Ok Houston, we've had a problem here...

Hmmm.  I’m having a few days of being a head case it seems.  Since I’m away this weekend and need to concentrate my energies on trying to enjoy that rather than finding it difficult I’m going to give the blog a few (more – sorry!) days' rest.

I think the pressure to pick up the training has got to me a bit.  That and some other things.  Shite.  Not good.

Hoping I can overcome this one.

Back soon.

X

PS.  Here’s a picture of Hugo using his collie mindwaves to get toast to cheer up the blog a bit...

Up the airy mountain.

 Up the airy mountain...

...Down the rushy glen, we daren’t go a-hunting for fear of little men...

Well we actually did dare to go geo-cache hunting today, despite the promise of the fair folk at our second cache-site.  (Yes I am thoroughly addicted already!).  I wanted to make a bigger walk of it but it took us so long to get going today that it turned out to be 4 miles (I was looking for it to be more like 6-7 but never mind).  We also got a bit spatially confused (lost-ish) so we took an unexpected shortcut.

We parked near the intended cache number 2 but since we’d need to keep the doggies on leads while looking for that one as it is close to the road we headed off up through the woods to go and find cache number 1 on the open fell beyond.  It looked quite a simple walk up through the woods, round a couple of switch backs then follow the forestry track round the hill until it popped out onto the fell.  Ta-da.  Nope.  Twice we managed to convince ourselves that the track had gone far too far round the hill and we were in fact heading through the woods towards the fells further down the lake, twice we retraced a lot of our steps... on both these occasions we were heading in the right direction!

After rather longer than we had planned mooching around in the forest (the dogs enjoyed it mind!) we crossed a wall and popped out onto the fell much nearer to the cache site than expected.  I could already see that we wouldn’t have time to find the cache and bag the fell as well before it got dark.  I wasn’t too disappointed, I knew that we’d have struggled to do that with the time we set off anyway.

We found the cache which was a really cool one (I’m such a geek) and had a gorgeous view.  As we could sense dusk encroaching we decided to head back to the car via the road, the dogs had had a good run by this point and could do with on-lead practice anyway.

 They were both really good – I was pleased as when we went on our Buttermere walk Hugo was a bit of a nightmare even though Oscar did well.  And Oscar was clearly more distracted today than he had been at Buttermere but he still managed to do some nice bit of walking with a loose lead.  Hugo was trying out some competition style heel-work for size at points!

We got back to the car and decided that we had enough light to go for a quick look for the second cache in a place called “fairy glen”.  The dogs went mental and were pulling madly on the leads as soon as we got off the road.  We couldn’t let them off lead as we were too near a busy road on one side, we should have anticipated the madness and left them in the car for a bit.  The path up the hill was steep and slippery but that’s ok when you’re going up isn’t it?  My GPS beeped that we had reached the cache spot before the very top of the hill but Stu had gone ahead so I went up to the top to get him.  We hunted all over the spot but couldn’t see anything of the cache.  We eventually gave up as the light faded rapidly.  Heading back down the hill we were slipping all over the place and Stu fell over completely.  Just at that moment a sudden violet hail storm hit!  I don’t think the fairies wanted us up there today!

Back in the car, slightly grumpy at having a rough time trying to find the second cache but nothing a chocolate orange couldn’t fix.  And happy with the overall walk.  Stu is back at work tomorrow so, assuming that I don’t get called out to work, I will take the boys for individual walks and or maybe a bit of running and try and get a few more miles in.  Mind you I’m not sure the boys will be too enthused by the idea, they are both fast asleep on the sofa next to me.  (The picture is actually of Hugo last night but he’s much the same now!)

More than we bargained for.

So I decided to add a bit of extra interest to my walking by starting Geocaching!  It gives me good reason to explore some new places and it is fun – I like getting in touch with my inner child!  I went and found one last night as soon as I have joined up and had a bit of an investigate as to what was involved.  Impatient? Me?  Never!

HURRY UP MUM!

Today we decided to extend our usual dog walk to seek out another one.  So in our usual woods and our usual route but an extra bit of hill.  On the way up we passed a couple with about 9 dogs, 3 or 4 spaniels, 2 terriers, a lab and 1 or 2 bull lurchers.  I was glad when we came out the other side with just our two, it was quite a collection!

