Merry Christmas

Well we hope you and your pets have had a lovely Christmas :):)
It is Honey`s first Christmas with us as last year she was still with her mum and brothers and sister.
Would Santa know where she now lives ??? you bet he did .....ha ha ha.

                                                              which one is for me ??

After a fairly lazy Christmas day it is such a lovely Boxing day morning we decide to have a walk to a local pub where on Boxing day every year vintage vehicles of all description and steam engines have meet up,it is a lovely sight to see and very popular with the locals and visitors alike.

So that's the Christmas pud walked off for another year .... I wish   ha ha ha ......
We just get home in time as it is now raining ,so feet up and watch a bit of telly we think ....

new voluntary job

Just in the last few weeks I have taken on a new voluntary job as "Footpath Warden " for the village where I live.
I saw the job advertised in our local newspaper ,and as I walk Honey every day I thought I would apply.
There are two of us who are going to job share the role,and as there are 47 paths to be walked we will be kept busy enough :)
The public footpaths and bridleways have to be walked at least once a year and notes kept of any problems which will have to be reported back to the borough council ,I suspect with my love of walking with Honey will mean we will walk them much more often and become a regular feature that people will be meeting along the paths.
I am looking forward to this new addition to the routine of my week, and to it making our daily walks more interesting by making them more varied without always travelling far from home :)

Lets get to work .....

Honey looked so funny stood in the back of the hubby`s van this morning whilst he was loading up for his days work that I just had too share the experience :)

                                                         She is just sooooo cheeky :):)

Lake District

Honey has packed her blankets and chewies as we are off to the Lake District on holiday and Honey is coming too :)
We are going to stay at the Derwentwater Hotel in Portiscale near Keswick, hubby and I have stayed there before, so we know the layout for taking Honey along will be fine, and we have booked her in with us in advance.
We thought it would be nice to have a "chilly out " week before the Christmas festivities begin :)
The weather was wet and miserable on our journey to the Lakes but thankfully it stopped the next day so we managed a few walks without getting too wet.
In Keswick town centre ,just on Station Road is the Leisure Centre and from here is the start of a walk along a disused railway track.The four mile walk takes you along the river Derwent and to the lovely village of Threlkeld.This was the ideal place to have a spot of lunch at the very welcoming public house called the "Horse and Farrier " where we and Honey were made very welcome muddy boots and all :)

So refreshed we head back on the four mile walk to Keswick.

The snow capped mountains looked spectacular ,but we decided to keep to the lower fells and visit some popular tourist villages like Grasmere and Ambelside.

Home from Home

Well we all love our pets ,but sometimes it maybe necessary for someone else to take the caring roll just for a while.
I know most dog kennels are brilliant ,but as i`m at home with Honey a lot she is used to lots of human company and I wondered if she would get enough people contact??
So imagine how pleased I was to meet up with a fellow dog walker who lives near to me and on a small scale does "Home from home " boarding.
So one day as we meet I asked if she would consider having Honey for us if we were to holiday and not be able to take the dog,she said yes and we have had our first "getting to know you walk ".
It is so funny as she also has a Golden Lab who is also called Honey !!!! but as she is a little older my Honey thinks as her of a mum... I think :)
So I think we will become good walking companions as well as" Home from Home" , watch this space too see how we get on :)

Children in Need

Honey is joining in the BBC Children in Need fun :):)

Happy Birthday Honey xx

Today is Honey`s first birthday ......

                                                  Happy Birthday Honey :):)

A Walk in the Woods

This week (oct 27 - nov 4 ) is British Woodland week so why not get your boots on and head to one of our beautiful woodlands :)
To give you some ideas of where to go where you live take a look at the link below

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/info/events/festivals/woodlandwalks

Happy Rambling :)

Wizard Walk on the Edge

Well it`s almost Halloween ,so what better than a wizard of a walk at Alderley Edge in Cheshire.
There is limited lay-by parking on the approach road ,but there is ample parking on the National Trust car park adjacent to the wood.
There are lots of stories and myths of Wizards in the area which add to the atmosphere of your walk through the woods.
There are numerous paths through out the woods ,but you must make sure you savour the views across the Peak district from "Stormy Point ", we did keep Honey on her lead at this part of our walk .
When we did the walk on Saturday it was very cold ,it was the perfect warmer to stop off at the Wizard cafe` for a mug of hot chocolate and home made cake :):) The cafe` is open at week-end and bank holidays,the Wizard pub next door serves meals.

