Utopia in Wasdale (February 23rd 2007)

The Screature and Hairyface took us to Wasdale and we went up Lingmell Beck.

This is the bridge over it.

We've done this walk before when Io was a puppy and Hairy brought us in Beasley. Beasley's one of their cars. He's small and cuddly and not used so much now as he's so old (He was born the year before Great Aunt Gaia!). We get the back seat all to ourselves! We roll around and spraunge about, we fall on the floor, look at the view and I get to loll my head over H's shoulder.
The walk wasn't all that far, but enough for them to work up an appetite so they could have a snack at the Wasdale Head Inn. H's vision of Utopia (so he said - I thought they were Todd Rundgren's Band, but hey, I'm only a dog!)
They let dogs into Ritson's Bar (well if they let muddy walkers and children in, why not?) so we could go in and watch them stuffing their faces. That was cruel as they had baked tates, not chips - so we thought we weren't going to get any! Boo Hoo.

They gave us some skins and a bit of filling though, so perhaps Utopia is lying on the floor of Ritson's Bar, having just ett baked taties watching the H.ster sample different ales brewed in the pub and knowing he'll still prefer Yates'!

The walk back took us along the river which we had to cross without a bridge! It's a good job there was very little water in it or the S. would have had a paddy! That Lingmell looks a doddle from this side of Wasdale, I wonder if H will try and go up it again? I'm sure I could do it from this side. Noa problemo!

Amazing Things (February 21st 2007)

One type of music Hairy plays a lot is Celtic Rock. Guitars and bagpipes?

I know, it sounds weird, but there's this one band: Runrig, who he plays over and over, I've got used to them.

In fact he's got every one of their albums, from "Recovery" onwards, copied for playing in the car - and boy does he play them!

Imagine his delight, then, when he discovered the cover (and set design) for one album was a copy of an actual sculpture in Scotland. Just a spit away from Gilcrux, metaphorically!

So in the hills above Langholm town we journeyed to the west, to get a snap or three of this sculpture. It's a memorial to a Scots poet called Hugh Macdairmid, who (by all accounts) sounds a bit of a lad. Or sounded, as he's dead now.

It was easy peasy to find but rather a surprise as it's quite small. As you can tell by our size in comparison.

Still it made him happy. He's vowed to go again, on a sunny day, wearing his tour T shirt from the 1993 tour, so he can be snapped in it next to the memorial. Now I think that's a bit sad, myself. Don't you?

Oh, the album's called "Amazing Things". My favourite song from it is "Song of the Earth".

Space Ship Over Gilcrux (Feb 20th 2007)

We went to see the alien craft on the skyline.

It's visible from the Aspatria to Maryport road, silhouetted on the horizon, and it looks like there should be little green men milling about underneath it.

Hairy took us to see it and get us zapped by ray guns.

It wasn't a spaceship at all. It's just a load of boring metal. In a sort of circular shape. On legs.

It's got a bloomin' portacabin under it - which is pretty alien I suppose.

According to this big sign, on the padlocked gate, it's an "Air Traffic Control Beacon".

So now we know.

A space ship would've been much better.

Still the round walk, up through Magic Woods and over Tallentire Hill to see it was good.

Live long and prosper!

Through the tunnel (Jan 4th 2007)

It was sunny today! Hoorah
Hairy took us to Buttermere. In his car, not the Screature's. His car's got a bigger boot but it doesn't have air con. You win some...

There was this stupid sheep in front of us as we walked down the lane to the lake. It kept heading towards the locked gate at the end. It wouldn't go through any of the open ones we passed. When we got to the gate the daft thing just panicked and jumped onto the wall. It then stood there bleating as if in triumph. Sheep are very dim creatures. I mean, how sensible is a creature which uses as its defence tactics, stamping its front feet and weeing? Barking is much better - it puts the fear of god into people. (Not that we do it for that reason, honest!)
Look at me king of the stupids!

The stroll is very flat and easily walkable by raging geriatrics. They may take a little longer than us though! Actually there were a few wrinklies about but all of 'em were going reasonably quickly. Hairy stopped and snapped away with his camera but I aint gonna bore you with all his pictures. He thinks he's Lord Litchfield he's more like Lord Such!

Io had a big surprise when we got to the tunnel. She'd never been through it before. Here I am running away from it, pretending there's something big and scary inside waiting to get Io. She didn't fall for it, sadly. She's not as daft as you think, you know!It's one of those unspoken bits of the Lakes that doesn't get mentioned by anyone much. H. snapped away here too, even while we were inside the tunnel, so we got to see what it looked like for a split second. (It was, disappointingly, quite dull and rock-like really, not a twisting, glittering seam of undiscovered gold bearing strata or anything exciting like that to be seen.)

