The Dog's Blog

Me posing by the Damien Hirst statue

On Monday it was decided that we would all be  dragged round the Chatsworth House Sculpture exhibition (in the gardens) the next day.  Tuesday dawned at our peak district cottages all horrible and miserable so the trip was called off. Thank goodness for that.  So we relaxed. Smudge found his favourite duvet spot and I curled up in the hall ready for for some serious ‘down time’. Then all of a sudden at about 1:00PM it was announced that we were going after all.  When we looked  out it had brightened up and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. So off we went.  Of course we have to be on our best behaviour and on our leads when we are in Chatsworth Gardens. It would be right to be seen to be messing around in the Duchesses back garden.  Mistress always loves the Gardens – especially at this time of year as all the leaves are changing colour.

Bad hair day at Chatsworth

The sculptures were as strange as they are every year.  I am sure I have seen some of the bits they use in masters garage. The walk round the grounds was pleasant even if we were on our leads.  Its difficult chasing squirrels when on a lead. We got the usual attention from people around the gardens especially the ladies where I was made to pose in front of the Damien Hirst statue.

As we had managed to get round the grounds in record time (thanks to master frog marching us around) there was time for afternoon tea at the Stables before we were bundled into the car and abandoned while master and mistress went off to look round the house (they don’t let dogs in the house).  We settled down for a snooze.

A sculpture at Chatsworth

When we got back to Bolehill farm we found that all the COWs had been moved from our fields – freedom at last!  No cows to  watch out for.

If you want to see some more of master’s photographs of Chatsworth 2010 sculptures please have a look at http://www.bolehillfarm.co.uk/photo/chatsworth_sculpture2010/index.html. I personally wouldn’t bother but he likes to think he can take photos so please hum0r him.

Me sunning myself at Hassop

Not a very exciting week at our peak district cottages. Everyone busy working and in general ignoring us. But Sunday looked like a we might get taken out.  That was until master decided it was a bit too misty for walking and anyway he had better finish of the last of the Tax returns and VAT etc.  I am glad that us dogs don’t have to go through all this nonsense. Give us a bed and feed us once (or preferably twice or three) times a day and we are happy. No paper work for us. Luckily it did brighten up later in the afternoon so it was decided we would take mistress out for afternoon tea at the newly opened Hassop Old Station Coffee shop.

Mistress enjoying her afternoon tea

Oh dear, that would mean only one thing – a trip in the CAR!   This looked bad! But I was slightly encouraged by the fact that mistress picked up our leads. They have done the old station up to be a smart new coffee shop and bookshop.

Anyway off we went. Luckily it was nice and warm so we were allowed to sit outside with master and mistress on the station platform. I therefore managed to get a pleasant 1/2 hour lie in the sun while mistress had her afternoon tea. No tidbits for us though – again! Then off we went for a walk (at long last) along the Monsal Trail towards Great Longstone.

The Monsal trail near Hassop

It was quite busy so we had lots of new friends to say hello to and lots of interesting smells in the verges etc.  Although we were allowed of our leads we did keep  getting called back when we strayed a bit too far.  Not sure why,  as were are not stupid. We could find our way back if we wanted to.  Idiot brother was happy as he didn’t have cows and those  vicious sheep things to worry about.  You don’t tend to find them on the trails.

Me guarding OUR En-suite

Well actually not much of a day out. We don’t seem to have been taken out from our peak district cottages for ages.  Everyone has been so busy doing things that they seem to have forgotten about us. Anyway yesterday we got taken out. We knew it wasn’t good when we were bundled into the car without the preliminary sandwich making etc.  Smudge of course had to be dragged into the car. Anyhow it turns out we were off to Chesterfield to choose the floor tiles for mistress’s new laundry room. Whoopie! Of course this didn’t include us helping to choose. No one ever asks a dog their opinion and lets face it we have a more intimate contact with the floor than mistress does. We like it nice and snug and not too slippery. On the way  master took mistress for a morning coffee at a little farm cafe shop that has loads of farm animals running around (including funny looking cows they call Llamas).

Choosing pictures in our games room

Now I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to let us have some exercise (chasing the funny looking cows might have been fun). But oh no we were abandoned in the car while they went off for a coffee. Smudge just went to sleep but I kept a watchful eye on those things that looked like funny cows and chickens wandering about.

