Charlie defluffed

After the walk yesterday mum decided that it was warm enough for me to loose my thick fleecy coat and get a short back and sides.

Out came the big blue non slip mat and then the buzzy cutters got to work.

After about 30 minutes of attention mum had filled a big carrier bag of my fluff and I must be a good few pounds lighter.

Mum seemed to enjoy watching me get colder and colder but I got the last laugh.

As she was about to finish I gave a massive shake and fluff went everywhere.  It went all over mum and she had to change her top as she started to itch.

Mum says she will put the fluff out for the birds as they are starting to nest build in the garden and it will help keep them warm.

Until next time – a cold but lighter Charlie.

Our expeditions now have a bit of structure with the arrival of the maps as a bit of planning can now take place.

BP fuel prices £1.13 for both unleaded and diesel

Bothel was to be our starting point then, depending on the weather, Gilcrux and possibly ending up in Allonby via a few places on the way.

These were all places dad had not visited and so would be new sniffs for all of us.

Parity

First we needed to give the car a drink. So we pulled into the service station on the edge of the city and filled up.

Dad was surprised to notice that the price of diesel was the same as that for unleaded.

Usually there is a difference of quite a few pence, but not today.

As we drove out of the garage Mum and dad had a discussion as to when the price would hit £1.50 a litre. Dad thought around the end of September but mum speculated that maybe in the new year.

At this point we curled up in the back of the car whilst the conversation went into economics and deep things like inflationary pressure and interest rates.

Bothel

Thankfully our first destination was not too far from Carlisle and after parking the car near to the school we set off around the village.

The former Chapel in Bothel

Bothel is situated west of Carlisle just off the A595 at it’s junction to the A591 to Keswick.

It is perched on a hill with commanding views of the Solway and the across to the Scottish coastline.

We were not sure what we were expecting to find as we walked around the village but were pleasantly surprised. Everyone we met said hello, including the very nice post woman who was very busy in her red van.

A flush bracket in Bothel

The first unusual building we came upon was the former Methodist chapel.  It looks as if it has had the top sliced clean off leaving only the lower windows.

In the bottom right hand corner as you look at the building is an Ordnance Survey flush bracket. It has the waypoint designation 0205S.

According to the Bench Mark database this flush bracket was used during the Third geodetic levelling, England & Wales between 1950 and 1968.

We can still see the dustbin...

It was included on the Cockermouth to Wetheral levelling line.

The surveyor’s description was NE face, N angle of chapel, SW side of road, Bothel.

Camouflage

Bothel is a maze of streets leading off a central arterial road. Half way up what you could call the main street we came upon this very badly camouflaged dustbin.

A large mural in Bothel

Interestingly in the picture the seat is more hidden than the bin.

The design was no doubt the result of many a parish council meeting or art grant.

At the top of the village our attention was drawn to this partly covered mural painted onto the side of a farm barn.  It must have taken hours to paint originally however it seems to have been partly painted over.

Cats enjoy the late morning sunshine in Bothel

Mum and dad puzzled for a long time trying to work out what it was for and came to the conclusion that it was possibly an advert for a restaurant nearby.

Maybe it was painted by the phantom bin painter of Bothel?

Friends

Venturing up one of the side streets in our quest to find interesting things we came across this pair of cats enjoying the late morning sunshine.

Charlie spots some ducks in Bothel

They kept a close eye on us from their vantage point on the roof of this car.

These cats are very naughty sitting on the paintwork. We would not be allowed to do this.

Water or ducks

Our circular walk returned us to the main street once more but this time on the opposite side of the road.

Dad, ever the little boy, spotted one of those vehicle speed indicators strapped to a lamp post. He just could not stop himself running towards it to see if it would light up.

Faster and faster we ran and the display lit up 27mph. Wow we thought, Olympics here we come, just as a car past us from behind.

Nearby Charlie spotted, bobbing around in a quite large pond at the bottom of a garden, some ducks or was it the pond he was interested in.

He sat for a good few minutes trying to work out how they moved  and what made them woof in a very unusual manner until dad pulled on the lead and said we needed to move on to our next location.

Gilcrux

Yarling Well in Gilcrux

Heading away from the A595 and using the backroads we aim towards Gilcrux. Locally this place is pronounced GillCruise.

