Dodging the rain showers earlier we have just returned from a quick walk around Bitts Park in Carlisle.

Wild garlic sends an onion smell across the area

What a change in the weather from a few weeks ago when mum was threatening to cut all our fur off due to the heat.

The heating and fire were even switched back on earlier in the week as temperatures dropped below zero and an overnight frost returned.

More stinky than Charlie

The warm weather does seem to have moved nature on quite a bit and just on our short walk we came upon stinky wild garlic flowers, tulips, bluebells and a whole host of flowering plants.

Bluebells are early this year

We could smell the garlic from a good way off as it spread a strong crushed onion smell across the path.

Thankfully only a few plants had flowered so the scent was not as bad as it could have been for our very sensitive noses.

Hidden under the tree canopy alongside the River Eden mum spotted a small collection of Bluebells.

Hyacinth flowers

Standing around 10cm tall the slightly purple bell shaped flowers contrasted against the rich green woodland floor.

Another strong flower we sniffed today included these hyacinths. Arranged in a small clump these half dozen or so flowers really packed a punch when it comes to a sweet perfume sniffable for quite some distance.

New noticeboards have been installed in Bitts Park

Insects, bees and birds also seemed to be making the most of the cooler daytime conditions as the buzzed and whizzed over our heads.

New notice boards

Yet more things have been installed in the park since our last visit.  You may remember that a project has been going on as part of a Roman Frontiers project.

The latest additions include new information boards clamped to carved wooded posts.

The trunk of this tree has been scratched off

Although a good idea in some ways we wondered if they could be read by someone in a wheelchair as they had quite small lettering and they seemed quite a bit off the ground.

Big rabbits – or a monster ?

Walking back over the grass back towards the Sheepmount area and the car we spotted a couple of trees that were damaged.

At least three, otherwise healthy trees, all in various locations from the river bank, had the bark scratched or eaten off and left on the surrounding grass.

There seemed to be some tooth or claw marks running horizontally around the trunk.

If we had been in a forest we could have possibly assumed this damage had been done possibly by deer but this was in the wide open area of a city.

Do you know what might have caused this damage? Let us know via the comments area below.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

The weatherman said it would be a good weekend and it indeed turned out to be so.

An explosion of yellow from this catkin

We managed to get out of the house on both days and we are pleased to report that Spring has officially arrived.

The hedgerows and grass covered banks are full of colour.  From the white of the snowdrops a few weeks ago to a golden yellow, via the occasional purple crocus flower.

With the warmer temperatures, currently 9 deg C, bright yellow catkins and daffodils offer the hope of a good summer ahead.

Walk by the river

An old coppiced tree

Although the ground is a little squishy under our paws we managed to keep to the dry paths, with only the occasional detour to follow a sniff, or two.

Our walk on Sunday took us along the side of the River Eden from Engine Lonning towards the Sheepmount Athletics area.

We have done this walk many times. It is a good walk for Buster and his dodgy hip as it features a varied collection of surfaces and is reasonably flat.

Since the puffing steam trains left, the area around Engine Lonning has been taken over by wildlife and assorted plants.

A great number of the large willows have been coppiced.  This means that they have been chopped back regularly to the ground to allow a lot of stems to grow quickly.  Quite a few British native trees can be coppiced and the practice dates back many hundreds of years.

At the first sign of grass - Buster takes a rest

The area is managed by the local council and they keep it tidy and well tended.

Too cold for a paddle

With Charlie constantly straining on his lead, pulling towards the water to our left, we eventually came out onto the grass at the rear of the Sheepmount.

A few men were being naughty playing with a quad bike up and down the paths. However, they did slow down as we went past so we were not too scared.

Daffodils with their big yellow trumpets herald Spring

Using a motorised vehicle is not really acceptable, as this is a public path and children and animals use it regularly.

Taking a rest 

For a bloke of almost 100 I still am quite active, but the bones do ache after a good walk.

Whilst dad and Charlie power ahead, mum and I walk behind taking our time and take rests when we can.

Charlie takes a moment for a rest

Today I decided to take a moment to sit and rest surrounded by daffodils.

