The first frosts have hit our little piece of Scotland and we are into our Winter training regime. Dawn and Layla have been getting out several times a week to get the dogs fitness up to race standard. We are finding the short days mean we are training at twilight or even in the dark. This weekned sees the clocks going back and we will be needing a good set of lights to train with. We have been running at Deer Park in the main, which offers a choice of trails,surfaces and hills. We have seen the girls getting better and better. Hex has taken on the role of lead dog and appears to relish the challenge and is a natural leader. She is however relentless and Cruz and Voodoo have been keeping up with the pace she sets. We have been particularly impressed with Voodoo's improvement this month. her Seppalla lineage is coming to the fore now.

Our older dogs have been tootleing round the trail as they do. It has been good to see Zillah getting his Mojo back and seeing him working hard again. Pagan continues to love the uidea of running but suffers in anything above freezing temperatures. Reef remains as enigmatic as ever, sometimes working like a train, and then on other days prancing around like My little Pony, and we have never managed to work ourt what makes him want to run and what puts him in lazy mode.

Our pack of huskies are complemented by Lenny the whippet and Sookie the Jack Russell. Sookie is a real hit with the husky girls. Voodoo and her will play for hours, whilst Cruz and Hex have been so good with her. It is amazing seeing the different facets of these dogs, they are running machines, but also they are patient, and playful with the pup. Lenny has had his nose put out of joint with the JR pup commandering the "cutest dog in the pack" place. bless, but even Lenny has been gentle with the new pup. It is so intersting watching this mixed pack interact. You really see their breed characteristics coming out, and how all the dogs have such distinct personalities.

So, only a few weeks until the first race! How exciting!!!! will let you all know how we get on and how the girls do in their first race!!

So, it is decided....Dawn will run the fast girls at Aviemore and I will tootle round with the boys. Dawn has never competed at Aviemore before so this will be a great experience for her, and fair play, she has been out training with the dogs when I have been stuck at work. I will be super proud of them all as I cheer them in at the finish line.

With the first chill in the air, our thoughts have turned to the up coming season ahead. We have high hopes for our pups who come from some of the most prestigious bloodlines in the country. We have been so fortunate to have been entrusted with them and we owe it to our dogs and to their breeders to get out there, train hard and compete.It is always so exciting just now as we await the first race which for us will be in November at Culbin.

Dawn has been great and has got the dogs out even when I am at work. A huge thank you to Layla who has lent us her rig while we wait.....and wait.....and wait for Halfords to tell us our new wheels are in......mutter,mutter,mutter!! And Emma has been lending a hand too to get the dogs off safely. Just a little "note to self" to review Layla's snubbing technique!........

Still, not long to go now, air is crisp, dogs excited.....bring it on!

See you all on the trail

xxx 

We always knew when we lost one of our dogs it would be awful, but we had never expected it to be so soon or in such tragic circumstances. It was over a month ago that our beautiful Seppalla girl, Romany died in an awful accident, and only now do I feel able to write about it. It is not my usual banter about life here in Scotland. This entry will tell of that gut wrenching pain I had upon the death of our beloved pup.

Romany was our beautiful, noisey blue eyed girl who was just over a year old. We often joked that she was a German Shepherd in a husky body because unlike many Siberians, she just wanted to be with you all the time. There was nowhere Romany would rather be than on the sofa, snuggled up, or on the bed having a late night cuddle. And my God, she was noisey. She would "woo woo" at the slightest thing, even at nothing. When she ran in harness she would bark and yap as she ran as if to remind the world that she was there. Romany was the dog that was so easy to fall in love with. Her doleful eyes and loving temperament made her an easy dog to favour. But she is gone now.

Our dogs live outside in kennels. We had discussed at length whether our dogs should keep their collars on when unsupervised. We decided that the relative risk of dogs bolting, or not being able to control them, or if they escaped with no collar on, was higher than a possible accident in the kennel. We left collars on our dogs and we paid a high price for our decision.

