A bottle of bright orange gloop arrived in the bathroom this week. Written on the clear plastic bottle in big letters was the phrase ‘Dirty Beastie’.  This sort of hinted it maybe for us, or for dad.

Dirty Beastie by Wahl - great bubbles for mucky pups

Made by Wahl, the people that make the hair trimmers and shampoos for humans, the bottle of bubbles is highly concentrated and needs to be watered down 32:1 before use.

Our first use came earlier today after our walk in the park. The recent damp conditions had made the paths quite muddy. As we scurried this way and that, it did not take long for our legs and tummies to become quite dirty.

Concentrated bubbles

With the rain starting to pour down outside, our arrival home was a familiar event this summer, as we were whisked straight to the bathroom for a bath.

The summer this year has been not good for walks and for keeping us clean. Almost every walk has ended with a bath followed by many hours curled up as tight as possible, as we try and keep warm and dry off. Needless to say we are not very happy with this arrangement.

Dirty beastie bubbles are really thick

Bathtime

Downstairs, the hot water boiler kicks into action as mum starts to wash me down and try to remove the worst of the grime.  We quite enjoy the inside rain tube, as it sprinkles warm water over our backs and under our tummies.

As the steam builds in the bathroom I start to relax and warm through. For some reason I always seem to go first,  followed by Charlie.

With my coat soaked with warm water, mum prepares the bubbles. Mum drops a good sized dollop of ’Dirty Beastie’ shampoo into a bowl before mixing it with water.  This is then poured over me from my neck to my tail and lathered in.

As mum rubs and scrubs I can get chance to read the printing on the bottle which she has put on the edge of the bath:

Mix with water before applying

Wahl Dirty Beastie Shampoo is based on natural ingredients and contains no harmful detergents or cleansers -  so far this sounds good.

The perfectly balanced formula including extracts of Peach, Pear, Passion-Flower and Kiwi Fruit, will effectively cleanse dirty, thick or matted coats and deodorise even the smelliest creature - Smelliest creature must refer to Charlie

Designed to be powerful, yet gentle, Dirty Beastie will actively remove dirt, grease, stains and odours, rejuvenating the hair as it cleans - Maybe mum should try some as she could do with rejuvenating !

The shampoo contains beneficial natural ingredients that will promote healthy, glossy results every time - Glow in the dark maybe?
Formulated for all animal hair types including horses, dogs, cattle, goats, llama, alpaca, rabbits and ferrets, Dirty Beastie Shampoo rinses out easily, removing any ‘nasty niffs’ - Must be talking about Charlie again.

The coat will be clean, conditioned and manageable, with a fresh, lasting fragrance.

Nasty niffs, smelliest creature 

Given the writing, I can only think they refer to Charlie with their descriptions, however it is now time for a good rinse and the run around the house to get dry, whilst mum has the challenge of washing the floor mop that is Charlie.

He just seems to soak up water, so this shampoo is ideal because it rinses out really well. This avoids him getting doggy dandruff and sore bits, if the bubbles are not washed away completely.

If we were asked to review, Dirty Beastie by Wahl, this product it would get a very high rating and we certainly recommend it.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Gretna Green on the Scottish Border, is where we ended up yesterday on our latest adventure.

Travelling up the M6, we turned left just over the border and headed towards Gretna and Gretna Green.

The world famous Gretna Green blacksmiths

Gretna Green is where the famous blacksmiths is to be found and not as many people think the nearby town of Gretna.

Over the years, tens of thousands of humans have run away to get married at Gretna Green. As a result, a cottage industry has married into tourism and given birth to the new industry of wedding tourism.

The Gretna Green Group, founded in 1886, is the family company currently in charge of the venue incorporating the blacksmiths.

It now caterers for over 700,000 visitors each year and, looking at the size of the coach park at the rear of the complex, it is clear to see how many people arrive.

Gretna Green blacksmiths

The story starts in the mid 1700′s when young couples could get married in Scotland over the age of 16 just by declaring themselves to each other in front of witnesses.  This practice was banned in England, so many humans travelled to the first staging post in Scotland, called Gretna Green, and got married.