Looking across the playing fields behind Carlisle Castle I could watch the children playing and hear the birds sing.

Charlie wondered what I was doing but he too soon dropped and took a moment to enjoy the arrival of Spring.

Until next time, big licks

Buster and Charlie

Regular readers will know that we have, during our walks around Carlisle, been collecting images of the ceramic tiles incorporated into the new flood defences.

Red kettle on a white shirt - Just one of the mystery tiles

The recording of each tile has proved to be a bit of a challenge, but also what each represents is also becoming part of the game.

One example of this was this tile featuring a red kettle on a white shirt.

This tile can be found in the Denton Holme area of the city.

Thanks to David Boyd and his team of Eden Graphics in Penrith, we now have an explanation as to this, and some of the other tiles.

David was one of the artists commissioned to design a series of plaques to decorate the flood wall as part of a riverside trail stretching from Holmehead Wier, Denton Holme to Botcherby Bridge, Warwick Road.

David designed 8 of the 40 plaques which can be seen on the flood walls in Carlisle.

Plaques, numbered on the leaflet that accompanies the trail, can be further understood using the following explanations:

12. A Kettle called Hope - Salvation Army – symbolises the red kettle fund and pays tribute to volunteers that cleaned people’s laundry for months after the flood!

13. From Above - Air Ambulance – symbolises the plasma bag with helicopter.

14. Daily Bread - United Churches – Provided much more than bread and water!

17. Flood Line - Careline – Telephone symbolises the lifeline to the organisation that helped the elderly and the 2 tones of wallpaper symbolises a rising water level.

18. A Long Day’s Night - The Fire Service – ‘Blue Watch’ returned to the fire station and as they took off their boots water started to enter the fire station! The pool of water represents the shape that the Rivers – Eden Peteril and Caldew made across Carlisle.

19. Off-shore – In-shore - The Coastguard – Life jacket over flood water.

20. Voice of the Flood - Radio Cumbria – Martin Plenderleith was BBC Radio Cumbria’s presenter at the time of the flood and was essential at getting messages out to friends and family when the phone lines went down.

21. The Morning After - The Environment Agency – This artwork was to commemorate the clean up work done by the Environment Agency and the on-going work they continue to do.

Each one of David Boyd’s plaque designs has a small symbolic drop of water symbolising the event from the first raindrop to the last teardrop.

Further information

Heritage and History – Flood defence artwork

Checking the latest weather here in the north of England it would appear that it is almost  26C (79F).  So mum has decided we need our fur clipped.

Loads more dog fluff waiting for the nesting birds

One day of sun, and mum has totally lost the plot. A week ago we had the heating on in the house. Now, every window is open and warm air freshens into every corner.

Charlie was first to get the chop as the buzzy shears combed through his fluffy down.

I think he needed a clip more than me as he was starting to make, where his legs meet his body, what the humans call felt.

Buster shows off his new hair cut

After thirty minutes the fluff surgery on Charlie was complete and about 500g (1lb) of fine fluff lay on the table top and all over mum.

A quick tidy up and it was my turn to face the dog hair clippers.  Buzz, buzz went the blades up and down my tummy and then onto my back.

I was a bit unsure as the, by now slightly warm, gadget made it’s way towards my paws.  The clippers sort of tickled as it dragged along my fine legs and down towards my toes.

Saved for the birds

My fluff is a lot finer than Charlies so it does not take long for me to get my number two completed.

Haircuts complete we can now declare that summer has officially arrived.

We  will however reserve the right to moan and trample around in a very sorry way if the temperature now plummets.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Much of northern Britain has been battered by strong winds and heavy rain today.

Rainbow curves above the Carlisle skyline - (Click image for larger picture)

Our weather gauge measured a top windspeed gust  of 39.3KM (24mph) and so far almost 16mm of rain in the last 24 hours.

Branches have been ripped from some trees and now lay on roadsides.

With the high winds as always comes the damage.  Fence panels clang in the breeze whilst the occasional toof tile can be seen broken in the road gutter.

Rainbow over Carlisle

Earlier this evening as the clouds darkened and the wind gusted a rainbow could be seen over the City of Carlisle.

