Yes , looks like I'm back....Happy Holidays!

For years - all my life probably - I've wanted a wreath and only ever had one , when we made one at Nat's primary school Christmas fair the year she was .. oh hang on I forgot my short term memory is no more.
So anyway this year I bought this one . I love it.

Goodbye Hedgehog Hello Bernard and Edmund

Bernard and Edmund

18 months since I added to the blog. 

So much has happened - including the demise of our beloved Hedgehog the guinea pig pictured here with Kitty our eldest cat who has unexpectedly mellowed into the most loving and loyal of friends . We initially acquired Pearl our senior Birman because of Kitty's unwillingness to act as lapcat when Nat was little , not to mention her tendency to bite scratch and kick(with claws) at every opportunity. Now Kitty appears whenever I sit down , assesses the best angle of approach ( Kitty has never been stick thin or particularly agile) and thud she is snuggling at my chest purring and crooning. 

Hedgehog had survived the death of her companion pig Tinkerbell and even in her last weeks shouted for a hand fed grape every time the kitchen was entered. At the end she moved less and less and we knew it wouldn't be long . She finally died on Remembrance Sunday 2012 early hours of, with her human friends with her. 

Kitty and Hedgehog

 It wasn't a week before I started researching rescue piggies and was soon emailing Layla at www.NorthEastGuineaPigRescue.co.uk . Once Layla had checked us out and ensured we had an indoor run area as well as the hutch , we met Bernard and Edmund two piggy brothers who moved in with us around a month ago. We are realising the benefits of enrichment , ie giving the pigs floor time of at least six hours per day when they are out of their hutch and have space to run skip and popcorn as pigs like to do. We set the pen up every evening and then pigs can come and go as they please. Its easy enough , a waterproof dog car seat cover , no longer functional for the car due to the straps breaking , covered with newspaper then a £3 fleece . Enclosed by a dog puppy pen which folds away flat when not in use this gives the pigs the ideal space to run about and enough room for their hideys , food bowls, trays of hay and readigrass  and toys. 

Elders Day Out Kirkharle and Goats on the Roof

Time for the June Elders Day .
Our original plan to investigate a secret garden not far from here had to be postponed due to the torrential rain forecast and the fact that we were in charge of the Dog. As seen above however we managed to dodge much of the rain and had coffee and scones outside at Kirkharle Courtyard , where sadly the recession seems to be closing many of the outlets , though so far not the coffee shop. Alice was not happy about the fact that we had forgotten a blanket for her to lie on , though eventually she threw herself down onto the gravel under the table . She is forced to lie straight onto her side or on her back ( most undignified ) as being a skinny greyhound her elbows and knees dig into the ground if she tries to lie down like a normal dog . hence the reason at home she always has to have a sofa or a bed preferably heated . Next time she comes with us I will remember to take a thick towel - all I could find in my bag this time was the bag my handbag came in and this spread out made a very  thin sheet for her to lie on . She wasnt very amused .
At Fontburn where the Goats where delightfully clambering on the Roof as advertised we set out for a walk along the banks of the reservoir and almost immediately were forced to seek shelter in the one of fishing huts . The much vaunted torrential rain had caught up with us and we sat around looking at photos on the walls of large trout in the arms of small children whilst nibbling on Grazebox snacks before setting out on our walk as the sunshine reappeared.
On our return the piggies were playing out and Mother Pig came to say hello bringing her seven ginger babies - how delighted we were....
... and so energised was I by the day that I managed to start a new CatMinding assignment that evening in great style by setting off the house alarm _ a thing I havent done in many a long year ( month ? )
It was lovely to make the aquaintance of a new pusscat though - an elderly girl who is very quiet and affectionate and likes me to sit down with her once the jobs are done for a chat about our respective days . .....CatMinding is just great !

"Jack Wills : Fabulously British Clothing- The Best of British " - I dont think so!

