Quintessential Cotswolds

We start this month’s blog with news of some new additions to our ever-growing extended furry family.

Firstly, we made a trip down to Somerset to visit friends who have recently welcomed a beautiful chocolate Labrador puppy called Izzy into their lives. She is absolutely adorable, but when we return in October for a three-week sit, life is likely to be rather more challenging than cute! Puppy training will be very much on the agenda, while her young age means she still won’t be able to enjoy the long walks that Labradors are famous for.

Our next stop was Neston in Wiltshire, where we met the most adorable and chilled-out Cavapoo called Teddie. We instantly fell in love with him. Affectionate, happy, calm and playful in equal measure, he is a real character, and we are very much looking forward to spending time with him in his cosy country cottage home.

Our first sit in September was a familiar one in Castle Cary with the whippet girls. It is always a pleasure to return here. We know the area well and have become good friends with the hosts over the years. The girls are no trouble at all and are wonderfully affectionate and cuddly, which is exactly how we like it.

Those of you who follow our movements are probably convinced that we spend almost half the year wandering around the beautiful Cotswolds. To be fair, there may be some truth in that! We are incredibly fortunate to spend so much time in this stunning part of the country, and never wanting to miss an opportunity, we headed back between sits for a few days of exploring some more quintessential Cotswold villages.

This month’s blog photograph comes from Bourton-on-the-Water, one of the region’s best-known and busiest tourist destinations. It offers an eclectic mix of cafés, pubs, museums and a remarkable Model Village. From there, we enjoyed an afternoon walk through Upper and Lower Slaughter, complete with a relaxing tea stop at the local inn. The following morning began with breakfast in the equally intriguingly named village of Stow-on-the-Wold.

With our mini-break over, we once again returned to Gaddesby and the continuing adventures of Ken and Wolfie. As always, it was an eventful sit filled with plenty of walking and the welcome arrival of the weekly fish and chip van. Remarkably, this was our 15th sit here, and it now feels very much like a second home. In fact, we’ve probably been visiting Gaddesby longer than some of its current residents have lived there!

Last, but certainly not least, we managed to arrange one of our all-too-rare catch-ups with our dear friend Carl, whom we have known for many years through our days in the aviation organisation. More like family than a friend, Carl remains one of our biggest supporters and is, without doubt, the most prolific commenter in the history of this blog. It was wonderful to see you again mate, and we are already looking forward to our next meetup.