Rafi on Tor 30th July to 1st August

30th July
Really this is three days worth of blogging in one post as the internet signal was way off, very intermittent.
We left early on Tuesday morning for Somerset and arrived just before lunch. Even though the journey its self is only about two and a half hours we had a long coffee stop to allow Rafi half an hour out of his crate, as he decided he didnt want to go to the loo before we left.
After setting up the caravan and having a cup of tea we went and got some shopping then andy went to Hamwall nature reserve while Rafi and I set off on a 'one and a half hour walk', we took a photo of the 'map' that was at the site suggesting walks in the area and left. Clearly some of the paths were extremely over grown and the map was definitely not to scale! It was very hot but looked as if it was going to rain again so I had my waterproof so added to the temperature I had the extra bonus of a jacket! I mentioned at the top of this post that internet was a tad sketchy well so was any signal. Periodically I would get a signal and be able to get a map up on my phone which allowed us to eventually get back to our campsite.
When we arrived back, three hours later, my husbad had just pulled in, in the car.
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and reading ...and watching the sheep steal apples and leaves from the trees in the orchard.
31st July
Woke up early, due to me forgetting to turn off my alarm! Doh! I got dressed and took Rafi for a quick pee walk while my husband did tea and breakfast.
When we were ready we got in the car and went for a drive, amoungst other places we went were Cheddar Gorge and another nature reserve which I forget the name of, Rafi found a hollow tree to explore and was "buzzed" by several drone like Dragonflies of various colours and sizes.
Back a the campsite we had a cup of tea and gave Rafi his dinner before heading out to Glastonbury Tor, we parked in the town and walked up the Tor to the Oratory at the top, the views were incredible, probably made even better by the strange smells we kept getting whiffs of coming from small groups of people sat along the pathway!! Once we had walked back down again we got fish and chips and sat eating them with  the Tor as our view. Once we had eaten we wwnt back to the caravan and sat reading and drinking.....Somerset Cider of course.
Great way to spend a Birthday.
1st August
Lazy morning, I remembered to cancel the alarm, then when we were up and had breakfast I decided to go for another walk, this time taking a photo of a real map! Rafi and I set off while my husband went back to Hamwall again to see if he could see one particular bird.
Our walk was both more and less successful than the first days walk as in, I had a great map and knew where I was going but the footpaths on some were obviously rarely used and seriously overgrown with Stinging nettles and brambles meaning both Rafi and I struggled to get through. Once back we had a cup of tea and sat out reading in the sun. When my husband got back he had bought some scones and cream, we already had some jam, we had a cream tea for lunch then packed up the caravan and set off for home.

I'm forever blowing bubbles!

Its raining! Off and on throughout the day we have had liquid weather.
I am extremely pleased to find that Skye was not my only dog who enjoyed walking in the rain, Rafi loves it! As we were going to take Mia to the Aldingbourne country center and he would be on his own for a short while until my husband got back I gave Rafi a long walk, in the rain and he loved it! I am dying to let him off the lead but until his recall is spot on I am not taking and chances.
When we got back from the Aldingbourne center we put Mis's new bubble machine in the center of the garden and let him chase bubbles.

Black and White and hairy!

This morning my Mum and I tried again to walk the dogs together, this time it was so much more successful they walked together and Rafi only got told off once for being too overbearing. Back at Mums we sat and had a cup of tea, this would have been impossible before, he has come on so well its such a relief.

Beach Baby.

This should have been posted yesterday but I was so exhausted I didn't get round to it. It was also called castles in the sand, but after a message from my Bestie I had a change of heart!

Monday is my husbands day off so from time to time we try and do something or go somewhere for the day, today we decided to take our youngest Granddaughter and Rafi to the beach, just for a walk, a paddle in the sea, collect some shells and to make a sand castle!
Its been a very lazy day today as I am feeling a bit under the weather, probably just over tired, all these late nights and early mornings!
Added to that my bike is only firing on one cylinder....I think its contagious!

Hay stack

This morning I took my Mum my granddaughter and mums dog to the vets to have the made to measure American splint fitted to mums dogs front leg, the dog was so good and let them do it several times before having a short walk in it. For the next few weeks she will build up to wearing her prosthetic more and more until she is wearing it all day.
My hay arrived today too,

it smells lovely and the bales are nice and heavy, I have a small barn at my disposal and together with the 'help' of Rafi I got it stacked and away before any rain could get to it.
When I say Rafi helped, I mean he stood on every bale to inspect it for mice and rabbits sadly for him there were none, he did find a couple of very big spiders which he had as an evening snack.