Last night master was hosting the local Photographic Society  regional photograph selection evening in our games room so we popped in to help. Everyone was very friendly but they did keep shooing us out of the way.  Smudge got a bit of a biscuit so he was happy.

Mistress inspects her new laundry room

All the main building work on mistresses new laundry is now complete and the builder has moved on to what has now been defined as OUR en-suite. I wonder if this means we can choose the flooring etc. Anyhow we are looking forward to getting our en suite (whatever one of those is).

Just checking on progress

Its been a busy few days at our peak district cottages. People coming and going, builders coming and going and friends arriving and departing.  We have had loads of attention (but not much food).  It all started on Friday when the electricians arrived to start putting wiring things  into mistresses new Laundry.  I think master must have got to them before me as they weren’t very forthcoming with the tidbits at lunch time.  I have given up on the builder there just doesn’t seem to be any hope of food there at all. On Saturday morning there was a major flurry of activity as master and the handyman pulled in cables from the old extension to the new. We tried to help but kept getting told off and that we were in the way. Then in the afternoon master & mistress’s friends from Yorkshire arrived.  This is usually bad news for us, as he is allergic to dogs. Well he is probably allergic to idiot brother but then who wouldn’t be. But luckily we were at least allowed into the lounge (we usually get relegated to the kitchen). They had come up for a CAR rally.  Why would anyone want to sit in a CAR all day. I don’t understand.

The new extension

Sunday wasn’t too good as master is still doing the Tax returns. So we kept out of his way. Later in the afternoon mistress’s sister and partner arrived so we said hello to them. There was 6 around the table for a Chinese meal which seemed very promising from a tidbit point of view but turned out to be hopeless.  We hung around but the best we got was a small piece of prawn cracker.  All that food and none for us – we could have at least helped a little bit.

The electricians are back again today so I will see what lunchtime turns up.

Me checking on building progress

They’r back.  I thought I had got rid of the cows for this year from our peak district cottages fields. I thought they had all been moved round to the ‘promised land’ but they seem to have been let back into OUR front field again.  Soon be winter, then we can be rid of them.  Mistress won’t be happy. For some reason she seems to like having the damn things around.  Smudge of course just ignores them – too stupid to realise how vicious they can be.  I will bide my time. At least they can’t get at me in the garden.

The weekend was a non event. Master and mistress were doing their ‘Tax Returns’.  This is always bad, as master is always gets grumpy when he is doing these. So we kept a low profile and tried not to annoy him too much. This was a bit difficult as Smudge kept trying to get me into trouble but we survived the day.

The new Laundry area

Mistress’s Laundry building work is progressing.  The roof has started to go on, so it won’t be long before we have a finished building.  Today they bashed a hole in the wall into OUR room.  It looked for a while as though we were going to have a cold night but luckily the builder has blocked up the hole with some insulation. I assume a bigger hole will appear tomorrow when they knock the door out so we can get into the new shower/toilet area.

Building work on the new Laundry

Building work on the new Laundry

Me in Wolfscote Dale

My leg is a lot better. I am not sure what I did but I probably over did it last weekend chasing those damn balloons.  Not that I got a lot of sympathy from anyone. Idiot brother just kept on about how unfit I was and master just kept saying it was my own fault.  Mistress was the only one with any sympathy so I stuck close to her just in case sympathy turned into food (It didn’t). As Sunday was a nice day and my leg was better it was decided that we would go for a walk from Hartington (about 4-5 miles from our peak district cottages). Mistress  also wanted to go to see the well dressings (I think it is the last one of the year). So we parked up in Hartington then went a walk around the village to see the well dressings.

Me making sure mistress gets across the bridge OK

From the village  we headed down Beresford Dale and to Wolfscote Dale (heading towards Dove Dale).  All started off fine until it started to rain. Idiot brother and myself hadn’t really noticed but master started wingeing that he was getting wet. So we had to sit under a tree for 10 boring minutes before we were allowed out into the field again.  The best fun was when we got to a field full of cows. Its always interesting to see what idiot brother will do with cows around.  As expected he wouldn’t go through them.  I thought master was going to have to drag him through but before he  could get hold of him idiot brother had run up the side of the hill and around the top and back down and was waiting by the stile for us  – well away from the cows. Idiot! We just walked through them without any problem.

