A field trip

We went on a field trip at the weekend.

Yes, it's definitely a field

We have lots of those at home.
Why have we come all the way to Bath to look at a field?

Hang on, there's something in it.
Apart from grass.

Yes, it appears to be a Flash.
The Madwoman shrieked and yelled at him but he's going a bit deaf.
Well, that was the reason the Madwoman gave for him ignoring her at first.

But then he spotted the carrot and suddenly it was action stations.
So now you know.
If you want to get a Flash's attention,
forget all the jumping about and yelling like a banshee.
Just make a noise like a carrot.

Vacancy filled ...

We didn't realise it, but apparently the post of Whippoet Laureate was empty.

But there's no need for you all to rush to apply, because the vacant seat

has already been filled,

by none other than the wonderfully talented and whippet-loving Joan Lennon* (we shall not dwell on the kitties)

In an appropriate burst of enthusiasm to earn both our approval and her stipend, here is the haiku she composed in our honour: 

                                               Sleek and swift as swifts

in flight, you light on land just

once in every bound.

We love it Joan!

Your first gravy bone will be in the post later today!

* She also writes stonkingly good books, which it is often hard to drag The Madwoman's nose out of. Find out more HERE

And this is us doing zoomies like in the haiku.

All wrapped up

You never know what you're going to learn from one day to the next.

As it is nearly Christmas, this week we thought we would share some of the gift-wrapping tips we have learned while on walks at Chiltern Open Air Museum.

This is how you gift-wrap a wall

If you have a really big present, 

you can always substitute tinsel for wrapping paper.

This is how you gift-wrap a Visitor's Centre.

Animals can be more difficult,

but we thought this was a fair attempt at gift wrapping a horse

 And this is us, also all wrapped up, although against the cold rather than for Christmas.

The Madwoman says we look like special effects from Tron, but what does she know?

Getting the Shivers

We went to the Christmas weekend at Chiltern Open Air Museum today.

By a miracle of modern science Mr Dickens was visiting too,

reading from A Christmas Carol.

Here are possibly the most famous opening lines ever ...

Sorry about it being sideways on.

But you know by now how inept the Madwoman is with a camera.

Maybe you could try lying down to watch it.

Just be grateful that she wasn't holding it upside down. You'd really get

a crick in your neck then ...

And here's Mr Dickens doing a bit more reading.

Fair gave us the shivers.

So we went home and hid under a fleece.

Quality control

We did supervising of the filling of our Advent Calendar today.

Three more days and at last we can start eating them!

The Madwoman really likes to prolong the suspense.

Hmmm ... a seriously undersized biscuit here.
Better remove it out of the way.

What?! Only one gravy bone in each pocket?
Which we are expected to share? Pffffft.
About time the Madwoman took our quality control a bit more seriously.

A working walk

We went for what the Madwoman describes as a 'working walk' this morning.

This turned out to involve her stopping every time we had got going in order that

she could take photos for a book she's planning to do with a splinter group from

Authors Electric ( a writing thingy which we help the Madwoman contribute to. You can find out more HERE). We pointed out that she is pants with a camera - as you have all 

witnessed on these pages - but it didn't deter her one bit from leaping around snapping away.

Another tiresome and chilly break while we wait for trees

to pose for the Madwoman. 

Fortunately we had our nice new warm raincoats on.

We did discover this along the way.

We guess that it's either to stop candles from escaping during the night

or to stop them from being nicked.

And here's the place to line up for a snog with us. 

We are thinking about giving Christmas kisses under the mistletoe in return for turkey.

Who's first? 

Another lazy weekend

We are having another lazy weekend ... we had a visitation from our new Aunty Sue and we had of course, to make sure she felt welcomed and that the Madwoman's hostessing skills were up to scratch. She is a born sloth, so needs constant vigilance ....

We like our Aunty Sue, although we have no idea why considering she never brings roast turkey or gravy bones. Here Angel is giving her one-to-one advanced sofa-snuggling tuition. She's a quick learner, and mastered the art of sucking-up-to-wippitts in no time at all.  

To the rescue!

The Madwoman failed to pick up Angel's favouritest stuffed squeaky bunny 

at the paddocks after she'd been playing with it..

So we had to make her go back to rescue it. 

We couldn't leave it out overnight in the rain, could we?

Reunited
Now, wasn't that worth driving all the way back for?

It's up!

The Madwoman got out our Advent calendar ....

but she has FORGOTTEN TO FILL IT!!!!

The service around here is shocking ...

Glomming around

"neither rain nor snow nor glom of nit can stay these messengers abot their duty"...*

Herodotus' original words were "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" but we feel that Terry Pratchett's version has a certain catchy and more memorable quality ....Anyway, it's certainly rainy and definitely glommy, but are we stayed? Nope. We have the snugly raincoats and hoodies, we're swift, and we're abot our duty ...