Formed as sun reflects on small water droplets a rainbow is a fantastic example of physics, optics and nature.

The main colours in a rainbow are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. This is normally memorized by mnemonics for example “Roy G. Biv” – each letter represents the first letter of the main seven colours of the rainbow. However, a rainbow contains millions of colours, some your eye can see and many it can not make out.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Snow and more rain is forecast for the weekend, so what is required to lift spirits is chocolate cake.

Chocolate Cake from the Grange Bakery

The skies are starting to darken once again and the lights have been switched as the two leggers put the kettle on and cut a large slice of sticky chocolate cake.

Dad purchased this cake yesterday at an event in the Lake District and it has been sitting, all tempting and lickylishous overnight, on the worktop in the kitchen.

It is made by a small company in South Cumbria called Grange Bakery.

According to their website, the current owners, Julia Sayburn and Paul Hughes, purchased the bakery in 2007.

Bread seems to be their major product, cooked in an oven said to be around 80 years old. They think this may be one of the oldest Trap ovens in the country.

Reading the Twitter feed for The Grange Bakery the addition of a chocolate cake to the list of products took place at the end of January, when they taste tested the chocolate.  I wish I could have been there to help, just think of all those licky bowls.

Sadly no Twitter updates have been posted since then, so we do not know which chocolate they chose.

Caution

Mum has just shouted over to us that we should mention that chocolate is not very good for dogs as it can make us ill. Personally,  I think mum is trying to keep all the cake for herself. However, for this reason we are only allowed a few crumbs.

Why is it that nice things are not good for us?

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Over the last few months we have noticed on our walks a number of painted tiles built into the new Carlisle flood defences.

Looking around the web we are unable to determine how many tiles have been installed and where they all are.

As a result this has become a bit of a challenge.

The art tiles are to be found embedded into the new flood defence walls that now surround many parts of Carlisle.

Installed after the floods of 2005 the new walls are, in places, about 2m high.

As we spot new tiles we will add them to this gallery.  However, if you know of one we have not added yet, or anything about who designed them, then please let us know via the comments section below.

Charlie is in sick bay again, this time with a broken foot.

Tuesday morning arrived and Charlie was only using three of his legs.  At first, mum and dad thought he had stood on something and had hurt his paw but he squealed when mum touched his leg…..so off to the vet.

Charlie feeling very sorry for himself

The vet has this brilliant machine that can take a picture right through our bodies called an x-ray and it was ideal for looking for a broken dog paw.

Broken Metatarsal

X-rays confirmed that Charlie had indeed broken a Metatarsal, which is a common injury among footballers.  Well Charlie certainly wasn’t playing football but he does run about like a lunatic and the vet thinks he must have slipped on the ice.

His leg will take about five or six weeks to heal but the vet gave him some medicine to take the pain away.  It tastes like honey and I think it makes him quite sleepy.

So while Charlie is feeling down in the dumps, with only three wheels on his wagon, I will take the opportunity to warn people to take extra care in the winter, as dogs and other animals suffer when it’s cold too.

Mum regularly removes snow from our paws to stop it turning into ice balls.

Ice hurts our paws

Dogs are especially at risk when we go for our walks, because snow piles up in our paws, especially if you are a woolly monster like Charlie.

This snow forms into balls of ice and really hurts when we walk.  It can even cut our paws quite badly.  Please make sure you keep clearing the snow from our paws or even get us some winter boots.

Dogs with lots of fur need to have it kept short around the feet, but not too short or we will get ice burn.

Dogs love playing in the snow but our mum and dad always keeps a close eye on us to make sure we don’t get too cold.

Although people think that dogs are like wild animals and can tolerate the cold, we have been bred specially for domestic living and our normal body temperature is actually a few degrees higher than a human, so we need to keep warm.

Dogs like me, who have very fine coats, should have a waterproof jacket when out and about in the winter. Please don’t put us in sweaters as the material gets wet and makes us colder.

If you want any further information about looking after animals in the winter, the RSPCA has some very useful advice on their website.

Here are some important tips for winter dog care.

