A Snowy Sunday in the Park

After a fairly drab winter, snow flurries finally started falling last night around 6pm. By the time we went to bed there were 2 or 3 inches so we set the alarm to ensure an early snowy morning wake-up. It wasn't sunny, but there were at least 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground and we had two hyper active labradors - so to the park!

We wandered around the park, threw snowballs for the dogs and generally soaked up the atmosphere. It being a Sunday, half of St Albans seemed to be in the park, many of them attached to plastic sledges.

Feeling like we had to do more to enjoy the snowy winter weather, we decided to build a snowman.  This endeavour soon became greater as we added a companion and then a little doggy friend.

Our little snowy replicas garnered quite a lot of attention, with one lady saying seeing them had made her Sunday morning! It may have been hyperbole, but it was a lovely compliment to get. Guinness wasn't so sure his replica really suited however!

Can you still spot our snow family?

We were very glad to have our snow fix and intend to take advantage as much as possible over the coming days before it all disappears again.

A Winter Escape to the Beach :: Camber Sands

Seeking a last minute escape and a way of using some free train tickets, we sought out a beach escape on the South Coast. We had no real idea of where we wanted to go, simply that it should be walking distance to the beach and accept a dog - obviously!

As of Boxing Day we had not found anything, but at about 6pm we found 'The Warrens' - a lovely little beach themed house in the village of Camber, near Rye. We phoned the owners, who were thoroughly enjoying their Boxing Day meal - and explained we were looking for a last minute getaway. They were happy to let us have the whole four bedroom house for a very good deal starting the next morning. As you can see - it was a lovely little hideaway.

Camber Sands is a 2.5 mile long and half a mile wide (at low tide) sandy beach with a long stretch of dunes as well. It is quite a busy place in the summer, but the last week of December is pretty empty - mostly populated by just dog walkers and windsurfers.

The solitude was exactly what we wanted in order to have some good quality beach time with Guinness. Besides the extreme wind, which caused some serious ear flapping, he was extremely excited to run, swim and chase his toys on the beach.

He particularly enjoyed playing in the dunes - see video at the end of this post for some live action!

Even though we were only down in Camber for two days it was very peaceful and a lovely way to get away from it all.

Here are a few videos of our excursions on the beach and in the dunes, enjoy!

For more videos of Guinness check out our shared folder on dropbox - drop us an email if you didn't get the link

Farewell Dear Blacksmiths

As many of you know, we are being unceremoniously chucked out of our house. Our landlords decided to sell, couldn't find a buyer, decided to rent it again, but didn't specify how long for. Basically after a lot of uncertainty, we could wait no longer and found another dog-friendly cottage in St Albans (more on that next time).

Even though the last few weeks have not been overly joyous with estate agents breathing down our necks and the landlords flip-flopping, we have genuinely loved this little cottage. It has been our home for more than 3.5 years and during that time we have grown to love the area and found some really fantastic friends. We aren't moving far and will still be able to walk in the park and see everyone here often, but the proximity to the open fields and the feeling of relaxation that we felt walking down Fishpool Street every evening will no longer be a part of our lives.

We are quite used to moving, as everyone knows, but this is the first time we are moving because of someone else's decision. It is a different mentality to have - more denial, less excitement. It is alright though, we have spent the day packing - not a terribly relaxing day off work - and the excitement is beginning to build.

Guinness has been feeling quite worried over the whole mess of boxes and wrapping and suitcases. He spent the day either exploring what we were doing, sitting outside pouting or trying to get some shut eye in the most inconvenient places he could find.

We have our doubts about the next place, but who knows, we might be pleasantly surprised. Regardless, we will make it our home and hope that the next time we move, it will be once again of our choosing.

Tales of Two Tails

This Christmas, we have the enormous pleasure of dogsitting our good friend's one year old black labrador, Bentley. He is an absolutely beautiful dog and arguably a little bigger than Guinness.

The two dogs really enjoy each other's company, whether alternating bones, wrestling, kissing, fighting over balls, or simply standing together with their tails wagging in sync. So the last few days we have been thoroughly entertained by their doggy antics (like those below).




Walking through our house has become treacherous needless to say as we navigate the two 75lb wagging behemoths who follow us everywhere we go. But we are enjoying every second of having another big drooling and wagging monster man amongst us and will hate to see him go.