Looking into the tourist attraction surrounding the blacksmiths

Personally I don’t see what is wrong with a good chase, a sniff and a long howling bark, but these humans have some funny rules.

Today the blacksmiths is surrounded by the trappings of a tourist destination all designed to help you spend money.

Gretna Green for a Sunday visit

Arriving as we did at the end of February it was very quiet, but ideal for taking a good look around.

A large food hall with chilled cabinets provided lunch, whilst the whisky shop provided dad with a honey and whisky tipple. Clothing shops and a reasonably priced restaurant complimented the package.

Gretna Green sign

Scattered all around the site are many pieces of sculpture and art installations. These seemed a little out of context and made the venue feel a bit like the promenade at a seaside resort.  Dad said at one stage that he expected to see the flashing kiss me quick hats on sale.

Dog friendly

Sadly, no white frocks or big hats were on display today, so we had free run to say hello to many humans and other woofers visiting the area.

Our new friend Glen

Whilst we waited for mum to come out of the shops, she says she was looking for bargains, we had chance to have a good sniff around.

Out on the grass, near to the car park, we met a lovely friend called Glen.  His background is a bit sad it seems, however with his new humans he is getting the hang of being in charge.  Glen was a bit scared of us initially but soon realised we were no threat and started to relax a bit.

I'm not saying your mother is ugly but.....

We said our goodbyes with a friendly wag of our tails and headed on our way.

Highland cattle

Alongside the car park is a field with a number of heritage beasts in it.

The sign said that Highland cattle and Belted Galloways were the other side of the thin electric fence.

Charlie looks for spiders

Dad just could not help offering some silly comment about mother-in-laws, and how ugly she looked.  Normally would have been a fair joke,  apart from when mum pointed out that they had horns! Dad said nothing and we returned to the car for a few of the eatables purchased in the shops.

Bruce’s cave

After spending about  90 minutes at Gretna Green, we drove the short way to Kirkpatrick Fleming in search of spiders.

A small brown sign indicates our destination to the left off the main road and down towards a caravan park.

Something just seemed a bit strange and quite spooky as we crossed the railway tracks and entered into a static caravan park.

Bruces's Cave near Gretna

A hand painted sign suggested that we followed the road to our left past some old farm implements and to a parking area in front of a big house.

This approach to a tourist venue was not at all expected and quite out of character.

All became clear as a nice lady welcomed us and asked if we were wishing to see the cave.

Tickets in hand ( £1 each), we started our walk down a very pleasant path surrounded by snowdrops towards what sounded like a river nearby.

Spider and a web

The path continued down hill for a few hundred meters before a hairpin turn through a gate and onto a wooden balcony.  To our right, off the balcony, is what is known as Bruce’s cave.

Bruce’s cave is hollowed out of the cliff face about 30m from the river below.  Legend has it that it was here that King Robert the Bruce saw a spider trying to build a web.

Upon seeing the spider not giving up he gained inspiration and returned to battle.

The story has over the years developed in to the popular phrase ‘If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again’.

River walk

Our path continued down to the river and after a quick paddle, we returned back up to the caravan park through some woodland.

Looking downstream from Bruce's Cave

In the distance we could hear a woodpecker hammering away at a tree trunk and, above us, mum was sure she saw a bird called a tree creeper.

As you would expect for this time of the year the caravan park was quite quiet.  Many caravans had covers on and the many water taps around the site had been capped to protect them from freezing.

After spending a good hour exploring the cave and the woodlands, we returned to the car and our journey home.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Santa has been to our house once more and brought us some lovely gifts for Christmas Day.

Is this one for me, is it?

The freezing temperatures have not stopped Father Christmas defrosting his sleigh for Christmas 2010.  So what is dad’s excuse for washer bottles freezing and needing to scrape the windows?

Two dogs in Cumbria now have very happy lickers thanks to gifts provided by our readers and friends.

Christmas Day

An early start on Christmas Day for us all but first some porridge and a cup of tea for mum and dad.

How long does it take for them to eat their breakfasts?  Hurry up. Santa has been and we have loads of lovely sniffs all wrapped up under the tree.

