That's the shopping done

Hello, I said I would be back, and I am, back from Tesco. I did the supermarket dash tonight, not much food left and my meals are getting a bit samey. I need variety. Some yellow stickers found their way into my trolley, I have stopped keeping track of them on my page above, need a rest from that, but you can be sure that a large part of my shopping is made up of what I can buy cheap at a discount.

I like Tesco, like the people who work there, and always come out with a smile on my face after a bit of banter with the lady on the checkout. The lady who marks down the veg is good fun as well, always have a laugh with her. They can keep their serve yourself tills, I want a person to put my purchases through, I'm beggared if I'm going to do it myself. They've got those new hand held scanners now, you zap your goods as you put them in the trolley. I can't be bothered with all that, not interested, give me a smiley lady on a till  every time.

Anyway, I've left it a bit late to publish the post I had planned. The photo's are loaded, just got to put the words to it. I'll leave it till the morning when my brain is a bit fresher. I'm chillin now with  a doughnut (30p for 5) and a mug of hot chocolate, and then to bed. Good night, catch you tomorrow.

Not down the plug hole

Hiya peeps, following on from my Monday's post, Modern conveniences, there was a very useful suggestion from reader Enie Dub, suggesting saving water from my daily showers to flush the loo. Thank you for that Enie, but I don't have a working shower, it packed up years ago and I never got it repaired. 

However, I do save my bath water, it sits there in the bath and is dispensed to the lavvy with a plastic jug. Usually one slosh does the job. The toilet bowl can get a bit erm, discoloured, but a quick swish round with a brush on a regular basis rectifies that. I hasten to add that the solids get a proper flush, but this uses less water than normal because a nice man from Anglian Water came and fitted a device in the cistern to halve the amount of water per flush. 

To keep the bath clean it is important to wipe around the sides as the water level goes down, and when the level is very low it's time to let the last drop run away down the plug hole. But before it all disappears I take the cloth and wipe out the whole of the bath. Easy peasy, eh!  

So, that's both toilets covered using recycled water.
Come back later, I might have something ready to show.
Toodle pip.

A prickly story

What a colourful breakfast I had this morning. Porridge with sultanas, and a splash of home made blackberry juice. Simply divine. In fact, looking at that I am prompted to go and get myself a glass of juice to drink now. Won't be a tick.

Bugsy seems to be living on my bedroom window sill at the moment. He has moved from the spare room, not sure why as the view is exactly the same. Those lorries are not normally there though, we never get lorries down our street, except when they get lost, it is a dead end street that goes nowhere. Signs appeared a couple of days ago saying they are going to re surface the road, and asks that no cars be parked today and tomorrow. Everyone complied with the request, lorries went up and down, they cleared the gutters and sealed up the drains, but the road has not been re surfaced. Maybe tomorrow then. Bugsy is looking forlornly at his empty bowl.

Mum, where's my food, go and get me some more.

Yes, certainly Bugsy, here you are. Thanks Mum, mmmmm, my favourite.

Cat rescue turned into hedgehog rescue this afternoon. I had a phone call from my friend, she had a young hedgehog on her front lawn and was worried that it might go onto the road. She said she rang me because she thought I would know someone who could help. Well I do know a lot of people in the village, ha ha. There is a lady who takes in hedgehogs but I couldn't find out who it is. The vet in the next village said they would take it in, check it, give it any treatment it needs and take it to a rescue centre. I tried it with a bit of cat food before I took it, but it didn't show much interest.

Poor little mite, so cute. I hope he survives and can be released back into the wild when he is big enough.

Hedgehogs are in decline at the moment. It's such a shame that so many of them get killed on the road. I have picked up four in the last few weeks. It really peeves me when one gets killed right outside someone's house, and no one comes out and picks it up. Why don't they? Why do they leave it there to get run over, again and again, with each passing car, so that it's innards are splattered all over the road. Why does everyone ignore the little body? It's bad enough that a poor animal has been killed, even worse that it has been left to get flattened. That's my gripe for today, please pick up any animal that gets killed in front of your house, don't leave it there. Say a little prayer, and say sorry.
Toodle pip.

Flower power

When I think the picture is nearly finished, it isn't. I've been at it for most of the day, taking an hour off this afternoon in between showers to trim my hedge on the neighbours side. I don't like to upset my neighbours with an unruly hedge which sprawls over into their garden, so for the purposes of an easy life, I cut it back myself..

