Minnie and Bertie near Thorncombe

 Sunday 09/10/22

Not a bad view from the garden

We've settled into a lovely barn conversion in a rural corner of Dorset, right on the the borders of Somerset and Devon.  

We're far from the nearest main road and, although we love the peace and quiet, getting here with Bokkie was a challenging drive down very narrow, winding roads with the constant threat of tractors appearing out of the fields.  It is a beautiful part of the country though,  and the views from our walks are fantastic.

The dogs have a reputation for chasing sheep so they tow human anchors.

Minnie, a big softie.

Bertie, missing his owner.  Luckily dogs have short memories!

This is a two-week sit, looking after two Greek-rescue dogs and four ex-battery hens while the owner takes a river cruise on the Danube.  

We've settled into an easy routine of cooking, walking the dogs, me doing a few Bokkie jobs (always needed), and Toni making copious cups of coffee for the builders who are finishing a guest cottage on the property.

The roads aren't exactly Bokkie-friendly.

It feels like we're back in Portugal with the local shop in a converted village house.

When we leave here we will need to tackle the dreaded rural road back towards London for the rest of our winter sits.  

It's nice to be out of Bokkie and back in a house for a break, especially with the colder weather and some of the storms we've been having - and really good to have these lovely animals for some company!

The mornings and evenings are magical in the garden - we hear the owls hooting every night.