Seven in the woods for a 30th

 It was a bit better having just Monty and Amy, but there was a lot of clickclacking overnight due to the wooden floors. It was also absolutely teeming down when we woke up. I had to dress and get my coat on just to feed them. We were quite close to Bristol at the Little Shire. Very serendipitous, as Rotherhams final away game of the season was at Bristol City. The morning was spent lazing about, mainly in the huge blanket jumpers provided by the Shire. Lazing in big jumpers After a big Full English, Vicky, Ian and I left for the Park and Ride we had selected as a parking place. It was a good choice, both for travel to and from the ground. It also turned out to be Family Day for Brizzle, meaning there were Alpaci at the ground and The Wurzels were playing on a big stage outside the ground.  Brizzle Alpaci Lots of Millers fans were in fancy dress, including some Minions and a very troublesome bunch of bananas. The match itself will not live long in the memory and we went down w...

 Our last night at Blackwood turned out to be the best. Not too much barking, clickclacking, or jumping on the bed. We couldn’t be too leisurely as we needed to exit the treehouse by 10am. In the end it was precisely 10am as we left, calling at the meadow for a quick spin. We had all really enjoyed the treehouse. It was a very relaxing time, despite the nightime shenanigans, especially the hot tub.  Our plan for the day was to call at Stourbridge, a place I had never been. We travelled along the A303 passing Stonehenge. I do not like the A303 and am glad I don’t have to use it every day. We all met up at Stourbridge and had a lovely lunch sitting outside, much easier with the dogs. Walking around the lake I realised I HAD been here before!  One man and their dogs Some follies My favourite ever grotto After a good afternoons exploring we completed our journey to The Little Shire. This is just south of Bath, and is a series of Hobbit Hole cottages. We had two of them, Wabbi...

 Overnight Ian’s water got tangled in his iPhone lead and Misty contrived to knock it off. Thank god I had pushed for a mop head. It was the morn of Vickys 30th birthday, and the sun was shining. Due to her training schedule for the Bristol half she needed to squeeze in a short run. At 8.30 she set off with Ian and Alex for a spin around the meadow. Birthday Vicky on the balcony Birthday run   A lovely forest When they came back it was a quick turnaround as all except me were off to archery. I was charged with looking after four dogs and putting up the meagre 30th birthday decs. As it happens they all slept the whole time. After an hour I settled with a magazine thinking the lesson was two hours long. My feet had only just touched the pouffee before the door burst open. Sadly it was only an hour. The archery had gone really well for everyone, especially Ian, who of course had got the maximum score and had to pose for a picture for Facebook! An archery lesson Some good scores ...

 The dogs were once again restless and as I got up around 6.30 blearyeyed to settle them I noticed a huge poo in the middle of the floor. Not again! I grabbed the mop and moved closer. As my eyes focused I could see it was a rope dog toy. Thank goodness for that. I fed them and gave them a turn around the glade before grabbing coffee. Our plan for today was for those who wanted to have a full English/Full vegan at the cafe. Vicky, Alex, Ian and I had a walk down with the labs, who did take up loads of room. We all enjoyed the breakfast though. Big breakfasts A nice treat for us was that Chris’s friend Toby, and baby Cecily (AKA Trucksy) would be visiting this morning. She’s a very cute little girl, and very inquisitive. She also loves dogs which is good. We waited to see them for a little while before Ian and I headed to the nearby Tesco for some vittels. While there Ian spotted a Taylor Swift colouring book. Ideal for Vicky as an extra present as she is a well known Swiftie. Back ...