Here is a little teaser, I must say it's looking pretty amazing. 

Please excuse my mundane post tonight, being a textile artist is really tiring. The pressure I put my brain through is unbelievable, I can feel it turning to mush as tons of ideas are whizzing around at 90 miles an hour. At this time of night everything starts going fuzzy. I'm going to get some rice pudding and chill, I like chillin  ;o) I need to wind down before bed time. Tomorrow is a fresh new start and my batteries will be recharged and ready to go again. Got to get this picture finished.
Toodle pip.

Modern conveniences

Let me show you my eco friendly toilet flushing system. Here we have the very latest design, note the pan hanging from the door handle. This system is also environmentally friendly in that it uses water which has fallen from the skies. It also has the added bonus that it costs not one penny use.

It is much more comfortable and economical than the previous lavvy design of a wooden box with a round hole cut into the lid where one would perch one's bottom, with a bucket underneath to catch the unmentionables. These small brick built rooms were often at the end of a long garden, which required a torch and an umbrella to stumble down the path in the middle of a rainy night. Although these incurred no cost while being used, they did require a payment to be made to a waste disposal company who came along in a lorry with a big hose, and sucked the festering slurry into its tank.  

Thank goodness all that has changed now. My little privvy is attached to the house, just outside the back door, which is under cover in the passage. It has a modern flush system, but I prefer to bypass that by using rain water. With the recent rain we have been having I have been able to fill up the reservoir. This should be sufficient to provide twenty five flushes at a cost of 1p per flush, thus saving 25p. These figures are not confirmed, I have just made them up. 

My water harvesting system works well, it rains and droplets are deposited into the plastic receptacles in the garden. Heavy rain over two days gives enough water to fill the reservoir in the little girls room, light showers take a little longer, maybe a week or more before there is sufficient in volume.

The method of transportation from one place to another requires a certain amount of physical fitness. Basically I have to lift and carry, taking care not to trip and splash myself. Best to wear sturdy footwear for this job, and bend the knees when lifting so as not to injure the back.

And there you have it, a simple money saving solution which has the potential to save hundreds of pounds over the course of a year. That figure came to me in a flash, as an example of how much a family might save. Me being a single person on a water meter I reckon I save a bit for myself, and a bit for the planet. Why not have a go and build your own water saving system, it only takes a bit of time and effort, and you could be quids in. Let me know how you get on.
Toodle pip.

I love arts and crafts

Hello. It's been a wee bit blustery today, so I've had a lovely day indoors playing with fabric. The picture is coming along nicely. Had to work out how to make the big flower appear to be floating on the pond, sorted it eventually, looks good now. Not much more to do, but I've had an idea for the frame which may take a while to construct. I did think about getting it professionally framed, but I would like to have a go at making it myself.

And for my next project, I need something to take with me to the craft club tomorrow. I want a nice cover for my sewing machine, so I've cut out some squares. These are smaller than the ones I did for the bed quilt. It will be a random patchwork to use up some of the oddments I have. Each square is 6.7cm, minus the seam allowance. I will use the plastic cover that came with the machine as a pattern. 

Oh my, look at Mayze. There are plenty of cat beds around the place, why do they always choose to lie in places where they shouldn't. There is a perfectly good basket with a bed in it on the top shelf. I have made it easy for her to get up there but she is fed up with it now, and camps out anywhere she pleases. Such a cutie.

Thank you for all your comments and emails, they are much appreciated.  Lots of love xxx

Saturday chat

Hello, let's lighten things up for the weekend. Let's chill. I've just listened to Sounds of the Sixties on Radio 2 and it's had me dancing around the living room. All the old favourites that I remember from my teenage years. Brian Mathews is ace at presenting this show, filling in the gaps between records with snippets of information that help to bring the flavour of the era flooding back to me. Now it's just after 10am and the radio is off. That John Bishop guy is on and I'm sorry but his accent grates on me, I just can't listen. Now put a Geordie accent on and I am all ears, but Liverpool  :o( sorry Liverpudlians.

Anyway, moving swiftly on. I went to town on Thursday afternoon to do the rounds, the discount stores, the cash and carry, and a few supplies from Aldi to keep me going. I can manage without yellow stickers till next week and will use the veg in the garden. Our Aldi has a new shop front, it's looking more like one of the big players now in the battle of the supermarkets. I still can't do a full shop in there though, I doubt I could do a full shop in any one supermarket and get full value for money, I need to cherry pick from all of them. For instance I got some cheese from the cash and carry, cheddar with caramelised onion and cranberries, only £1 for 250grms. A bargain. 