Parking the car just we head on foot away from the church along a wide open street with buildings set back from the road.

Just along from the entrance to The Beeches Caravan Park we notice an unusual covered structure surrounded by grass.

Chapel Well in Gilcrux

Three large stone slabs form a roof above Yarling Well.  The name of the well is written in ironwork on the front grill.

A circular plaque indicates that the water is not suitable for humans to drink. Frustratingly we can’t get out lickers through the grill.

Passing to the other end of the village, past the Masons Arms and some very friendly cows in a farm yard we spot another well on the left of the road.

Well, well, well

This well is called Chapel Well and features a trough that is ideal for us to take a drink out of. It is just the right height and the fast flowing cool water is great to refresh us.

Recycling centre in Gilcrux

It would seem as if Gilcrux must have been designed for us with all these water features. Mum and dad wondered what history these wells had and why they were so named.  Do you know?

Heading back towards the church and we spot a faded yellow sign which at first glance could have come straight out of a 1940’s film set.

Hatching Well in Gilcrux

Positioned next to an old farm building this is the Gilcrux recycling centre with the large plastic bins kept out of site.

Well done for mixing the old and the new.

Soggy paws

After a brief detour to take some snowdrop pictures for the photo database and a quick trip around the churchyard of St Mary’s Gilcrux Charlie’s ears prick up as he hears the sound of running water.

Just below us is yet another well. This one is called Hatching Well.

Like Yarling Well earlier this well is also surrounded by a fence however I can just get squeezed between the metal uprights and take a drink.

The good folk of Gilcrux have also provided a stone step for my rear paws to keep them out of the dirt.

Onwards

Consulting the map once more in the car and our next venue was going to be the seaside at Allonby.

Allonby Beach

We had been good boys on short leads for large parts of our walks today due to us being near to roads and people so dad thought we needed to stretch our legs.

Where better to do this than on the wide open space of the beach.

We have visited Allonby before but it was great to get back for some sea air.

After a small picnic of hot tomato soup and a roll, sat on a sand bank with the warm afternoon sun warming our backs, we ventured off down the coast.

Stones, shells, sand and warm sunshine make for a great walk as we paddled and ran around.

Allonby is great as we can get very sandy and a little damp as we leave the car behind. Our return journey can be on the grass or paths further inland allowing us to dry off and clean up.

By mid afternoon we were starting to slow down and we headed back to the car and the drive home.

Our heads were full of new sniffs and our muscles starting to ache a little as we settled down in the car for the journey home.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Bright colourful stripes have been painted on walls, sofas and chandeliers have all been installed and hundreds of extras have been recruited.

The waiting room on platform four has been turned in to a lounge,  a garden has been created and the connecting bridge has been painted in multi-colour stripes.

Visitors arriving at the station have been amazed at the transformation and many people are requesting on the social media site, Facebook that some of the installed features remain once filming ceases over the weekend.

Carlisle railway station is managed by Virgin Trains

Here are some pictures taken earlier today

So it was when we visited Cockermouth over the weekend.

Background

Just in case you are unaware of the hours of news footage towards the end of 2009,  Cockermouth and the surrounding area had severe flooding following heavy rain during November.

The Main Street in the town had torrents of water cascading down it, over a metre deep.

As a result many town centre businesses are displaced and the builders and drying contractors have moved in.

Open for business

Away from the skips and florescent safety gear clad workmen, life continues and Cockermouth, like many other areas affected in the storms, is open for business and is welcoming trade.

Unusual combination of businesses in Cockermouth

Our walk took us through the middle of the town and at the far end, feeling quite helpless, our spirits were raised, well at least mum and dad had a giggle, when they came across this financial institution.

As we have mentioned many businesses have moved from their normal premises and have sought alternative accommodation.

It would seem that this pension trust service, Wensley Mackay, now offer more than just financial support.

Flood recovery fund

Set up immediately after the flooding the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund has now raised in excess of £2m to help individuals and families suffering financial hardship and to support community projects recover.

Update 17 Feb 4pm – Flood fund now closed – BBC News

Until next time,

Buster and Charlie

Mum had a grand plan for today with a mission to find a carpet of snowdrops for dad to photograph.

She had read in some article that a church in the Cockermouth area near to Bassenthwaite Lake was reported to be the ideal location.