I can recall every detail of that terrible morning. We were getting ready to go to the shopDawn was in the bath and I was making tea. The dogs were barking but not a distressed noise. I walked over to the kennel to see what the fuss was. I thought it strange that Romany did not get up to greet me as she was the dog who was always first to say "hello". She was laying still, and I slowly realised that as the other dog in the kennel moved, she dragged Romany with her. I can remember that sickening sense of panic welling up in me like a nightmare rush. I jumped into the kennel, but could not separate the dogs. Romany's collar was caught under the lower jaw of the other dog and had snagged on the dogs canine teeth. I ran to the house screaming for Dawn to come and help, grabbed a knife and raced back to cut the collar. Romany was warm, but lifeless. Dawn and I started to resuscitate her but to no avail. Romany had died, the magic had left our girl.

We are lucky to be surrounded by dog/animal friendly people who had some understanding of what we must be going through. I think we are still grieving for our beautiful pup, but we have had to get on with our lives. We have the shop to run and our other dogs and animals to care for. But still, the memory of Romany burns in our hearts.

She is buried just outside our bedroom window. Not the forest or the hills for her. Romany only ever really wanted to be with us, so now she is as close as she can be. Waiting for us just outside our room, and able to see the other dogs. Her death was tragic on so many levels, but it will be particularly poignant at Aviemore this year when the "Fab Four" were to run together........now it will just be three......there will be a big hole in the team forever.

People told us if we are going to continue to have dogs we should get a puppy or a new dog to make us look forward instead of back, to be positive instead of wallowing in grief. At first we thought this was wrong, impossible, and we decided not to look for another dog. But wee Sookie, the Jack Russel crossed our path and she has made us smile again. She is in no way a replacement for Romany, but she is with us because of what happened. So I laugh at Sookie's puppy antics, but then catch myself remembering the stupid, funny things Romany used to do, and her sad looking ice blue eyes.

She is gone now. Rest in peace you lovely girl. We will see you again one day I'm sure.

It is a strange day when you see your little girl all dressed up for her Prom. Bella had planned her prom dress for years, I recall a plan to arrive on the big day on a pink unicorn! Unfortunately the pink unicorns were all booked out so Boo and her friends hitched  a lift on a WWII jeep for the short journey from Ewell to Epsom racecourse.

Bella looked stunning. I was so proud to see her with her friends all getting their photos taken and enjoying being glammed up for a night. I have to confess I was a bit of a "prom-doubter" in the past but I saw what an important "coming of age" ritual it is for the kids. It is a moment when they pause on the brink of adulthood and remember all their school days as they have grown up together, and to look forward with both excitement and trepidation to leaving childhood behind.

I was so proud of my Bella. She has been through a lot in the last few years, but she has won through and looked stunning and happy on the night. I was a very very happy El Daddio XXX Congratulations Boo

Independance Day, the 4th July.......today we opened Thirteen Moons, the sustainable Cafe and Shop at the Mill of Towie. After months of hard work and outlay, the big day was upon us. The sun shone and the omens were good.

We were lucky to have Debbie and Sally with us. They had flown up from darkest Addington to help Dawn for the first week.....you just can't buy friends like that......Emma and Ian have been helping for weeks to get the place ship-shape, Lesley took a day off work and Diane donned her apron to help. Our two young helpers Nicola and Francis were also standing by to recieve customers. 10 am came and we were officially open. Our first customers were Fee and her grandaughter Juliet. It was about now that I realised just how steep a learning curve we were actually on! Despite reading the instructions several times, when it came to real live customers, I could not get the damn cash register to work! When I eventually got the drawer open, I realised on our first transaction that I had no-where near enough float.....I promised Fee I would get her tenner to her as soon as I had one to give her. Bless Fee, she smiled and enjoyed watching a grown man suffer at the hands of a simple shop till.

The day went well. We had a steady flow of customers and well-wishers throughout the day. We sold lots of teas, some of our crafts and our chickens enjoyed tormenting the diners who chose to eat outside. In the kitchen things were H.O.T. !!! With hindsight we probably had too many people trying to help, but we muddled through and the feedback from our guests was extremely positive. It was a sweltering day, but it seemed to flash by in a blur. 5pm came around quickly, we cashed up then we all retired upstairs to enjoy a glass of champagne and a toast to ourselves and the thrill of bringing a dream into reality.

It has been a scary, exhilerating, exhausting ride to date, and Im sure we will have many more ups and downs along the way, but we have done it. We set ourselves a goal and here we are with our very own cafe and craft shop. How amazing is that?

