(Dog) Walking in a Winter Wonderland

A Winter’s tale, inspired by a walk in the snow this morning & illustrated beautifully by 12 talented Etsy artists…

This morning, the dogs & I woke up to 12″ of snow! Max & Molly tentatively stepped out the back door, unsure what to make of all this cold fluffy ’sand’ – they left a beautiful trail of paw prints all over the back yard.

Soon I was all wrapped up in hat, scarf & gloves & ready to take them into the field by our house for their morning walk. The birds were flitting from branch to branch amidst falling snowflakes, chirping as they went, & on the way to the field we stopped & spoke to the lonely horse who stood searching for grass shoots beneath the snow. A beautiful snow scene awaited us – a whole field spread with a blanket of crisp, unblemished snow, just waiting for our footprints!

Then, all of a sudden, out popped a rabbit to say good morning – boo! Max & Molly’s ears popped up! & then, quick as a flash he disappeared again before they could give chase. Molly buried her nose deep in the snow, thinking he may have burrowed down that way, while Max kept a watchful eye on the horizon in case he had scooted over there! Little did they know that the bunny was all the time watching them from beneath the snow covered birches at the corner of the field

The dogs & I returned home, leaving the field full of paw prints, where we had been playing & the little bunny hopped down into his woodland burrow where he kept safe & warm until the snow melted.

Max, Molly & I in the snow this morning

You can see more photos from this morning’s wintry walk here.

Toasting Marshmallows

A fortnight ago, to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night (& just for fun really!), we built a big bonfire in our back garden. When I say ‘we’ I guess I mostly mean Martin as he was the one who built the fire pit in our garden earlier this summer & he was the one who gathered & prepared all the wood! I was mostly in charge of buying the marshmallows

Martin’s Dad & sister & their partners travelled up from England to join us for the weekend. With 6 people & 3 greyhounds, it was a rather crowded house, so any excuse to get outside was welcome!

It was a cracking good fire & kept us all nice & warm for hours as we huddled round it toasting marshmallows on sticks. Even the dogs were tempted off the sofas to come join us round the fire (although no marshmallows for them!).

Inspired by our bonfire (& Guy Fawkes Night in general), I curated this treasury of fiery finds on Etsy. Mmmmnn… these chocolate marshmallows look deelish!

The treasury is no longer ‘live’ (as I was somewhat behind in updating my blog!) but please do visit the shops of these talented artists, many of who are members of street teams McEtsy & Etsy For Animals.

Just Jess

My friend & fellow Gracehounds volunteer, Alison, is adoptive Mum to four gorgeous black & white sighthounds.  My personal favourite is her beautiful black & white lurcher girl, Jess.

My partner, Martin, photographed Jess on a recent walk at Portmore Loch in the Scottish Borders. Her graceful stance & sleek silhouette against the wintery background of the loch along with the contrast between her black & white coat were visually striking.

Jess at Portmore Loch

I converted the above photograph of Jess to a monochrome image, then, using a technique similar to the one described in this tutorial, created reusable printing screens.  So far I have used these to hand print my ‘Just Jess’ design onto cotton bags, T-shirts, sweaters, & towels.

I created two screens: one for printing  the image in darker inks onto lighter coloured fabrics & a ‘negative’ screen for printing the image in lighter inks onto darker coloured fabrics. Here is a selection of the colour combinations I have tried:

Click here to see the products I have designed using this print, which are for sale in my Etsy shop. The original photograph of Jess is also available to purchase as a fine art black & white print in my partner’s shop.

Raspberry Jam

Inspired by the juicy pink raspberries that are currently ripening in the hedgerows around our cottage, I created this yummy treasury featuring the work of my fellow Etsyian’s:

My picks include several items by members of the Handmade4Hounds, McEtsy & Etsy For Animals teams. I was thrilled to learn my treasury made Etsy’s Front Page earlier today.  Congratulations to all the talented artists! To everyone else – please help yourself to these treasures while they are ripe for picking!

The Other Side of the Baby Gate

On the other side of the baby gate, safe from all the greyhounds,  lives our little cat, Angie! We adopted Angie from Lothian Cat Rescue in May 2006, along with her sister Tink (who is sadly no longer with us). Her family had handed the pair in after discovering their child was allergic to cats (as am I, but hey there’s nothing a little antihistamine won’t fix!).

There were dozens of cats to choose from when my partner & I visited the shelter in Bonnyrigg, but Angie & Tink were the first 2 we laid eyes on & I knew right away we had to have them! They both had wonderful emerald green eyes & the loveliest friendly natures. 2 years old, they both had tabby & white markings, Tink with short hair & Angie with long.

Tink & Angie

Tink was only with us for 6 months, before she was tragically killed by a car on the road outside our house. Angie took a while to get used to being the only cat, & we deliberated whether or not we should continue to let her outdoors after what happened to poor Tink. However, having always been an ‘outdoor’ cat she really wasn’t happy being cooped up in the house so we decided just to let things be & take the risk.  Despite all the animals we have around us these days, we do still miss Tink & will never forget her.

