A frosty start.

Today started early. 6am, to be precise when Brinkley woke me to let him outside. Normally, I go out into the garden with him to make sure there's nothing that would start him barking and wake any of the neighbours who may be trying for a Sunday lie-in, or that no-one has tampered with the side gate that would leave Brinkley with a route for escape. Normally, I don't feel the chill in my warm, fleecy dressing gown.

But, this morning was different. This morning the wind was from the north, this morning it was frosty, this morning it was cold. Having checked everything was Ok, I left Brinkley and returned to the warmth of the kitchen.

By 10am we were all in Neil's car. Leather seats are cold on frosty mornings so we decided to make use of a special button on the dash board - it heats up the seats. Within a couple of minutes, there was a gentle heat spreading across my bum. It's an odd sensation, but quite nice on a frosty morning.

Today the temperature guage said 6 degrees, many of the trees are becoming bare at an alarming rate and we plough through large piles of discarded leaves as we wander through the park.

I love cold, frosty mornings. I love walking through the park, snuggled into my big coat and warm boots, watching the dogs explore every new smell that has appeared since their last visit.

I have added to my shopping list this week - a winter car pack for the frosty mornings that we will have many more of over the next few weeks.

On mornings like this, I feel as if I should miss the warm, autumnal Spanish mornings, but I don't.

Now, I wonder where my gloves are?

How to make 3 weeks last 5 months.

Back on the 9th August I started my 1st temping assignment after a break from work of over 2½ years. It was a 3 week assignment which went really well. So well, they asked me back to do a further assignment.

Then they asked me back again.

Now they have asked me to work through until Christmas.

It's an ideal placement. It's less than 5 minutes from home, I don't have any traffic to contend with, I have on-site parking and I get on well with the others in the office.

Shame it can't turn into a permanent role but as my current assignment is to deal with the integration of the role into other areas within the business, by the end of this assignment, the role will no longer exist.

But 5 months from a 3 week assignment - even after 2½ years away - I'm obviously still able to do it!

And at least Christmas is paid for.

Walking in the tracks of Robin Hood

We are only 10 minutes away from Sherwood Forest, the legendary hideout of Robin Hood, and today we decided to take the dogs there for their weekend walk.

These days a lot of places insist in dogs being on their leads but at Sherwood Forest they can still run free, away from the Visitor Centre.

I remember visiting the Major Oak as a child on school day trips, in the days before the tree was fenced off, when we would spend time in school studying about Robin Hood and then re-enact what we had learnt, hiding in the Forest as outlaws, waiting to pounce on the Sherriff's men.

Today the Major Oak is all fenced off and supported by lots of metal posts, tastefully painted green to blend in but it doesn't stop the kids running around, still living the Robin Hood legend.

The sun was shining, the dogs were happily wandering and Neil & I chatted as we strolled around the forest, stopping for a coffee when we reached the visitor centre. Winter may be just around the corner but today, it was a million miles away.

Nature always amazes me.

I saw some fabulous Canadian Fall (autumn, to you and me) photos on a blog I follow yesterday, where the autumnal colours are really vibrant and I realised that, although we are in October, our trees and hedgerows are still green and only just showing signs of turning. http://journeyandadventure.blogspot.com/2010/10/october.html

Last year in Spain, I remember commenting on how the trees there don't seem to go through a colour change but simply seem to drop their leaves over night, and looking out of the window now, all I can see is the heavy gloom of an October morning where the sun has a lot more work to do to burn off the damp clouds.

While out walking with the dogs yesterday I heard a 'thump' as I passed a row of trees and looking around I found this had just fallen. Yesterday, the outer case was still green and overnight it's turned a rich brown and the case has split revealing a shiny new conker. I remember playing conkers as children, getting bruised knuckles and wrists and friends giving all sorts of vinegar related recipes to soak them in, looking for a way to make your conker harder than your competitors. I was never very good but some people would have conkers that were multiple winners, a sixer or more.

So, I 'Googled' conker and discovered that the World Conker Championships are held in the UK, this coming Sunday, close to the ancient town of Oundle, in Northamptonshire. I'm amazed that there is such a thing as a Conker World Champion, but I suppose I shouldn't be - I wonder when it will become an Olympic Sport?

