Good Evening Good Evening Good Evening!

It's been a beautiful day and I have just been chasing a cat. Sorry I just can't help myself being a lurcher. Cat got away no problem but it was fun running after it. I have just finished reading Agatha's and Archies trials for the Earth dog thing. I am not quite sure what that is but it looks fun. I do wish them well and really hope they get their ribbon. I used to race and I know how exciting training can be but now managing to chase the cat at my age is an acheivement

We have had a great couple of days. Yesterday my mistress had all the fun of getting sharp sand to mix in the soil for her herbs. She also came in in great excitement having been around the local farmers market. After buying the usual bread bacon and so on she came across a man selling soap that he had made himself. My mistress is mad about good soap (more so than me I am not keen on anything to do with water) This chap made a small range of his own just using natural ingredients such as palm olive oil and essential oils and cold processing them which meant all the goodness is kept in them unlike commercial soaps which are often hot processed milled and use tallow which is not so good and doesn't last as long. He had oat and wheatgerm soap, lavender soap even a hairy herby soap which you can wash your hair with. In the end my mistress bought a peppermint cream soap to try and see just how good it was. I'll give you an update when she has used it for a while. I could hear her excited chattering as she came through the door about this adventure with soap and she is thinking of even using the hairy herby soap on me.

My mistress was telling me one of the most noticeable things about the whole stall was how happy the man was who made them. When my mistress quizzed him he told her that he had been a manager of an indoor market which had been very stressful and had learned how to make soap by literally teaching himself from a book and how much fun he had had experimenting. Even with all the paper work of making the products legal to sell it was still much more relaxing than running the market

I, meanwhile have been out in the local fields where I met up with Sugsie a terrific little king Charles spaniel. We discussed food and diet with Sugsie telling me how he has a mixture of vegetables cooked meat and oats. He has a problem with his jaw which don't fit properly and make it difficult to chew. I told him how when I was very young I simply didn't have enough food so until recently I would eat anything I could get my head round. Now my stomach is a bit more delicate I am having to be a bit more careful. My mistress and I have decided that I might try this diet of Sugsy's (providing the vet agrees).

Today while I relaxed after my early morning trot Gamfer Dog (my mistress's father) visited with his wife to help celebrate Himself (my mistress partner) getting a new job in Dreaming Spires (he's a scientist). Gamfer Dog comes from London and it is always a pleasure to see him. For a cat man he is very understanding of dogs. They kindly brought me a doggy bag back with a little fancy sausage in it which I much enjoyed.

Apparently, according to Gamfer Dog, this restraunt is new and rather posh for Mixlowe but it has an excellent wine list. Gamfer and Himself chose a Boujurelais.The place is situated in the old methodist chappel and is rather lovely with many of the old features such as the gothic windows and timbers left in. The open plan of the place gives a terrific sense of space.I hope they go there again soon, the sausage was delicious (I can hear my mistress mithering over my diet again).My mistress and I are in negotiation of putting pictures on the blog. Next time they go I will ask them to bring photos back for you to see

And now I am going back to work on my instensive sleep research while my mistress goes and plans where she is going to put the new sage plants she bought in the market. She says the night makes them seem to smell stronger.

Be in touch next Friday

Until then, live well

TTFN

Samwise