It's a hoot (but no vomiting!)

I'm pleased to report an increase in tawny owl activity, though not yet in the owl box for rent. Whilst shaking out the dog beds, filling up the bird bath and topping up the bird feeders in the dark this morning, I heard a distinct hoot, followed by a shy toot. Ah, two tawny's, I thought to myself and rushed inside to download the tawny sounds. Yes, I was right, but my self-appreciation was short-lived as the big big dog ran inside after me and, thinking I was being attacked by the devil, began vomiting all over the kitchen floor. And all this, before 6.30am!

If you want to hear the owl sounds without the vomiting, click here.

Tawny owl, photo credit

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Can't see the wood for the trees?

We had a great day on Sunday. We chopped down trees! OK, that sounds a bit over-dramatic. We were actually working with the Countryside Ranger in the Woods, removing the invading silver birch trees. We worked in a triangle along the main path, and found an avenue of oak trees, struggling to grow big and strong. Good job.

We were accompanied by a few other volunteers from the Village, some encouraged by the refreshments, others were there because they care about our environment. I know there are more people who care but just can't find the time to participate in village events. I don't go to everything. I pick and choose the events that will give me the most satisfaction, and it's those that I commit to. The temptation is to try to do everything, and end up doing nothing. I think that happens a lot. So I never promise anything and don't disappoint anyone by not doing my bit.


There were two lovely dogs with us, not the Boxers! Can you imagine our two mad dogs creating havoc? No, we had the pleasure of Charlie and Obi for company. Charlie is a large German Shepherd, Obi is a black labradoodle who travelled from Billingshurst (I think that's actually obi-wan-kenobi but I don't know for sure). Charlie loves a tennis ball or three and we were all distracted at one point or another to throw the ball for him.


I did notice, however, that both he and Obi have very sharp teeth and didn't give up the ball very gently. I am always surprised by this, as my boys have very soft mouths and never 'lick you with their teeth'. Last week, a lovely old boy ran up to me in the car park and sat for a treat. I pulled a Shmacko out of my pocket and he properly grazed my fingers. His owner said afterwards that he isn't very gentle. 


Well, I think dogs should be taught to have a soft mouth when taking treats. You never know how some people will react to the teeth. Pulling your hand away or making a noise of surprise could upset the dog, leading to an unpredictable response. I am very confident with dogs and didn't react but it does concern me that dog attacks on children seem to happen so frequently, and I wonder if some of the attacks could have been prevented by not allowing children to go up to strange dogs, especially dogs on leads. Because you can't tell the temperament of a dog just by looking at it, you can't tell if it's nervous or stressed, and all dogs have teeth, soft mouth or not.


You can read about some of our favourite dog walks at Surrey Life.

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It's a (Boxer) dog's life

The Brigadier sent me an invitation to the Rector's leaving party. And a request for a donation to the leaving present. That's OK, I can do that. He has been a very good rector, if a bit fierce at times, and always supportive of the Village. There is already talk about who the next rector will be. I don't really mind, as long as he doesn't make too many changes.

A change is as good as a holiday, they say. I didn't fancy the change at swimming this morning. I arrived at the same time as the England U21 rugby team (read: boys to men). They took over the pool for a while so I observed them from the jacuzzi. Until a sweet looking one joined me. I asked him what I thought was a good question 'Are you playing in a competition or just training?'. Grunt. 'Training.' Silence, then to another 'Oi, mate! Did you get your end off last night?'. At which point I went to the steam room.

Afterwards, in the change room, I asked one of the girls if that was rude. Well, that depends she said. Did he say 'get it off or get it away?'. Apparently, there is a difference.

I was glad to get back to the safety of the Village, and the unconditional love of the Boxer boys, lovely snuffly, wriggly boys, now sleeping peacefully. Only two things matter to them - cuddles and walks. They aren't even too bothered about food. They are not greedy boys at all. Sometimes the little big dog has to be encouraged to eat. He plays so hard that he gets too tired to eat. It's a dog's life. Play hard, sleep well.

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All a Twitter round here

OK, so there have been a few frosty days and the dogs had to drink from their water bowl instead of from the bird bath, but all around the garden there are signs of spring. I know, it's way too early, but there is no denying that the jasmine is in flower and smells gorgeous. I was playing ball with the Boxers this morning when I smelled the sweet fragrance. It's in a part of the garden which until the autumn was very overgrown. My clearing up has paid dividends, though, the jasmine has a lovely shape, tiny white flowers and a very romantic scent. I lingered a bit too long, though, and was barked at to hurry up with the ball!

The boys must have their games*, throw a ball, tug a rope, or just run like a mad thing - no, not me, the dogs! There are other signs too. The bird song is lovely. My particular favourite is the little robin who sits on the kitchen window sill, such a shrill, happy chirrup. The little birds don't pay the slightest bit of attention to the dogs. They co-exist in harmony. Not so for the squirrels, who have learnt not to steal the bird food for fear of being caught by a Boxer! Don't worry, the dogs have never caught a squirrel.