I love my Jack Wills Bodywarmer, known to the company as the Dudmaston Gilet .
I know this because the one I purchased above last Easter in Salcombe at what seemed to me the rather high price of £98 is no longer viable as the zip has failed. At the time I bought it I had no intention of making such a purchase , entering Jack Wills only to accompany my daughter  N who wanted to try on some item or other within their hallowed portals .
 But - there you go - in order to come with her into the changing room - Readers - I picked up the Bodywarmer and -  I fell in love . And as N said to me - It might seem  expensive but it will last you forever . And I wear mine all the time. And I was on holiday .  And so I was sold .
Down the river it would seem .

I wore the jacket for a few weeks until the Summer and it was great - ideal for dog walking. Though it wasn't suitable for work and too ot for the Summer  and so didn't get a lot of wear . It was then stored until Autumn when again it got a few weeks wear , when again it was stored as too cold with no sleeves for Winter.
 I took it out three weeks ago , to find the zip had failed . I compared it to my daughter's and discovered a tiny crack in the plastic of the zip explaining why it wouldn't work.

I rang our local branch of Jack Wills and took it along complete with the receipts and they duly sent it off to their  Customer Services section .

I was therefore astounded to receive a reply from "Fabian" at Customer Services explaining that any faulty items would only be covered for six months in line with Trading Standards and that any other failing would be put down as "wear and tear ". They therefore were unable to replace the zip for me or repair it for me and were returning the gilet for me forthwith and apologised for any inconvenience.

I wrote back expressing my surprise that a quality item was only expected to last six months. As a woman of a certain age my clothes are well cared for as is reflected in the garment and Fabian would have been well aware of this in examining the gilet . My daughter's gilet is  stored on the floor of her room ( and I daresay is occasionally trodden on by passing trade)  is six months older yet her zip continues to glide up and down perfectly well . I assume therefore that my zip is a  faulty item.

I then received a reply from "Mimi" restating their case and suggesting that my local tailor might like to repair the gilet .

You know what ? I have a sneaking suspicion my local dressmakers  will make a better job of it but thats not the point .
Shame on you Jack Wills !

Doesnt the good reputation of a company count for anything these days? how much would it have cost you to have fixed that zip? Whether or not you were legally bound to or not is surely beside the point ?

A Wet Walk at Gibside ....

Alice - sheltering in the woods- and not amused.

Floods run down the roads..

After a walk to the village and breakfast in Luis wine bar we were confident that the weather was ok and that a few drops of rain wouldn't put us off dog walking . We hadn't bargained for the fact that we always seem to have the opposite weather from Gibside .

I texted our friends who live in that direction to see if they wanted to jon us but they were "holiday shopping" ( lucky things- holiday , not the shopping! I'm not a fan of sandals and bikinis and so forth) .

As we pulled in to the car park at Gibside and noted the smaller favoured car park was closed I had an email from Chaela letting me know there were weather issues in their neck of the woods. Let's just say she didnt quite put it like that.

We wrapped ourselves up in what waterproof gear we had .
Hm . The greyhound no longer fits into her fancy Barbour type jacket so just has to get wet . Suffice to say she usually refuses rain anyway , digging her heels in at the door or if caught in a downpour at home racing back to the front door without so much as a by your leave .
Off we went .

It wasnt quite raining , and at that point I planned to take some pictures of the gorgeous allotments . Community gardens all beautifully laid out . It was not to be .

There was a craft market on , stalls under canvas and we hurried past as the rain started , intending to have a closer look on our return , assuming the shower would pass.
D is usually quite good on the weather forecasting front and muttered about north and south and this and that and as we hurtled along the drive under the trees I still had some faith that by the time we left the shelter of the trees all would be well  and the shower would have blown over . When he started asking me however , Me ? What do I know , if I could see which way the clouds were moving , and I realised that looking skywards was causing a veritable stream to gush down my front , I thought enough is enough . As we left the trees' shelter and onto the open road heading for the new Skyline Path which was our goal , we darted into the woods to take cover and the dog sat down firmly .
At this point as we stood peering out at the torrential rain coming down in straight sheets , it was clear we should turn back .

The picture from the car was one of several attempting to show the floods running down the roads . It didn't really work .

Mrs Bridges ......

