Week 16

Happiness is only real when shared

Is it?  I'm not totally convinced but it came from a film I watched recently called Into the Wild which I urge you to watch - a totally thought provoking film. A true story too which made it even more poignant.

It's been a strange week - it's almost as if I don't know what to do with myself now that the road trip is over and Dougal is off the road.

One thing worth noting - I'm back in the fast lane!  I bought a car this week - a Fiat Punto!  Not exactly the fastest car on the road but it means I'm back in the overtaking lane - somewhere that Dougal is unaccustomed to!

Other big news this week is that I have started a Dog Behaviour Diploma through the British College of Canine Studies.  The first module is in which means study time...

And even bigger news...my nephew is back from Holland for a week's holiday.  It's so wonderful to have his energy around - it is totally uplifting!

Anyone for a little reiki?

I need some reiki helpers!  I want to continue practising my reiki and would appreciate willing friends and family to come to my house for a 30 to 45 minute session.  I cannot charge for the session (because I am at level 1 stage) but I suggest that you leave a donation in the piggy bank in my treatment room.  All proceeds will go to an animal charity.  Call or text me to make an appointment.

Week 15

First of all, Happy Birthday to Skye who is 8 today!!! 

I'm just wondering if it's right to give Skye a bath on her birthday?  She's got a juicy steak to look forward to tonight!

Not much to report this week.  It's been a week of rest and relaxation as I get back into my reiki.

But I did have one major achievement this week - I bought myself a wee car - a Punto!  I get it later this week.

And I did say that I would come to some decisions this week about an animal behaviour course. Well, I am doubtful about going back to Uni so I am looking into doing online courses through the COMPASS Education and Training website.  My application should be in at the end of the week when I've worked out which course to do.

That's all for now folks!

Road trip route

I thought you might like to see the rough route I took on my road trip.  Start and finish location not exact - obviously.

The Ratings are in:

Every campsite had it's different qualities so I've decided to grade them - primarily to make it easier for me to select which campsite to return to in the future.  Bearing in mind that my top requirements are: off lead walks for Skye and dog friendly pub close by!

My scores are out of 10:

Drumshademuir, Glamis (Aug 2011):
Facilities: 6 acceptable but only 2 showers
Friendliness of staff: 7
Scenery: 3
Atmosphere: 3 (this is the one where J was told off for playing with a ball)
Mobile signal: Yes
Off lead dog walks: 2 (Strictly on leads at all times)
Skye's tail: 5
Close to town/pub: No
Overall: a very average 5

Findhorn Sands, (Aug & Sept 2011):
Facilities: 7.5
Friendliness of staff: 7
Scenery: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Mobile signal: Yes
Off lead dog walks: 9 (the beach is within walking distance)
Skye's tail: 9
Close to town/pub: Yes
Overall: 9 (already been there twice)

Banff Campsite (Sept 2011):
Facilities: 4 (toilets clean but the shower was pathetic - one of those ones you have to push a button to get hot water and the water only stays on for 20 seconds - I timed it)
Friendliness of staff: 6
Scenery: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Mobile signal: Yes
Off lead dog walks: 7 (walk to neighbouring towns)
Skye's tail: 7
Close to town/pub: Not really
Overall: 7

Portsoy Campsite (Sept 2011):
Facilities: 6 (funny smell in the toilet block and only one shower but not the push-button shower like Banff has)
Friendliness of staff: 8
Scenery: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Mobile signal: No but wi-fi
Off lead dog walks: 7 (beach)
Skye's tail: 9
Close to town/pub: Yes
Overall: 8.5

Old Hartley Caravan Club site, Whitley Bay (Sept 2011):
Facilities: 5 (funny smell)
Friendliness of staff: 5
Scenery: 6.5
Atmosphere: 4 (the other campers were not chatty)
Mobile signal: Yes (but the WiFi was £5 for 5 hours - unbelievable)
Off lead dog walks: 6 (strictly lead walks on site but good walks along the cliffs)
Skye's tail: 5
Close to town/pub: Yes but not very welcoming
Overall: 5