I noticed we have another shop closing in the town, a long established stationary and home office supplies. They sell everything for the self employed small business person working from home. I have on occasions been in there myself for the odd item, but on prices they can't compete with the likes of The Works, Home Bargains, and even the stationary department in Tesco. I had a browse to see what they were selling off cheap. There were some desks, tables, and chairs on offer at silly prices, I had a think where I could make use of a table, and concluded that I have enough in my house. I found something to buy. Blue markers and red pens. Markers 10p each, red pens 5p each. Seems I am going to be writing in red for the next twenty years, ha ha. 

I had a walk round the village the other night, trying to give away my excess courgettes, and I found another swap. My friend invited me in for a coffee and gratefully accepted the largest specimen I had. We did the catch up thing  because it's a while since we last met, and I said I was doing a bit of sewing, and told her about the Chat and Craft group that I go to every week. She then disappeared into the house, we were sat outside enjoying the warm evening, and returned with a bag of fabric and asked if I could make use of it. Oh wow, what a nice surprise. So here it is, folded and put away in the mini warehouse which is my spare room. A fantastic swap, I must deliver another courgette next week as I think I have the better deal.

I've been struggling with the design of the pond for the picture, trying different ideas, cut up pieces of fabric, ribbon, and fused plastic, they didn't look right. I wasn't sure if this idea would work, but it has. An assortment of bits and pieces scrunched up and run over with the machine lots of times to flatten it. In there is blue and white mesh fruit bags, ripped up bits of one of those papery hairnets that they use in food factories, silvery ribbon cut into narrow strips, and some scraps of pale blue lacy fabric. It's coming together slowly.

That's all for now, I have things to do. Have a nice weekend. Sunny here with some showers, so I'll be in and out. Toodle pip.

Chickens part 2

Oh what a palaver, as Sarina said. Who would have thought that a simple observation, and yes it is my simplistic way of looking at things, would have created such a kerfuffle. Yes it was a silly response to the news article, but that's me, I chill. It started my day with a smile when I read all the advice on how to buy, keep, prepare, cook, and eat chicken, to minimize the risk of food poisoning, when all the time the most obvious answer was to not eat it at all. It was staring me in the face, a simple answer to a problem. The fact that the article talked about chicken was neither here nor there, it could have been contaminated broccoli, beans, or cauliflower. My answer would have still been the same, don't eat it. Anon sort of got it, he/she mentioned dropping a cabbage in a sewer, not looking for ways of washing it and cooking it to a high temperature. Contaminated cabbage would get binned. Simple common sense solution.

Jim, N. Yorks made me laugh, he took it in the good spirit it was intended. Jim, you carry on eating chicken, go the long way round and follow all the guidelines for minimizing any gastric problems with good hygiene, preparing, cooking etc, and you will be fine. I will take the short cut and not eat it.

The whole point of the post was not to get your knickers in a twist over something of which you have no control over. The article gave a percentage of possible contaminated birds, which made it sound like a lottery as to whether you had a clean or dirty bird in your shopping trolley.That to me sounded ludicrous, why would you want to take that chance? It wasn't about vegetarian versus carnivores, it wasn't a debate about the life and death of a farm animal from birth to plate. You chose to take it in that direction.

I apply the principle of common sense obvious solutions to most things in my life. I try not to over complicate issues, try not to worry myself silly over things that are beyond my control and I cannot change. I have a 'what will be will be', attitude now. I've done with worrying, been there, done that. Spent may years campaigning for women's equality in the work place, and I'm pleased to say that attitudes did change and I like to think I did my bit. I put myself in the front line with the media, as an example of a woman able to do a job generally thought of as a mans job. Although I was confident enough to speak my mind when I was unfairly treated, I realized that the best way of going about things was not to get my knickers in a twist, but to channel all my energies into doing the job well.

I don't need to get on a soap box now, because I have a more laid back attitude. Because I see things in a simplistic way, all I need to do is make choices that are right for me. I've done with stress. Sometimes it rears it's ugly head, but in the main it is short lived as I boot it out. I can do without complications. There are a lot of horrible things going on in the world, but I can't change them so nothing would be gained by spitting feathers and sending my blood pressure through the roof. As is often said, you can't change other people, but you can change yourself.