Doggy Jumpers ...

For all you dog lovers who can knit .... the dogs trust is asking people to knit "doggy jumpers " for their Keep Canines Cosy Campaign , they will form part of a hamper for homeless pet-owners this Christmas.
Click on the link below for the free pattern.

www.redheart.com/free-patterns/dog-sweater

Jumpers to be sent to

The Dogs Trust
Bolton House
17-26 Wakley Street
London
EC1V 7RQ

To arrive by 23rd November

THANKYOU :):)

At the seaside at Thurstaston

We went to the seaside at Thurstaston on the Wirral near Chester today.The weather for mid October was warm and sunny.
We started our walk from Wirral Country Park where there is a vast car park.We went out of the car park and onto "Wirral Way" heading towards Heswall.
The first part of the beach is really mud flats .... and it certainly was very muddy ...lol

                                                              Lets just check the walk route ...

                                                              stunning views....

                                                                 WoW ....

Honey is now sprawled out in front of the fire while we chill out and watch T.V ...

Autumnal walks

Well it felt really autumnal on our walk today,and with camera in hand took some pictures of our local beauty spot, and i`m sure over the next few weeks there will be some stunning pictures too come :)

Guide Dog Week

This week is Guide Dog Week.

As honey is a Golden Labrador and they feature most on Guide Dog adverts, I couldn`t resist the latest Andrex ad...... CUTE !!!!!

Anderton Boat Lift

Well it is Sunday and we are ready for a weekend walk ,but on opening the curtains today we are greeted with thick fog ,never mind by the time we have had breakfast and a few coffees it will clear .
Well it didn`t clear until almost mid-day,so it mean`t we set out a little late today.So lets not go too far ,but we are lucky to have great scenic walks very close by:)
I recently bought a book called a "Cheshire Dog Walkers Guide"written by Judy Smith, even though you think you know the area where you live well you can always find some-where new to discover so I am always on the look to broaden our walk horizons.
So we chose a walk which starts at Northwich taking you through woodlands and marshes and eventually arrives at Anderton Boat Lift.
The boat lift was built in 1875 and was restored in 2002.Boats enter 75ft tanks which are filled with water,they are then lowered from the Trent and Mersey Canal onto the river Weaver or vise versa.It truly is a wonderful piece of engineering.

                                         Rugged landscape looking over the salt marshes
   

How beautiful and peaceful

 

                                                            Anderton Boat Lift

                                                     The best signpost on the walk :)

Natioal Poem Day

As it is National Poem Day I thought it appropriate to find a poem about dogs .. this is what I found ... enjoy :)

Pam Ayres, creator of The Puppy poem

THE PUPPY – Poem by Pam Ayres

I bought myself a puppy
And I hoped in time he might
Become my friend and ward off
Things that go bump in the night
So I put him in a shoe box
And at home I took him out
And then began to learn
What owning puppies is about.
I tried so hard to love him
And I didn’t rave or shout
As he bit into the sofa
And he dragged the stuffing out
I gave him things to chew
But soon I couldn’t fail to see
That he liked the things he found
More than the things supplied by me.
He frayed my lovely carpet
That I’d saved my pennies for
And when he wasn’t chewing
He was weeing on the floor,
Nor did he spare the table leg
That came in for a gnaw
Though I told him off the message
Never seemed to reach his jaw.
We laboured at the gardening,
Me and my little pup
At two I planted flowers
And at four he dug them up
He liked to dig, he’d bury bones
And pat it down so neat
And then he’d rush indoors
As clods of mud flew off his feet.
I bought a book on training
And I read it all one night
And when we set off out
I really thought we’d got it right
With titbits in my coat
To give him once he got the knack
But he didn’t, so I couldn’t
So I ate them coming back.
When I commanded `Heel!’
He never seemed to take the point
But galloped on half-strangled
Tugging my arm out of joint
He jumped up people’s clothes,
The cleaning bills I had to pay!
And when I shouted `Here!’
He turned and ran the other way.
One day I drove him over
And I gave him to my Dad
Who welcomed him and trained him
But it left me very sad
So I thought I’d let you know
In case a pup’s in store for you
That it’s very wise indeed
To have a Dad who likes dogs too