Wagtail Country Park, Grantham (Sept 2011):
Facilities: 7 (very new and tidy)
Friendliness of staff: 8
Scenery: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Mobile signal: Yes (but no wi-fi)
Off lead dog walks: 6 (there was a dog walk around site but it only took 10 mins)
Skye's tail: 5
Close to town/pub: No
Overall: 6

Kelvedon Hatch Camping and Caravan Club site, Brentwood (Sept 2011):
Facilities: 5
Friendliness of staff: 7
Scenery: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Mobile signal: Yes (Wifi was £2 per day)
Off lead dog walks: 5
Skye's tail: 5
Close to town/pub: No
Overall: 5.5

Folkestone Camping and Caravan Clus site (Sept 2011):
Facilities: 6
Friendliness of staff: 6 (mix up at the start - they had my booking for the wrong day!)
Scenery: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Mobile signal: Yes
Off lead dog walks: 9
Skye's tail: 8.5
Close to town/pub: No
Overall: 7

Lytton Lawn, New Forest (Sept 2011):
Facilities: 2 (push button shower, the water went everywhere, grass cuttings on my shoes dragged into the shower and the campervan!)
Friendliness of staff: 4 (a smile at reception would have gone a long way)
Scenery: 4 (what scenery?)
Atmosphere: 1 (road noise)
Mobile signal: Yes (but no wi-fi)
Off lead dog walks: 3 (strictly lead walks and no walks nearby)
Skye's tail: 0
Close to town/pub: No
Overall: 1

Ridge Farm, Wareham (Sept 2011):
Facilities: 3 (very old and full of mossies)
Friendliness of staff: 4
Scenery: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Mobile signal: Yes (but no wi-fi)
Off lead dog walks: 5 (walks round the nearby streets were ok as the roads were quiet)
Skye's tail: 4
Close to town/pub: No
Overall: 4

Slapton Sands Camping and Caravan Clus site, Devon (Oct 2011):
Facilities: 5
Friendliness of staff: 6
Scenery: 7.5
Atmosphere: 5
Mobile signal: Yes (Wifi was £2 per day)
Off lead dog walks: 6 (beach nearby but that was the day of the sore foot so couldn't walk Skye very far)
Skye's tail: 6
Close to town/pub: Yes
Overall: 6.5

Padstow Touring Park, Cornwall (Oct 2011):
Facilities: 9 (had my own shower room! would have been a 10 but there was no lighting near my pitch so needed a torch to run to loos)
Friendliness of staff: 8
Scenery: 7.5
Atmosphere: 6 (was too quiet and I wasn't close to other campers)
Mobile signal: Yes (Wifi was £6 for 48 hrs)
Off lead dog walks: 7 (farmland walk to Padstow nearby)
Skye's tail: 7
Close to town/pub: 1 mile away
Overall: 7

Cheddar Camping and Caravan Clus site, Somerset (Oct 2011):
Facilities: 8
Friendliness of staff: 8
Scenery: 7.5
Atmosphere: 6
Mobile signal: Yes (Wifi was £2 per day)
Off lead dog walks: 7 (walk to village 0.75 miles and dog friendly pubs)
Skye's tail: 6.5
Close to town/pub: Yes
Overall: 7.5

Clent Hills Camping and Caravan Clus site, Birmingham (Oct 2011):
Facilities: 6.5
Friendliness of staff: 6
Scenery: 6
Atmosphere: 6
Mobile signal: Yes (Wifi was £2 per day)
Off lead dog walks: 5 (just walks round the site)
Skye's tail: 5
Close to town/pub: No
Overall: 5

Moffat Camping and Caravan Clus site (Oct 2011):
Facilities: 7 (bit retro with orange walls in toilet block)
Friendliness of staff: 6
Scenery: 6
Atmosphere: 7.5
Mobile signal: Yes (Wifi was £2 per day)
Off lead dog walks: 6.5 (park close by)
Skye's tail: 7.5
Close to town/pub: Yes
Overall: 7.5

And the winner is: Findhorn Sands!  Closely followed by Portsoy campsite. Next year, I need to see more of West Scotland and hopefully venture over to Ireland.

