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2015.10.09 (Fri)
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Bear Necessities of LifeMusings of Teddy Bear Necessity's Household
to Whom It May Concern ¥¹¥Ý¥ó¥µ¡¼¥µ¥¤¥È
2015.10.09 (Fri)
°ìÄê´ü´Ö¹¹¿·¤¬¤Ê¤¤¤¿¤á¹¹ð¤òɽ¼¨¤·¤Æ¤¤¤Þ¤¹ Posted by ¥¹¥Ý¥ó¥µ¡¼¥É¥ê¥ó¥¯
- / / - / - Dog summer
2014.06.12 (Thu)
Roses are in bloom and bright sun shines everything that was grey and gloomy before. It's the beginning of the glorious summer season in England.
Sakura has found a new set of friends who'd tolerate her quirkiness (= barking out of excitement) and so is thoroughly enjoying the park life these days. Sakura lost 50% of her oomof after Louie died, which ironically helped her to be able to mingle with other dogs like a normal dog. Having friends has lifted her spirits up tremendously, and so it is a both good and welcoming change.
Sometimes she gets into a trouble with her pesky behaviour, (here ↓ she is being scolded by an ordinarily extremely patient Ridgeback friend) but for the most part, she is able to play with all dogs great and small and is just loving her play time.
The length of sticking out tongue equals the amount of fun she's had. Life is good. A Walk in the Country
2014.05.04 (Sun)
On one Sunday, we decided to go for a country walk in East Sussex with a dog friend, which was about 1.5 hours away from London. We chose a walk that took us through the Winnie the Pooh's 100 Acre Forest and Poohstick Bridge from the website of a walking club, and faithfully followed the site's very detailed directions. We thought maybe we'd do the "short" walk of 14Ò which was supposed to take about 4 hours, but well ... .
We started out in high spirits.
It was blue bell season, and wild blue bell fields were found everywhere.
We trekked through grassy fields,
dreamy blue belle forests,
pastures,
and greeted many farm animals.
Over countless stiles,
sometimes stopping at historical sites,
we walked and walked.
The dogs were very excited about being in the country.
They chased one another,
and tackled one another
to their hearts' desire.
By the time we reached the Poohstick Bridge
and took a little break at a pub in the nearest village of Hartfield, we had walked for about 5 hours.
"Are we there yet?" Even the dogs looked a bit tired at this point. We went back out again to do the last leg of the journey,
through more forests
and more fields.
At this point, we had been walking well over 7 hours. Dusk was falling rapidly and so were people's footsteps.
Here, our faithful friend Trey was concerened that the team was being left behind by the trek leader. What a nice boy.
We had made it to the car just in time before nightfall. If we were 20 minutes late, we would have been wondering around in pitch-black darkness. Not a very good idea in the wilderness where we had no sense of directions.
↑ This was the map of our trek.
We left the car at the train station of Ashurst on top right and came down the right red line to the green line through the 100 Acre Forest, going up though the town of Hartfield and back to the station. It was about 20Ò long and took us 8 hours! By the time we got back to London (which was of course another 1.5 hours later) and washed the muddy dog, it was already 11p.m.. Perhaps not the best way to spend a Sunday, maybe, but on the bright side, English countryside sure was glorious and we certainly enjoyed it thoroughly. Pooped Sakura A Snapshot from the Past
2014.04.30 (Wed)
The Kerries are beside themselves for being excluded from the fun with the big cat.
"Tobey is just taking a little break from you. Calm down!"
The Kerries always always always want to be included in anything we do. They are the neediest animals on this planet, LoL. Seven Sisters Country Park
2014.04.29 (Tue)
This is a record of our day trip to the Seven Sisters Country Park in East Sussex, a 2-hour drive from London. These cliffs are often used as a "stand-in" for the more famous White Cliffs of Dover in films and on TVs as they are kept more natural and undeveloped, and therefore more picturesque.
Posing on top of the cliff There are no fences along these cliffs, so the Kerries were kept on lead. Many people commemorate their visit by leaving names and some other words with white chalk stones at the edge of the cliffs. I suppose these can be called graffitis, but it is a much better and charming version than the marker pen or spray paint version.
It's a hike to go up these hills, but it's all worth it.
What a view! Along the way you can find many sheep happily grazing away. Sakura is on lead here, but dogs can be off lead to their hearts content given that they do not chase farm animals. Some paths go right through sheep pastures, so you need to be careful.
