is fatty and unhealthy to us, but because some everyday human foodstuffs can also be extremely toxic to dog and cats.

Mum said the recipes are clearly printed and easy to follow, so she put all the ingredients together and started cooking.

As mum got to work we eagerly waited for a quick taste test and the best bit for all boys – the licky bowls….

So yummy

We watched our pets treats cooking in the oven

The smell was yummy right from the start as mum mixed all the fish pattie ingredients in the bowl, then formed it into small balls as the recipe stated.

Then she cut the carrots into battons and coated them with the cod liver oil.

These were placed on a baking tray and put into the oven with the patties.

Mum gets creative
Somewhere in mummy’s arsenal of cookie cutters, she knew she had a fish shaped one, so she added a bit more flour to make the remainder of the mixture into a dough and used the cutter to cut out fish shapes to make into yummy dog biscuits.

Then she found a cat shaped cutter and just could not resist! She also made little squares and ovals for smaller treats.

The patties, biscuits and carrot battons went on baking parchment in the oven for about fifteen minutes.

We watched through the oven door as the sniffs began to fill the kitchen.

Buster eating his healthy pet fish and chips

Fish pattie with carrot chips

Ping, ping, ping went the oven clock and mummy opened the door to reveal our yummy smelling licks.

We just could not wait as mummy put the delicious snacks on a wire rack to cool.  The smell was soooo good it made Charlie’s wagging tail go round and round.

Once cool enough, our meals were ready,  a fish pattie with a side order of carrot chips please mum!

Down the hatch – Lickylicious!!!!!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FISH PATTIES:

250g (8 oz) cooked quinoa
400g (13 oz) canned red salmon, well drained
150f (5 oz) canned tuna, well drained
75ml (3 fl oz) blackstrap molasses
50g (2 oz) flour
1 egg, beaten

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CHIPS:
150g (5 oz) carrots, sliced into small batons
1 tablespoon of Cod Liver oil

METHOD

Mix all the patty ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Scoop out large teaspoons of the mixture and roll it in your hands to form 3.5cm (1 ½ inch) balls – or spoon off small handfuls and mould into small patties. Place on to a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.

Charlie tries one of his new pet biscuits

Bake in a preheated oven, 200C (400F), Gas Mark 6, for 15-20 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Place in a small resealable freezer bags and freeze until required. Defrost at room temperature and use on the same day. The patties will keep in the freezer for up to three weeks.

You can substitute canned tuna and salmon for fresh fish, but make sure it is canned in spring water and not brine or oil, and that you remove all the bones.

FOR THE CHIPS:
Combine the carrot batons and cod liver oil in a bowl. Make sure all batons are coated with the cod liver oil. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Place the carrot batons on a baking sheet and brush with any remaining oil.

Cook in a preheated oven, along side the fish patties, for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

This recipe makes about 30 servings, so mum can pop some in the freezer for another day.

Health benefits

Cod liver oil is an Omega 3 oil which is great for healthy, glossy coats.

Vitamin A gives us healthy eyes and immune system.

Vitamin D is also found in Cod liver oil and this is necessary for strong healthy bones and a happy nervous system.

More information

More Th>n pet treat recipes – Find the pet Fish and Chips and other yummy recipes.

With the ground frozen after cold overnight temperatures, it was decided that we could return to Rickerby Park in Carlisle and not get too muddy.  This was good news as we were keen to investigate the new stone circle.

The willow is growing up really tall on the riverbank

The park makes up part of the Carlisle flood plain and as such can be very soft under our paws.  For this reason we avoid the area during much of the winter.

It would appear that many other people thought just like us yesterday, as the park was very busy.

The late morning sunshine combined with the near cloudless sky, to produce some very long shadows. As we walked along we often saw our shadows creep out in front of us making us jump.

Just beyond the metal bridge to the golf club, the Willow trees planted into the crumbling River Eden riverbank are growing fast.  Some must stand 4m or so tall.

We saw these as little saplings back in June 2009 and reported on them in this post

The thin wooden wands spear into the sky, almost invisible against the glare from the bright sunshine.

Sand Martins

Concerns are being raised about the local sand martin colonies who reportedly nest within the riverbanks in this area.

The Friends of Rickerby Park, who oversee the park, are to see if the sand martins are being affected by the new trees and what can be done to limit the impact of the willow tree growth.

The new stone circle in Carlisle

According to the RSPB these small birds have Amber Status, indicating that their numbers are in decline or that the species is of concern to conservation organisations.

Eden river rock

With Charlie constantly pulling to our right, as he wanted a paddle in the River Eden, it was a relief when we finally we arrived at the Linstock end of the park and the new stone circle.

Set about 40m from the river bank and not far from the much improved car park at this end of the site the six upright stones make a bold, hard statement in contrast to the soft living trees nearby.