Eventually they finish and we can get down to some serious unwrapping.  Every parcel is inspected to see if it contains chocolate, biscuits or squeaky things for us.

Presents for Buster and Charlie

Dad gets a number of bottles of brown gold coloured liquids that he calls whisky. The glass is cold on our noses and they smell slightly of caramel or the sea.

Mums soapy things make us sneeze.  One  gift was of talc  and it has slightly leaked in the packaging.  When the parcel was opened Charlie was covered with white powder. It was funny and he sneezed and sneezed until mum wiped his nose with a cloth.

Christmas gifts from Toby

Thanks to our friend Toby, in South Cumbria, we are the proud owner of two well wrapped presents.

Toby tucks in to his hide boot

Mum has decided that she is going to keep these prezzies in a safe place for a few weeks as we have plenty of other things to be getting on with.

Toby sent us a photograph of the hide boot chew we sent him.  He says he loved pulling out the laces then working on the big flat pieces.

He adds that it took him most of Christmas Day afternoon to deal with the challenge.

You open it, go on...

He goes on to say that the snow and ice is still causing problems to walk on for his human but now that she has some new rubber pull-on walking spikes, walks around the block are back to their normal length once more.

Christmas gifts for dogs

Back to our gifts and one thing missing, thankfully for the sanity of our two-leggers, are squeaky toys.

Posh gifts from Santa

Not one parcel contained a christmas cracker or pully-tuggy toy thing with a squeak.

A whole Christmas without the squeak, squeak of the shrill squeakers and mum reaching for the headache pills before lunch.

Highlight of the gifts has to a be a doggy breakfast and a packet of Scooby Snacks.

Thick rashers of bacon, hashbrowns and other breakfast lovelieness in a box and all for us, yummy.

Sprout stalk to clean our teeth

Dad says we can have one Scooby snack or rasher each per day.  Next he will be issuing a Ration Book like they had during the War.

Christmas sprout stalk

The seasonal Christmas lunch would not be complete without sprouts, and this year was no exception.

A fantastic raw sprout stalk, cut into sections will keep us going for quite a few days. Assuming mum doesn’t break the knife she uses to cut it with.

That is all for now as we need to lay down in front of the fire whilst the two leggers watch something on the magic window. They mentioned something about a lonely goat on a motorcycle in a chocolate factory I think.

Happy Christmas for us all

Buster and Charlie

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

Finally, after almost a year of waiting, we have visited Giggle Alley in the south west of Cumbria.

Giggle Alley is a woodland area at one end of Eskdale Green, near Gosforth. It is managed by the Forestry Commission.

Buster and Charlie at Giggle Alley

Dad found out about this place towards the end of last year.  He has had it pencilled in his diary, as a must visit place for autumn colours, ever since.

Japanese Garden

Entering the village of Eskdale Green from the west, we were unsure as to where we needed to be. However, just beyond the general store we noticed a small free car park and decided to park the car.

As it turns out, we were in the ideal position as the entrance to Giggle Alley was around 50m away up a gravel path.

Japanese garden at Giggle Alley

A small gap in the stone wall and a few small signs indicated the way towards our adventure. Ahead lay the woods and a set of steps which were a little, shall we say random, in design.

Nailed to small posts at the top of the steps were a number of temporary signs.  One indicated that the the area we were standing in was once covered with larch trees.  These toppled over during the storms of 2005 and had to be removed.  A planting scheme is currently in operation to replace them.

Our path curved around to our right and we exited, quite suddenly onto the edge of a Japanese garden.

Designed by Thomas Mawson

The Japanese Garden was commissioned by Lord Rea and designed by Thomas Mawsons team of garden designers in 1913-14.

Charlie tries his paws at rock climbing

Lord James Hall Rea, was the owner of the adjacent Gate House Mansion, which was built as a retreat in 1896.

Thomas Mawson is well known in the area as a garden designer, having designed elements of the gardens at Brockhole on the shores of Windermere and others nearby.

It is thought that Lord Rae wanted the gardens of his retreat to surpass those of nearby Muncaster Castle.