Rested and Thankful

I had the most wonderful sleep in my own bed...and woke feeling refreshed!

I am so thankful for many things but mostly that Dougal managed to go 1,910 miles without a single hitch.  What a great investment - he's definitely a keeper.  I also couldn't forget "Morag" - my sat nav lady who (mostly) got me to the right address every day - the one time I defied her I ended up going through Bristol in rush hour!   I am also happy to see Skye's tail wagging madly now that we're home - she was way out of her comfort zone but her company was appreciated.  And finally, I'm wholly grateful to my friends for putting me up during my road trip - Ali, Pauline and Kay.

Week 14

After 22 nights and 1,910 miles, I am finally home...here's how the week went:

Sunday I drove to Padstow in Cornwall on the advice of my friend Kay.  What a gorgeous little haven it is. And, with the recent October heatwave, the town was absolutely buzzing.  The shops - OMG - they were stunning.  Rick Stein has a restaurant in Padstow which I didn't venture into but I did have  one of his Cornish pasties - a haddock one - it was delicious.  I had changed a few plans over the weekend - due to Dougal's near over-heating, I decided to give Truro a miss and go straight to Padstow and stay 2 nights and have a day off driving on Monday. 

Well, my campsite at Padstow certainly came up trumps.  What a beautiful site.  It was only a mile walk into the town and the views were stunning.  My toilet block contained suites!  So I actually had a bathroom to myself and I didn't have to dance around the muddy puddles in order to put my clothes on!  Bonus! Something else changed when I arrived here...I can't quite put my finger on it...but I relaxed, Skye relaxed and everything seemed ok again.  After a few hiccups I was wondering why I should continue this trip and was considering going home early but Sunday was a great day - weather was phenomenal, I Skyped my family, I got some good food from the local Tesco and my faith in this trip was restored.

Monday was the perfect day.  I didn't need to pack up Dougal as normal, I just took my time and enjoyed the sunshine.  Skye seemed pretty chilled too.  In the afternoon I took Skye for a walk from the campsite into Padstow.  The route took us over farm land...now I have to refer back to last week's post when I talked about walking through a field of cows.  My fear of cows is down to a few horror stories where people have died by being trampled by a herd of cows that were scared by a dog.  One of these stories was told by my mum who was chased by cows when she was a little girl.  So I have a deep respect for cattle and would normally avoid at all costs.  My route to Padstow took me through 2 fields of cows.  On the way in, they were way off in the distance.  Not so lucky on the way back.  I noticed the first field of cows were all walking towards one end of the field (I thought it might have been feeding time or something like that).  So I waited patiently and let them past then (with Skye on lead) I walked briskly to the hedge where I climbed over a small wall to get into the next field.  I then turned to check on the cows and they were walking towards me.  Oh God!  The next field was also full of cows and sheep and they were widely dispersed all over the field and right across my pathway!  I was stuck in the hedge!  I couldn't move for fear of drawing attention to myself and Skye and making the curious cows come over to me.  But wait!  There was a noise behind me and now a dozen cows from the first field were actually within arms reach.  A brave one stuck her nose in the hedge and stuck out it's tongue.  Luckily Skye and I were at the other side of the wall and they couldn't get to us.  I waited for what felt like an eternity...I was trying to figure out what to do in order to get back to the van before darkness.  I was trying to judge the distance to the gate and how fast I thought I could run if the herd decided to chase. Poor Skye was so patient! She keep looking at me for reassurance and I was trying my hardest to be the brave "alpha".  Finally I decided to go for it and walked along the path (within inches of one cow) at a very brisk pace...we made it! Phew!  I have no idea if my fear is justified - I honestly didn't think that cows and dogs went well together!

