At Last. Someone who is a dog lover. Last weekend an old friend of master’s came to stay at our peak district cottages. As soon as she arrived it was obvious she liked us. We did our usual ‘meet and greet’ routine but then found that she wanted more. That is unusual in itself as we usually get told off for being over exuberant. Well to be fair to Smudge it is usually me that gets told off. After a few minutes of fussing us she then produced a bag of dog biscuits. Our kind of friend. Then proceeded to give us not the usual one or two but a handful. Mistress complained that we were on a diet but she refused to hear anything about it and carried on.
Of course Smudge was smitten. For the next two days wherever she went Smudge followed her in the hope of getting more biscuits (and often he did). She even let me sit in her car. In fact I was very happy sitting there till master saw me and turfed me out. I wasn’t doing any harm and I did have permission.
Waiting for master
We were a bit sad when she left as we knew we would be back to our normal starvation rations with only the odd pat on the head or stroke rather than the lavish love and attention we had had over the past few days. Smudge did try and suggest that he go back with her but wasn’t too sure when he found out she has three CATS at home. I think he would have put up with them just for the extra food he would have got. Me! I think I prefer here. There is more going on and I do quite like Master and Mistress (even if they don’t feed us properly and don’t give us enough attention). Besides I don’t like CATS.
At last a walk. Idiot brother was beside himself with the thought of at last going for a walk. As usual he was running up and down getting in the way. Me? I just sat and waited for the inevitable bit about getting into the CAR. We left our peak district cottages bright and early (well early for mistress) and headed off to Baslow (about 5-10 mins away) where we parked and started up the path to the Edge. Although it was a bit cold it was lovely and sunny and as the ground was all hard we at least we didn’t get too muddy. Well actually I did get a bit muddy but not too bad. The first bit of excitement was when we came across a herd of Highland Cows munching away at the heather etc. This of course caused idiot brother to go into panic mode. Luckily there was no where for him to hide so he had to keep going but he was not very happy, especially when one of them started to follow us all. She seemed friendly enough to me but idiot brother was having none of it and ran ahead out of the way. As it turned out she was just going for a drink before she rejoined the others. I didn’t tell idiot brother she had gone back, so for half the walk he was constantly looking over his shoulder wondering where she was. Idiot!
Lunch Time
As it was such a beautiful day of course we got a lot of the ‘stopping to admire the view’ from mistress. It wasn’t too bad as we were off our leads, so we could wander off while she was ‘busy’. One thing I want to know is why master always seems to forget to bring our treats when we go for a walk. When we are off our leads we often get called back (I think to make sure we are still around) and as far as I am aware the game is that we come back and get given a treat, then off we go again. Doesn’t sort of work if we come back and there isn’t a treat!!!! He spends hours packing a picnic for them but then completely forgets about us. Actually lunch wasn’t bad as master had packed too many sandwiches. So there was some left over for us. We all sat on the edge in the sun admiring the view. Well actually they sat admiring the view, we waited until we were fed then wandered off to explore. Mistress spent half an hour using masters new Phone thingy gadget to see where all the planes were going. From up on the edges you get a magnificent view of all the vapour trails in the sky and she does like to know where they are going to.
The walk back in the afternoon was enjoyable but it was getting a bit cold by the time we got back to the car. Master then had to take mistress for some retail therapy, dragging us along as well. At least we were left in the car, where I could catch up on my afternoon rest. Idiot brother of course just sat there all the time doing his ‘security dog’ thing. Why he can’t just chill out a bit I don’t know.
Its been weeks since we went for a walk. Ok a walk around the fields with mistress is fun but not like a proper walk. Everyone seems so busy at our peak district cottages. Mistress is constantly in and out of cottages, master is busy doing things in other cottages. It’s all a bit confusing. I get the odd ride down town when master needs something from the builders merchants but that is about it.
The weekend was terrible. Mistress disappeared into the cottages for hours and master just sat at his PC all day working on something to do with a presentation he is giving at the village hall. I bet it isn’t anything interesting like where to go for a walk. It’s bound to be something boring to do with computers. Thank goodness all I have to know about computers is how to type my blog. Everything else is a mystery. Smudge of course is always happy when things are boring. He just curls up in a ball and goes to sleep.