Wolfscote Dale.

We stopped for our (or their) lunch on the hill side over looking the river.  It was a bit steep for my liking. It was difficult to make sure I was close enough to the food and put on my cute look without sliding down the hill side.  I think master chose the spot on purpose.  We didn’t do too bad for tidbits though.  The walk then took us up Biggin Dale and back round to Hartington.  Of course when we got back to Hartington we had to stop for mistress’s afternoon tea.  Nothing for us of course.

The builder is getting on well with mistresses extension. It looks like the roof bit is going on today. I am still not getting much joy with tidbits from the builder though. I think that source of food has dried up.  The joiner is here today so maybe I will have better luck with him.

Me with The Red Arrows over Chatsworth House

Well what an exciting afternoon and evening.  Mistress had been going on about going over to Chatsworth House (about 4.5 miles from our peak district cottages) to watch the Red Arrows (the Country Fair was on) all week. We thought they were something to do with Red Indians so couldn’t understand what she was so excited about.  So to keep her quite it was decided we would park at the old Bakewell station and walk over the hill to Chatsworth and sit and watch the Red Indians with their arrows from the hill side.  So off we went with our (or their) picnic.  The walk up from Bakewell takes you across the Golf course were we were under strict orders to behave. Once clear of the greens we were allowed to run off up the hill to await mistress (master keeps up quite well but mistress is hopeless). We had to cross a couple of fields with vicious looking sheep in them (so I kept close to master just in case) and then through the last set of trees to emerge looking down on Chatsworth House.  We have been here a number of times so master knew where best to sit to watch the Indians. Master and mistress settled down to have the first part of their picnic.  We wandered around chasing butterflies etc.  Then all of a sudden there was an almighty roar down the valley as the ‘Red Arrows’ came into sight over the House.  So that is what the Red Arrows are.  How were we supposed to know.  Anyhow for 30 minutes the sky was full of little red dots zipping here and there and lots of coloured smoke .

Balloons at Chatsworth House

Smudge and I did our best to try and tell them to go away as they were making such a noise.  But every time we barked at them we got very disapproving looks from both master and mistress.  In the end we did manage to chase to them off because they did disappear.  Mistress was so excited with it all that we got all sorts of tidbits from the rest of the picnic.  So we decided we liked the Red Arrows.

After our picnic we were about to start back when mistress spotted that there were some balloons about to lift off from Chatsworth, so we sat down again to watch them.  In the end we counted 21 balloons in all.  Now you might recall how Smudge doesn’t like balloons very much (especially if they are coming over OUR land).

The Red Arrows at Chatsworth

The Red Arrows over Chatsworth

So when he spotted the first balloon he went racing across the fields barking at it (about 500yards) to be crossly called back by master. When he got back to us he turned round to notice the balloons again and went racing back across the field to be called back again.  It just shows how thick he is.  He must have done this about half a dozen times – it became a spectator sport and master nearly fell over laughing.  Maybe we could have put a bet on how far he would get before coming back.  Anyway after about an hour all the balloons had gone and Smudge had calmed down so it was decided we would head off back before it got dark.

When we got back we found that all our guests at Bolehill Farm had been watching the Red Arrows display from the cottages as they  had been regrouping overhead.  They didn’t get the entertainment of watching Smudge though.

Smudge is pretending to limp this morning (except when there is any food in the offing) so he obviously over did it yesterday.  What an idiot.

Me in ANOTHER garden

Its been quite an uneventful week at our peak district cottages.  The builder has been forging ahead with mistresses extension and we have had friends coming and going but nothing particularly exciting.  Master has been grumbling about the cost of the extension – so no change there  (I think it is because he is a Yorkshireman).

Today started off a bit wet so we all wondered if we would get out at all.  The afternoon looked fine so mistress announced we were going down to look round the Bakewell open gardens. Me and idiot brother just looked at each other – MORE GARDENS. Well at least we will get to be taken out.