So, if you are passing, please drop by for a cuppy and probably the finest clotted cream tea in Scotland. We would love to see you. Watch this space for news of our new web-site for Thirteen Moons coming very soon.

You know you are living your dream when.......

......you are  filling the pigs water bucket up at 23:30 at night, it is still light. As you bend at the riverbank you see something paddling upstream. You think it must be a bird or something, but then it sees you, you see its brown head and then it flips and dives beneath the water and you realise you have just seen an otter at the bottom of your field!

....you get home from work and the first problem I have to deal with is not where to park, but instead you have to get your pigs and goats out of the back garden. Despite being very very bad pigs and naughty, naughty goats, you realise you love these pesky critters.

....everyday the shell of the building you took on is transformed into a wonderful tea room and a space for your friends to display and sell unique, amazing works of art. You realise you SO believe in this business, this dream. And you are sharing this with your beautiful wife and one day you may really live and work together every day.

....your team of huskies takes you through the forest at break-neck speed, never missing a beat, working so hard for you and you realise all the early mornings, all the cold training sessions have paid off. And you love your dogs even more that you thought you could!!

...you have your own bees!

....when you walk down the High Street in the village, people recognise you and want to stop, chat and spend some time with you.

....when you watch your kids grow into strong, intelligent, kind, free thinking adults. When you talk about them, you realise you have an overwhelming sense of pride.

....you realise that you have friendships that miles and time will never break, and you can rely on these people for your whole life.

....you have to courage to do the things that once were fantasy and now are a reality......and you regret nothing.......absolutely nothing!

One Big Love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things have been busy at the Mill as we work our little socks off preparing to open the tea-room and craft shop. Ian and Emma have been helping us and we cannot thank them enough, Ian has wired in our fancy new cooker and done numerous jobs around the place. Emma has helped me pave the dog run and taken part in intense  numerous creative discussions over numerous bottles of wine.....its a dirty job but someone's gotta do it......

Andy has helped me move a shed from Ronnie and Lynn's. We have bartered free range eggs for the shed. Sounds like an easy job, but the shed was "Quality", heavy and big! add to the mix high winds and Andy and I getting hysterical as we nearly blew away while carrying panels in a "Wizard of Oz" style, and the job was more complicated. I fear I may have contravened several road traffic laws as we strapped the shed panels to the back of the van for the trip to the Mill. Eventually the panels all arrived and have been erected, a new roof put on and Dawn has painted and added hanging baskets to welcome our 25 new chooks. Lovely ISA-Warrens, at point-of-lay.....these are the "brown hens" that lay loads of lovely eggs that we hope to sell through the shop. Thats if Dave and Jills horses , Tufty, Jack and Moth dont move into the hen house first as they seem to recognise a quality shed when they see it:-) I still have a couple of jobs to do on the shed but it is lookin goooood.

We have Luke , Sinead and Liv with us at the moment. Luke has just passe ared his driving test and has been driving us all wherever we want to go. We have been impressed with his driving and he will soon have his car down south. Sinead has been helping with the dogs, who i am worrying she is missing even more than me. Sinead had her first proper run on the rig yesterday and is hoping to take two of the pups round the lollipop at Deer Park. Watch this space to hear how she gets on.

Yesterday saw a mini animal riot in the back garden. Dawn and I had had a difference of opinion about whether to let the animals have a free range, Mr. Magnifico was let into the garden and Dawn released the pigs for a wander in the field. Things started ok, but then took a turn for the worse. The pigs barged through my dodgy gate and into the back garden. Now normally that would not DESTROY........I confess to a bit of a sense of humour failure, which just made Dawn laugh more, which made me grumpier which made Dawn laugh more. SO, now we had pigs running riot, turning over their feed bin, me fighting with the drooling pigs over pig nuts, dawn and now kids hysterical, me swearing....chaos! We mangaged to get one pig out, but then the goats barged through........do you know I can pick a goat up!!! I can!! With one pig out we cornered the other one. But how do you get the pig over the fence??? Dawn tried rugby tackling it....no go....I tried grabbing it by the hoofs....nah.....Our best idea was Lukes "Build a ramp!!! ramp it over the fence!!!"....Luke grabbed our wooden sun lounger, laid it against the fence and then screamed at the piggy to jump.........not a recognised stock movement technique....with good reason. Swearing and laughter ensued. Eventually Luke's master plan was abandoned in favour of the good ole bucket of food trick. To cut a long and messy story short, this eventually worked. Pigs were sent back to their pen in disgrace, the garden gate which had fallen apart in the scuffles was repaired and eventually all was peaceful.

