Sunday 30 September 2012

2012 Lake District holiday (Day 1 of 14)



Well it finally come around our long awaited visit to the Lake district. Blue will be returning there  for the sixth time in his four years.

This will be the storey of Blue's adventures, warts and all, from beginning to end.

We will begin at the beginning, somehow you sense that Blue knows today will be different from most other Saturday mornings, there is something different, lots of bags packed, including his treats and toys, however it does start with similarities, off to the park do his business and a shorter walk, then back home for breakfast.

No need for an early start, for this trip as we are not able to enter the cottage until three in the afternoon. So 350 miles will only take about six hours plus comfort stops.

So the car is packed and Blue sits in the back of the car, free of all ours and life's baggage, he always has the back part of our Freelander to himself. With a press of the starter button we were now heading off for two weeks holiday in Keswick in the Lake District.

Blue is a fabulous traveller, and in fact even at the tender age of four, he has enjoyed travelling in the car much further distances, if we are not going to the Lake District we travel to the Scottish Highlands. Invariably most of the journeys are small, but the majority of the time he has fun at the end of each journey, sometimes less fun when the trip ends at the vets.

So we hit the M4, and head East, we have travelled no more than 5 minutes and Blue has already bedded himself down. As soon as the indicator goes on to leave the motorway up pops Blue to see if we are there yet, wherever here is, but as soon as we carry on he settles back down. The journey carrys on in the same vein, through to the M40, onto the M42 around Birmingham to pick up the M6.

Making such good time we decided that it would be a good idea to have our first stop near Stoke, a nice little area for Blue to stretch his legs and have a walk round for twenty minutes and have a drink. Time for Blue to get back in the car and there was our first and second refusal, strangely Blue was reluctant, providing amusement for people sat having a break in the car park. The only way Blue can get in the car is with a run and jump, thankfully with the aid of some pampering and a tasty morsel chucked in the back, on the third attempt he lept like a salmon into the back of the car.

We rejoined the motorway and Blue was settled for the next leg of the journey.

Well this was to prove a problem. The news had stated that North bound the M6 was closed due to ongoing accident investigations,the warning was repeated on our Sat Nav but advising we left the motorway at junction 32 due to stationary traffic. We never did rejoin the motorway, picking our way through towns and villages until we finally reached our holiday destination 10 hours after setting out.

As said before we have travelled to Scotland in the past and Blue is an excellent traveller, so we had just lost a few hours of our holiday to the journey, but no harm done we had all arrived safe and well.

Generally we would empty the car and then explore the property. But this time it would be different, the luggage could wait Blue Sue and I got the key out of the combination key-safe and set off to explore our new home for the next two weeks.

The view across Keswick from the raised decking area

Though we had not stayed here before the three bed bungalow was just the ticket, once Blue managed to calm down a little he found the laminate floor less difficult to walk on, it was amusing like watching Bambi on ice performed by Rin-tin-tin. Swiftly out the back door Blue made his mark in the rear garden, only to disappear. He was soon discovered peering out from under the raised timber decking area. Sue had chosen our new home well and once we had emptied the car and eaten we were ready to call it a day, Blue had no problems settling down on his duvet is welcome travelling companion. Kong Cozie





In part two our holiday adventures will commence, till then Blue says night night, don't let the bed bugs bite.

Friday 21 September 2012

Lake District



We are midway through our two week stay in the Lake District.

Blue has excelled himself at all times. Especially on our nightmare journey on Saturday. We had been travelling north on the M6, shortly after a welcome break at the motorway services, it looked as though we would reach our destination by 1.30 lunchtime.

This however was not to be, due to a serious accident on the M6' the motorway was closed Northbound from J34- J36, and our car was advising we left the motorway at J32. Which we did to travel on the A6, we never did rejoin the motorway and like so many others queued for long periods through congested towns along our route. We eventually arrived at our destination ten hours after setting out on a 320 mile journey. Not a peep from Blue, sat in the back of our Landrover.

Blue is making the most of his holiday, enjoying the many varied walks amongst England's finest mountains and lakes.

So far he has encountered sheep, dogs, sheep,cats, sheep, cows, sheep, ponies and some more sheep as well as admiring people.

Blue has crossed streams and fells ascended crags and gullies, traversed stone and timber bridges.

Blues adventures on his first week have took him to:-

Skiddaw house
Ashness Bridge
Fitz Park
Blease Fell
Walla Crag
Helvellyn summit
Buttermere 

When we return home Blue will share his adventures in more detail with some pictures, today we are going to have a walk around the market town of Keswick, with a walk down to Derwent water.





Saturday 1 September 2012

The decorators tail (Blue style)


We had decided to decorate our dining room ahead of the new carpet and furniture being delivered.

With the wife out, visiting relatives, after washing down the paintwork. It was for me to tackle the task of the decorating. the filling done, and the ceiling painted we were making good progress.

I did forget to mention our little mate Blue, most of the time when I have been decorating I am fed a plentiful supply of tea. Well Blue does not do tea, Blue does football.

So with interruptions we were still making good progress, Blue would pop in with his ball, check on me and encourage me to share in the fun.

Now it was the time to do the walls, Dulux Hessian it was called, without a hint of Blue for now. The walls were going on a treat. Blue came in and decided to walk around the room and needed to explore behind the sideboard. Then he was in a quandary, at the end of the gap there was a tray full of Matt emulsion. Now I did forget to mention that when I had poured out the paint for the ceiling blue had a taste, and decided that the creamy looking milk must be off, it tasted a bit yuk.

Blue had worked it out, the way forward was not an option, and I was expecting him to reverse out of the gap. But no not Blue, a fully grown large German Shepherd knows best. No gap is to small to turn around.

In a split second not only had he turned around in a gap that was only a little wider than his shoulders, he was walking out the door with a new coat, Dulux hessian down the side, rump and tail. The attempts to remove it would only mean we had discovered a new game. Despite brushing he still wears his new coat into the early evening.
He looks now a little premature grey against his Black & Tan coat, you could say he sports a Blue rinse.

Tomorrow when I paint the woodwork with undercoat and gloss it will have to be behind closed doors.

He is no worse for his escapade, and it was quite amusing for both of us, and for Sue when she returned from visiting her Dad.