So, I'll let the young ones do the campaigning from now on, this old bird is content to withdraw from the battlefields, and get on with living a simple life. Got to think of the old ticker.

Thank you for your comments, they are wanted and are read.

See you soon.  

Where has it gone?

When I switch the computer on I have the MSM page come up, this has recently happened since I updated the Skype connection. I don't really want all this stuff flashing in front of my eyes so I am going to have to change the settings to get rid of it. However, what greeted me this morning was the headline.....
Campylobactor in Chicken : How to avoid it. It's about the new findings that the chicken tested from all the major supermarkets and butchers has found that 59% carried the bacteria. The point of the article is to advise on how to minimize the risk from eating contaminated chicken. Well I can tell you how to do that, and it came to me in a flash. Never mind all the washing utensils and surfaces, and cooking till piping hot, I'll tell you an easier common sense way on how to avoid it....STOP EATING CHICKEN. Seems sensible to me. Does anyone else get it? Common sense, where has it gone, I think we need to send a search party out for it  :o)
Busy sewing, gardening, doing stuff, might go shopping, but I might not, depending if I have time. Sunny day want to get the churchyard finished. Toodle pip.

Cobbled together meals

I've been thinking I ought to go shopping, then I keep putting it off, can't be bothered, I'll eat something out of the freezer. Although the fridge is bare, I've surely got loads of other food, and yes I have. Sometimes you think you have nothing then when you look more closely, you have plenty. It doesn't matter if it might not be what you fancy, but hey, you paid for it and it is waiting to be eaten. 

Yesterday I cooked up half a large courgette and an onion in a pan with a drop of oil and spices. Then made up some cous cous. I emptied what was left in the bag into a pan of water, always guess how much water and usually get it wrong. I had to add some more as it was a bit dry. Of course it swells to three times the amount, I ended up with too much, not to worry, it will get eaten. Lunch today was exactly the same as dinner last night. Cous cous, courgette and onion.  

I have now resorted to knocking on doors to ask if anyone wants a large courgette. The family up the road said, oooh lovely, I'll make a curry with it, and a friend across the road said that will come in handy we have guests coming for a meal. The friend who gave me the crumble put an order in for another one at the weekend. 

Tonights dinner you will be surprised to know doesn't include courgettes, I'm having a break, ha ha. It's a bit of a mish mash, something cobbled together. I changed my mind several times before I decided what to have. It took very little cooking, first put two Quorn sausages under the grill. Chop up the last bit of the iceberg lettuce that's been hanging around for nearly two weeks. It's amazing how it stays crispy in the fridge. Open a jar of pickled onions and a jar of beetroot, always good to have this on standby to bulk a meal up a bit. Put the last bit of the cous cous in a dish with some frozen peas and zap in the microwave. Cut the sausages into pieces. I always cut my food up into bite size pieces in the kitchen then I don't have to bother with a knife. I am eating it as I type this. Multi tasking, ha ha. 

I might go shopping tomorrow, if I can be bothered. Could do with some eggs, bananas, cheese and yogurt. No weekly shopping expeditions here, I wait till I need to go. I know some of you from your comments are expert at making food go a long way. Are you able to resist going to the shops unless you absolutely have to? I think it might be difficult for those with families, especially teenagers who turn their nose up at certain foods and say they don't like whatever you serve up. I know in our house I had to eat whatever mum gave us, there was no choosing. It might not be like that now.

Well, I'm feeling stuffed, that was pretty darn good, for a cobbled together meal. Have a nice evening.
Toodle pip

Making embellishments out of rubbish

Are you getting your free food? The hedgerows round here are full of big juicy blackberries at the moment. I've had my eye on some for a few days, across the road on the village green, but they were a bit too high to reach. Not to worry, last night I took my step ladder over there and picked a big bowl of them. This is a mixing bowl, almost a pan full. All boiled up now and strained. I'm going to use the juice to add to drinks, rice pudding, porridge, and cereals. Would go nice in a fruit smoothie as well. I made some ground rice pudding and added some juice, made it a lovely shade of pink. 

Hows this for swaps. I gave my friend a big courgette and he gave me a large portion of rhubarb and blackberry crumble, and half a pot of cream. Very nice, I like this swapping lark.

I've been adding to the picture again. The big grey flower now has a red border round it, and I have made some flowers out of aluminium drinks cans and an empty tomato puree tube. Did you know you can cut the top and bottom off the tubes and open them up, they are gold inside.