Borde Hill's Sculptures

Its been years since I went to Borde Hill, and as they are dog friendly I thought it might be nice to go today with Mia and take Rafi with us. Its about an hours drive away and I couldn't remember what catering facilities they had so we took a pack up for lunch.
We wandered round the gardens looking at the flowerbeds and sculptures some of which moved in the wind, one of them frightened Mia, although I don't know why as it was literally 5 feet long metal rods which swayed slightly when the wind caught it! She loved the water tipping one though, so did Rafi we stood and watched it for quite a while.
We found somewhere to sit for lunch then had a walk through the woods. Rookie mistake I thought how easy it was to push the pushchair through, not realising it was down hill slightly, that is until I had to push it back again! Doh! It was nice though.
Our return journey took an hour and a half thanks to massive traffic build up at Arundel. Mia slept for most of the drive though and I suspect Rafi did too.

Rare Breeds

Its been over 3 years since I was at the Weald and Downland Museum, except for one day when I went to say goodbye to the lovely Bayleaf Neville.
It felt quite strange walking in, it felt even stranger having to pay! I was a volunteer there for over 10 years, helping with the three shire horses and the other animals and being first aid cover for the many events they held.
This time I was a member of the public, taking my two granddaughters for a day our to their rare breeds show.
The first stop had to be the stables to say hello to Mac, the only remaining shire on the site, they now have two Percherons called Ollie and Kash to help Mac with the work load.
It was a lovely surprise to bump into another of the volunteers who I used to work with, she was also at the show socially and wandered with us for a while.
Rafi was very well behaved considering there were so many people, new animal smells and stalls selling food. He was interested in other dogs but didnt get over zealous with them and was quite steady with the livestock both the four and the two legged varieties.
Once back home however he just flopped into his bed and slept.

Crazy dayz

In coming.......

Today I drove to collect our new family member, a JRT X Springer! All the way home in the car he just lay down and was quiet, no whining or squeaking. I took him into the house where he proceeded to 'kill' his favorite toy snake, which he had brought with him!  When he had calmed a little went  for a walk, after dinner he decided that he liked his bed VERY much and humped it for two and a half hours solid! Very stressy behaviour, eventually he just slept! I wonder how he will be through the night?!

Archangel Raphael

According to Google, Archangel Raphael is...

Archangel Raphael is known as the angel of healing. He works to heal people's minds, spirits, and bodies so they can enjoy peace and good health to the fullest extent of God's will for them.

Therefore it seems fitting that I have a Raphael in my life!
This Raphael has no magnificent wings; He does however have some seriously flappy ears!
This Raphael has no halo above his head; He does however have one around his neck more commonly known as a collar!

Meet Raphael or Rafi to his friends.

Rafi, is a 6 Month old Springer Spaniel, J R T mix, and as you can see he is a very handsome lad.

Just for comparison, so there is no mistake, here is a picture of the Archangel Raphael!

As you can see, there are subtle differences, He is almost always depicted with a dog, (Ooh is that a Border Collie!) a fish, and a staff. Here he is also shown with Tobias from the Book of Tobit.

London Calling....

I have family and friends in all three of the main emergency services, I come from a military family, I am British!
I have friends who are Muslim, Jewish, Rasta, Catholic, Atheist, Buddhist. I have friends who are very rich, struggling to make ends meet, Amputees, Gay, hetro, students, stay at home mums, NHS workers, adult film makers! Blondes, Brunettes, Red heads, bald, grey and all the colours of the rainbow.
I do not like racism, Sexism, bigoted and people who are quick to judge others on how they look or where they come from.
There are extremists in every walk of life, don't judge all by the actions of a few.

CHARLES MANSON                 had Brown hair

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR      was Black skinned

ADOLPH HITLER                     was a Christian

MOHAMMAD ALI      and JANET JACKSON are both Muslims

IAN BRADY                       was white British

MYRA HINDLEY           was a Woman

HAROLD SHIPMAN      was a GP

I could go on.....
But you get the point!                                                                 Image: Yoga Farm

The Inn Keeper

I have just been talking to my brother on the phone, he suggested that we should be celebrating the Inn Keeper at Christmas as he showed the greatest humility by allowing Mary and Joseph to stay in the stable rather than not have anywhere to go.
He also thinks we should celebrate the Inn keeper by helping him...(You can see where this is going I am sure!) As I was saying, helping him by frequenting his business at Christmas. I think my brother is thinking of a few pints and a good meal. Hmm, I may have to google what drink and food would have been on offer 2016 years ago, I have a sneaky suspicion it wasn't anywhere near what my brother has in mind!

Oranges and.....more oranges!

Today our church held its "The Children's Society" Christingle service, there were a lot of oranges! All the children present received a christingle and any that were left were given to adults.
The candles were all lit and to my knowledge no one set fire to anyone or anything, unlike the time when my daughters were younger, our youngest daughter managed to set fire to the others hair, fortunately it was only slight and I was able to sort it out quickly!

Lord in your mercy

We give back to you lord, those whom you gave to us.
 You did not loose them when you gave them to us, and we do not loose them by their return to you.

Two simple sentences.
Very comforting words.

