James & Clare, Coddiwomplers Inc: A girl's best friends .... chocolate and gold

And so it came to pass, with heavy hearts, we left the farm and the German Shepherds behind. It is amazing how attached we get to our charges! However, as it was a few days until our next commitment, we excitedly set out to do some fishing on the south coast. We arrived in Christchurch (UK not NZ) just after midday and headed for the wharf. Not till we arrived did we remember it was summer holidays and the fishing spot had been overtaken by Dads, Mums and kids catching crabs. Apparently it's something you do here??? Ah well, time to relax and wait for them to leave. And they did as expected, around dinner time. We settled in to do a spot of night fishing. James says that's when you are most likely to catch the elusive sea bass we were after. I set out to prove yet again that I am a woman of many talents ...........

Extreme knitting

Then I thought I better help

Yes! 1.30 in the morning and the strike was on. Nearly lost the rod as it took off and got caught on the railing. But luck was in and James soon became a very happy boy indeed. A healthy 5lb beauty.

The real thing!

Mmmm, breakfast bass

We spent the next day and night around Portland (not Oregon) Bill. Spectacular views but man, the weather was wild. Chesil Beach is something of a phenomena. Unfortunately it was way too windy to fish from this time. I am sure we will return in future.

UK summer! Yeah right - Portland

We arrived in Hinton St George to somewhat of a surprise. We had not seen any pictures of the house. We were just arriving for a short stint to look after Jura the golden lab. Turns out the property once belonged to the Poulett family http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Poulett and has been sold off as private lots since the 1960s as the surviving male heir had no-one to bequeath it to. Our gorgeous corner of the estate (albeit a large one) is aptly name The Turret House and owned by Marguerite who, it turns out, knows someone in Whakatane and has been there to visit. How many degrees of separation?!?!?!

The grand entrance to the property

Jura was very easy care and we enjoyed exploring the local neighbourhood with her. Hinton St George is a small and very pretty village with the local store being owned by the villagers themselves and staffed by volunteers. A great concept. The 'apartment' itself was so luxurious we rather felt like we were staying in some fancy accommodation we must have paid a fortune for! Talk about feeling like you're on constant holiday. Before leaving for our next sit it was necessary to call in at the local for a plate of Faggots, peas and mash ...... delicious!

Straight onto Alfold near Cranleigh in Surrey for another short sit. Cranleigh is the largest village in Surrey and very well to do. Look what we found there ....

It is actually St James's Place but thought it
prudent to leave that bit out ;-)

The house is just down the road from the airfield where they (used to) film Top Gear. It is a beautiful 16th Century grade II listed cottage with extremely low studs. By the time we left here, James had the scars on the top of his head to prove it. We spent a lovely evening with Denise and partner sharing a yummy meal together ...... and a few drinks in the back garden.

Twiggy (not exactly the same shape as her namesake) the choc lab enjoyed walking us in the nearby woods. There were a lot of really beautiful butterflies around. We even stopped to talk to a guy whose brother is a lepidopterist (!) who said there were definitely more varieties around this year. Oh, the things you learn whilst simply out walking with the dog.