Down South in Stanton Prior

 Sunday 22/05/22

The very photogenic Cosmo in relaxed mode

On Friday we swapped our normally low stress-levels for a travel day.  We usually have a gap between sits but on this occasion we had to get from Soudley to a village outside Bath in a bit of a hurry - something Bokkie doesn't do particularly well.  It was hard leaving Ash, we really bonded with him but that is the reality of house-sitting.

Bokkie performed well on the 150 mile trip and was rewarded with a tank of British diesel; we had been nursing our relatively cheap French tankful until this trip.  Diesel is the most expensive we've seen it to date and it was the fist time we had spent more than £100 on a tank, £115 for 65 litres - eye watering!

Stunning views with Bath in the distance

Our neighbours have this stunning moss-covered water-feature outside

We're settled in a lovely barn-conversion in a tiny village nestled on the outskirts of Bath.  We have a Dalmatian, Cosmo, to look after and, apart from a habit of stealing anything and everything off the kitchen counter, he seems quite relaxed.  The views from the house are amazing and the walks around the area are lovely so I think we're going to enjoy it here.

Walkies with Cosmo

The owners have converted the lawn and orchard into a lovely meadow area

We have Bokkie booked in for her MOT next week so hope that goes well.  We're only here for two weeks so we'll spend out time exploring the area and relaxing.

Enjoying our time in quiet Soudley

 Monday 09/05/22

We are kept amused by the antics of the sheep and lambs outside the house.

We're loving our time in Soudley - we both agree that this is the best sit we've had in the UK so far; the house and location are fantastic and Ash is an absolute gem, our favourite dog in the world.  

Ash's happy place - Bishop's Wood walk.

He is no trouble at all, never barks, is extremely well behaved and obedient, and all he asks is that we keep him close and give him cuddles.  Walking him daily, on or off leash, depending on where we are going, is an absolute pleasure.  On the rare occasion he gets out of our sight in the woods, two short blasts of the whistle and he streaks back to our ankles - fantastic!  

We had to keep Ash on a leash as the duck were just too tempting.

The Wharf campsite, wharf and Tavern, a lovely walk away.

We had a spell of cooler weather so would light a fire at night, but it is slowly starting to warm up again which is nice.  We have a really easy routine here, having the dog means we get plenty of exercise and the garden keeps us busy enough so that we aren't bored.  The lovely kitchen means Toni gets to do some cooking and baking and I eat like a King as usual, not a bad life, really.

Spring is a lovely time in the UK

The first of the Peony blooms

Bonus videos:

Working Ash in the field is fantastic, it's wonderful to have such a well-trained dog!

We asked one of the ewes if she was also impressed...