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 !