We found the cache and got the giggles for a bit cos there was quite a geeky thrill to finding something someone else hid 6 years ago, and knowing that 80 other people have also found it since.  It was a gorgeous frosty day and the boys were enjoying themselves... After a stressful couple of days it was nice to just be out and relaxed.

WHAT a poser!

Just ten minutes before the end of the walks at an open bit of the woods we saw a dog stood by the fence looking very intently at us and the boys. Called the boys in expecting the owner to appear but they didn't and as we got closer saw that it was a spaniel and she looked very scared and was shivering.

Despite being scared she was clearly interested in us and came slinking up ever so carefully. No owner in sight or appearing so we got the boys on leads and Stu took some treats and went to have a look at her. No collar, docked tail - could be a pet but most likely a working dog.  We wondered if she’d been with the couple we’d seen earlier but those dogs hadn’t looked like they strayed very far from there owner or each other.  We decided that we'd take her and get her back to the car at least so she was safe, she was obviously cold and hungry enough to take treats off us even though she was very nervous.  It was just beginning to get dark too so we couldn’t just leave her and had limited options in terms of searching the woods – we couldn’t hear anyone calling her or anything.

We took off Oscar's collar and put that on her with one of the leads. Let Oscar off lead (because holding them both on one double ended lead is a nightmare, and Hugo would have to stay on lead because he would be more likely to pester her than Oscar and of course we have no idea whether she’d appreciate Hugo attention or not).   Oscar went off lead but can be easily kept away from other dogs. I was worried that we were then going to lose Oscar while he had no blimmin collar and tag on. But no he behaved as usual - it would be extremely out of character for him to go out of sight at all so it was silly to worry really!

Stu walked about 200m behind us with spaniel girlie on lead.  We managed to persuade her with treats to get into the crate in the back of the car,  and put the boys on the back seat. She had a small cut on her front leg but it had stopped bleeding and she wasn’t limping as she walked along – she walked very nicely on the lead so being a spaniel that probably meant she was quite tired. She was lovely and friendly with us and knew sit, which she did with much wagging and spaniel earnestness when asked.  Totally gorgeous dog and was clearly in good nick so we were pretty sure someone would be looking for her.

We asked at the local farm in case she'd run off from there (she looked like she had not long had a litter, so we thought maybe she’d pretty much weaned them and had done a bunk cos she was fed up of looking after them!) - nope and not locally known, got a rather grumpy response that she's probably a poachers dog!  So we took her home and put her in the crate which she seemed perfectly comfortable with – she was knackered enough to mostly sleep while she was in there. She had a handful or two of kibble which she troughed down. So she was hungry but clearly not starving or been stray for too long. We phoned the police and the dog warden and to log that we'd found her but said we could look after her overnight at least.  We were planning to take her to our vets in the morning to look for a microchip (being docked there will have been one, assuming it was a legal dock) and to see if they knew her.  A lot of people round here go to our vets so it was likely they would know her.

She spent the whole time she was with us either sleeping in the crate, growling at Oscar when her sniffed around her for too long or looking at Stu and wagging and grinning like he was her new found hero.

It wasn’t long though until her worried owners phoned and came to pick her up.  She promptly weed on the carpet in excitement when she saw them, much to their embarrassment!  Ooops.  And it turns out she had been in the big group of dogs that we passed!  She was 2 years old and called Echo and was just so pretty.  She had us both completely falling in love with her despite the growling at Oscar part!  We couldn’t have kept her though so I’m glad we found her owner (and that the system works in the police and council, even on a Sunday) – it would have been really hard to hand her over to a rescue!

Hugo and Oscar are very disappointed that the pretty girl didn’t get to have a sleep-over.  I’m sure they’ll get over it eventually!

I’m slightly concerned that this is what happens every time you visit a geocache!  I shall have to try another expedition and see...

Hugo's Blog

Hello, it is Hugo here.  Mummy said I could write in The Blog today and tell you a little bit about myself and my big brother Oscar.  Mummy went out to the Gone Workings yesterday and came back early and crying.  I was very upset, I don’t like it when mummy is sad so I did bouncy face licks to make her happy – she likes them, they are my specialist trick.  She didn’t get very happy even after that so me and Oscar applied the laying on top of snuggles for the rest of the day and a lot of today too.  Oscar says the trick is making yourself very heavy and sending happy spaniel vibes into the hooman using your paws.  I guess that’s why mummy and daddy are getting him a job as a Therapy Spaniel because he knows about healing sad hoomans.