..caramelised onion and garlic chutney . Presentation is everything . I must remember that next time I make Winter Salad, my version of chutney , which isnt quite chutney but could certianly do with wrapping like this. I love the labels and bows and lettering and all that goes with it.
I spotted this at Kirkharle coffee shop , part of the Kirkharle Courtyard outlet where I can often be found on my catminding days troffing a cheese scone and a latte . Frequent changes happen at the shops there , due to the recession as some shops just can't keep going but the coffee shop seems  indestructible. And the former gift shop is now stocking mainly furniture and this range of jams and chutneys ....

I woke this morning at two am to hear a helicopter circling right above my head or so it would seem and couldnt decide whether this meant that some poor unfortunate was in the sea or maybe it was an indication of a ground search for a missing person or someone the police were chasing on foot . Either way whoever was being sought was not found for some considerable time , and I took up my kindle to help me back to sleep .

Having finished the book I was reading I started wondering about book recommendations, and right on cue  found something at my catminding house this morning . The little cat I was feeding seemed to be suggesting I should sit with her a while so led me to one of the upstairs sofas and there in front of me were two books on a coffee table , one of which an Orange Prize winner , so I made a note and will order samples on the kindle later . This was one of the things which convinced me about the kindle - that you can order free downloads of a couple of chapters of a book to try it first and see if it appeals . Much better than reading it standing it up in the bookshop and lugging home from the library . Initially I was horrified at the idea of reading on a gadget but having heard a couple of folks waxing lyrical and having realised they werent backlit and therefore were unlikely to strain the eyes in the way a pc does , I couldnt resist giving it a go - and though I do still order and take books from the library in the interests of supporting libraries which serve such an important function for us all , I confess I do love my kindle and the fact that I can carry so many books around with me in my bag at all times if I choose.
Choice - what a wonderful thing .

And now I'm so tempted to try that chutney - but I will resist - its a present ......

Reviving a Blog

... is not so easy though it is gratifying to have renewed contact with some favourite followers and see that the statistics have changed from Nil Nil Nil to ... well , they have changed and people are looking again .

Somehow I find it harder to write though , to find the words . Not much is different about my life- my Day Job is endlessly fascinating, I fit that around the cat minding and family life and the occasional trot round several local fields when the dog can be coaxed away from the waterbed and her beloved sofa .

My own cats are increasingly proprietorial , in particular the elderly and formerly canterkerous Kitty who mellows with age and now likes to perch on the edge of my armchair if I am laptoppping it , or right on top of me if I have a book or the kindle in place . How she loves the kindle .. one more piece of technology for her to puzzle over and stare at and stretch a paw towards until finally she copies me in pressing the Turn Page button to see if she can achieve the same effect . Cats are such a delight. If we could only agree a signal between us about co operation ... I've finished the page now Kitts , we can turn now . But that would spoil the fun .

The rest of my time this week has been endless listening to the rain in the Rafters Room . And of course my Books ..
I was awake at four am this morning and decided to indulge my desire to read . I finished The Hours ( Michael Cunningham ) and started Joan Didion's bereavement memoir about which I had read so much that was positive when it first came out .
Recently I have been following a new anti migraine strategy of not allowing myself to read during the night but - the rain was falling on the roof and it sounded so good and the book was so interesting when I fell asleep that I just couldnt resist and with the prospect of no work and an early catminding start followed by a garage trip to have the car serviced I knew I could afford to be dozing today if need be.
An amazing book set in Los Angeles and therefore in my head connecting with my love of Six Feet Under.
A Twitter Pal asks if I never read happy books and that set me thinking . I like happy books but , is it the case that more books have sad content than happy? Or is that just me . I asked her for some recommendations and she suggested Terry Pratchett , not an author I have read though ( and maybe this does say something about me ) I have watched a documentary about his Alzheimers and a trip he made to look at care facilities with his PA for his future potential care needs . And not a very happy thing  that was either. He recently made a documentar on assisted suicide but I didnt see that . perhaps I was watching something happier on another channel? Or maybe lying down in a darkened room with a migraine?)
So if anyone has any recommended happy books Id be glad to hear of them. Really . And I promise to read them .
Meanwhile , despite the lovely brightsunshine that promised this morning , looks like we have rain again ...