If you want to make some, here's how you do it. First draw your shapes onto tracing paper, or greaseproof paper. I have three different sizes here. Then cut the top and bottom off a can or tube with large scissors,and cut the side open so you have a flat piece. Use a pencil to transfer your flower shape to the tin, and cut round it with a pair of nail scissors. 

For a piece of artwork I made before, I used them coloured side up. For this one I want the metallic sides up.

Lay one on top of the other. When you have the petals in the position you want them grip tightly between thumb and finger of left hand. Then puncture some holes in the centre so you can pass a needle and cotton  through them. You can finish off with a button on the top, but I have some flat beads which have holes across the width rather than top to bottom. After stitching them onto the fabric, I have added some small black beads to keep the petals flat.

Cutting up aluminium cans is not suitable for young children, older children should be supervised. The edges can be very sharp, easy to end up with cut fingers if you are not careful. Anybody else fancy making some metallic flowers? You can use them to embellish all kinds of craftwork. You could puncture holes all around the outer edge and sew them onto fabric or card with a running stitch or blanket stitch. I'll leave you to play around with it while I carry on with the picture. Thanks for stopping by.
Toodle pip.

Tidying up

Our church was open today and the Union Flag was flying at half mast on the pole outside. I took a peek inside, there was a memorial to the soldiers from the village who fell at the first world war. The church stayed open all day for those wanting to mark the occasion and pay their respects. 

I walk through the churchyard nearly every day, and so do a lot of other people. It's a short cut to the High Street, and people use it to go out the back gate onto the hills, a favourite place to walk dogs. Between the footpath and the wall are lots of memorial plaques placed there by the families of relatives who have been cremated. 

Every time I walk by I think it could do with a tidy up. Some of the little plots are tended regularly by family members who are still resident in the village, but I guess some people have moved away, so those plots are a bit overgrown with grass and weeds. I kept thinking it's a shame, because you can't read the name of the person who has died. 

Now I don't know if these people were involved in any wars, I don't know if they fought for their country, but I thought, what does it matter, they should still have a tidy little plot where their name can be read. So I have decided to adopt this little corner of the churchyard. I will keep it tidy for the relatives of the deceased who can no longer visit. 

I took my shears, a kneeling pad, and a bag for the grass clippings, and made a start. 

Looks a lot better now the names can be seen. I'll go back tomorrow and finish it off.
Toodle pip.

My first Ramblers group walk

I thought I would test out my new Ramblers Membership and meet up with a few fellow ramblers on a walk today. I received two booklets in the post, the Spring Newsletter from the Lincolnshire Ramblers, and the Group Programmes from the eleven groups in the region. I picked out a few possible walks which I might be able to fit into my busy calendar. Today there was one organised by the Gainsborough group, with the meeting place only 3 miles from where I live. A good one to start with I thought. 

I packed my day rucksack, sandwiches, juice drink, umbrella, spare clothes in case it got chilly, and map. I like a map even though someone else is leading the walk. I arrived at the start place in plenty of time, no sign of a group of people. I found two ladies putting their walking boots on at the back of their car. Another lady turned up who had parked down the road. We introduced ourselves, and found that none of us were from the Gainsborough group, we were all from the Scunthorpe group. We had come along because the report from Gainsborough was that they were getting low on numbers because people weren't turning up. Ha, hardly surprising if the leaders don't turn up. So who was going to lead the walk then?

I had my booklet with me so I gave the organiser a ring to ask if anyone was going to turn up because we were waiting. There was an apology with an explanation that someone else had been given the job of leading it. I rang the number given to check with that person, and got another apology and some excuse that I couldn't quite hear. There was no one coming, so we decided not to hang about and make our own walk. I had the map so off we went. 

Along the edge of a field high up above the River Trent, which joins the River Ouse, and meets with the River Humber. It was a glorious day.  

 Through a gate on the left into a field with a steep slope to it.

There were lots of cornfields, some already harvested, some were about ready for the combine to turn up.

We came into the next village. This is the Village Hall, it's a small old building and is getting a new extension on it. One of the ladies said it has been like this for about a year, so they aren't making much progress. The new extension is being constructed of red bricks, totally different to the rest of it. It's not going to look very good, that's if they ever get it finished.

Don't you think this is just cute, a small stone Scania truck and trailer with a few plants in the back of it. Seen in the front garden of a house.

The village church.

Now we are on the Humber Bank, time for lunch.

