Trees, chainsaws, and firemen....

Last night we looked out of the window to see a police car and a fire engine in the road right outside our house. The police and firemen are walking all over the place.

A policewoman starts walking up our drive, so we ask is everything ok?

Turns out a pretty big tree has fallen across the road (oh, did I mention that there are gale force winds racing around?).

My puppy and I sat for ages watching the activity through the window (disappointed to say that we couldn't see much!). She was so funny, woofing and 'talking' in protest of the firemen walking around, the fire engine, and the blue flashing lights.

Just before midnight, we lost power. Great.

Went to bed and woke up at 3am to the sound of the fire engine driving away.

Woke up again at 4am, and noticed that there were still flashing blue lights. The firemen were still outside trying to defeat the mighty tree! Went to bed to the sweet sound of chainsaws, and then woke again to hear the firemen driving off just after 4.

In the morning (still no power!), mom and I went and looked at the (remainder of) tree. It was BIG. And there were branches everywhere. And red and white Fire and Rescue tape fluttering from trees where it had been tied to section off the road. Then the 'wood people' came along and shredded all the unwanted branches.

I must say, the firemen stayed until after 4am to clear our road, but you don't see the electricity people around trying to get our power back (then found out later from the guys who came to fix our power at the end of the day, that they had been working since 5am because the winds had caused so much destruction!)

Very interesting night and day! Most excitement that we've seen around this village in a long time! I did enjoy it all though. It was very cool.

This whole thing has really made me appreciate firemen a whole lot more! Most of the time we associate firemen with putting out fires or cutting people out of cars, not jobs like this. Jobs that last until 4am in the morning, in blustery conditions, whilst trying to remove a fallen tree.

While we all slept, they worked to make our road safe. In the morning there were many people who didn't know what had gone on.

I really appreciate what they did while I was in my warm bed. So thank you!!

First pheasant day, as told by Skye

Today was the first pheasant day.

I was very excited because mom took with me with her again! It was fun to spend the day with her. She was very proud of me because I wasn't that scared of the other dogs, and I didn't run away from them.

It was very exciting going new places, and sniffing all the new smells. I didn't really like being on the lead, and loved it when she let me off so I could run.

On one of the drives we went through game cover, which was really just a tangle of beans (which mom got in her wellies! I thought it was funny), and it was really hard to get through. So because mom was already walking through it in front of me, I just decided to follow in her footsteps and follow the path she was making.

She told me that she didn't think that's what a gun dog was meant to do, but that she thought I was very smart anyway. I think she was secretly impressed with my cleverness (and to be honest, I think she thought it was cute!)

I'm starting to get the hang of this now, the whole thing about flushing the birds out. It's all so very exciting! And I love watching the birds flying!

On one of the drives, a lot of birds got up right in front of me, but mom wouldn't let me chase them :-( I was a good girl though and listened to the whistle and didn't go running after them. Tony (who has the pointers) told me that if it hadn't been for me, a lot of those birds wouldn't have got up and flown! Everyone kept telling me what a good girl I was and how well behaved I was (even the keeper said I was very good!) I think mom was very proud!

One of the drives went through the woods. I wasn't too keen on the briars in the beginning, but I was a brave girl and tackled the briars just like a good little Spaniel should. I did try and follow mom on this one as well, it made it easier! It was fun though going through the woods with mom.

It was a very exciting day, yet also tiring, and I curled up on the backseat of the car and went to sleep on the way home. I heard mom say something about the final number being 148 birds, which apparently is good. One of the last things I remember is Tony telling me that by the end of the season I was going to be a good little beating dog :-)

Proud mama am I!!!

I am so proud of my little dog today!! Took her along to beating with me, and I couldn't have asked for a better dog. She was absolutely brilliant. She behaved so well, kept close to me, and responded to everything I said. Above all, she enjoyed herself, and kept me company. Everyone commented on how well she had done (which made me so proud). At one point she couldn't see where I was, and was frantically looking for me, and then when she found me, she came racing over :-)
Another thing that I was pleased with, was how she dealt with the other dogs. She was attacked when she was a pup, and is now very wary of other dogs. I was a bit worried about how today would go, but it actually went better than I could have imagined. The other dogs were very quiet with her, and pretty much ignored her, so in the end she relaxed. By the end of the day she was happy to run around the field with the other dogs (having realised that they weren't there to hunt her down!!), and sit right next to them. Such progress was made today, so I'm really happy with that.

On the way home she curled up on the backseat of the car and went to sleep. When we got home and she had had a bath, we both crashed on the bed (it's absolutely exhausting beating whilst working the dog!!)

All in all a really good day.

Grey skies + rain

Grey skies and rain. WhatI would call the perfect day for curling up with a good book or in front of a movie. Or, going for coffee with a friend in a cosy coffee shop.

Instead, I'm stuck doing essays and research.... :S

Harvest moon - colder days and shorter hours

This was the moon a couple of nights ago. The full moon, or the harvest moon.

With it came signs that winter was definitely on its way. Colder days with less hours in them.

As I dragged my brother outside in the dark and the cold to take pictures, I became very aware of this. The cold went straight through clothes and bit at my skin. It was oh so cold!

It is incredible to see the harvest moon, as it seems bigger and brighter, and 'warmer' than at any other time of the year.

It glows so brightly, and can always be spotted through trees and clouds (kinda makes me think of werewolves lol).

The rest of the pics are just a few pics I took around home. The lighting was cool - it was starting to get dark and it was that dusky look - and it was just one of those things where I wanted to take pictures.

Even if it meant braving the cold! haha.

I really love those winter days. The cold ones with blue skies, and when it gets dark and you draw the curtains, and turn on the lights, every looks cosy!

Miserable weather; good company......

Today saw the fourth day of the season with grey skies and a constant drizzle of rain. Dressing up warmly, with wellies and a hat, I met up with the other beaters (we drive the birds towards the guns for them to shoot the birds) and dogs.

The day continued with grey skies and rain, and all of us getting wet.

The fields have now been ploughed, and with the arrival of rain, the soil has now started to turn to a sticky mud. This means that after walking through ploughed field after ploughed field, the mud sticks and builds up on your wellies, so that by the end, you are wearing weighted shoes. It is exhausting and by the end of the day, both humans and dogs are shattered.

We stopped for lunch in one of the farmer's barns, and sat together on hay bales, while the dogs sat around us. It was great to get into the dry for a bit.

Despite the rain and mud, it was a good day spent in good company.

On another note. The clocks are going back this weekend, meaning that days will be getting shorter and darker earlier, bringing with it definite signs of winter.

Time to bring out the jackets and scarves, and fires and smores!!!

Bring on the snow!