• Make sure the snow and ice is removed from our feet, legs and tummy.
• Wash paws as soon as we get in with warm water to remove any salt, or chemicals used on the roads.  Antifreeze and de-icing products are extremely toxic to dogs but we find them very tasty.  If you wash our feet, we cannot get poisoned when licking our paws.  Licking salt from our paws will make us feel sick or even make us vomit.
• We must not be allowed to lick from puddles or eat snow from the road or pavement.
• Do not let us off our leads in snow or ice. We can lose our sense of smell in winter and easily get lost or run into danger.
• Make sure we are microchipped or have our identity tags on.  We don’t like snow storms, it makes us want to run away.
• Dogs can easily get frostbite in our paws, ears and noses and this is very painful.  Hypothermia is common and even a short time in sub zero temperatures can cause damage and make us sick.  Please do not leave us in cold cars, they soon turn into fridges!

Please look out for all animals this winter.

Must go and look after peg leg now!

Buster

Overnight our world has turned white as the snow has returned to Carlisle.

During the night, Charlie had ventured outside for a quick check around only to return covered in snow and eager to wake mum and dad.

Our 'Roman' hot spring re-emerges

Shall we say, it was a bit early when we started to get ready for our walk.  Getting the two leggers out of bed can really take some time especially at weekends.

‘Roman hot spring returns’

First thing to check on was to see if our ‘Roman hot spring’ has returned to the park.

Sure enough, steaming and unfrozen was our puddle.  During the summer it had vanished. However, all looked good today as it showed up clearly against the white snow.

Charlie powers ahead leaving his mark in the untouched snow

Given that the puddle has returned, it once again raises the question about what is warming the water.

Fresh clean snow

After our quick trip around the park to get our legs warmed up, we venture onto the path near to the River Eden.

The reasonable clear sky and calm conditions make today ideal for going for a walk.

Charlie runs ahead whilst mum and I plod gently along, looking at the trees and keeping an eye out for animals or other critters.

One of the first tracks we spot in the snow on this path, apart from Charlie’s massive pawprints, are those left by a hare.  At least this is what mum says they are.

Clearing the ice from between Busters paws

Three prints in a sort of triangular shape are the distinctive signs or this sort of beastie.  One large print is made by the two front paws close together whilst behind, two distinct paw prints are made by the hind legs.

Snow filled paws

One problem with fresh snow is that it soon melts together and bungs up my paws.

Every few hundred metres I would stop and let mum clean the ice out between my pads.

It was not really painful but just irritated, as I was not able to put my foot down properly.

Charlie enjoys the snow in a Carlisle park

Charlie did not seem to suffer from the problem with his massive paws, however his ears soon became ice covered and needed a bit of attention.

Looking back at our trails in the snow, it was clear to see who had the biggest paws.  In my trail you could make out my paws as I lifted them in and out of much of the fresh snow.

Charlie’s trail on the other hand, was about 30cm wide and almost clear of snow.  As you watch him walk, he shifts the snow in front of him like a snow plough.

Apples cling on in this tree as the snow gently chills them

Winter apples

Glistening in the late morning sunshine, we spotted some red and green apples clinging to an apple tree.

This sight was most unexpected after the recent windy conditions and given the time of the year.

Fresh fruit like this is a welcome food resource for blackbirds and other animals given that the ground is frozen.

It is too cold to sit and contemplate today

Please take a moment to refill your bird feeders with nuts and seeds.  It is also worth keeping an eye on the birdbath to ensure that fresh water is available for our feathered friends.

Bitts Park covered with snow

Taking a bit of a detour from our planned route we decided to take a look into Bitts Park, behind Carlisle Castle.

Two or three children were out with their sledges having loads of fun up and down the snow covered grass banks.

Quite a few people were also out with their cameras taking pictures of snowy scenes.  Interestingly, many snow pictures are blue and need tweaked before publication.

A slight mist hangs in the early morning sunshine

A few years back, dad came across this very helpful guide to taking pictures in the snow.  The blue colour it seems is created in the picture due to something called white balance.  Very technical  - but easily solved.

Snow machines in Carlisle

An interesting aside to our walk today, is the funny story that has emerged that Carlisle City Council and a number of partners have hired in snow machines this weekend.