Nearby, a farmer feeding a flock of seagulls. These modern tractors don't look like tractors as we know them. This is more like a track laying vehicle that you would expect to see on a building site.

We are on our way back now, with the river on our right. Lovely views across there, and so clear we can see right over Yorkshire. 

So tranquil, and warm in the sunshine.

I left my new friends at 3.30pm. It was a lovely day, we had a natter, we had a laugh, and with just the four of us we had a darn good time. I think we might form our own little group and do it again. I've checked the mileage, we did 7.25 miles.
Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.

Surprise yourself with a made up recipe

How do you use up a glut of courgettes, apart from giving them away to the neighbours. I am just about keeping up with them, it's amazing how many six plants will produce. I am eating them every day, freezing a few in soups, and handing them out willynilly to anyone who wants them. The fridge is bare apart from a piece of brie cheese and some soft cheese, and of course courgettes. The good thing about growing veg is that I don't have to go shopping so often, I haven't been at all this week and made do with what I have. 

Yesterday was pasta with grated cheese on top. Today is a make it up meal. In a mixing bowl I have broad beans and runner beans from the garden, chopped up finely with a gizmo. Two grated carrots from a bag I got at Tesco over a week ago. One large courgette grated, and two medium size potatoes grated. A handful of  mixed nuts which I buy ready chopped. Throw in some garlic powder and black pepper. 

Mix it all together. Break two eggs into a small bowl and beat them, add them to the mix.

Then form into balls and flatten them. Put them under the grill on a low heat so they cook through. This is about half the mix.

Grill on both sides. These are tasty, they are a bit crunchy because the beans are still a little bit raw, and of course the nuts are crunchy. I didn't bother adding anything to the plate, these are enough. 

The other half of the mix I was going to save till tomorrow, but as I might be going out, weather permitting, I won't be here for lunch. So I decided to cook the mix in a pan first on the hob, then divide it up, and put it under the grill. The texture was not quite so crunchy. I have eaten two out of this batch, they go down lovely with a can of cider, and the three are in the fridge to take with me to eat cold for lunch.

I like playing with cookery, trying different home made recipes. I can never remember how I make some of the meals, I don't bother to write things down. I like surprises so use up whatever I have to hand. Thanks for calling in, I hope you have a nice Sunday. If it is not raining I will go out. Toodle pip.

Training for a better life

Today was a new experience for me, I have been dog trained. Most people think a dog trainer trains dogs, but they don't, they train people. Dave is a dog trainer, and Henry has been a little bit naughty just lately, so Dave came to show us what we should be doing when we take him, or any other dog for that matter, for a walk. I don't walk Henry but I went along to learn something. 

We all know that dogs are pack animals, and if you don't show them that you are the leader of the pack, they will assert themselves and claim that role. That's when the problems start, the dog becomes the head of the household and you become it's slave. Dave has already had a training session with Henry, about a year or so ago, but Henry has started to push the boundaries a bit and a refresher course will get him back into line. 

Dave started off by giving us an insight into how a dogs mind works. They actually need boundaries to be set. A lot of people think they have human emotions but they don't, they are dogs. Then off we went for the road walk, with Dave explaining the technique for walking to heel. This is not a time for the dog to stop and sniff at every lamp post. The human has to be in control, to set the pace, and choose the route.  

Next onto grass, this is where the dog is allowed to sniff, and to check out the territory.

Henry behaved perfectly with Dave because he asserted himself as pack leader.

More road walking and Henry is getting the hang of it. 

Then he can lay down on a bit of grass and enjoy his praise.

Next we all take the lead to practice what we have been told.

We came across a garden with two very vocal large dogs jumping up at the fence and acting quite threatening. Henry didn't like that at all and pulled on the lead to get away. After a few reassuring words from Dave, he was not quite so nervous at passing the house on the way back. 

There is a lot more to dog training than you think. The human has to assert themselves as pack leader at every opportunity, and has to set the boundaries and make the rules. There is no need to rough handle the dog, shout at it, or pull it about. Results are achieved by knowing what the dog needs from you, and being consistent and persistent with the training. That's the little bit I learnt today.

Dave is a very knowledgeable chap, he has been doing it for £35 years. He has his own German Shepherds, and is also a rehabilitation centre for GS's needing rehoming.  German Shepherd Dog Rescue.

Dave's web site is here.     And his Facebook page is here.

Only one thing for it after that.....WE ATE CAKE  :o))

Toodle pip.