Me getting dried off - again!
At least at this time of year mistress very kindly puts the fire on for us which is very thoughtful of her. I am getting a bit fed up of having my paws washed every time I go outside but hey ho that’s a dogs life. Smudge is almost traumatized every time he gets his feet done. Anyone would think mistress was trying to drown him.
Mistress has just got back from shopping.This is always a bit of an exciting time as she always brings something back for us. Even if grumpy master tells her off. What is wrong with spoiling us every now and then. It’s not as though we are spoilt dogs!! I always try to help with the unpacking and putting things away. Its all great fun even if I do get told off a lot for ‘getting in the way’. Ha. The usual gratitude you get as a dog.
Well what a washout. I am sure I heard somewhere that Christmas was supposed to be a GIVING time. Well! no one gave me anything. All that food and not even a small taste. I suppose we did get a few scrag ends but that was about it. As I am sure idiot brother has explained, we even had to spend most of Christmas in the kitchen which wasn’t too bad except I had to share it with HIM. The least little noise outside and he started woofing. How is a dog suppose to sleep with that racket going on.
Just let me have a Sniff
On the positive side we did get a few walks and everyone who stayed at our peak district cottages made a fuss of us (even if they didn’t leave out many scraps).
Anyhow less about last year and more about this year. Well actually this year has been a disaster so far as well. I dare not go out any more. Every time I do, I come back to have my paws washed or a full shower. Now I don’t like water at the best of times, but when all I want to do is lie down in front of the fire for a nap and all I get is mistress coming along with a bucket of cold water, I am not impressed. So I have decided it is safer to stay inside. Of course every now and then I get physically evicted (to do what a dog has got to do) by mistress or master but at least it has cut down on the number of washes a day.
Me with master
I have been helping mistress to take down the Christmas decorations. Well actually I have just been lying in fron of the fire which I reckon is sort of helping as Mistress could see where I was and could walk around me. Idiot brother of course has just been getting in the way. Master at last has taken down the outside lights (after a lot of grumbling). Mistress has been off Sales shopping on her own much to the relief of master. So I suppose all in all the new year has started pretty much like any other (except warmer than last year).
Christmas! What Christmas? Mistress and Master’s friends came to stay at our peak district cottages. You know, the friend that is allergic to us. How can anyone be allergic to dogs – what did we ever do wrong. Anyway we were banished to the kitchen and our own room which is just not fair. OK I quite like the kitchen but it is not as cosy as the lounge. Besides we don’t dry off quite as quick on the tiled floor as we do on the nice warm carpet. Smudge of course was totally traumatized. He could see all the food leaving the kitchen and disappearing into the dining room without him. He just sat at the kitchen door whining. To be fair we did get a few scraps but nothing like Smudge was hoping for. [NOTE - the picture shows me in the lounge 'enjoying Christmas' - it is a fabrication. I was taken into the lounge, antlers put on my head, photographed then marched back into the kitchen - a definite case of abuse!]
Even worse than not being allowed in the lounge. We didn’t get taken out for the Christmas Day walk. Now that is definitely abuse and I will be taking the issue up with the local RSPCA. Ok it may have partly been my fault. I had overdone it a bit the day before and had been limping (only a very little bit) in the evening. So master felt I (and therefore Smudge as well) should be left at home to rest. Why? I was better. I was up for a walk. I tried to nip into the car before anyone noticed. But no! I got thrown out and told to behave. Behave? I want to go for a walk!
Me at Middleton Top on the High Peak Trail
We did get two long walks though. Christmas Eve we went on a long walk along the High Peak Trail. Starting at Brassington and walking to Cromford. Master left a car at one end then picked the other up later. Of course the car transfer was all a bit complicated as we (Smudge and me) aren’t allowed into master’s friend’s car (we might leave dog hair – as if!). So master had to be driven to the other car then drive back to pick us all up.