Designed to create a ‘Winter Wonderland’ in the centre of Carlisle,  dad wondered  if they had maybe not read the instructions and accidentally pressed the ‘cover all’ button.  Now that most of the UK is covered with the white stuff.

No doubt at some point the Daily Mail, and other newspapers, will pick up on the story, and have a good laugh at the Council.  Now what would be the headline?

Here are our suggestions.

• Council is snow wrong!
• Council freezes budgets
• Snow entertainment
• Flaky council decision wastes money
• Council has snow balls
• Wrong kind on snow for City
• Council melts real snow then makes fake

Let us know your snow headlines via the comments section below.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Spring has finally arrived and with it comes the early morning birdsong, the scent of flowers in the garden and this year, rosette man.

Sighted every four or five years this rare species sports a coloured rosette or sticker and is to be found on doorsteps throughout the land in the early evening.

Only appearing for around six weeks, the illusive creature can often be seen walking the streets in groups of up to ten or so individuals.

Tulips ready to flower

Courtship rituals seem to include kissing babies, appearing to show sympathy towards local causes and handing out balloons.

Faded yellow Princess

What a pain it is to be disturbed on a regular basis by people knocking at the door or posting leaflets.

Mum says that the visitors are from the chew tax people and are wanting to know if we would support them in something called an election.

We woof loudly every time the doorbell rings and they soon leave the doorstep. Often before mum answers it. For some reason mum seems to appreciate this.

Dad says he does miss the good old days when the campaign car, very often an old faded yellow British Leyland Princess, would tour the streets with large speakers strapped to the roof rack.

Sometimes candidates would use ice-cream jingles ahead of the political message, he adds with a smile.

We think you must have needed to be there to fully appreciate the moment.

Charlie also plays a little game with the assorted leaflets. However, he does have his favourites so far.

Charlie’s top five tips for grading election leaflets.

• The thin cheap home printed leaflets don’t taste too good and rip easily. Claggy when wet.
• Glossy three fold leaflets put up more of a challenge and make for good tearing.
• Business cards are great for throwing around but they do catch on your teeth and need a paw to lever them off.
• Leaflets with stickers are good because you can peel them off and stick them to the wooden floor or Buster.
• Promotion literature by post is great.  Multi thickness leaflets, assorted bright colours in an envelope. Good lasting fun.

Sore

Blossom on a tree in Carlisle

Last week I did rather a silly thing when I jumped out of the bath.

Unlike Charlie I am not a fan of baths and this time I slipped and did something to my back.

Mum took me to the nice lady at the doggy hospital and she gave me an injection and some tablets.  I moped around for a few days and was a bit sore but was allowed to have the fire on in the lounge to keep warm.

All seems ok now and today was our first walk to see how I got on.

Blossom

The last few days of sunshine has brought on the flowers, blossom and leaves.

Most of the daffodils are now starting to die back and the larger plants are taking over.

New bright green leaves

Our walk today followed the usual route in Victoria and Bitts Parks and we were amazed to see the changes in the colours and sniffs.

Tulips are ready to burst forth their colour in the assorted borders and blossom covers many of the trees.

Bright green leaves are starting to appear in some trees, a sure sign that the harsh winter is almost behind us.

BBC Dig In seeds arrive

Frost

Overnight the air still gets a bit frosty and mum has not started planting in the garden yet.

This morning our seeds from the BBC Dig In campaign arrived.

Salad, basil, carrot, french bean and courgette seeds were sealed into the envelope along with some stickers and a handy book of words for mum.

Heron on the edge of the River Eden in Carlisle

Thankfully this was one envelope that Charlie did not get to.

Heron

Just before we left the park dad spotted this heron waiting for his supper on the banks of the River Eden.

Nesting nearby in a big tree herons are to be regularly seen in the area.

Orkney-campsites

And finally…. as they say in all the best stories… mum and dad have taken full advantage of my down time over the last week by putting together a new website called orkney-campsites.com

This site is a spin-off from the much larger Spirit-of-orkney site they produced last year following a trip north.

Featuring campsites and related content including taxi details and places to visit they hope it will help visitors plan ahead of their to Orkney and and the associated Islands.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie