Early rambles

It’s a scorcher out there and I haven’t blogged for a while. There appear to have been quite a few things that have gone on in my life since I last updated anyone who will listen.

Our walks have become earlier and earlier due to the vagaries of the British summer being very hot on 7-10 days, wet and drizzly for another 7-10 days and then warming up again to the temperature of the suns core recently. As an older fur I am struggling to adjust to the heat, as well as the changes in the temperature. We aren’t stopped from going out for a walk, it just means that the well placed kidney pounce on our dad is performed much earlier than he would like. We have been near and far in our walks, exploring the lanes and fields locally as well as taking road and rail trips to far flung destinations such as Carding Mill Valley and Ludlow. Somewhat unsurprisingly the two trips on the train have deposited us, with our parentals of course, in the pubs of Church Stretton and Ludlow. We didn’t complain and nor did they as the pint of welcome ale was consumed under the shade of a large oak tree in the Kings Arms pub garden at Church Stretton. For clarity we had walked around the town first, exploring the streets and alleys before being dragged kicking and screaming into the pub for a lunchtime swift half. The Blue Boar in Ludlow was also visited so the standard of the ale could be taste tested. Also The Old Street Tavern was checked out and found to be more than reasonable. As quiet and dignified furs both Lenny and I were welcomed into all the establishments.

We then found ourselves in the car for a trip to Bishops Castle. This is where our vets is located so we watched with much trepidation as we wound our merry way along the lanes toward the town. We needn’t have worried as we were discharged from our travel prison cells, wandered around the town and then found ourselves in the Three Tuns Inn, which is not the pub for the brewery. It is actually owned by Heineken who have recently closed it for “refurbishment”. I think the trips out in the car is a ploy to get Lenny more accustomed to travelling for the future.

For a trip that didn’t include a pub, we were put into the car early one morning and found ourselves pointing north. Some 30 minutes later we parked and the discharge of the beagles took place. We had arrived at Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury. Our friend Griff had told us about this place so we did a dry run to see where it is and what it was like. We will be going back with Griff as we liked it very much. It’s very dog friendly and we saw plenty of other dogs there.

It is run by the National Trust and allows dogs to walk about for their pleasure. Some places we all need to be on leads but it was great fun.

Anyway, closer to home we have been cheered up because the farmer has cut all the hay grass in the front field outside our house. Having left it for a few days to dry out (it was very dry thanks to the heat) the farmer rolled up the grass to make excellent obstacles for beagles to sit on. Lenny needed a bit of help but he enjoyed himself. We actually found out about the hay bales from Griff’s predecessor Charley and his brother fur, Boot. They were both pictured jumping from bale to bale, ears all flapping in joyous excitement.

Beyond these shenanigans it has been life as usual. Summer is taking her toll on us, making it too hot for a daytime bimble and meaning that we are forced to try and chill out during the day, all the while having fans pointed at us to try and keep us cooled. I have just got a cooling mat which means I can now snooze with my back legs on my flat bed, have my belly on the cooling mat and my head on the tiled floor. As an older fur I am struggling quite a lot with the heat so I am lucky that the parentals keep an eye on me to make sure I’m not overheating too much as well as make sure all my 14 beds are plumped up and ready. Sometimes my cooling mat is transferred to my sofa, although this is usually accompanied with excessive eye rolling from our staff.

Finally, for now, the vegetable and fruit garden is giving up its delights gradually. We have the first and second crops of potatoes, blackcurrants and soon to be more tomatoes and lettuce. Once the chillies, peppers, apples, pears, plums, onions, spring onions, cauliflowers, leeks and Brussel Sprouts have all done their growing I think we will need some new freezers. Hopefully this weather becomes somewhat cooler so Lenny and I can get some more adventures and shenanigans under our harnesses. Watch this space.