On Boxing Day we all went for a long walk from home. Out the back fields to the Magpie mine, across to Monyash where we (well they) stopped for a bacon butty sandwich and a mug of tea. Then off down Lathkill Dale towards Over Haddon. Master had cheated a bit by leaving his car near the bottom of the dale at Over Haddon. So we (or more likely mistress) didn’t have to walk all the way up the hill back to home. We were off our leads most of the day except of course in Monyash and when we went through that field with COWS. I was just about to disappear into the next field to avoid the damn things when master grabbed me and put me back on a lead. I had no alternative but to go straight through the middle of the big vicious things. I kept close to master – just in case.
Me at the source of the River Lathkill
Master was very excited when we got to the cave that is the source of the River Lathkill. He had never seen water coming out from it as usually it starts 100-200 yards further down the valley. Water was gushing out in torrents (see picture). As there was so much water, in places the footpath was flooded. This slowed mistress down as she had to keep stepping round the big puddles. And she calls us wimpy because we try to avoid puddles. Down the bottom end of the dale things got easier and we could progress a bit faster as mistress could keep up better. All in all it was a nice walk.
As you can see from the picture master had a bit of an oops at our peak district cottages. I personally think it was idiot brothers fault. He probably got in the way. It all happened last week. Our drive didn’t seem particularly icy so master had not salted it (which he usually does, with our help, when there is snow or ice around). He and idiot brother went off down town on some errand or other, leaving me at home, thank goodness. Next thing I notice is master’s 4×4 stuck in the wall at the bottom of the drive and the farmer is pulling it out. Now I can’t believe that master was stupid enough to have skidded into one of our own walls without the help of idiot brother. Idiot brother swears he had nothing to do with it but I am not sure. Anyhow after getting the car pulled out from the wall, master inspected the damage and was very relieved to find that the only damage was a bit of scratched paint on the bumper. Thank goodness for that. Master would have been in a really bad mood for the rest of the day if any serious damage had been done. The wall isn’t in such a good state though and will need rebuilding before the cows come back next year. At least one good thing – I won’t have to jump over that bit of wall for a few months.
Mistress is getting a bit fed up with all the snow. It isn’t as bad as last year but she still doesn’t like it, especially when she is trying to get the cottages ready for Christmas. We all try to help but she seems to want to do it herself. Well I can’t blame her for not wanting any help from idiot brother but I am sure I could help her to do something. For instance I could check the mince pies or make sure any food was up to scratch. Anyway the snow seems to have gone, so I suppose it will be back to having our paws washed every time we go out!
It must be Christmas time at our peak district cottages! Master is all grumpy, boxes are coming out from all sorts of places, mistress is rushing around, strange trees are appearing in the house and the cottages, mistress is nagging master about putting lights up and we are getting neglected. Not a walk for weeks. I can see master’s point about not putting up the lights. It has been a bit cold, snowy and wet. Not the ideal time to be working outside. Although I would of course have helped. Anyhow yesterday Master at last gave in and he and the handyman spent the day putting up Christmas Lights. We seem to have more this year than on pervious years. I am not sure why. I don’t think master has bought any more this year. Maybe they have been breeding while they have been away. I tried my best to be helpful but kept getting yelled at for ‘being in the way’. Now that is gratitude for you. Smudge, very sensibly, just went inside out-of-the-way. Anyway they are all up now and master is a little less grumpy and mistress has stopped nagging him (for the moment).
The snow, we had last week, was great fun. Master has put a youtube thing together showing us enjoy ourselves in the snow. Have a look at
Even Smudge enjoyed himself (which is a bit unusual). Although it was great during the snow, now it has melted, every time we come inside we have to have our paws washed. I just don’t understand. I thought master had laid new carpet especially for us to clean our feet on! If not I wonder why he changed it.
