Meeting the Vikings

We emerged from the woods at the Chiltern Open Air Museum to find a

Viking Sewing Circle in full swing.

Makes a change from all that ale quaffing and

pillaging we suppose.

"Feel free to ask anything you like" they said.

"We eyed up the juicy looking apples sitting on a wooden platter.

"Anything?" we said.

"Yes, ask us anything you like" they replied.

"Can we have a bite of one of your apples then?" we asked.

Apparently this wasn't the sort of question they had in mind. 

Scrumping - and scrumptious

Hurrah!

It's Pick Your Own season at last!

Here we are helping to harvest the

alpine strawberries the Madwoman planted for us.

 

 

The Great Escape

When you're one of the Three Wippiteers (the Madwoman is an honorary one)

adventure stalks you, and drama lurks round every corner ...

 

As we braved the rain to patrol round the Chiltern Open Air Museum this morning,

we came across two escaped wheelbarrows.

What to do? Reunite it with their companion, or release the one still trapped

in the field into the wild and a life of freedom?

It started to rain again while we were trying to decide, so we went home for a bite

of elevenses. Some things just can't be decided on an empty stomach.

Quality control

Always helpful, that's us.

Angel checks that the pillows have been plumped up

to her exactingly high standards.

More chilling

Cool ideas for hot days: Number 2

Get the Madwoman to fill some Kongs with fruit and yogurt and freeze it.

Yummmmm ...

 

Chilling

Cool ideas for hot days: Number 1

Get up early and go for a walk in the woods

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another eventful week

It has been another eventful week: after getting her stitches out Angel decided to celebrate

by having a mad five minutes doing high speed laps of the garden.

She returned indoors with a big grin and a squashy lump on her shoulder.

Which meant returning to the vets and getting needles stuck in the lump to

siphon off most of the fluid.

She is supposed to be resting, but we went for a short lead walk up at the

Open Air Museum,

working on the principle that if the Madwoman doesn't take us out at all, then we'll

probably do more damage entertaining ourselves by having races up and down

the stairs and hurdling the sofa.

We found that someone had created some very neat mini haystacks in the cherry orchard. 

Angel carefully checked them out before declaring them a safe vole-free zone. 

 And then had a roll around on the grass while the Madwoman screeched ineffectively about not damaging anything else wriggling around in her harness ...

 

Artful wippitts

We had a busy weekend at Chiltern Open Air Museum.

It was playing host to lots of artists: Brian Sewell couldn't make it, so we

went along instead.

 

The Madwoman was very taken by these Raku sheep and puffin heads.

She was even more taken by the Raku hares.

Here's one being got ready for the kiln. 

The Madwoman started getting a certain glint in her eye,

so we dragged her away quickly before she had a chance to buy one.

She'd already spent a tenner on some coloured glass suncatchers made by Claudia Phipps,

so we thought we'd better nip the spending spree in the bud.

Angel needs a new raincoat more than The Madwoman needs a Raku hare.

We know all about icons of course,
seeing as we're icons ourselves ...

 

 

 

There was art everywhere we looked ...

 

 

 

 

 

... Although we weren't sure about this.

Could it be an installation by the Artful Bodger?

Probably best not to have a wee on it, just in case.

 Meanwhile, back on the Village Green, our advice on perspective

went unheeded. We were surprised not to be asked to model either ...

 

 

Last port of call was a look at some lovely clocks and clock cases made by David Rodgers.

All made from local trees; there was one made from a tree next to

Elgar's house and the Madwoman started getting that glint

 in her eye again so we suggested it was time to go home ...