The rest of my stay in Padstow was relatively chilled out.  I got the most out of my WiFi this time because on Monday I decided to catch up on X Factor and watched 6 hours of it on ITV player.  Sad, I know.  I left on Tuesday morning and made my way to North Devon and to a site called Umberleigh.  The site was chosen due to it's proximity to my Wednesday appointment.  It was a perfectly good site but no dog walks for Skye close by.  I had to be up early on Wednesday to make my way to Combe Martin in order to meet Shaun Ellis at the Wolf Centre.  I had booked a one hour session with Shaun to hear about his experience of working (and living) with wolves.  What a wonderful man - so full of knowledge and experience - I could have listened to him all day.  I got to meet one of the wolf hybrids - an amazing animal.  The session totally re-ignited my passion for canine psychology.  The wolf centre run different courses ranging from 1 day to 5 days which I will look into doing next year.

Next it was off to another campsite deep in the Cheddar Gorge at a place called Mendip Heights - what a surprising little campsite!  The drive up was stunning - totally unexpected. 

The warden at the campsite gave me such a warm welcome and advised me to take a walk into the village and go to one of the (dog friendly) pubs for food which I did. I chose the Queen Victoria and I ordered garlic chicken in a creamy white wine & mushroom sauce - it was ok but I could not detect any garlic at all! At least the walk there and back gave Skye a little bit of exercise though it was starting to get dark on the way back and Skye was on edge of course. She is such a nervous dog at the best of times and all this moving around, new locations, new smells is making her worse. 

Cheddar campsite was excellent - I would definitely come back but this is the campsite where everything changed.  In a matter of days the temperature dropped by about 20 degrees!  Honestly, my winter coat came out and I could have worn gloves (if I could find them!).  It was wet and windy all night.  It was exactly this point when I decided to cut my trip short by 2 days.  The fact that so many of my clothes were soaked through and I had no means to dry them was the deciding factor.

On Thursday I had an appointment with a lecturer at Bristol University.  It turned out the Vet School was only about 20 mins away from the Cheddar campsite so I had an easy journey for once.  It is quite interesting that anyone I talk to about going back to University, mentions the fact that I haven't studied for over 15 years so I would not get onto an Animal Psychology/Behaviour course without first doing an Open University course in science.  It does help make my mind up though.  My appointment was mid afternoon so by the time I got out, I only had a few hours of driving in order to get to my next campsite.  This time, I had nothing booked but was heading North and wanted to get as close to the M6 as possible.  I made it to Clent Hills on the outskirts of Birmingham - just as rush hour kicked in. The temperature here plummeted at night time and I typed up my blog in the van with freezing fingers - it is definitely time to go home.  I could see my own breath!

On Friday, I was determined to drive as far as possible before dark.  I had originally considered staying the weekend in the Lake District but the freezing temperatures and my strong desire for my "home" forced me to bypass the Lakes and cross the border into Scotland - Home!  I was on the road for about 6 hours and made it to Moffat by 5pm. This campsite definitely ticked a lot of my boxes.  It was perfect and surprisingly busy.  The campsite was within walking distance to the town centre so I ventured to the Buccleuch Arms (a dog friendly pub) for food and wine.

On Saturday, I was up and away early and finally made it home (after a stop at my mum's for a cuppie) by late afternoon!  Ahh...home, sweet, home.

I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to be home.  A comfy bed, a clean shower and TV!  There are so many things that I took forgranted - like being able to make a cup of tea by just turning a switch, being able to get changed without dodging the puddles in the shower room or without sitting on the floor in Dougal hoping no-one can see me, being able to hear music/radio without having to consider what other electrical appliances I have on that might blow a fuse, being able to dry my hair, having water on tap, being able to lie out and watch tv...the list goes on.  Camping is wonderful but home is better and I won't ever forget that.