Boxer dog, asleep, no change there then!

There are a few changes coming to the Village. The Rector is retiring and several village organisations are having a re-think about their futures. It's the changing face of a traditional village in a modern society. City people coming into the Village bring a wealth of new ideas and much-needed longevity. It is an attractive village to live in because of the access to London, but I do get very cross about the traffic. Yet again, the traffic queue was bumper to bumper this morning. Ever since the Hindhead tunnel opened last sumer, traffic has been streaming up the A3 instead of the M3. I wish I had more than just anecdotal evidence of this.

The ease of access does bring in the undesirables, though. Last week I had to clear up the car park at the Woods where two cars of youths had discarded the evidence of cannabis use. Not pleasant. I was pleased however, that I did get a reply to my email to the Police, if not any particular action.

The changes and interlopers have left the Village people with plenty to say, and not enough outlets to say it all. I wonder if a Village blog and Twitter could help communication?


*For more on Boxer-cise please go to Surrey Life.

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Back to normal

Well, it's taken two weeks and I finally feel ready for the new year. The dogs have been so badly behaved, they have missed their routine and have been playing up. But last week was a good week. Normal routines were restored and we got to grips with clearing up, packing away and being organised.

In the garden, the mild weather meant that we have been able to pick up the last of the oak tree leaves, and clear up the branches which came down in the New Year storms. I restored the dry stone wall and the bumble bee box, and the OH made a Boxer deterrent from some wooden stakes and a bit of garden wire. I have found a home for the small solitary bee tubes, re-packed the moss and lined the bumble bee box with dried leaves. We even noticed some blue tits investigating the nesting box. There has been no interest in that box since the woodpeckers drilled out the entrance two years ago. I have been keeping a close eye on the owl box but no takers there yet. 

The sunrise was beautiful again this morning. I had to leave before the sun was fully up but snapped this frosty scene on my way out. The dogs were so good while I was out. To be fair, they did go for their walk at 6am when the temperature was -2 degrees! 

But they aren't stupid; with under-paw heating in their day bed and a warm radiator in the conservatory, I know where they were while I was out. Their boredom busters didn't even get taken outside. Of course when I got home, they wanted to play, so we kept our games to the sunny part of the garden - it was still only about 2 degrees.

They had a busy weekend too, as we re-stocked the woodpile. The storms brought down a few large branches which we cut down to size for our wood-burning stove. So we are well prepared for any bad weather still to come. We'll be cosy.

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Village politics?

Our Village is like many other villages in several respects. It is a rural village in a beautiful part of the country. It wants to maintain a certain standard for its residents and visitors. It also wants to retain the traditional charm of an English village. Surely, that is why many of us moved here in the first place. Now, here's the thing. And I feel I can say this because, having only lived here for six years, I am still considered an outsider. The Village has not come to terms with the fact that it is a commuter village. It may not be on a rail route to London, but the access to the A3 is a big drawcard for City workers.

While this keeps the Village house prices up, it also means that there aren't that many people in the village during the day. And those that are in the village are (mostly) either stay-at-home Mums or retired. So who will keep the Village traditions alive? It's a question hotly debated by the interested minority.

I love living in this village. When we moved here we decided we would do our bit, and slowly but surely we have been making our contribution to village life. At the very least, we are well known for our bonkers Boxers!

But there is an old guard, people to whom we are very grateful for all they have done. Perhaps it's time for the old ways to move over and for new ideas to come to the fore. Perhaps the new families are shy, or don't want to upset the status quo. I don't know for sure, but the one thing that sets our Village apart from other villages is our people. Our people are kind, hard-working, interested and committed. I am proud to be a part of the Village.

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Beat it, Bambi, Boxers about!

Shame, they say the weather is getting cooler again. We have been enjoying our walks getting later each day, accompanied by birdsong - and bambi's. Yes, loads of deer about. I hope they've got their thickets ready for the weekend. They are rubbing their little scent glands on everything, it drives my 'boys' wild.

The other thing they do is stand in the path, in pairs and then bound off in opposite directions. And as I walk the dogs on lead that leaves me standing arms outstretched with a 40kg dog on each arm. A stern 'leave' usually does the trick and they come back to heel, but I do try to anticipate problems. My eyesight is a lot better than theirs, so if I spot a deer, I'll make our presence known before we startle them. 

Recently, we have had to use a torch on our walks, and then it's a game of eye spy for me. I wear a head torch and I can see several pairs of blinking eyes in the undergrowth as we walk by. It's usually very quiet and I can feel the eyes following me. The dogs don't see anything, but they can sense we are not alone. They are also quite reluctant to walk too far from me in the dark - big scaredy cats!