AmDram

Last night my Mum, myself and our friend went to see a play put on by our local players.
The play was hilariously funny and well acted, there were a couple of forgotten lines (I have seen David Suchet in a play and forget his lines) and an almost dropped lace "Loin cloth!" (Every one roared with laughter at that too) In the interval the non acting members of the players came round with teas coffees and biscuits, all included in the price of the ticket and collected the cups away too.
A really enjoyable evening no queue's for the loo or for extortionately priced ice creams a brilliant performance and all for the non bank breaking price of £8.
 It seems to me the theatres have become out priced and ever more highbrow, to mention nothing of the fact that if you are not a "Member" of the theatre your chances of getting any tickets is super slim.
So with that in mind I shall pay the price of a theatre ice cream and get a ticket a cup of tea and a biscuit and a great performance.
May there be many more to come!

November December January February March......

I know its only November (For a few more hours} but I have good things going on each month for at least the next 5 months.
To start with the Denver Broncos beat the unbeaten New England Patriots 30 - 24 big news, literally as it made the sky news headlines. Next month (Also in a few hours time) It will be December and  Christmas with all the run up excitement, I love Christmas! January starts a new year, February sees the visit by the Northern Bird always have fun when she is down, also in February we are trying to arrange a big family get together which will be great! Then March we are going on holiday and although I know where we are going I am not saying anything yet!

Times, they are a changing!

Well Yesterday my husband had an interview for a new parish Priest job. He got it!
We have known this was in the pipe line but until very recently we have not known where it might be. Well now we know ...until Sunday when it will be made known in both our present church and the new church very few people know.
Keeping this from friends and family has been very tough, its exciting news and we want to tell people...roll on Sunday!
It will mean big changes all round, moving my horse, dropping shifts at work to a more workable number (due to travelling and family) are another two big factors for me. For my husband it will mean a change of job house and everything. We are looking forward to the changes however many there turn out to be.
There are a couple of things I wont miss, Andy on night shifts being one and having to spend less time with my family being the other. Having less shifts means I get to spend more time at home and after the year we had last year I will be making the most of friends and family time.

Long may it continue

What a lovely four days off I had, and how lucky was I?

Four days off and I ate out every one of them. I am refusing to step on the scales for a while though, but it was so worth it.

The weather was lovely, I did a lot of walking be it in town with my friend before a lovely gastro pub lunch, off into the woods with another friend and three dogs before a cuppa and some yummy cheesy chips, around a National Trust property with my husband having had an amazing meal in yet another gastro pub, then there was the impromptu pub lunch followed by a walk along a very muddy foot path, before putting my horse to bed and settling down to watch a couple of good films. (Pride and The flight)

Still work beckons... there is the small ray of light which is the fact that after 5 shifts I get to have another 4 days off. Ahh roll on the next set.

THE NAMES THE SAME BUT THE CONTENT WILL BE SUBTLY DIFFERENT!

So, our lives are about to change big time and here's how...
My husband will be changing from a full time fire fighter to a full time Priest! With this change comes a multitude of other changes,
* We will be moving house!
*I may have to move my horse!
*I will be either dropping my own work hours or giving up entirely!
*My husband wants my car, I will have to get another one!
We will have to move into a house provided by the parish that we move to, these range from regular sized houses to rather large rambling places, we could be in the middle of a town or city or in the heart of the country who knows, certainly not us at the moment! This also means we will be selling our present house!
Depending on how far away we end up I may have to move my horse from where she is stabled at the moment, this will also be difficult as I love being where we are.
Because of the possibility of a very long drive to work, the fact that I will need to play a part in my husbands work, and the fact that last year saw some very shocking events, I am dropping my shifts so that  I can spend more time at home and with my family.
My husband wants my car, I was going to sell it and get another anyway so in a way this has saved me the trouble of putting mine on the market.
Even with all the above I think the biggest worry I have is how far away I will be moving from my Mum, Daughters, Granddaughter and friends( The boys are already far flung meaning we don't see as much of them as we would like) so I hope we manage to stay at least within a two hour drive of them.
So this is the story  of my life right now. My Husband finishes in the Fire Service in June this year, so all of the above will be happening before then!
My Husband has to deal with all of the above plus the bonus of a new Parish, and he can't wait,
I am confident that the Bishop and his Arch Deacon are onto it, but as we don't know anything it makes it all just a teeny bit scary.

Anniversary.

Today is my Wedding Anniversary, the weather is very much as it was the day we married, it was maybe a little dryer that day. We had a vintage fire appliance to take Myself and the bridesmaids to the ceremony it was a Dennis F8! My mum made our wedding cake and my dress had been in a wedding dress sale. The best thing though was that our families and friends were there! Looking back at the day, so many have passed away since, including my Dad and my husbands Mom!
Today we exchanged cards and went out for lunch, this evening we are going to have cheese, biscuits and port and watch a film.
Today has been a good day.