Isel Bridge closed following the floods in November

All seemed to be going to plan until mum sort of mentioned that she had forgotten to pick up the map and directions for our destination.  By now it was too far to turn around so we started to explore.

Road closed

Turning off the A591 we headed towards Sunderland, just because dad had never been to it. Before anyone asks, Sunderland the village in north Cumbria and not Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.

Little exploring to be done here however it did give mum the chance to check the map.  Nearby was a river and a footpath.  Had mum come good after all?

Isel Bridge over River Derwent

Mum was back in charge,  as we headed down some narrow roads.

Occasionally dad would gently swerve to try and avoid driving through steaming piles of  ’rural essence’  left by a farmer spreading muck nearby.

All was going well, up to the point where the road was closed.

It was not mum’s day and as we were starting to get all excited dad decided we would find somewhere to park and go for a walk anyway.

Isel Bridge

Somehow dad always seems to manage to find an adventure and today was no exception as we walked over a stone bridge turning left on the opposite bank and onto a well trodden grass path.

The overnight frost had hardened the ground and we were able to take a good sniff around.

It turned out that we had arrived in Isel with it’s small church, a few houses and farms and our new walk.

Isel Bridge, now behind us, has been closed following the floods back in November.

Wire fence festooned with river weeds

Many routes in the area have been disrupted due to safety works, inspections and remedial maintenance needing to be carried out on them.

Interestingly this bridge, with the C2026  on it,  has been closed in the interests of road safety and to avoid damage to very minor approach roads. Is that code for a ‘rat run? ‘

River weed

Our path took us upstream along the side of the River Derwent.

Looks like iron, not gold mum...

Across the other side of the river the wire fence had become a washing line for river weed as it hung drying in the winter sunshine.

I don’t think the farmer will be along in a hurry to clean it off. It may however be great nesting materials for the birds in the spring.

Beyond this fence could be seen fallen fence posts and the bend in the river.

Gold

Between us we seem to spot most things on our walks. Charlie and I are in charge of the sniffs and mum and dad keep an eye on bigger things.

P-A-T-H...

After the disappointment of not winning over £100m on the Euro Lottery last night, dad once more was on the lookout for ways to make money and he thought he had found it when he spotted a glinting stone in amongst the grass.

Mum picked it up and after a quick look ruled out gold and instead said it was possibly iron. ‘Oh well, another week at work’, said dad.

Magnificent view

A memorable view

Our path now started to climb between two wire fences alongside a field of sheep.

The damp conditions underfoot made the path a little slippery in places, especially when a tree root came close to the surface.

Suddenly the climb turned in to a set of steep sloping steps down towards the river.

Short leads were the order of the day and we were not allowed to pull incase we pulled mum or dad over. I think it would be fair to say they struggled a bit at this point.

Plaque on the seat back

After the fall then the inevitable rise up the other side of the narrow valley and what a reward at the top with the view upstream towards the Cumbrian mountains.

Placed in memory of Maurice Todhunter this seat offers a welcome rest stop and time to take in the magnificent view.

On the left of the image can be seen a trail of silt, rocks and other debris which looks like it has been left, possibly in a slight dip in the ground, as the river has taken a shortcut across the fields.

We have our own gate flap ...

Fence flap

The path became a little bit more gentle at this point as we left the river path and came onto a tarmac road  but not before we negotiated a well designed stile.

Mum and dad went over the wooden fence steps and we had our own fence flap. Well done to the National Trust for thinking about us and for finding such a simple solution.

The first lambs of the year

Lambs

At this point dad’s inbuilt compass kicked in and rather than turning left heading up hill we turned right, past Kirkhouse Farm with the hens in the yard and alongside a bright green field.

Looking at us through the wooden gate was a proud mum and two new lambs.

So as not to frighten them our mum put us on short leads and we quickly passed.

Turning right we dropped back down to Isel bridge and to where we had started our circular walk.

Church

Isel Church - closed

During our walk we had not spotted the local church so, whilst dad was taking yet another picture, mum asked another dog walker if he knew where it was.

We were only about 100m from it however, following the floods the church and the area around it had become dangerous and it was closed.

Tall metal barriers with assorted parish notices on them prohibited us getting near to the building.  We wondered when it may open again as it seemed to be in a lovely location and no doubt full of history.

