Max and Paul's Excellent Adventure

It's now been 7 weeks since we came to Bagworth. The weather has been freezing with sleet and an icy wind. (Few trees in Bagworth.). So we stayed in. The village has virtually no infrastructure and we need to travel about 12-15km to go to a town with any life. The garden here is basic and what little it needed, we did in the first week. A lot of time is being spent reading, cooking, practising guitar, morning yoga and learning software packages.  The house is fairly large (by English standards) and warm, so we have our own spaces to comfortably do what we like. Using this time to  ponder future prospects, it's unlikely we'd stay in, or north, of the Midlands. Where we are is bleak, barren and boring.  The 'ouse Graeme, the man of the house, is a science fiction freak who loves Dr Who. He has a massive collection of books and, an interesting bathroom downstairs. Did I say he was a fan of Doctor Who? The sign on the l oo door. For those who don't know, it's the si...

After a three-hour drive from Bordon, heading north, we found ourselves at the next sit in Bagworth, which was marketed as Market Bosworth, a lovely little town 5 miles away. The owners advertised the location in a similar manner to real estate agent. We caught up with the owners the day before they left for their three-and-a-half-month holiday; a trip to New Zealand then a cruise back to the UK. Treacle, our charge, seemed independent and quite capable of looking after himself. After a week, we referred to him as Mr. Puddykins, after the Johnny English reference.  Treacle was a bruiser. He'd been rescued, having lived the first eight months of his life in their shed and the surrounding fields. He was antisocial, independent and feisty. His face and demeanor shouted f*** you! And he'd bite if he felt like it. 

This is our last sit before heading north to the midlands for a three-and-a-half month sit. We have been here before with Sandy and Arthur. It was only a 15-minute drive from the previous property, which was handy. It's a lovely place to be, albeit for only 3 days. Sandy Arthur And so ends the sits for 2023. We had a good year travelling mainly around Southern England with one trip to Ireland and great reviews  improved our opportunities for sits. Penny enabled us to do the out-of-the-way places in the countryside. So here is the list of sits we've completed since April. 

We were at the Farnham sit for Christmas day and found some decorations to set the mood. The open fireplace was functional so I was 'stoked' to use it on the day.  Daniel and Ellen drove from Sevenoaks on Christmas Eve to be with us and stay the night. Daniel had to work Boxing Day so the boozy day was on the Eve. Max made a wonderful spread of the best food in town and with a local gin, magnum of prosecco and mulled wine, we were ready.  Daniel and Ellen got the fire going and before long, we were spending our first-ever Christmas in front of an open fire. Just up the road, Santa had no excuse but to stop by Some beautiful examples of Christmas-decorated windows. This is the full window display of a pic I posted in an earlier blog. A few days later, we are at the Bordon property and celebrating the lad's 26th birthday. Again, Max made a wonderful spread of food followed by a delicious cheesecake made by Ellen and handwritten chocolate by Max and Ellen. Prosecco all around ...

 As mentioned, the house sit is in The Sands in  rural Farnham. We have been to the area before so the town itself is familiar. Having the car is a blessing and getting around to various villages is so much easier. Coming up to Christmas, all the shops are resplendent in looking the part.  I am impressed by some of the shop window art work.  Dress made of newspaper pages Dogs enjoying their backyard One of the cottages along the dog walking track The entrance to many an estate. The oak leaves act as a carpet Christmas in Guildford Christmas present anyone? Yes, that's right.   £40,400! The Guildford Castle sits on a hill overlooking the town. It was founded by William the Conquerer in 1066 and rebuilt over time by past royalty. The gardens are spectacular. I can only imagine what it would be like in early summer. A local pub A beautiful gate outside one of the mansions. If you look closely, it has a tree as its main feature with two squirrels at the base.

We arrived at our Farnham sit in the early evening. We were welcomed warmly by the family and the two chocolate labradors. The family were leaving early morning on a flight to Kenya to be with their daughter for Christmas.  The dogs are easy to be with and easy to walk if one carries treats. Being in a rural area, there are loads of squirrels and a few deer to watch for. In one instance, I had the dogs on leads holding them in one hand when they spotted a squirrel. If the dogs chase a squirrel, we ALL chase a squirrel.  I now know how a Tesla car feels going from 0-100kph in 3 seconds! Lesson learned. Do not walk them both in one hand. Sister and brother, Maggie and Marney Two chocolate labs - what's not to love? Treat time   Who doesn't like a belly scratch??? The season is upon us!

 Just out of Salisbury is Stonehenge, the Neolithic structure built around 5000 years ago, or so we're told. It was believed to have been a celestial clock built to track the movement of the sun, moon and stars. The burials of 58 individuals were uncovered at the site in 1919 when structural work to repair one of the horizontal stones was done. Even though it's inundated with tourists, especially in summer, it still has a magical mystical feel to us. I was last here in 1990 whilst driving my kombi van around the UK. I just drove up within 50 metres and walked right up to it. This time, I used Google Maps and it took us to the 'Stonehenge Centre' which was a huge museum with a car park for hundreds of cars and a fee of  £27 each to enter and get the shuttle to the Stones. We found there was a walking track to the Stones and chose that (free) option.  There are many theories as to how the stones got there and still today, there is no definitive answer. The sarsen ...

Once settled with Ned, we ventured out and about. I concede that most seaside areas are not as attractive as they are in Australia. In a lot of cases it is mud, rather than sand, that meets the water and thus high tide makes for a prettier picture. Having said that, the boats and the harbours have their own special magic and the history of the area allowed me to imagine what it would have been like to see the Saxon boats sailing past. This area has some beautiful properties with some having been built or rebuilt in recent times. The place we are staying. The view from the back garden The view from our room. The harbour is in the distance. The following pics are of surrounding properties.  This one is across the road. Other homes in our lane This was taken in West Wittering - A village close by. I am fascinated at how many thatched roofs are still being maintained rather than replaced. A lot has to do with heritage listings and having no choice but to keep the type of material, but ...