It has been very cold here and we have all been snuggling in the Big Room around the Shiny Fire to keep warm.  I like it because big brother Oscar lets me snuggle close to him when it is cold.  He gets grumpy with me sometimes and he didn’t used to let me anywhere near him but he lets me snuggle right close now and use him as a head cushion.  He doesn’t let me use him as a humpy cushion yet but I’m working on it.     

We haven’t been for Big Runnings Around walks today but Mummy took us out for longer walks on the long lead round the village.  I like village walks because I get to check out all the sniffs and leave lots of pee mail for the other doggies.  I think it is important to make sure the other boys know that there’s a Hugo around... and the girlie dogs too of course (not that I can talk to them when they talk to me, I get very embarrassed!).  Mummy did a very strange thing though, she was just walking and then she was kind of in the air then on her bum!  I was worried that a Big Monster had pushed her over so I did Big Scary Barks to see it off then went and licked her face a lot.  She said it was because of the hard water on the road, I don’t get it cos I didn’t fall over and I don’t put Extra Paws on like the hoomans.  What’s the point of Extra Paws if they don’t help you stay on your feet in them?

Oscar was showing off about his walk because he said he got to find treasure like a proper spaniel... Mummy wrote his name down on a bit of paper he said and put the treasure back.  I said what is the point of that if you can’t keep the treasure?!  Silly spaniel.   I got to go to the place with the Hoofed Beasts with both Mummy and Daddy on MY walk so I think I’m more specialer than Oscar.  Harumph.  (I’m secretly wondering if the treasure hunting is interesting and whether I’ll get to have a go).

Mummy said I should say something about me and Oscar but it’s past doggie’s bedtime and the Shiny Fire is so warm and it is making me sleeeeeepy.  I like the writings and I hope mummy will let be write in The Blog again.  Oscar can’t write, mummy says he hasn’t got The Clevers like I have them but he has his own kind of Low Cunning which Shouldn’t Be Under-estimated.

I’ve included a picture of Oscar and me... notice how I’m behind The Gate.  It is weird cos when I look at The Gate it goes all the way to the top of the door but Oscar can jump RIGHT THROUGH IT.  I have no idea how he does it... he laughs and says The Gate is in my mind but I don’t know what he’s talking about.  He’s odd that spaniel, I think spaniel are.  I’m glad my dog-dad was a collie cos at least it means I has a half a brain what works...

Anyways, times to go bellies up and snorings on what I call the dog shelf (you might call it a sofa because you are prolly a weird hooman).

Night nights.

Luvs Hugo. *slurp*

Two frosty walks.

So yesterday I got a (late!) Bat Call and had to rush out for work, then it was get home, do horses, back out for dog training class, back home, collapse into bed.  A Wednesday Bat Call does actually give me an excuse for a missed blog!

It was tough old day and I was quite glad that no work came up for me today (back out again tomorrow though).

I decided to give myself more miles and less difficulty by taking the boys out separately.  Sometimes they are a little full on together, especially if you need to put leads on at any point so it is nice to take them out on their own.  It is good for them too, to not be reliant on the other one all the time.

After sorting the horses mid-morning I took Hugo for a before lunchtime walk.  We went back to the path we had tried the other day, I was still curious and wanted to get a bit further along it.  The verdict is that it is a frozen day walk or a very dry summer walk.  It is VERY muddy all the way along.  It was nice today though.  Hugo found a tennis ball to carry and try to rip apart for a bit.  The river was very high too!

I took Oscar out after a late lunch and raced the sunset around our usual woods.  I walked this walk a lot faster and did a bit of light jogging to warm myself up as well.  Oscar had a whale of a time and was particularly keen on bashing through the undergrowth today – I think he liked the crispy frozenness of it!  He managed to cover himself in burrs though, including about 15 in his ears which kept sticking his ears together at the back of his head.  Crazy boy!

I’ve decided not to put too much pressure on myself regards training.  If I make a firm plan it lurks in the corner being menacing and I find that if I then look directly at it I get freaked out and depressive!  So I am just going to gently increase what I do and casually sidle through a vague kind of plan without making eye contact with it.

6 miles walking in total today – with the second 3 miles involving brisk walking and jogging.  It all felt light, fresh and easy.

A happy day and two tired doggies in the house tonight!