I am sure I saw it move

Haven’t we done enough gardens this year? So off we went in the CAR. As usual with gardens there is a lot of stopping for mistress to ‘admire views etc’. Very boring.  When we had finished with the gardens it was decided that we had to take mistress for afternoon tea.  So into the main part of town we went.  For a moment I thought we might be going to my favourite shop.

Progress with the extension

They always used to give me a doggy treat (or two) every time I went in. Mistress says the shop is under new ownership. But that doesn’t stop them handing out treats does it? But NO.  They wouldn’t let me in to find out. As usual we had to sit by while mistress and master had a very nice looking tea and cake at our usual spot in Bakewell.  Then it was back home in time for a bit of swallow chasing in the front fields. I guess it won’t be long before they head south for warmer climates leaving us here to chase the crows (which aren’t as much fun at all).

Me and mistress admiring the view

As it was such a nice day it was decided we would go for a walk over by Chatsworth which is only about 5 miles away from our peak district cottages.  We parked at Rowsley and started the walk heading to Calton Lees and on to Chatsworth.  All went well for about a mile then we came across a massive herd of cows.  Now I have been thinking about this for the last couple of weeks, so I thought now is the time to put my plan into action. So I feinted to the right (or “Go Away” in sheepdog language) and then when they started to move towards me, as I assumed they would (they are almost as thick as Smudge), I quickly outflanked them by running back round and going to the left (or “Come Bye”).   It did the trick and I was round them and over the stile before they realised. Smudge of course just walked through them.  Rather him than me.

View up the valley towards Chatsworth

The rest of the walk, before we stopped for lunch, was uneventful. Other than the constant stopping for mistress  ‘to admire the view’.  We (or more precisely they) had lunch  overlooking Chatsworth House.  I am glad we hadn’t gone to Chatsworth for the day as from where we were, it looked very busy. Unusually for lunch stops, we actually got quite a few tit-bits.

After lunch we headed up over the hills towards the Haddon Estate were we had a brief encounter with some SHEEP.  My new plan for sheep is to stay as close to master as possible.  This is based on the assumption he isn’t going to be too pleased with a sheep getting too near to him and will get rid of it.  Anyhow the plan seemed to work. Again Smudge just walked through the middle of them. Doesn’t he remember our last close encounter with a sheep?

Me on the path near where we found the bone biscuit.

Then the strangest of things.  On the very last leg, as we were approaching Rowsley, Smudge found a dog bone biscuit left in plain sight on the path.  I think he was so shocked he didn’t just wolf it down in one as he is prone to do.  Luckily this gave master time to get to it and break it in half so we both got some.  Very strange but  – hey don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Me relaxing after my mugging -

As it was such a nice evening mistress decided we would go for a picnic at our favourite spot over looking Lathkill Dale (about 1 mile from our peak district cottages).  It seems like an age since we last had a picnic (always a possibility of tit bits on a picnic). So off we went. Unfortunately this meant a short journey in the CAR.  But it wasn’t too bad. Then a walk down into the bottom of the dale and along to Conksbury bridge.  Once we are down in the dale we are allowed off our leads so we can run about.  Down by the cascades we came across a sheep with a couple of her lambs.  Idiot brother was immediately a bit wary but I took no notice of them.  Then I realised they were approaching us.  OK – I thought – maybe they want a chat.  Next thing I know I am being chased up the dale and butted in a the bum by a very angry sheep.  Idiot brother is no where to befound.  Having seen what was going on he had run off back the way we had come.  In the end I managed to get away from the vicious thing and got back to mistress.

Lathkill Dale in the evening

Master was no help as he was in stitches and nearly crying.  What was so funny, I could have been seriously injured? What did we do to upset it?  We were only walking in the dale minding our own business.  Is there a crime in that? Anyhow master had to walk most of the way  back up the dale to find idiot brother, put him on a lead and bring him back to where mistress and I were. The vicious sheep had wondered off by this time  (good riddance to the thing).

The picnic was as enjoyable as ever.  There are always lots of swallows for us to chase at this spot.  So we enjoyed ourselves even if we didn’t get many tit bits as we were too busy running about.

By the way.  I wasn’t that scared during the thunder storm last week.  I was just following master  and mistress around to make sure they were OK.  At least I didn’t get myself locked in the toilet, like idiot brother.