The Joys!!!!

We have been frozen up for the last couple of weeks. Temperatures here hit a low of -16, and our pipework froze,our new boiler stopped working and we found ourselves with no heating, no hot water.....actually no water! But we have our beloved wood burner so we wrapped up warm, kept the living room heated and waited for the thaw.........we are still waiting.

But we did have a mini- respite last Tuesday morning, miraculously our central heating started to work and we basked in warmth for a night, but were lured into a false sense of security. I worked a night shift on Tuesday and came home tired Wednesday morning. I returned to find Dawn our kitchen which had been transformed into one huge "power shower".....all the pipes in the kichen ceiling had burst, as had the mains pipe to the sink, the kitchen was ankle deep in water, water was flowing down the hall and our home looked like a disaster area.

Dawn had not rung me at work as there was nothing I could have done, instead she had tried to stem the flow. Our StopCock was buried under 2' of snow, but Dawn had managed to find it, clear the snow from it , but the actual valve seemed to have frozen. Matt arrived and we set about limiting the damage. Eventually we managed to get the water turned off and the leaks slowly stopped.

I went over to the Grain Store to get our step ladders, to find that the pipes had also burst over there and the kitchen was flooded. The new pipes had all pulled apart where they had frozen. That was my low point....all that work we had done to get the restaurant ready to open looked to have been undone.

While we were battling the waves, we kept the woodburner....burning. Dawn had popped a couple of damp logs on top of the stove to dry out, but had unfortunately forgotten about them. In the midst of the pipework catastrophe, the fire alarms went off and smoke billowed from the living room. The damp logs were no longer damp, in fact they were smouldering nicely. Floods now fire, we just needed a bit of pestilance for a truly biblical experience!

But there was no point wallowing in flooded kitchens........we set about mopping up as best we could and eventually Gordon the plumber arrived. This man should where a cape and trade as "SuperPlumber"......within 4 hours he had completely replaced the pipework in the kitchen ceiling, stopped the leak under the sink and restored our central heating......nothing short of miraculous!

Now, a few days on we are getting back to normal. The only major breakage seems to have been our Dishwasher where the internal pipes seem to have frozen and now are leaking. Otherwise our pictures were saved, our valuable seem ok.....our carpets are still soggy as are the seats in the kitchen....could have been much worse! And as we have always said, these things that don't kill you just make you stronger!!!.......if a bit damper!!!

18 Eskimo words for snow

N.B: Since English does not offer the necessary diacritical marks, the spelling used here is an approximation. It is based on the Umingmaktormuit Inuit dialect. Since Inuit, like German, is polysynthetic, it strings participles together, tacking them on to the root word, thus it is difficult to know where to stop. But I have listed 18 clearly differentiable words here. N.B: These data are based on a 1979 article in : The Straight Dope.

akuvijarjuak = thin ice in the sea; anijo = snow on the ground; hiko = ice (generic expression); hikuliaq = thin ice

ivuneq = high pack ice; kaniktshaq = snow (generic expression); kanut = fresh snow without any ice; kuhugaq = icicle

manelaq = pack ice; maneraq = smooth ice (for the skating fans ;-); nahauliq = snow bunting; nilak = freshwater ice

peqalujaq = rather old ice; pugtaq = drift ice; qanik = falling snow; quahak = fresh ice without any snow

tsikut = large broken-up masses of ice blocks; tugartaq = firm, winter ice

And of coarse (which is NOT a typo!) :- kaniktshaq-moritlkatsio-atsuniartoq! = Look at all this f*cking snow ! ;-)

We watched the pictures of the snow in London, our friends tales of "snow days" and frosty frolics with a degree of envy. The BBC promised the snow was heading north, it seemed to take forever to arrive, but when it did, boy, did it arrive.

We woke this morning to in excess of 15" of the white stuff. I was due to be working and I did try to move the van, but it just was never going to happen. The snow was knee deep and the hill was thickly covered.

