Walks, near misses & our own potatoes

Well, Summer's moving on & the crowd here have been busy with hospital visits, I'm afraid, this time my mum. We're working on the hospital to let us bring Lilly to see her -she has been in for what must now be a couple of weeks. But in the mean time, Lilly and I have been  getting my dad back into his walking routine while she is in hospital.

 

He always likes walks with a bit of history and this was one we hadn't been along for about 15 yrs! To make the most of the time we decided to have a walk & a picnic which worked out well. This could be a good one with a wheel chair which fits our agenda as we are  trying to suss out potential walks they can do together when she comes home. 

So, no gardening to mention and the place is getting rather wild. But today we lifted our first potatoes, they taste so different to shop bought ones, don't know why.

 Just lifted enough for lunch which is in the oven as I blog. Photo taken of them in my own basket, made with a lot of help at a workshop a few years ago, shows why the beautiful ones hen4 makes are such good value, a thing of beauty for years to come, well hers not mine!

As usual nothing happens here without the dogs getting involved, Daisy had to check out the potatoes that I thought, misguidedly, to show them as part of practising a basic leave command, they obviously smelt scrumptious and behind the camera I lost "command" of the situation! But they all scrubbed up fine and due to the cook's perogative of being able to test things first, I can tell you they taste amazing. Talking of training....

.....we have left the dog crate that is normally in the back of the car at my Dad's house so the dogs can stay there & stay cool while I visit the hospital. Which meant we had a near miss this week, just as we set out on a favourite walk. Despite the  "stay" as I lifted the hatchback which usually is enough, Archie, the cool dude at the end (who had seen someone else set off just before us) slipped under the door as I lifted it and hared up the path to greet them, with Lilly in close pursuit. All well that ends well and they soon returned to my call but I wasn't happy and realised we needed to return to basics, without a barrier, in the boot. So here they are practising  a group stay in the back of the car. Archie looks as if he is soo bored with the whole thing but he is the one who really needs it. 

I hope we will be able to take Daisy to some events as part of the Press Pack soon, so Lilly has been giving her some pointers on how to be a star, and show off her best side. To be honest I think she will be a natural, but we have started practising some games we can play with very little space so she doesn't get bored. She is a different kettle of fish to Lilly, still gentle but very fast and quick which could be scary to people. So she has lots to learn. 

The garden is moving on as always & the lavateria has come into flower at the front of the house. The nasturciums are coming along in the salvaged fishing float my brother gave me after a flotsam walk along the beach, it works really well, they stay damp as there's no drainage and I rather like the ragged edge of the float against the green leaves.

Any way I think Archie is telling me I am burning dinner so I had better go & see what I can salvage from the oven!