There I was minding my own business, wandering around our sheds, at our peak district cottages, while master got on with something or other. Next thing I know, I turned round and the shed door was closed. “Ah! That doesn’t look good”. I thought. Never mind Master was bound to miss me in a few minutes. After a while I realised there was no sound from outside. Master had completely forgotten about me and gone off to do something else (along with idiot brother). I tried the odd howl and bark but nothing. I started to get a bit worried as I could see that there wasn’t any food in the shed. What would I have for my supper? Would they miss me in the end? Am I locked in here because I had done something wrong? NO it can’t be that or idiot brother would be permanently locked up. Maybe idiot brother will miss me? Well actually no he probably wouldn’t. He is usually too busy running around and being an idiot. After some hours (I was starting to get hungry) I heard mistress’s voice. At least someone has been missing me. I started to bark to let her know where I was and at last she found me and let me out. Thank goodness for that. Have I missed supper? Would I get extra? These were all the big questions I needed answering. Mistress gave me a big fuss and then took me for a treat. What about my supper? It turns out I had only been locked away for 10 minutes so I got very little sympathy. I don’t think master and idiot brother even noticed I was missing! Although master did get a telling off for not checking before he closed the door. I will be more careful as well in the future. I might have missed a meal.
Sunday was a bright and sunny day at our Peak district cottages so it was decided that we would go for a walk over at Hartington (about 10 mins away). Strangely for Hartington we managed to park in the centre of the village (it is usually a busy little place) and set of towards Beresford Dale and Wolfscote Dale. We were let of our leads almost immediately so could go off and explore. Master and mistress tagged along behind. Amazingly Mistress managed to keep up rather than her usually being miles behind and us all having to stop for 10 mins for her to catch up. Master was a bit grumpy to start with as he thought it was too busy. Well it was a bit I suppose, but we soon left the casual walkers behind and headed further into the Dale where it was quieter.
Although it was a bit blowy, at least the sun was out most of the time and we all kept warm. We didn’t even come across any COWS or those horrible SHEEP things. It was all nice and peaceful. Even lunch had a result. Master had packed too many sandwiches so we got quite a few leftovers (from Mistress). Which is more than we usually get.
Now what is he up to
The walk back via Biggin was a bit of an up hill slog but mistress managed it better than usual. I wonder if she has been working out without telling us! When we got back to the car we all expected to have to go through the ‘Afternoon tea’ ritual but to our amazement Mistress decided not to bother (very strange). It was a bit traumatic when we got back home. we had to be washed down. Now I don’t mind too much (as long as the water isn’t too cold) but Smudge makes a real song and dance about it. That just makes it worse .
Master has a new project over in Buxton, a house he is doing up, so I have been over there most days advising him on what a dog needs in a house. No one usually worries about such niceties but at least with me being in at the start I can make sure the little dog luxuries get included from scratch. We are discussing the the garden layout at the moment. Space for playing ball, space for digging, space for sun bathing, space for just chilling out, space for evening walks. Can anyone think of anything else I should get him to include?
Its been a bit of a boring week at our peak district cottages. Great! I love boring weeks! None of this rushing about thing. Just time to snuggle up in a corner and get a bit of shut eye. I did get dragged down town by Mistress but it wasn’t too bad although she reckons I disgraced her. How was I to know we were in a different card shop to normal? How many card shops can there be? I just thought the kind lady was offering me some food (as I used to get in a card shop). Well what else am I suppose to do other then jump up to the counter to take it. I thought I was showing gratitude. As it turns out she was just giving some change to Mistress and it was the wrong shop. A mistake any of us could make.
In the middle of the week Master had a bit of trouble helping move some cows. Instead of asking me to help, he and the farmer decided to do it themselves. There were cows all over the place. I could have sorted them out in seconds but oh no they knew better. Well at least I didn’t have to do a load of running about.
Why me?
Master seems to keep disappearing off somewhere with a car load of tools. Luckily he tends to take idiot brother with him so I get a nice day of peace. The other advantage is I can do the ‘bonding’ bit with mistress which basically means I get more treats. I presume one day someone will let me know what is going on. Idiot brother got left behind today and he wasn’t happy at all. I assume master has at long last noticed just what a pain he is and left him at home. The bad news was I had to put up with him.
We are the Bolehill Holiday Cottage Dogs. Along with our Master and Mistress we live at Bolehill Farm http://www.bolehillfarm.co.uk