The pleasant weather also brings out a few more wierdo's, and a lot more rubbish in the car park. There were some rather suspicious little plastic bags thrown out yesterday... Thankfully, though the 'boy's have stopped showing too much interest in these items, and haven't eaten anything latex for quite sometime.

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Boredom busters gone wrong?

This is what the bad Boxers did yesterday....

Destroyed the indestructible 3Peaks toy.

And ripped the bumble bee box out of the wall. 

Haven't told OH yet, as he spent a long time drilling screws into a rock!

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Sunday morning in the Village

I meant to write this yesterday, coming back from the walk full of enthusiasm and amusing ideas, but after a long-distance phone call, a hungry husband and needing to do things that only I know how to do, I simply ran out of time. Anyway, I'm here now, so if you're all sitting comfortably we'll begin.

It was a mild Sunday morning. We set off, the boys running ahead, me trailing behind composing little anecdotes in my head. We trailed up the path that runs behind the Footballer's mansion (did I tell you I think I flirted with him at the T-junction? But that's another story...). I noticed the muddy path, the horse poo, the damaged branches after the fierce storm. We made our way over to the Fruit farm. The men were already busy there. Beep, beep with their forklift trucks, putting up the polytunnels to protect the early strawberries. I love the smell of the strawberries on summer mornings, when it's just us walking there. I waved at the forklift driver and he tooted back. It's quite an operation, slick and well-practiced by the look of things.

We walked on. What on earth are they doing to the Polo field? Once upon a time, it was a beautifully green track, marked with smart black fencing. Now, it's been dug up, with heaving mountains of clay soil dumped everywhere. The cost to put it right will be eye-watering. The view across the polo field used to be quite breathtaking, out over the Village and up onto the hill where the Lydling beasts graze. Not any more.

And then we saw the giant beech tree blocking the path. I tried to look over it, around it, through it. It was a mass of twisted broken branches. This will take a man with a very large saw to remove! Two girls from the Stables came over with garden loppers. I laughed out loud at the thought of them trying to move the tree. No silly, they've come to cut the fences away so that they can take the horses out on the other side. Of course!

We ended our walk running the gauntlet passed the three vicious yappers. At least one is a Spaniel of sorts. They must have heard us coming because they were waiting for us in the road. I tried to shoo them back inside, but they stood their ground. The Boxers didn't even look at them. They walked on by, not even recognising these interlopers as dogs, leaving them behind, perplexed and still barking. Sorry, neighbours, but it wasn't us!

And there is more great excitement in the Village - the film crew is on site. The field on the Farm is full of vans and cars and people looking busy. Important people are being dropped off in expensive-looking taxis. Last time, it was Midsomer Murders. I wonder what it is this time?

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Excavation of the dry stone wall

This is not a post about the archaeological dig at the bottom of the garden. Obviously, it's about two naughty dogs who have been very quiet this afternoon in spite of the demon gardener. I have just investigated the source of their apparent angelic behaviour; they have been undermining my dry stone walling efforts. I wondered why the little big dog had a sore paw earlier - you should see the size of the stones they have been moving with paw-power.

The dry stone wall has been constructed out of stone I dug out of the garden. I carried it in wheelbarrows-full from the driveway to the bottom of the garden and I have been lovingly building my wall as a home for little creatures.

I have incorporated a lovely bumble bee box and some nesting bee tubes, and the moss and little plants have taken hold since their shaky start in Summer. Until today. 

I have done a temporary fix but I know the evil-doers will be back on the job as soon as I leave tomorrow.

                                                                          

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A good walk, now off to the pub

I really needed my walk today. Poor dogs, they must have wondered where we were going. But it showed me that they can find their way back to the car from anywhere in the woods. Each time we reached a junction they turned for home, but I said ‘Come on, this way’ and on we walked. I also realised that they are far more aware of their environment than I previously thought. The Ranger has been asking for volunteers for a work party in the woods and has pinned notices to some of the trees. The dogs were most interested in these trees, even though the notices are not at dog level, but could be seen as we walked along the pathways. Clever boys.

Anyway, back to me.  Its been a busy couple of days, I knew it would be as I get back into the swing of things in 2012. I have been updating my blogs and making plans for new projects, as well as dealing with the last of the Probate accounts and trying to be a good daughter. I’m afraid I may be failing on the last. I am just too cross with Dad. He keeps saying he hasn’t got time for this or that. No, Dad, its not that you are so very busy, it's simply that you are depressed. And I am tired.

So I walk the dogs, and think and clear my head. And what better place than in the woods with just the squirrels darting about at this time of year. After the awful storms yesterday, we had to pick our way through the fallen branches and climb over two tree trunks. Exciting! I did think we would get wet again tonight - red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning, and all that. But it has been a pleasant day and it was a lovely walk. Now looking forward to meeting the Village girls in the pub.

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