Cockermouth

Being so close to Cockermouth, and that Dad needed the loo, we got back in to the car and headed down the road to Cockermouth.

Back in November this town hit the worlds headlines as the main street became a raging torrent of water as nearby rivers burst their banks and cascaded through the town.

Almost three months later and Cockermouth is in part open for business and trying to restore normality.

Open for business

Damage is very much in evidence as you walk along Main Street.

Television images of the wool shop, the police station and the first houses visited by reporters in the aftermath come flooding back as you stand and view the town as the camera lenses did at the end of last year.

Dad has produced a gallery of what we saw today which you can see below this update.

Fed and watered from a couple of the open shops in the town we headed home after an hour or so. Mum clutching some lamb chops from a butcher on the Main Street for supper.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Isel and Cockermouth galleries

Charlie and his webwatch

If you would like to suggest any gadgets, websites or stories for my next WebWatch then get in touch via the Contact Us form at the top of this page.

A quick thought for Valentines Day…
According to a survey conducted by a pet food company, 26 percent of dog owners “say ‘I love you’ once a day to their dogs—the same percentage that says ‘I love you’ once a day to a spouse or significant other.”

Gadgets

Power generating dog lead - A bit of lateral thinking has gone in to this gadget that harnesses the energy stored in our leads to generate light.  As we pull the retractable lead in and out a generator makes electricity. This energy is stored in batteries and used to power a light to guide the way.  Still as a concept but a great idea, investors wanted.

PawTrax - After two years of research, investigation and testing a GPS tracker has been developed for us. It is called The PATmicro.

Air conditioned and heated dog house - Now we are talking sheer luxury here.

The innovative Cool Pet House has been designed to cater for Small Pets up to 12kg and is Air-conditioned & Heated using newly developed state of the art ‘thermo-electric’ technology with temperature ranges from a cool 17°C up to a balmy 30°C (thermostat controlled).

The Cool Pet House also features inbuilt humidifiers to ensure that the living and sleeping environment remains at a constant and very pleasant 50-60% humidity.

There is also an optional WI FI Web Cam and LED interior lighting at the touch of a remote control button.

Websites

Ohmidog.com –  is the web domain of John Woestendiek, a former newspaper reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner who, after blogging about dogs and animals for the Baltimore Sun, decided to unleash himself from the newspaper and go out on his own.

As a stray, he plans to continue blogging and working as a writer on other projects, including a dog-related book.

He is assisted in this endeavor by the ohmidog! staff (listed below) and his dog Ace, who, whether he’s dragging his owner to the dog park or curled up and snoring on the futon, provides constant inspiration.

The other end of the leash.com - This is one for the humans,  as it is an ongoing inquiry about the behavior of people and dogs.

To Quote from the website ” My hope is that it will become a place for an informed and thoughtful consideration of the amazing relationship between people and dogs—my two favorite species.”

The blog is written by Patricia McConnell, a certified applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer who is crazy in love with her dogs.

Oldies Club –  The Oldies Club is a dog rescue, run solely by volunteers, that specialises in rescuing and rehoming older dogs – aged 7 years plus.

Oldies Club

The Oldies Club rescue grew from an initial idea on an internet dog chat forum by a group of people who felt great empathy with the plight of elderly dogs that find themselves homeless.

You can help this club with collecting stamps from used envelopes. Please send them to Oldies Club Stamps, 35 Belle Vue Street, Healey, Batley, West Yorks, WF17 8DD. Please ensure Oldies Club is mentioned on the envelope, to ensure money raised is allocated correctly.

The Oldies club is also on the lookout for other items including mobile phones, printer cartridges. full details on their website.

Dog Art Today – Dog Art Today is devoted to daily dog art from around the world.

Features include contemporary dog art, the history of dogs in art, dog art auctions, books, posters, fashion and decor.

Launched in March 2007 this blog is run by Moira McLaughlin (MORE-a Mc-LOCK-lin) who is an artist and a dog lover. She has a Longhaired Dachshund muse called Darby.

Pictures

Here are a few pictures we have taken over the past few weeks and have kept as sort of a blooper part to this post.

Buster sleeps on the stairs

A Sleepy Buster

Buster eventually finds somewhere to sleep.