At its heart are a series of pools (now filled only when it rains) surrounded by bamboo, magnolia and maples.

It fell into disrepair in the 1940′s but is currently being restored by local volunteers.

Walk around the woods

The first signs of Autumn colour

As with many of the woods and forests at this time of the year, the autumn colours are really starting to show.  The Acers or Japanese Maples. offer exceptional contrasting colours against the native oak.

The path structure around and through the garden seems at first a little confusing, as it is not really clear where to go.  This is possibly because the restoration is very much a work in progress.  However, we chose a route off to our left and into the surrounding trees.

The mysterious floating trees of Eskdale Green

What an adventure we were having. Trees, rocks, hiding holes and climbing all were on offer to compliment the thousands of new sniffs.

Floating logs

One of our paths allowed us a glimpse of the amazing floating logs of Eskdale Green.

Ahead of us, and equidistant between two tall trees, we came upon a magical sight of hovering tree trunks, rising many metres into the sky.

Possibly they had religious significance or maybe we had come upon a a unique feature of a Cumbrian woodland.  We sneaked past just incase we were spotted by the forest beasties responsible for the installation.

Our path emerged further along from our starting position, but not before we had some glimpses of some wonderful Cumbrian hills and magnificent scenery .

St Bega's Church, Eskdale Green

High on the fells to Ulpha

Heading back to the car after a mornings adventures we took a few moments to walk around the village of Eskdale Green.

Inside St Bega’s Church, on the main street, are a series of illustrated boards explaining local history and the garden we had just visited.

Sadly many people will not know this information point for visitors is here, as it is not very well sign posted from the road.

High on the fells looking towards the Lake District

Following a quick bite to eat and a visit to the toilets, near to where we parked the car, we left Eskdale Green and headed to our next location called Ulpha.

You can see for miles

Occasionally dad decides not to use the map to find a quick way home but prefers to randomly follow the road ahead.

Today was one of those occasions, as we headed up high onto the fells past Devoke Water.

High on the tops you could see for miles around and dad stopped a few times for photographs.

Ulpha Church

Ulpha Church

After about 40 minutes we arrived in a small village called Ulpha.  This is a very old village and sits on the banks of the River Duddon.

Not many visitors must stop in Ulpha, as parking is a little scarce, however a few spaces are available outside Ulpha Church.

Taking a few moments to stretch our paws we were rewarded with a lovely church, a general store and some great scenery.

The Post Office and General Store seemed to contain everything needed for an adventure into the Lake District, including ice cream.

Two licky ices were purchased and shared amongst us all, whilst sitting on a wooden bench near to the church.

Above us, birds circled in the late afternoon sunshine,  and the clouds hurtled across the sky.  It did not feel like October in Cumbria.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Further information

Giggle Alley restoration plan 2010

This morning we returned to Finglandrigg Wood, a place we last visited during the early part of 2009.

A post box for the woodland folk?

Our quest was to find colourful leaves, fungi and general stock images of autumn for the various websites mum and dad maintain.

Following the recent rain, the paths were in remarkably good condition, with only the occasional puddle of water to cool our paws.

As we set off from the car, it became clear that we were ideally suited for today’s challenges, as everything required was at our level.

For the little people

After five minutes we found our first unusual object in the woods.  Standing fixed to a wooden post, about 1.5m from the ground, was a pair of wooden boxes.

Autumn leaves and seeds on the forest floor

No doorway could be seen or hinged lid,  so dad started to guess what they were for.

He concludes that they must be post boxes for the woodland folk.  As they possess secret forest powers they don’t need a slot to post letters, but can magically transfer mail into the collecting box.

Acorns and coloured leaves

Scattered all over the paths are the first signs of the autumn leaf drop.

As the weather turns cooler, some trees lose their leaves and turn dormant for the winter.   Dormant is like going to sleep.  These types of plants are called deciduous plants.

Mushroom, toadstool or just fungi?

Birch, rowan, willow, oak and beech trees can all be found within the woodland all providing some great habitat for animals, birds and insects wanting to set up home here.

Fungi

Basking in the late morning sun, we came across this fine fungal specimen.