Looking at the muddy ring around the flattened stone at the centre of the circle, it would appear that the site is well visited.

Each rock can be found in the catchment area of the River Eden.

Kirkstone Slate, Penrith Red Sandstone, Millstone Grit, two different types of Shap Granite and two pieces of Shap Fell Limestone make up the artwork.

Each of the pieces of stone has a history of its geology engraved into it.

The diameter of the circle is about 7m.

The idea behind the stone information henge came from a study done in 2004 by the Eden Rivers Trust. They found that more needed to be done to explain the local heritage and environment.

Photographs taken and sniffs investigated we continued on our walk around the park and back towards the car.  You can see some of out images in the gallery below.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Carlisle Stone circle Gallery – click a picture for a larger image

Let us first start with wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and hope they can get their lickers on some fantastic Christmas food.

Happy Christmas - now what should I write?

What a change in a year with the weather.  Last year you may remember we were in the grip of that nasty cold spell.  Today it is 10deg C outside, damp and windy.

I don’t think we will be going far for our walk today.

Christmas gifts

Our day started with a bit of a sleep in, all cozy and warm snuggled up in our beds.

Once the fire was lit in the lounge we moved from our pits and lay with heat on our backs until our prezzies arrived.

Chews, chews and a few more chews were unwrapped and our sniffers soon became tuned into the familiar sniffs.

Our favourite chew so far is a turkey flavoured one about 2cm wide.  They come in packs of two – so we can get one each.

National sprout day

Today is also national sprout day. The day when thousands of the little green vegetables come out from their hiding places in freezers, fridges and drawers to be celebrated on the dinner table.

With a bit of luck we should be able to help mark the day with a few, well chosen and properly peeled, sprouts in our bowls.

Just a quick update today as the big turkey bird has just appeared on the sniffy vision screen on channel 180. We take it in shifts to stand guard ensuring it does not move for about four hours or so.

Then we can have some of it with potato, carrots and all the trimmings including a bit of gravy.

Big licks, and Happy Christmas

Buster and Charlie

We have a new friend called Millie, she is an 11 week old English Cocker Spaniel and lives near our mum’s office in North Cumbria.

Millie has a little bit of white on her front, otherwise she is completely black and very beautiful.

Because she is so small we have not met her yet, but Charlie certainly checks out all the sniffs on mummy when she comes home from work.  It makes his tail wagg, so Millie must smell nice.

Apparently Millie has quite a thing about Weetabix at the moment and just like Charlie, likes sitting on her mum’s knee and having her chin tickled.

You can find more pictures of Millie on her owners Facebook page.

There are many dogs in active service around the world with our armed forces and Air Dog Buster has served his last tour of duty retiring to Lincolnshire with his handler RAF Police Sergeant Michael Barrow.

Buster with his handler RAFP Sergeant Michael Barrow

Buster, an English Springer Spaniel, joined the Military in September 2005. On completion of his training as an Armaments & Explosives Search (AES) Dog, he was posted with his handler to Rosythe in Scotland.

His duties here included high profile searches of venues, such as Edinburgh Castle in an Anti-terrorism search role.

Buster’s Campaigns

In September 2006, he deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in his first operational role.

His duties included searching for illegally held weapons and explosives within the local populous. He had a number of significant finds, thus helping to make this volatile country a safer place.

In September 2007, Buster and Sgt Barrow deployed to Afghanistan. After only a few days in theatre they were deployed into the Gereshk Valley.

During one foot patrol in which Buster was leading the search for Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), they came under attack.

Although the contact was short lived, it was extremely noisy and the smell of cordite was overwhelming. Buster remained calmly by Sgt Barrow’s side totally unfazed by the actions around him.

After the event, the patrol continued and Buster carried on his work wondering what the fuss was about.

This happened on several occasions and each time, Buster waited calmly for the action to cease and then carried on his work, leading from the front in his relentless search for IEDs, keeping the patrols safe.

Morale

During periods of inactivity, Buster would wander around the camp making as many friends as possible. Apart from doing a superb job, he was also a great source of morale for the many servicemen that had left pets behind.

On Leaving Gereshk, they teamed up with the Coldstream Guards. One of Buster’s tasks was to search the Jalalahbad road, where the threat of suicide

RAFP dog Buster wears his campaign medals with pride

bombs is very real. Although a very tense situation for soldiers, Buster once again carried out his tasks with great professionalism.

On completion of the tour Buster and Sgt Barrow sadly parted company as Buster had to remain in Cyprus for a 6 month period of quarantine. Once they were reunited they immediately began training to go out to Iraq.

They deployed in March 2009 and immediately Buster was needed to ensure that the convoys leaving Basrah for Kuwait had a safe passage. This he did until the withdrawal of British Troops in May 2009.