Even if it is on the stairs with his head on some paperwork waiting to be filed….. sweet dreams

Amusing picture

And finally… Whilst we were out in the car the other day we spotted this image in the grounds of Lanercost Priory…. Bishop’s Move in a Priory…. Well we thought it was funny:-)

Bishops Move - at Lanercost Priory

Until next time

Charlie

Today however we stopped,  just outside of the town at St Michael’s and All Saints church, or Arthuret church as it is more commonly known.

Arthuret Church near Longtown

Just  off the A7 around 15 minutes by car from Carlisle is the lovely church. It is the parish Church for the Longtown area and about half a mile from the town.

Cathedral

Parking the car in the large lay-by at the side of the road we crossed into the churchyard through a black squeaky metal gate.

Known as Arthuret church it is a gothic imposing building built in the early 1600’s. The tower was a later addition almost 100 years later.

Short leads were the order of the day as we kept to the paths and maintained good order as we made our way along the path that ran to the left of the church.

Alongside the path, to the left and stretched out in many long snake like rows, were hundreds of gravestones of all shapes, colours and age.

A tight squeeze through the church gate

Dad commented that for a rural area the churchyard seemed tightly packed and unusual. It almost seemed as if it had cathedral status over the nearby land he said.

Excited to stretch our legs, we spotted a gate at the top end of the churchyard and we headed straight for it.

Oh Charlie

Mum and dad had trouble squeezing under the low branches overhanging the kissing gate and I found it a bit of a squeeze negotiating the swingy gate bit, but we soon got through.

We escaped the churchyard and exited onto the top of a steep slope. It was a good job it was dry and light otherwise we could have run straight ahead and tumbled down the hill.

St Michael's Well near Arthuret Church

Mum didn’t like this bit and held on to my lead very strongly. She needs to get a walking stick for dads adventures next time.

Whilst mum struggled to get her head in order, Charlie and dad turned right to see what they could see.

Following the narrow path they spotted a wooden seat overlooking the valley and the flat lands.

If they had gone off with a sandwich and a flask then we would not have seen them for days as they could contemplate the world from there.  Thankfully they returned after a few moments.

Turning right from the gate, Charlie started to pull on his lead.  This usually means one thing, water!

Charlie is something of a divining rod when it comes to water as he seems to be able to smell it or sense it in some way.

Roman Bath

Full length of his lead and straight down the stone steps, he hurtled pulling dad behind like an anchor loose in the sea he turned sharp left. The next thing you heard was a splash followed by, Oh Charlie.

This would be St Michael’s Well that he found as he paddled around in the icy cold water up to his tummy. On a warm day this could be an ideal Roman style bathing pool for pooches as the water and the layout were just in scale for us.

Geese fly over the debatable lands

I could just imagine paddling in the pool looking out across the fields then sitting on the sun warmed stones to dry off.

Charlie, now soaking wet below his tummy, had sealed the next few hours of outdoor fun, as we would need him dry before returning to the car so dad decided we would walk in to Longtown.

Starting off down the hill, with the sound of hundreds of geese overhead, we walked in a zig zag pattern, ensuring between us every smell was accounted for.

Arriving on to a wide main street dad decided that we would take the left hand side of the road first then return down the other side later.

Dr Robert’s town

Houses, shops and the occasional side street or ally were passed, until we came upon quite a wide road with what looked like open space beyond.

On our way down the hill we passed a fading information panel explaining that this was Dr Robert’s Town. Seemingly Dr Robert Graham was the person who laid out the town with the wide streets and established the Graham Arms as a coaching inn.

At the bottom of the hill was a metal gate with a permissive path sign to one side. This was all we needed to know we were on another part of our grand day out.

Bridge over River Esk

Our path led alongside the River Esk and looking back towards the town we could see five arches of the road bridge over the fast flowing water.

Whilst doing some research after our walk it seems as if the River Esk is the only river in Scotland where you apply to the English Environment Agency for some fishing licences.

Our path was firm underfoot and ideal for a damp day when mum likes to keep us reasonably clean.

After a short while we passed a small United Utilities compound  then a little further we came upon a bend in the river and a few water ponds to our left.  You can see them here on the map.

Longtown seems a cider capital

Maybe these were fish ponds in the old days or maybe the remains of a quarry dad was unsure.

Cider

By now we were getting a little cool with walking in to the icy breeze so we decided to turn around and head back towards the town.