Oh well.....up here we have "inclement weather days", and we have spent today taking photos, keeping warm in front of the wood burner and watching inordinate ammounts of films and TV. A proper lazy day for once!!

The dogs loved the snow. I let them into the big run and they just went crazy, bounding through the drifts, playing tag and having a fine old time.

It is truly beautiful here at the moment. It is now nightime and the sky is clear, the moon is shining and the landscape looks absolutely magical. The stifled, snowy silence adds to the feeling of unreality. Our neighbours Emma and Ian have just managed a mercy dash into Keith for us, returning with bread, milk and two bottles of white wine."Help the Aged food delivery service!" announced Ian as he arrived. I had to meet him at the top of our drive which is completely inpassable. The snow-plough that has opened the Keith-Dufftown road, has pushed the snow from the road into a wintery wall over 3' high .

The forecast is for more snow tonight......this is quite fun at the moment, but Im already envious of the Eskimos who have a multitude of words for S.N.O.W............I must make an effort to learn a few seeing as it is all we seem to be talking about these days.

For the last 26 years, the last weekend in January sees the ski centre of Aviemore turn into one massive dog town as the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain arrives in town. Aviemore is the venue for the largest and most prestigious rally in the United Kingdom. Mushers from all over the country and abroad make their way to north east Scotland to compete. Looking down on the competitors car park on race days is like looking at a huge bowl of dog soup....dogs everywhere, Siberians, Malamutes, Samoyeds and a smattering of other breeds, vans,vans,vans and their owners. It really is quite an amazing sight.

We have been competing at Aviemore since 2005, but there are competitors like Rob Hydon who have been at every single Aviemore rally. Every year this event gets bigger and we still get excited as race day comes closer. This year we had been asked to help organise the Junior race with out friends Alan and Debbie (Nabeyo). As our kids had enjoyed racing their dogs, it seemed appropriate that we helped out with some organisation. However, what a steep learning curve it was! Icy trails, paperwork, timing and media were just some of the challenges we had to learn to deal with. Our race was for a few juniors over less than a mile so god knows how the rally committee organise the adult race with hundreds of entries over a much longer distance? However, the race went well and all kids ran great races and seemed to enjoy themselves. Blue Peter were there to film. Unfortunately they did not arrive in time to film the actual race, but did take the time to film a mini race between two presenters, one with a Mal team one with a Sibe team.......I'm afraid we had to rapidly stop taking bets on that event!!!

In the main race Team SalvaMea tootled round in a time that saw us miss the Red Lantern (awarded for last place) by just one position. But Reef led the team for a gentle stroll round the lochside, and all our dogs came home safely on a trail that saw many dogs slippng and cutting their feet as the temperature dropped below freezing. Our friends had good races,Barbara finished 4th in the 8 dog class, Pete K did well in the 3 dog, Alan dropped a dog on day 2 and improved his time which gave him a top 10 finish (Alan was wandering around the site with a grin like a Cheshire cat). Adrian had a magnificent win in the 6 dog event with his Valuiki dogs.....picking up a  trophy not only for the race but also for highest place "own bred" team. Overall, we had a great, if exhausting time....as we always do.

We also must thank Andy and Diane who sorted us out fantastic accomodation at Feshiebridge and helped us and other mushers they had never met before despite the cold and rain. We also want to thank Emma and Ian who were just fab flatmates and drinking partners......as always. Adam and Lesley and John who looked after all the animals at the Mill. We have to mention Alan and Deb and Alfie just one more time, who drove up to see us on Monday despite being exhausted.....we always love having you guys here.

So, the madness is over for another year. We have been asked to run the Junior race again next year with Al and Deb so we will be thinking about that over the next few months. For now it is back to reality, animals to look after, a business to sort out and work next Monday (yeuch!).

A FINE MADNESS............................

Well, the New Year is upon us and things at The Mill just keep getting busier. Work at Dr.Grays has been mad, people keep getting sick and beds in there just doesn't seem to be enough beds to go around. Dawn has got her mojo on and is working like a Trojan to get the business ready for our opening at Easter. There is so much to do, and so many things to put in place. But this is a labour of love, we are in the amazing situation where we have the opportunity to live our dream. So although it is scary, we are going to go for it! and the possibility of living and working at the Mill is the prize to be had.