wash day blues

Well there are no words that can describe the weather from the last few days .. "diabolicl" is one that springs to mind , it has rained non stop for more than 48 hours.So Honey has had limited walks for the past few days ,she didn`t want to get wet any more than I did !!! but we feel thankful that our house is warm and dry which is a blessing as watching the news on T.V and seeing homes flooded and people have lost all manner of personal belongings ,my heart goes out to them.
So as well as walks to catch up on the wash basket is full as well.
Honey thinks it is fun to help with stripping the bed clothes ready for the washer !!!

I had to giggle as I remembered my hubby taking a photo on holiday of me drying our "smalls" on the front of the canal boat .... Ha Ha Ha

Llangollen Canal

Well ,it is the first holiday that Honey has been on !! will she be good in strange suroundings ?? well the answer is YES :)
We decided to hire a canal boat ,ideal because we could take Honey with us.
So we decided to hire the boat from a company we used last year Anderson Boats of Middlewich, and we decided to do the Llangollen canal as it is easily accessible form their moorings.
So not forgetting Honey`s food ,toys and bedding off we go.
Honey took to boating straight away ,she loved to look up the side of the boat to see where she was heading.
We mostly kept her tied up when doing the locks as they are deep and can be dangerous and we couldn`t trust that she wouldn`t be inquisitive and fall in !! but she looked so funny standing and looking over the side of the boat :) Plenty of towpath walks inbetween :)

The first night we moored at Barbridge Junction and as it was late we all tumbled into bed.Next day we travelled to Grindley Brook ,after going through 3 locks close together and immediatley the 3 flight staircase lock we called it a day and moored there for our second night.
3rd day and we travel to Whittington which is taking us into Shropshire.We moor at a lovely pub called The Jack Mytton ,the food was fabulous and we could take Honey in which was a bonus.
On our 4th day we make it across the Chirk aqueduct and the Pontcysyllte aqueduct which is an impressive 120ft high ,the views were amazing .

                                                     going across Pontcysyllte aqueduct

Our next stop was Ellesmere which is a pretty country town.When we arrive we are met with a boat rally, it was difficult manouvouring past moored boats but they were all draped with flags and bunting and looked great.

So we decide too moor at Ellesmere and enjoyed looking at all the boats in the rally and had a wonderful chinese takeaway for our meal that evening.
So we need to be careful tonight where we stop because we have to get the boat back to the yard on time, we choose to stay at Wrenbury ,good choice , the Dusty Miller was an excellent pub with great food and another dog friendly establishment.
From Wrenbury back to Middlewich took us 8 hours ,don`t forget you are only travelling at 4 miles per hour on a barge !! but we make it back in plenty of time :)
So we had a brilliant holiday ,Honey only fell ( jumped ) into the canal once fully and twice partly !!
We will be planning another soon :)
Hope you have enjoyed reading about Honey`s adventure and we will be on another very soon :)
Bye for now and thankyou for visiting my blog.

Well if you won`t play

well if you won`t play ,I`ll entertain myself  :):)
Honey is so funny but very clever :)

River Weaver And trent & Mersey Canal

Well first thing this morning was really miserable, rain ,rain and a bit more rain :( ...... But it is a bank holiday week-end  :)
But eventually the blue skies appear ,so we quickly put drinks and fruit into our rucksack and off we go.
So where are we heading today .... a walk along the river Weaver and Trent & Mersey  Canal I think.
We park on the grass verge along with others next to the Leigh Arms pub.
Our first friend of the day is a Vietnamese pot bellied pig,but lets keep some space  between us ...

It was a lovely walk along the river Weaver and we stopped and sat looking across the river to have a drink.Honey had a lovely run in the grass.

and in the mud !!!!