Flashing in the sunlight at the edge of the path we noticed that almost at regular intervals were discarded drinks cans. This spoiled the walk a little but interestingly they all seemed to be a popular cider brand.

Fish and Chips for lunch

Mum and dad wondered if a lorry had fallen off the bridge filled with cases of cider or maybe it was the cheapest brand on the shelves in the local store.  This became the topic of conversation for quite a few minutes.

Arriving back into the town we crossed over the high street just before the bridge and started on our way back towards the car.

Fish and Chips

Frozen paws and rumbling tummies were soon forgotten as the local chip shop, The Border Cod, came into view on the other side of the road.

100w lamp bulbs available in Longtown, Cumbria

Mum was quickly dispatched with some money to get a single portion of fish and chips for us to share four ways.

Somehow food eaten outdoors seems to taste really good and these were no exception to that rule, as we sat on a bench and tucked in.

100w light bulbs

Right back at the start of this update we promised to reveal the story of the light bulbs, well this is it.

Half way down the High Street in Longtown is the John Graham hardware store.

Written in big letters on boards outside the shop this morning are a number of notices advertising 100w light bulbs.

These kinds of lamp are being banned by the EU for not being energy efficient however many people are still wanting to use them. The BBC reports that many people are hoarding the lamps.

So if you want to get your hands on some old technology then Longtown is the place to visit it seems.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Civic Centre tile

Made in the form of ceramic tiles the small graphical artworks depict a local landmark or the extent of the Carlisle floods in 2005.

Interestingly the tiles seem to be embedded into the new flood defences.

Searching the web we are unable to find out if others exist or if maybe if they are part of a new trail around Carlisle.

Extent of flood at The Sands ( click for larger image)

The Civic centre tile is to be found on the new subway entrance from Victoria Park.

A red sign with the River Eden in blue is stuck to the flood defences to the rear of The Sands centre just off Hardwick Circus.

Other news

Things are starting to settle down after all the frost and snow over Christmas.

Local fields and the pavements are all clear of the ice and the damp wet normal weather has returned.  We much preferred the ice,  as everything looked brighter and we did not get as dirty.

The grown ups have been busy doing computer web stuff like mad since the holidays. Mum says it is like the modern proddy rug, where you gather all the bits and pieces during the summer then sort it all out during the dark winter nights.

Twitter

Don’t forget you can follow us on Twitter. Our username is ablogfrommydog. Dad has put a blue follow us to the right of this page to help you.

A quick update as we are just going to get a bath then settle down to watch some wildlife tv. Well it is Saturday night.

Untill next time

Buster and Charlie

Unfrozen puddle

Our regular walk to the park to check on the unfreezing puddle indicated that in part the water has become solid with ice. However, it is very thin and mum stopped us walking on it in case we fell through.

Interestingly, as can be seen by the photograph, the overnight snow has not covered the puddle over, so maybe some heat is still left in our thermal spring.

Maybe dad could buy the land and build a spa complex on it just for pooches.

We do get sore muscles and bad skin like humans, so why shouldn’t we get a bit of pampering…

Snowballs

Today Charlie learnt all about snow balls and chasing them. Mum tried like mad to make them so he could have something to run after.

Throw me a snowball ...

The latest fall of snow was very powdery, just like false snow you would find in a shop window at Christmas or the stuff straight out of an aerosol can.

Mum had to warm her hands before picking up the snow so a little of it would melt and form a sort of icy-snowball.

Twitter

You can follow updates and exclusive reports as to what we are getting up to via our Twitter feed as well as via this blog. Why not become our friend so we can become yours.

The link to Twitter can also be found to the right of this page (the big blue stripe that says Follow Us)

Video

Dad has been busy with the video and stills camera over the last few days snapping away taking pictures of snow.

He has put together a gallery of some of the stuff taken over the last few days below for your enjoyment.

Both mum and dad are now very busy writing up various articles for some of their websites and just letting us lay by the fire, toasting slowly.

We take it in turns hot-bunking on the rug whilst the other gets comfortable in a cooler part of the house. Mum thinks that maybe we were marshmallows or gods in a previous life.  I suppose that dog is merely god spelled backwards. So following that way of thinking we must also be a wollamhsram. Whatever one of those is?