Baaaaaaaaaaaaa The Seven Sisters Country Park is a part of the immense South Downs National Park, which comprises of the entire green part in the map above ↑. The South Downs consists of the dynamic coastlines, meandering river vallyes, rolling grassland and ancient woodlands. There are also some historical curiosities, such as these "pill boxes" which are concrete dug-in guard posts built against the German invasion during the 1940s.
The idea of a South Downs National Park dates back to the 1920s, and with much bumps and detours, it finally became in operation as a national park in 2011. Nature loving British do their best to protect their environment. The policy of Green Belt controls urbanization and protects the countryside from overdevelopment. The organization such as the National Trust preserves the places of historic intest or natural beauty by owning 630,000 acres of mostly countryside properties. This is a number equaling nearly 1.5% of the total land mass of England, Wales and Northern Ireland! Looking back, the fact that Louie was able to spend the last 5 years of his life in beautiful England where dogs can be dogs was a bless. A Snapshot from the Past
2014.04.23 (Wed)
Sakura (left), Louie (right) and Zoey (below)
taking a nap on one afternoon. A Dog Friendly Afternoon Tea
2014.04.22 (Tue)
A few months after we stayed in the dog-friendly Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel in London with our Kerry Blues, we went back to have afternoon tea in the hotel restaurant, of course with the Kerries again.
Gorgeous Christmas tree in the lobby
It seems having 2 Kerries is quite memorable, so as soon as we walked in, a staff welcomed us with a friendly remark, "You were here before, weren't you? Welcome back." We had never taken the dogs to a restaurant in UK before, so we were a bit nervous as we walked into the restaurant, but it was a needless concern as a staff immediately brought us a dog bed and a water bowl and made us feel very welcome. The bed was mostly occupied by Sakura
We've had afternoon tea in several hotels in London, and I'd say afternoon tea at the Chesterfield Mayfair is one of the best. The scones and sandwiches were nice and moist and the sweets were just delicately sweet, not overly sweet. On top of that, the staffs are friendly and attentive, which you'd think is standard but not so much in reality even in 4 or 5 star hotels. "Are we coming back here again?" Oh yeah. The Kerries are used to accompany us to pubs and cafes, so to them this experience was no different. They were very well-behaved and sophisticated like the city dogs that they are. ;-)
A Dog Friendly London Hotel
2014.04.21 (Mon)
Let me introduce a very special hotel in London. It's called the Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel, and it is a super dog-friendly hotel. Dogs are allowed not only in rooms but also in the restaurant and bar. (Public area photos are from the internet.)
Why stay in a hotel in London while living in London? That was because my loving hubby booked it for a wedding anniversary last year, and of course the Kerries had to be included in the celebration. Our lovely room was equipped with a dog bed and bowl although the Kerries do mostly human bed (so we cover the bed with a sheet from home).
We ate out for dinner but still had to try the hotel's famously dog-friendly facility, so we had a night cap in the bar. Louie asking to go to sleep. He was not much of a night owl. Although Louie may not have appreciated having to stay up late, it was still nice to be able to be with your dogs and not worry about how they were doing in the room. In the morning, we walked in Green Park, which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Green Park is the smallest of 8 Royal Parks in London, but it is still 40 acres big. There are lots of squirrels so squirrel hunter Sakura had to be leashed here and there, but gentle boy Louie could romp to his heart's content. He was such a good boy.
The Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel is located in the heart of Mayfair, near the Berkeley Square. It is not a very small hotel, but its cozy atmosphere and super friendly staffs make it feel very homey and comfortable. We left the hotel wanting more, and so we would absolutely go back, maybe to try the restaurant next time. Snapshots from the Past
2014.04.16 (Wed)
Louie nuzzling up to daddy Louie after his "work" looking a little tired, LOL A snapshot from the past
2014.04.16 (Wed)
"Pay attention to meeeeeeee!"
Louie trying to get Sakura's attention on the beach of Genêts, France.
Honfleur trip
2014.04.11 (Fri)
Going down the memory lane.
This is from our trips to Honfleur, France, in April and August of 2012.
Beautiful 17th century old harbor In April, we stayed in this little cottage at La Fond de la Cour, a charming B&B runned by a very nice British couple. There even is a dog priprietor who was very taken by the Kerries. Louie affirmed his love for livestocks. In August, we stayed in the annex house, Petite Maison, of the hotel, Les Maisons de Léa. You can experience living in a 16th century half-timbered Normandie house this way. We have to take along plenty of sheets and blankets to cover beds and sofas if we travel with the Kerries because they are such snugglers. It is impossible to remove them from a sofa or a bed. Louie approved the daily boulangerie routine. Beautiful Honfleur. It became a very special place for us with fond memories. |