I have made some decisions during the road trip which I will tell you about in next week's blog.

Buzz off!

I meant to tell you about my nightmare journey on Saturday...the one where Dougal almost overheated and my mosquito bite on my foot was swelling up...well something else happened which tops them all!!!  In earlier posts you will have become aware of my phobia of wasps...well, guess what?  As I was driving towards Devon, I sensed an insect to the right of me and saw a yellow and black stripe out of the corner of my eye - it was literally centimetres from me...now I had 3 choices: (1) flap around (like I normally do) and cause an accident (2) stop the van in the middle of the road and jump out of the door and possibly cause an accident or (3) calmly open the window and pray that the little bug*er flies out the window.  I chose option 3 and thankfully he flew out.  All my windows were closed from that point on!  For safety reasons, of course.

Week 13

Monday morning I drove a familiar route from London to the New Forest. I used to live nearby the New Forest - in fact Skye was born in this neck of the woods!  So, for old time's sake, I visited my old home.  You should have seen Skye's tail when we walked one our our favourite New Forest walks - I honestly think she remembered it.  She certainly remembered where the watering hole was!  She also found all the muddiest puddles to lie in!  After our walk I had to wash her down with the tank of water I keep in the van - it was a hot day and we attracted the attention of nearby horses (which, if you don't know, have right of way in the New Forest) so I quickly rushed Skye into the van and left the water on the grass...only to discover that the horse was investigating it.  I had to rush over and grab it.  Without even thinking how close I was to being kicked by the horse!

I stayed at a campsite just outside Lymington for a couple of nights - it was recommended to me but I have to say that my experience is not favourable.  There was a busy road the other side of the hedge!  On Tuesday morning, I woke to blaring sirens - it sounded like I was still in London not in the idyllic New Forest!  The worst thing about the site was the lack of dog walks.  On the first evening, I walked out of the site to find a nice long walk for Skye but it was busy roads at all sides of me so I kept to the site and walked Skye round and round - her tail summed it all up - it was constantly curled under her bum - too many scary noises.  Another thing that bothered me - when they cut the grass, they don't collect the grass cuttings so you have grass on your shoes and it gets everywhere! The first time I tried the showers, I tested the push button shower to see which shower got the longest run of hot water - only to get a face full of water - it was so powerful the water went everywhere: on me, my clothes, on the floor.  The floor was now flooded!  Mixed in with the grass cuttings, which I brought in on my flip flops, meant that the drains soon blocked up!  Mmm nice muddy, grassy water everywhere.  I decided not to shower on the second day. Suffice to say, I won't be visiting this campsite again.  I'm actually rating each campsite as I go so will post them at the end of my trip! On Tuesday I spent the day with a friend whom I hadn't seen for years. Thank you to Julie and her family for entertaining me all day and feeding me in the evening.  I had a lovely time and it was awesome to catch up.

I arrived at Kay's house in Dorset on Wednesday afternoon and spent a couple of chilled out days with her family.  My timing could not have been worse because Kay was getting a new kitchen put in and her house was topsy turvy but she was so accommodating - I could not have wished for a warmer welcome.  On Thursday, Kay and I went to Cerne Abbas to walk the dogs.  Cerne Abbas is famous for it's "Giant":

The dogs got a long walk round the Cerne Abbas Giant which included a nerve wracking walk through a field of cows! With both dogs on leads, we tried not to  make eye contact with the cows but we were literally feet away from the herd and I was imagining the worst thing that could happen - Kay had been for a run in the morning so I figured she would be too tired to outrun the cows so I had a relatively good chance of escaping.  Despite my  fears, the cows were basking in the sunshine and didn't really bat an eyelid at us.  After the walk we went to the Royal Oak for a crab sandwich which was yummy. 

Then it was off to Burton Bradstock for an ice cream on a picnic bench overlooking the sea watching people swim - yes really people swimming in the sea! 