After all that fun we were starving ,so on the way home called for a Chinese take-a-way.. yummy..
So now it`s time to put our feet up :):)

                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

Cheshire Game & Country Fair

Hi and welcome to Honey`s blog....
It`s Bank Holiday week-end, and there is lots going on and places to visit,so today we decided to take a trip to the Cheshire Game & Country Fair at Tabley Nr Knutsford in Cheshire.
We had a lovely day out and dispite the bad weather forcast we managed to escape the rain.
We haven`t taken Honey to anything like this before and she was very excited ,looking around all the time ,interested to see all the other dogs and people ,enjoying all the fuss she recieved and sniffing for any food that may have been dropped !!! she is a typical Labrador and always thinks of her belly :):)
We were very pleased with her though because of all the strange noises which she has never experienced before like noisey chain saws and gun shots she never flinched or got frightened.

If you are interested in visiting the show it is on till Monday 27th August 2012
www.livingheritagecountryshows.co.uk

Damson in distress :)

On the itinerary for our walk today was more carrier bags !!!
We headed for a country walk where I knew there were Damson trees.Armed with bags we were all set to do some" scrumping ",but to no avail as the damsons were too high for me too reach ..
You may be wondering why ?? well I`ll tell you ,I have entered the local produce show and with no veg worth talking about in the garden for me to show I need a back-up plan.
Last year I entered home made chutney and much to my surprise I was awarded 2nd place and was extremely pleased :)So the back-up plan is Damson jam and chutney again .... wish me luck :)

Can`t trust the weather

Well the sun was shinning,but as we set off for todays walk there were stormy clouds not far away.
So feeling rather silly with shorts and sun top on I decided to take my umberella,didn`t feel silly when half way through our walk the heavens opened, felt quite smug actually :)
The weather has been typically british this summer and very unpredictable,but "keep on walking " ....

We are Family

As we were walking near to where Honey`s mum and brother live we thought we would call in for a visit.
The owners of Millie (Honey`s mum ) kept one of the male pups for themselves.When we pulled up they had visitors ... Oscar ,Honey`s brother ... so the family get together now consisted of Mum,daughter and two sons :):)

                                                         What a handsome family they are :)
It was a truely lovely surprise get together......

Let`s have a brew ...

It doesn`t matter how much clean water is in her bowl ,it always tastes better from the water feature :):)

It Ain`t Half Hot Mum

Phew .... with it being so hot today we decided to leave going out for a walk till early evening after tea.
It was still warm but much fresher and pleasant to walk.
Another regular dog walk not too far from home is to a manmade wood run by the Woodland Trust called "spud wood " so we headed there.
There is quite a large car park with a small bridge to walk over the Bridgewater canal and into the wood.There are numerous paths running around and inside the wooded area.It is ideal for walking along the canal towpath as well.
I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn`t a lot of others around being a cooler part of the day,we met two springer spaniels with thier owner and that was all,though we could hear play full barks echoing around.

Lymm Dam -local walk

We are very lucky to have some beautiful walks right on our door step.Today we are taking advantage of a lovely day and visiting a local beauty spot.The man-made Dam attracts lots of visitors and has a well maintained path which runs right the way round and is an excellent circular walk.It is very popular with dog walkers so can be very busy at certain times of the day.It is well stocked with fish and is popular with fishermen.
In the lower part of the Dam where there is no fishing allowed we could see very large Carp swimming around ,and a beautiful flash of electric blue as a King Fisher bird flew amongst the low branches of the tree lined banks.

Darling Buds of May & Vicar of Dibbley

On our walk today I bumped into our local vicar.Now I`m not one who goes to church every Sunday,just now and then ,but I do know our local church and vicar well.
I haven`t seen Father Micheal for a while, and he was eager to be introduced to Honey as he hadn`t seen her before,but I had to chuckle to myself as "Darling Buds of May" sprang into my mind, the scene where pop Larkin says he doesn`t worship in a dusty old church but out in the sunshine and beautiful countryside which is what I think ,and "Vicar of Dibbley" as to the service she held for the animals and to say praise for all our loving animals.

welcome to Honey`s blog

Welcome to our blog about the adventures of our Golden Labrador "Honey "