Sorry about the picture of the tunnel. I couldn't stop him. Look, just be glad he didn't post a picture of his car. He wanted to, but I was able to distract him and delete it. (It's only a Kia Rio anyway!)

The mountain at the end of Buttermere, Haystacks, has been on the telly recently with this youngish girly walking up it and waxing lyrical about it. They should have asked me to present it. I'd've done a much better job. "Dogs in the fells" would make great TV, wouldn't it? (We walked Haystacks in October 2005, with Uncle Tony and Wappy Sarah. It rained!)

New Year's Day (Lord's Seat again)

Once again Hairyface decided to walk up Lord's Seat again for his new year treat. Last year we were first up there. This year we were first in the car park (again) and met no-one all the way up through Whinlatter Forest. But... oh no, by the time we got there some chaps were approaching from the opposite direction! They got to the top before us.

Here we are at the viewpoint which is a mere step away from the visitor centre. No one in sight, but we're watching a flight of crows which had just swooped down from the trees with a really loud flapping and swooshing of wings that made the four of them sound like a swarm!

At the summit was another wreath, this time pinned to the ground rather than hung from the post. It needed to ne nailed down as the wind was so strong, if Hairy's hat hadn't been glued to his head it would have been in the middle of next week!

It was very different from last year, there was no snow anywhere and it wasn't sunny either. As you can see in this picture it looks really gloomy, but it wasn't. It's been a very dull Chrimbo so far.

What a swizz! (World Book Week)

I don't believe it!

I've been disqualified.

Out on my (rather cute) ear.

Hairyface's work ran an extreme reading photograpy competition. I entered it.

Here's my entry:

My book is called "Utterly Wonderful Dogs".

Can you believe I was thrown out?

I was disqualified because I am not a member of staff and not a student.

Can you believe it? (Still, Hairyface cutting up a tree while reading: "Are you a miserable old git" didn't win either. And yes, he is!)

The winner was a student reading a book about rabbit care; her Harris Hawk, sat on the bench behind her, was giving it a hard stare.

New Year New Blogs

Hiya. I finally caught up with 2006. Now for 2007. It's April already, so here's a few pictures as a taster of what's to come (we've been busy for months!):

Lord's Seat on New Year's Day (again). Wonder who put these here?

Buttermere circuit, with tunnel and dozy sheep.

The Spaceship over Gilcrux.

Runrig album cover. (Amazing Things.)

Utopia in Wasdale?

Swinging Loweswater.

Sailing on Sail Fell.

What a Great Cockup!

These are just a few of the things we've done, places we've been and it's only a quarter of a year through yet!

Last of the year - and no snow (December 27th 2006)

Hawes End landing stage was really wonky this morning. We didn't do it, honest! We just got there and found it like that. Io was chuffed as she didn't have to walk along it but I thought it was a shame that all those touristy types from Keswick wouldn't be able to do their Catbells walk via the ferry. (Wow, I almost sounded sincere then. Did you notice?)

The first landing stage on the lake's western shore that wasn't all wonky was High Brandelhow but even that was slightly wobbly. Here Io is at Hawes End looking bedraggled after a quick splash about in Derwentwater to get the fur on her ears to go all crinkly. In mine I'm modelling a new earstyle, what do you think of it? I often get to wear my ears in new positions while Io's just stay put like they were glued there. That's why she tries to get them crinkly as it is the only difference she can make.

It was a really cloudy day, with no sun and no snow! We'd been looking forward to some snow - it's great to mess about in. Hairy chucks these snow bally things for us to catch. I think it's a bit daft but Io loves it. She even eats them once she's caught them - which really is daft.

At one point the top of Skiddaw poked its head through the clouds which looked very strange. You had this sea of cloud with a pointy bit sticking up like one of those tower thingies on a submarine. Hairy took a picture but it's rubbish. I wouldn't let him show it - so he's sulking somewhere.

I suppose it was enjoyable to walk along the west side of the lake but it meant we didn't hit Keswick at all and, more importantly, didn't get to the bacon butty man in the tram! Still, we did get some more left over Chrimbo dinner when we got back as Hairy had done far too much on Boxing Day. He curried the turkey and made a turkey korma with rice. Not your traditional meal, as Io kept whinging, but it was good. He doesn't make his curries hot so we don't need a waterfall to cool our mouths down afterwards.

In order to stop Hairy sulking I agreed to put a picture of him in, waving at you from the end of High Brandelhow stage. Please don't ask what he's wearing. The memory of it makes me cringe. Just imagine what it was like to have to be seen with him wearing it! Embarrassing or what?

Happy New Year!