Camp Bastion

Once again, Buster faced 6 months in Cyprus which was interrupted when one of his K9 colleagues failed to make the grade in Afghanistan. He was flown out and teamed with another handler and carried out five months searching the thousands of vehicles entering Camp Bastion.

Buster once again returned to Cyprus and finally returned to home soil in June 2010.

Buster’s Medals

Buster's campaign medals

Buster proudly wears a row of military campaign medals;

The blue and yellow is for Op ALTHEA and is the EUPHOR Medal for Bosnia.

The middle one Is for Op TELIC for Iraq.

The third one is for Op HERRICK for Afghanistan.

These medals are to represent where Buster has been.

Animals are not awarded military medals, so special permission was granted from the medals office for him to wear them.

RAFP Mascot

Although nine year old Buster has now retired from active service he has recently been made the RAFP mascot.

Have a long and happy retirement Buster, we are proud of you.

Buster and Charlie

Pictures courtesy of RAF Waddington

Building work has started on the 2011 Bitts Park bonfire in Carlisle.

The annual event attracts thousands of spectators annually and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The community event will be based on an ‘Olympics 2012’ theme.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is giving their support for the 2011 City Council Fireshow which is to take place Saturday, 5 November.

A giant 40-foot bonfire will be centre stage  and more than 2,000 spectacular fireworks will also make sure the event goes with a ‘bang’.

The community event will be based on an ‘Olympics 2012’ theme, in celebration of Carlisle being chosen as one of the host cities for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Route next June.

At Bitts Park, pre-entertainment, provided by Carlisle Leisure Limited, will start at 6.30pm and the bonfire lit at 7pm.

The whole event is likely to last for around an hour.

Admission is free, although collections will be made for the Mayor’s Charity Fund and Rotary Club Carlisle (South).

No Sooner had the postman delivered our very tasty biscuits from the Beagle Bakery but a big truck turned up with a nice man carrying a bag of food from Lathams.

Buster put his head straight into the packet

We were approached a few days ago to see if we would try out the Lathams light dry food and, with Buster being quite fussy with his food due to his kidney problem, we thought we should give it a go.

Buster wasted little time in putting his head straight into the bag of food once mum had cut it open.

The nice lady at Lathams even included a printed cotton shopping bag along with the food parcel- so mum can easily bring us home more from the town when we need some.

Not too smelly

With the bag open we could get straight down to testing the new food.  The small, brown,  shaped food bites easily fitted into our mouths making them easy to get chewing on.

They were slightly firm but easily crumbled as we clenched down on them one at a time.

Very surprisingly, Buster seemed to love the new food even though he is very picky at the moment and on a special renal diet….Mum had to keep a very close eye on him.

It was not long before he had polished off quite a handful and mum had to close the packet so he didn’t keep going and make himself sick.

Unusually for a dried food it did not smell too strong. Quite meaty in scent but not overpowering when you have your nose so close to a bowl full.

Once Buster had had his fill I was allowed a few to try.  They seemed quite filling and as such not many were needed for me to feel quite contented.

The light food is ideally designed for me, as I am a little, shall we say, comfortable, according to mum.

Personally I put it down to having thick fluff and the remains of puppy fat.

Other bags of food in the range include Adult and Adult Large breed, Puppy, Mature and sensitive.

All of the Lathams food range is natural and hypoallergenic, rich in meat with none of those nasty artificial colours and preservatives which can make us sick.  These dog foods are also free from wheat, soy, and dairy.

The good ingredients include linseed oil, sugar beet, natural seaweed, alfalfa, chicory root, calcium and phophorus.

The Lathams range has been specially developed in conjunction with Veterinarian David Helliwell MSc BVM+S MRCVS to offer a a balanced diet with all the nutrition we need.

We are also pleased that Lathams is a British brand, being manufactured not far away from us in Yorkshire and you can now buy the range from selected Tesco stores.

Bigger bags please.

Mum thinks the price is good too, as a premium dog food range, a 10Kg bag of Adult Large Breed comes in at a reasonable £25.00.  For economy reasons, and to save her running to the shops all the time, she would like to see the larger 10Kg bags available in the adult, mature, sensitive and light, but we are sure this will happen in time.

To find out more about this yummy dog food, visit the Lathams website.

Until next time

Charlie and Buster

Thanks to the postman and the Beagle Bakery we had some handmade biscuits to enjoy as a special treat over the weekend.

A bag of treats arrive from the Beagle Bakery

You may remember that we featured an article last week  about Evie, the power behind the bakery, and their dog treats and snacks.

On Saturday the postman popped a small square letter through the letterbox and it sniffed really good.  Our mum soon opened it and inside was a clear plastic bag, tied with a ribbon, containing some dog treats just for us.

Stars and squares of crunchy lovelyness and a small card saying where they were from.

So a big thank you to Evie and the Beagle Bakery, for our unexpected gift.

Until next time

Charlie and Buster.