Whilst we were in France we accepted a sit in Cambridgeshire for six lurchers. James had a lurcher many years ago and has a special fondness for them. A couple of weeks before we were due to start, we took a break in our painting project and headed over to meet the lurchers and their mum and dad, Frances and Richard. We instantly fell in love with the furries and had a lovely day walking the clan around the fields and getting to know them.
Back row L-R: Jake, Leo, Finn, Hettie
Middle row: Max
Front row: Lottie
The cute wee village is at the end of a no-exit country lane conprising approximately 15 houses. One of these was being re-thatched during our stay and every day we walked by with the doglets, chatted with the workmen and watched as this rather specialist job developed to completion. Thatched roofs are want to be the cause of many a house fire and are expensive to replace but if you have a grade listed house in the UK you are required by law to replace thatch with thatch. If you love them (and how can you not appreciate the art involved) it is no doubt worth it.
We were to be staying for the next five weeks at the Manor House. A more appropriate house to have six lurchers you can't imagine. The grounds are approximately 4 acres with a lovely pond and an outstandng walled vege garden. Parts of the house hale from the 16th century .... something those of you from New Zealand will rarely encounter!
The Manor House
Jake, Leo and Finn are the pups (18mths) of Hettie and Max and then there is (Aunty) Lottie (16). They are all such individuals and each as lovable (and loving) as the next. We are lucky enough in our pet sitting life that we get to step into the lives of pets that are very well loved by their humans. It make our task so much easier and these guys are definitely a prime example of this.
Our days consisted of long walks in the surrounding fields, both morning and early evening, feeding everyone, including ourselves and relaxing ... usually draped in dog!
These guys were so much fun to walk with. At first we felt like we needed to count heads on a regular basis, but we soon learned that although they may disappear into the crops for a play or to chase something, they were soon back to check that we were still around and ok.
Lottie, bless her, managed almost all the walks (apart from a couple when we left her at home due to a heat wave). Whilst she is quite a bit slower than everyone else, waiting for her just created more opportunity to play and mess about. And to us (and them), play time is just as important as miles covered on a doggy walk. It's all about stimulation.
Walking come rain or shine
Waiting for Lottie!
We got the idea of making a couple of batches of Elderflower cordial from Frances, who had left some in the fridge for us. The Elderflowers were at their peak during our stay and it seemed rude not to take advantage of this. We enjoyed it very much, especially during the heat wave halfway through the sit. After the morning walk, we would all relax in the garden with a cold glass of this stuff!
As usual, we ate heartily from the garden and the hedgerows
Thanks to Frances for growing fresh broadbeans
And gooseberries, which Clare tried for the first time
We found a crop of oyster mushrooms in the woods on one of our first walks
Pigeon breast stuffed with lemon and sage
and wrapped in panchetta
Guilt tripping the humans during dinner
Leo makes the cutest photo bomber
We were both overcome by the thoughtfulness of Richard and Frances organising a local delivery of quail whilst they were on holiday
Roast quail with a compliment of vege
from the garden
Rabbit and hare ... yes, the lurchers
were instrumental in helping harvest
some of this :-)
Some more of our favourite photos ... because there are so many
There is a human in amoungst here somewhere!
Cooling down
Hettie looking for shade
Awwww
This bed wa made a moment ago!
Guess it wasn't comfortable for some
These two!!!
Max taking a break from the
responsibility of his family :-)
Chaos
Order ... after a fashion ;-)
Water stop
Feeding time at the manor
Our hearts broke a little as we said goodbye to our new friends, but we are looking forward to visiting again in future.
And so it was back to the UK for summer. Our first stop was London to see the family and drop off some knitting projects Clare had been working on for the children.
We also picked up a kayak we had bought for future fun/fishing trips. We were hoping to score some sits on the coast to facilitate this idea.
Next, we headed back to Coney Weston to hang out with our mate, Sammy the Springer. This is a repeat sit for us, and before we left here we had booked in yet another. The weather was great and we again enjoyed our walks with Sammy at Knettishall Heath and around Euston Estate, upon which Sammy lives.
Butter wouldn't melt in this one's mouth!
His mum described him aptly and succinctly
when she said Sammy is the master of
selective obedience :-)
We also enjoyed some lovely cuddles with these two cuties ....
Maximilian
Clementine, a rare female ginger
James managed to get a year older and, as usual, we feasted royally on pigeons and other such fodder from the garden! If you haven't tried pigeon breast yet, you really should :-)
Pigeon breast and warm pasta salad
You may have noticed a common theme of this blog ... lots of cute pets, yummy food and the odd fishing pic!!!!
James's mum and dad had planned a trip away for the week to attend a family wedding so we moved in to their place to pop a fresh coat of paint on their bedroom and bathroom. It was a busy and tiring week but we were really happy with the outcome. And they were too :-)