I can't believe how hot it was in Dorset - high 20's on Friday...WAY too hot for a redhead like me.  So this freak weather turned some of my plans upside down.  It was far too hot to leave Skye in the van so going to Monkey World as planned was not an option for me on Friday morning. Instead Kay took me and her family to their beach hut. 

What a luxury to have a beach hut and be able to cook your own food and sit in or out of the sun as you wish.  It was a fantastic day.  By mid afternoon it was time for me to say goodbye...thank you to Kay, Tony their boys and Henry the dog for putting up with another dog and human in the house.  And of course, Tabitha for doing my laundry. You guys are great!

After leaving Kay's, I headed to Monkey World arriving at about 4pm.  I thought it would be cooler at this time and I might have been able to nip in to see the apes for a few mins but even at that time it was too hot...with the windows open, I was sweating in the van after 10 mins - you only have to imagine what would happen to a dog in that heat.  So I had to give up and head to a nearby campsite.  Compared to my last campsite, this was a lot quieter though the toilet block had seen better days and the mossies were a nightmare!  Talking of which I got bitten by a mosquito at Kay's house - on my big toe...I saw it happen which is even worse...now my toe is all swollen and very painful - luckily I'm wearing flip flops all the time because I don't think I could get anything else on my feet!

On Saturday my toe was even worse! The swelling had spread over my whole foot and the bite was blistered and painful.  I could hardly walk!  So Saturday ended up being a mixed day.  A bad start due to painful swelling in big toe but I managed to get about 45 mins at Monkey World in the morning before the intense heat hit.  Check out some of the shots I got as a ran round my favourite ape enclosures:

So that was a bonus getting a chance to see these wonderful creatures. I just wish my mum was with me because she loves Monkey World!!!  Sallly the chimp who looks after the nursery chimps was basking in the sun.  Paddy's group was totally chilled out as normal. But that can't be said for Hananya's group...as soon as I heard the great chimps hoots, I knew it must have been Hananya's group from all the hours of "Monkey Life" viewing! The Orang-utans were as chilled out as always.  It's humbling to see them again and I look forward to my next visit and only hope it's a bit longer than this one. After my brief visit, I headed west to Devon. 

As I reached a queue of traffic at Bridport, poor Dougal started to overheat - I watched the temperature gauge creep up and up and feared for an AA call out so I stopped and gave Skye a quick walk and give Dougal a chance to cool down.  Another 2 hours later, along some very narrow and twisty roads, we finally made it to Slapton Sands campsite - an unfortunate name!!!  By this time, my foot was unbearable. I had been feeling the swelling spread as I drove and was astonished to see a very sore, swollen foot when I finally stopped.  Ouch.  My first walk was to the local shop where I bought every manner of antiseptic, plaster and painkiller.  The store keeper did raise an eyebrow and I was tempted to show him my foot to justify my purchases but then I thought against it. 

Apart from nearly overheating, Dougal is doing great.  We are now over half way through my road trip and have done over 1,000 miles.  I've had an easy week actually because I've had many meals with friends and haven't done much cooking in the van.  Well, from now on it's all campsites - this will be my longest run of campsites but I'm really looking forward to it as I'm going to areas I've never been to before.  Skye is doing brilliantly too...she's a nervous dog and all this change - going to people's houses, strange noises at campsites is bound to unnerve her...I can tell she's a bit on edge and is definitely clingy with me but I think she's coping really well.  I have made some plans along the way to meet uni lecturers and animal centre workers but some of these plans might have to be scrapped if this hot weather continues.  I won't put Skye at any risk so if I don't make it to some meetings, I'll have to do it over the phone.  Either way, my plans have been scuppered by good weather and it's not often you can say that!  At least I've had a great holiday!

Happiness Manifesto (WXYZ)

W: Wake with gratitude, Walk in wonder, Work with love
X: X marks the spot - it's right here, right now.
Y: Stay Young at heart, say Yes to life - Yes, Yes, Yes
Z: Zzzzzz sleep with gratitude and love