Anyway, here's a link http://www.worldconkerchampionships.com/

And this morning as I opened the blinds in the kitchen my attention was caught by the tree stump we have in the garden. I'm not sure what tree used to grow there but it was just a stump when we moved in. Neil mowed the grass around it only 2 days ago and there was nothing to be seen but this morning, there is a whole village of mushroom houses.

Maybe one of these mornings when I am up early with the dogs, I will be able to see the fairies who live there playing in the garden!

Why can't dogs tell the time?

And no, it's not the start of a joke, although it should be, it's a serious question.

I suppose it should read - Why can't dogs tell the time - discuss!

Just recently, Brandy has started to wake me at 2am, he goes out for a wee, has a drink and then wants to play. He's wide awake and bright as a button.

At 2am!

His brother stays firmly asleep, he loves his bed but Brandy seems to have developed a night time wanderlust.

And once he wakens me I find it very difficult to fall asleep again and so I find myself pottering around the house, tidying & dusting.

Neil is rarely aware that I have been up and I'm sure he thinks we have moved into a house that has cleaning elves that come in at night and make the place all neat & tidy for the morning. Anything left out of place at night is miraculously in it's proper place by morning.

I do wonder whether I should tell him the truth or let him continue to believe we have nightly visitors.

Ah well, it's now 3am - time to chase Brandy back to bed!

Wet weather ruins planned tv day.

Today I should be sat infront of the TV fixed with the tension that is 'The Ryder Cup'.

I was so pleased to only be working 3 days a week as it meant Friday's were free and I could see the opening day for once.

And so, at 7.30am we switched on the TV to start to absorb some of the atmosphere. In Worksop it was a dry day but in Wales it had been raining for some time and the players were all decked out in their waterproofs, umbrellas up and towels everywhere as the caddies tried to keep the clubs dry.

By the time the players were on the 1st tee it was obvious that play was going to be tricky. Puddles were everywhere, on the greens, filling the bunkers and even the fairways were starting to look more like rivers.

It's such a shame. Play was suspended after an hour.

About 5 years ago I went to the Celtic Manor for a conference. I didn't get to play the course as there wasn't enough spare time, but I did have a good look around and it really looked a good course. I could see why a match such as the Ryder Cup would go there.

The trip to the Celtic Manor was my 1st introduction to SatNavs - and I had a moody one. I travelled down with a colleague and we stopped at some services where 2 motorways joined. I had also printed directions from the internet which my colleague was following as neither of us knew that area of the country well.

After a coffee we got back into the car and turned the SatNav back on. It told me I needed to rejoin the motorway and take the next left I knew I needed to go right. We were travelling south and then needed to go across to Wales. I ignored the SatNav and turned right. My colleague said I needed to take the next junction off, I knew we were still some 40 miles before we needed to exit the motorway. I ignored my colleague and carried on. After about 20 minutes both the SatNav and my colleague caught up with me and we were all agreed on the directions once again.

That night we decided we would take a taxi down into Newport and find a nice restaurant for dinner. The hotel sorted a taxi for us and we found a really nice place. At the end of the evening we jumped into a taxi and asked to be taken to the Celtic Manor Hotel.

'Where's that then?' asked the taxi driver.

'Where the Ryder Cup is going to be held in 2010' I said. It was a huge hotel complex, he had to know where it was. It was midnight, it was dark and we had no idea.

'No, never heard of it' the driver replied.

I was vaguely aware of which direction we had driven down to Newport but as a passenger, you don't note every road and roundabout. Eventually I remember a series of roundabouts and knew we were close. We circled a few times like a shark sizing up a kill and then I made a decision which exit the driver should take from the roundabout. We drove up a country lane that didn't look familiar and I began to worry when suddenly we saw the hotel lights ahead. we had somehow found the back entrance to the hotel, but at least we had found it.

I assume over the last few years taxi drivers have made it a priority to know how to get to the Celtic Manor, I would imagine business will be brisk for them this weekend, but back then it wasn't on their radar.

And it was only a 10 minute drive.

And so I'm kicking my heels waiting for play to resume. And I can't even pass time by having a lovely long walk with the dogs because we too have torrential rain now, blowing across from Wales!

Time to browse the Kindle store I think.