Up’T North

July continued in Oundle, our long‑standing summer hideaway where we’ve been sitting so long we’re basically part of the local ecosystem. Even without Jester (Mr J) — gone a few months now but still very much part of the emotional furniture — the house feels familiar and comforting. Gemma, ageing like a grand old duchess, continues to supervise us with the kind of regal authority only senior dogs possess. Every nap is a royal decree.

With Oundle wrapped up, we headed up’t North, where the vowels shorten, the humour sharpens, and half our readers may require subtitles. A rare gap between sits meant we could visit family in Leeds, pop in to see one of our regular dogs, and roam the North East coast like two people who definitely weren’t just looking for chips.

For the literary sleuths, this month’s photo clue comes straight from Stoker:

“3 May. Bistritz. – Left Munich at 8:35 P.M…”

Which of course leads us to Whitby, North Yorkshire — more precisely Tate Hill Sands, where Dracula first rocked up in England and immediately thought, “Aye, this’ll do.” We enjoyed a cracking seaside day out, complete with a climb up more steps than any reasonable human should tackle without a Sherpa.

The following evening was spent sampling the bars and pubs of Middlesbrough.
That’s it. That’s the whole paragraph. We move on for everyone’s sake.

We wrapped up July back in Chapel Allerton with Reggie, the big black Labrador who treats pubs as his natural habitat. Temperatures were too hot for last year’s heroic mileage, but Reggie was perfectly happy with shorter walks and long sessions of “I’m not begging, I’m just protecting your sandwiches.”

But July wasn’t all seaside and sarcasm. We received heart breaking news of the passing of two of our much‑loved furry friends: Sherlock, the gentle giant who looked like he could pull a plough but preferred leaning on you like a sleepy wardrobe, and Bonnie, the sweet, affectionate soul who made every sit feel like home. Their loss hit hard. They weren’t just dogs we sat for — they were characters in our story, companions on our travels, and friends we’ll carry with us.