We had strict orders not to go near any of the bright shiny objects littering the edges of the path, as they could be really bad for us.

Charlie takes a little rest

Having spotted our first fungus we knew what we were looking for and it wasn’t long before we found yellow ones, dark brown ones and even small white ones. Some were even bright red with white spots, just like in the cartoons.

Everyone was kept some distance from the fungi and ensured that they did not touch, lick or sniff.

Fungi hunting is tough work

With little running water, in the form of paddling streams, it was a good job dad had brought the drinks bottle.

Buster wraps his lead around a tree

What little moisture that was around, had somehow found Charlie and had started to make his fur a little sticky.

You can just imagine the number of leaves that started to stick to him as he took a little rest awaiting his turn for a drink.

Not wishing to be left out from all of the attention, I started my own game of wrap around the trees.

Orange foam on a tree stump

An 8m lead can wrap around a tree a number of times!

Orange tree foam

Among the dark coloured rotting tree stumps, dad spotted what appeared to be one stump sprayed with bright orange foam.

Close up, foam looks like tiny eggs...

Set against the dark woodland the bright orange substance looked totally out of place.

Zooming in with the camera lens the foam actually looks to be made up of thousands of tiny spheres.

Mum says she is not sure if this is a form of fungi. Do you know?

Have your say in the comments area below.

Finglandrigg Wood is managed by Natural England as a National Nature Reserve.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Discover Eden is the heading on a 2m long stone we found this morning at the Linstock end of Rickerby Park.

Currently the stone is laying down, resting on some wooden blocks.

This single stone has been left here to give an idea of a proposed art installation for Carlisle.

An example of one of the stones

Seven stones, cut from rock found along the Eden Valley, are to be used to create an artwork which has become known as the Carlisle stone circle.

The stones will form a circle with a central piece, to be used as a seating area.

The idea is being suggested by the Eden Rivers Trust.

Making up the collection of stones are Kirkstone slate, Penrith red sandstone, Millstone grit, two different types of Shap granite and two pieces of Shap Fell limestone.

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

Stone circle feedback

Carlisle City Council has been asking for feedback on the proposal to erect the Carlisle stone circle.

Charlie investigates the words

The stones have already been commissioned and are currently in storage.   It would appear that The Eden Rivers Trust are now just wondering where to put them.

If the decision is taken to accept the offer to install the sculptures within Rickerby Park, there would be no cost to the City Council. The transport and installation costs were part of the initial Heritage Lottery Fund (HFL) bid and there would be no maintenance costs.

Castlerigg

Cumbria has a number of very old stone circles including Castlerigg near Keswick and  Long Meg near Little Salkeld.

These collections of stones are thought to be places of religious significance and date back to the Bronze or Neolithic ages. They are even older than our dad.

Other notable stone circles around the UK include, Stonehenge and The Ring of Brodgar.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Often things close to home are overlooked and so it is with Chance’s Park in Carlisle.

Situated just off the busy Wigton Road (A595), heading west from Carlisle City centre, this community resource has recently undergone a great deal of restoration work.

Morton Manor, Carlisle

The park forms part of the grounds of the former Morton Manor Estate.  Centre piece is of course the house which over the years has been known as Morton House, Morton Manor and Morton Head.

Chance’s Park history

Built around 1807 Morton Manor was home for the Forster family, who had in 1792 set up a bank in Carlisle city centre.  The bank failed in 1836.

Morton Manor was purchased in 1853 by Joseph Ferguson of Ferguson Brothers, the local mill owners.

The house remained in the family until 1898 when it passed to a nephew of Robert Ferguson, Frederick Chance, who was the Managing Director of Ferguson Brothers at that time.

At some point after this Frederick Chance passed the house to his son Robert Chance who gifted the house and grounds to the City of Carlisle in 1944 for use by the community.

Robert continued to live in the house until his death in 1960.

Gardens by Gilpin

The gardens of Morton Manor  were laid out in the early 1850s by the landscape gardener, William Sawrey Gilpin.  He was the son of the renowned animal painter, Sawrey Gilpin.