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Gallery

Some of dad’s pictures and a video he has put together for Naturearoundme.com

Puddle still un-frozen

First thing on our list was to check to see if our puddle, the one we spotted the other day, had frozen.

Despite the temperatures overnight dropping to at at least -5deg centigrade the puddle still remained unfrozen.

Mum and dad now wondered what was keeping the water from freezing over.

Maybe it was being fed from an underground hot spring left undiscovered by the Romans when they left the area a few thousand years ago.

Buster enjoys the snow

It is thought that the nearest bath house to us is to be found on the site currently occupied by the Market Hall in the centre of the City so quite a few miles away from our location.

Overhead

Today has been a busy day for the air ambulances in the area.

Whilst we were out on our walk a green and white helicopter flew over us quite low as he went in to land at the nearby hospital.

Frozen leaf

As we type this blog update we can hear again the sound of whirling rotor blades as for about the fourth time today a helicopter is on route to the helipad at the Cumberland Infirmary.

Really winter

Everything is looking very festive and somehow just right for the season after the weeks of cold temperatures.

For many years our winters seem to have been only wet, damp and miserable however the cold, crisp days with the bright sunshine just seem to have lifted spirits.

It has been very unusual to have a white Christmas all through the holiday period.

Charlie enjoys the snow

We have been out far more in the last few weeks than at times during the summer.  Yes we get cold paws and Charlie gets a soggy tummy but we stay clean.

Peaking through undergrowth

Another thing we have noticed is that when it is cold the sniffs really do smell a whole lot better.

With temperatures dropping outside mum brought some of her plants indoors to escape the frost. In normal times they would be ok in the greenhouse but it anything below -4 dec C she says will freeze their roots and stems.

Gorse in full flower

Suddenly the bathroom and the kitchen look like jungle film sets and at anytime you expect a Bear Grhyls or some other explorer or naturalist peaking through the undergrowth.

Bright yellow flowers surrounded one side of the field we went for a walk in today.  Despite the icy conditions and the recent snow falls the gorse still seems to be flowering.

Mum says this is unusual in the north of England however many reports suggest that gorse is now flowering all year around.

Buster and Charlie enjoy a walk

Against the white ground and bare branches of nearby trees the many bushes about 2m high really stood out and provided a happy sunny hedge.

Buster once again wore his blue jacket with the reflective stripes to help keep his hip warm.  He is not really a fan of it as it is a little bit ridged on his back and makes him feel a little awkward. The benefit comes when he gets home and doesn’t feel too clunky and sore.

I love my walks and am always keen to get onto the scent of a new animal.  Today, left in the snow were sets of four paw prints mum thought had been left by bunnies.

Just look at the field

Now I don’t know what one of these critters looks like but they seem to have rounded rectangular paws and smell slightly of damp earth. I think they must be fluffy like me.

Coloured snow

It is hard work being out in front on walks and looking after Buster. Sometimes I just take a break and sitting or lying on the snow just take a moment to look around.

Did you know you can eat snow? Mum picked some of the white stuff in her hand and like magic it turned to licky water,  what a great trick.

This got me wondering what would happen if I licked the snow up on my licker.

I wish we had a sledge...

I have to say it was cold and it sort of crackled but it soon melted and I was sorted. Drinks whenever I needed,  for this walk anyway.

Just a note of caution at this point,  coloured snow is not good.  I need say no more. Yuck.

Husky

Towards the end of the big field we had to descend down quite a big hill. You can see a picture of it to the right of the page.  Next time it snows we know exactly where to come for some sledging. I can run in front with a harness on and pull Buster around just like a sled dog team.

On the subject of sled dogs the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain have been holding a rally this weekend near Penrith.

The winter sunshine is very warm

Usually in the UK the sleds are equipped with wheels and are pulled by a team of dogs over forest tracks. Maybe this year the full experience may have been possible with the sleds running on the snow, as they would do in the frozen wildernesses of Siberia.

Picture

One of the unseen problems with this website is the number of blurred photographs my dad takes of us. This is not, usually, because he can’t take a good picture but because we do not stand or sit still for very long.

Very often dad will load the pictures on to the computer and all you will see across the screen is a black and white blur  or a shaky tan coloured splodge, sorry Buster.

So you can imagine his relief when he downloaded the above photograph from the camera.

Have a safe and peaceful 2010

Until next time

Charlie and Buster