Tink – never forgotten

Since we moved out to the countryside last year, Angie has become an independent little madam & likes to roam the fields hunting birds, mice & even frogs! Of course, she likes to share these wonderful delicacies with us by dragging them through the cat flap every now & then – how lovely! She always comes in in the evening though (probably coz she knows that’s when I put her food out!) & tends to stay in all night, snuggled up on our bed with us.

Angie sprawls out on our bed!

Since acquiring our greyhounds last year, we’ve had to install a baby gate to separate off part of the house where Angie can take refuge! Despite assurances from the Retired Greyhound Trust that Max was 100% cat-safe, he most certainly isn’t & I would never leave the 2 alone together. It’s a shame, as I know there are plenty greyhounds who are cat-safe. It probably has something to do with the fact Angie is a very fluffy cat & also very timid. I’m sure if Max encountered a bold cat who stood their ground & hissed at him on approach, he would soon get the message!

Angie in her own bed (for once!)

The gate never ceases to amuse first-time visitors to our house, & I do dream that someday our pets will all manage to live in harmony & we can take it down, but until that day the gate stays: The dogs get the kitchen & the living room (with access to the garden via the kitchen); the cat gets the bedroom & the bathroom (with cat flap in the bedroom window!).  Angie doesn’t seem to mind at all, seeing as she spends the majority of her time outdoors anyway, & I think she feels pretty smug that she gets to share our bed with us while the dogs have to sleep through the house! Plus, I often catch her out of the corner of my eye, silently following the dogs & I on our daily walks round the fields, her sparkling green eyes peeping through the undergrowth.

‘Cat & Can’ – Angie investigates our watering can

This last photo of Angie was taken in our garden just the other day by my partner, Martin, & is available to purchase as a print from his Etsy shop, Red Row Studio.

Hedgerow Treasures

Since moving out to the countryside last year, I am lucky enough to have access to the hedgerows which line the paths & fields just outside our back yard. At this time of year, they start to become studded with the first fruits of the year: gooseberries.

These pale green globes hang like miniature Chinese lanterns among the hedges & are very easy to miss unless you look carefully. Although abundant, they are prickly little buggers, & not the easiest of fruits to pick! However, a half-hour pause on this morning’s dog walk allowed me to return home with over a kilo of berries & only a few scratches on my hands & arms!

A close up of my haul!

I find gooseberries much too sour to eat alone, so, after the great success of last year’s Gooseberry & Elderflower Preserve (the last jar of which has only recently been scraped clean!), I have decided to do the same again this year. The recipe I use is loosely based on a Delia recipe, but I like to add whole elderflowers to mine at the end, so they become suspended in the jam as it sets, giving a lovely ’starry’ effect:

Gooseberry & Elderflower Preserve

Ingredients:

1kg gooseberries, topped & tailed
1kg granulated sugar
the flowers from 5 elderflower heads, collected by rubbing the heads between your hands into a bowl
a knob of butter
150ml water

1. Grease a pan with butter before adding the gooseberries & water
2. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the fruit is tender
3. Stir in the sugar
   
4. Heat gently for another 15 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved
5. Boil, testing for set at 5 minute intervals (drop a blob of the liquid onto a fridge-cold saucer then push with your finger – it will crinkle when set)
6. Once setting point is reached, turn the heat off & add the elderflowers
7. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes, then stir again & pour into sterile jars & seal.
   

This year, the preserve I’m making is not for personal consumption. Two of my good friends are getting married in the Autumn, & have asked me to make wedding favours for them. So I have purchased 150 4 oz hexagonal glass jars, which I propose to fill with an assortment of hedgerow jams, jellies & chutneys, including the above gooseberry & elderflower preserve, before decorating them with pretty ribbons & labels. I’ll be sure to post updates as & when I make the rest!

Here are some more ‘hedgerow treasures’ I found on Etsy :

(Please click on the above image to see the items & sellers in more detail.)

Introducing LET THE DOGS OUT: a new Midlothian dog walking service

Thanks once again to everyone who took part in my dog walking survey. I’m pleased to say that on Monday 1st June, Let The Dogs Out officially opened for business! Here’s a brief introduction to my  business, but for more info please see the website:

www.letthedogsout.co.uk

Exercising the dogs at Bilsdean beach

There are many reasons why you may not always be able to walk your dog. Let The Dogs Out offers a high quality dog walking service in & around Midlothian, to ensure your dog gets the essential exercise they require to stay healthy & happy.

• friendly, experienced walker who really cares about dogs

• flexible service tailored to the individual needs of you & your dog(s)

• rural walks in & around the beautiful Midlothian countryside

• member of The National Association of Registered Petsitters

• walker fully insured & police checked

• walker trained in canine first aid

• competitive rates with discounts available

• both regular & occasional clients welcome

Jane MacLeod –   07818 683 722   –   jane@letthedogsout.co.uk