The ha-ha at Chance's Park, Carlisle

William Gilpin was also the designer of the gardens at Hutton in the Forest and Pell Wall Hall in Shropshire.

Surrounding the house and garden is a ha-ha. This vertical ditch with a wall on the house side was designed to keep animals from straying into the house grounds whilst not impeding the view from the house.

Known for his flair for creating picturesque designs, W.S Gilpin commissioned a number of trees to be planted including walnut, tulip trees and red and turkey oak.

Restoration

Towards the end of 2009, a major restoration project was started to restore the gardens and surroundings of Morton Manor.

Ruth and Mary Chance cut the first sods to mark the start of the £1.18million restoration of the park, gifted to the city by their father, a former Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Robert Chance, in 1944.

Restored flower beds are havens for wildlife

Spearheading the restoration of the area is a group calling itself the Friends of Chance’s Park.

Wide paths and a gentle walk

All of the paths within the park have a gentle slope making them ideal for wheelchairs and mobility scooters.  Close to the house, the paths are wide and finished in a sand coloured stone gravel.

Alongside these paths are hundreds of well cared for plants full of bees and other insects enjoying the late summer sunshine.

Charlie enjoyed laying down on the cool grass whilst dad took loads of photographs.

Bees love the many flowers in the borders

Nearby a wedding party were also taking photographs. Thankfully the rain promised for the early afternoon stayed away just long enough for the day to be special for the bride and groom.

Many new wooden seats have been installed in this part of the park and mum decided to take a few moments to sit and look around for gardening tips and ideas.

Plants in the borders seem to have been planted with bees and butterflies in mind including wild burnet, perovskia, rudbeckias, geraniums and verbenas, among others.

We are not sure if this is sympathetic to the original planting scheme or a modern interpretation but it is very beautiful and creates a lovely relaxing setting away from the rolling fields of main park area.

Sadly a large green wire fence has had to be erected around the gardens close to the house to protect it ,we assume, from vandalism. However, the many gates are open during daylight hours allowing free access.

We enjoyed our walk around the new park and the many new sniffs, so well done to everyone involved in the restoration project and we will be back later in the year.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Dodging the rain today we escaped the house for a quick walk around Victoria park in Carlisle.

Wild garlic

One good thing is that so far we have not seen anything of the snow that was promised by the weather people.

Parts of our park had an unusual smell today, emitted by some plants which mum said were called Wild Garlic.

Clumps of green leaves stood around 30cm high and were to be found between the path and the River Eden.

Tree lopping

Mum says that in a few weeks the smell will get a bit stronger as the flowers start to appear.

Branches

Before the birds start nesting and the trees start to grow members of the council parks departments were trimming branches from the trees.

Using a pruning saw attached to a very long yellow pole the straggly branches and low twigs were cut allowing them to fall to the ground.

Charlie sits among the daffodils

Hard hats and goggles protected workmen from any debris.

Daffodils

Snowdrops and crocus have now started to give way to the larger flowered daffodils.

Tiny daffodils

Planted along the banks of the park the golden flowered daffodils have now opened and provide some contrast above the muddy grass.

Clumps of miniature daffodils have now appeared at the base of some of the trees near to the monument to Queen Victoria.

Charlie wraps around a tree

Standing around 16cm tall the small daffodils sway gently in the breeze, sheltered from the light rain by the tree canopy above.

Tied-up

When we go on a walk we usually stay on our leads for our safety and so mum and dad can keep an eye on us.  Stretchy leads are great to allow us to follow sniffs, however occasionally we tend to wrap ourselves around trees, posts and gates.

Chainsaw training...

Today we had a great example of this as Charlie followed a sniff and ended up, as you can see in the photograph a little stuck.  Dad came to help, only to find that Charlie had run around his legs, so he was also tied to the tree.

Chainsaw

Clad in safety gear, two workmen filled the air with a loud buzzing noise as they used a chainsaw on an old tree stump.

From a distance it looked as if they were carving into the wood, however next time we are in the park we will see what work has been done.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Week three or is it four weeks now that the temperatures have remained below zero in many parts of the county.

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.

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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