Bookends

We are having a bit of a breather today after helping the Madwoman do all the promotional stuff on Facebook for Haunting Hounds*. It's nice to be able to put our feet up after all the endless posing for pictures. Apparently there will be more soon with Christmas coming up. Do us a favour and just go buy a copy - its in a good cause as 50% of all profits are donated to Kim's Home for Elderly and Neglected Dogs And if loads of copies get sold, we might get out of all the modelling. We hear there's a particularly embarrassing reindeer hat. Go buy a book. Please ....

* The Madwoman said we should put a link to it.

But we're rather comfy here on the sofa, and have

every confidence in your ability to go look it up on Amazon for yourselves.

Off you go.

Zzzzzzzzzzz

It's all go at the top ...

Yes, it's been another one of those action-packed weeks.

We started off with Archie's birthday on Monday, (which involved going for a walk at Chiltern Open Air Museum the day before so we could buy his birthday cake at the cafe)

 As we walked back through the woods, the Madwoman suggested having cake al fresco. Strange because we thought it looked like a blueberry muffin. It certainly smelled like a blueberry muffin. Although we have no idea what an al fresco smells like. Maybe its some kind of exotic blueberry?

In the end we decided to save the cake for Archie's birthday proper on Monday.

Nom nom nom.

It was worth the wait.

And definitely tasted of blueberry.

 

Then there was a birthday walk and games to play ... 

 Unwrapping of presents followed by an introductory tour of the garden with them  

 And then of course, we had to supervise the setting-up and taking-down of all the things for the Halloween Spooktacular at Chiltern Open Air Museum yesterday and today. 

 This year there was a pet shop ...

And there was a real, smoke breathing dragon in one of the upstairs rooms of the pet shop (which was of course, located in Dragon Alley) ... 

And there were goblins playing in the cobblers ...

And a Wolfman in the outside toilet ...

it made the Madwoman squawk a bit when it first jumped out at her,

but we were calm as anything. Naturally.

No point in getting older if you don't get no wiser, as they say,

although this bit of advice appears to have passed completely over the top of the Madwoman's head.

Anyway, we now have to go take a nap because very soon we will have to go and do more supervising, this time of pumpkin-head carving in time for the arrival of trick-or-treaters tonight.

Free range wheelies

The wheelbarrows at Chiltern Open Air Museum

are lucky in that they are free range although they

tend to take advantage of that -  they have been spotted picknicking, partying, 

attempting to steal buildings and even, on occasion doing a bit of honest toil.

The other day we found this one lying on its back with its legs in the air.

Drunk, or possibly dead.

Or maybe just dead drunk.

Laters ....

Too busy to blog this weekend ... we've been getting ready for another birthday - yes, today Archie is twelve. Off to get celebrating. Starting with a birthday lie-in ... pictures next week. If the Madwoman remembers to take her thumb off from over the lens.

New threads

This is our collar wardrobe

Hmmm, decisions, decisions.
Which one to wear?

My new Halloween collar with bats and stars.
And yes, the Madwoman has managed to put it on upside down
so the bats are all standing on their heads.
Typical.

And this is my new Halloween collar:
pumpkin orange with cobwebs.
Impossible to put it on upside down.

Let me strike another pose for you,
just to make sure you have the best
possible view.
Our gorgeous collars were made for us by Slouching Hound if you want to order one for yourself.

A good time ...

... was had by all on Angel's birthday yesterday. 

Walks were walked, birthdays presents opened (and are still being squeaked) ... 

turkey was provided for lunch AND tea .. and there was cake - the traditional blueberry muffin...

Partaaaaaaaay!

Well, nearly.

It is Angel's birthday tomorrow.

The Madwoman has been out and bought presents

(we saw her hiding them)

and has cooked some turkey

(we supervised her doing it)

and soon we will be going for a walk at Chiltern Open Air Museum, 

where she has promised to buy us our traditional birthday muffin (too lazy to bake it herself)

We'll try and get her to take some pictures of the celebrations to post next week, 

although you've seen what she's like with a camera, so don't hold your breath ...

Waiting for my birthday to start.
Hurry up.

Selfies

Today, selfies at Chiltern Open Air Museum!
As you can see, a chimney kept trying to photobomb us.
Just do what we did, and ignore it ...

We saw this at the Open Air Museum recently.

Alright, we give up.

How do you fit a horse into a Kilner jar of gin?

And doesn't it object?

A quiet weekend

We're having a quiet weekend.

A gentle stroll round Chiltern Open Air Museum, where

we found ...

The new goats.

This one is definitely a bit of a poser. 

 Some woolly thinking going on at the village green where a Big Knit or a Knitathon

or something is going on...

Actually, listening to the clicketty

click of knitting needles is oddly therapeutic and relaxing.

So much so we had to go home for some elevenses and a nap ...

At last! Sucking pig!

We got a bit excited at Chiltern Open Air Museum recently.

We thought we spotted a sucking pig!

 Turned out to be a wild pig doing a bit of skinny dipping in the wildlife pond.

At least we hope it was skinny dipping ...

We thought we'd give it a bit of privacy, and went blackberry picking.

Something we can get our teefs into.

Nom nom nom