Much stuff has been going on around us. Dawn's Mum and Alan got married at Graceland in  America. The pictures look wonderful and Yvonne says they had "the best" time.....our love to them both, and all th best for the future.

The biggest husky event in the country is nearly here. Every year we get so excited. This  year we will be organising the junior race with Alan and Debbie. So we are both nervous and looking forward to it. In terms of racing , we will be just running Team Tootle with Reef in single lead with Pagan and Zillah in wheel. I dont expect any great run, just an enjoyable jaunt by the loch and an chance to catch up with lots of our friends from all over the country. Watch this space for news of how we fare at Aviemore this year.

We have new additions....again. Two beautiful Sannan goats, Angel and Daisy.....mother and daughter who needed a new home in a hurry. Dawn also went to look at some chickens but returned with a cat......Fiffy Triabell (Flixy), is a real sweetie.

We also have had some losses.....our ducks have gone......we are hoping they have chosen to fly or float away, but we are not sure if a predator has had them?? All losses are horrible, but somehow the garden does not feel right without our quakers :- (

This Christmas was one of our quietest in years. Sinead and Bella arrived on17th December for a week and returned home on Christmas eve. Bella is still suffering from the after effects of glandular fever and following her recent jaunt to France arrived with us a wee bit run down. The Scottish air and a few long lay-ins and a few late nights up with Sam saw Boo feeling a bit better by the time she left. Sinead is in love with our dogs, and all things animal at the moment. She gave me a hand with all the animal chores and even came round on the rig at Deer Park. On 20th we raced at Culbin at the SHCGB Christmas Cracker. We had a nice trot round with Team Tootle, but the main reason was to get all the pups used to the rally atmosphere. Congratulations to Adrian and Team Valuiki who contine to turn in amazing results despite Adrian being in agony following his back injury.

On the night of the 20th we hosted the Auchindachy Christmas party. Arranged by Dawn, Alison and Diane, the evening was an unknown quantity because we weren't sure who would turn up, and how they would all get on with each other. As it turned out, it was a fab night. Well attended and loads of food and drink and a great night. Our kids came to meet our neighbours. Sam was in fine form, chatting and showing all the signs that he has inherited the Ravenhill genes of "host with the most!".

Luke and Steve arrived on the 23rd after a record breaking drive. Steve managed the trip from London in just over 9 hours. Luke was looking forward to a week of relaxation and good food... we hope we did not disappoint!  Luke went out on Christmas eve with some of the local "yoof!" He had a great time out in Keith. We stayed home, but were joined by lots of friends....the arrangement was last minute and many were unsure if they would turn up. But they did and a fine evening ensued.

All animals are doing well. The pigs are brilliant. I am worried we have a conspiracy amongst our beasties. The other morning, as i approached the pen I noticed the door was open. The pigs were no where to be seem. I was good, I didn't panic and rattled their food bucket.....up from the river they trotted and happily returned to their home. I couldn't understand how it happened as I was certain I had locked the gate earlier.....................I stood back and observed........Mr.Magnifico, the naughty donkey, was eying the pigs food enviously. He nuzzled the latch open, the door opened!! Crime Solved!!!........so now the door is latched and tied. ..........anyone seen the film "Babe"???????

Our dream of living and working from our home took another step forward this week with the incorparation of our company. Our company name has been registered at Companies House as "Thirteen Moons" and we will be trading as "Thirteen Moons at The Mill". Why "thirteen moons" I hear the collective voice of cyber space cry???....well, for many reasons dear reader........everything we do here is closely related to the seasons, we want to live close to the natural rhythm of the year, to honour that. In a year there are thirteen lunar cycles, there are thirteen full moons......hence "Thirteen Moons"....also, it will be a year from the time we decided we would "go for it" with the business to our opening date .....Easter weekend 2009.

So this is all very exciting and daunting at the same time. Having a dream is one thing, but having the courage to make that dream a reality is something else....what happens if the dream fails? where  do you go if your dream is not what you thought it was going to be? Dawn and I know this challenge. It puts butterflys in your tummy and wakes you up in the middle of the night. But we have tried to live by the maxim "it is better to regret something you have done, than regretting not doing something". To date, this belief has served us well and we are still standing, still "going for it" and feeling like we are at very least getting wiser as we get older! So fingers crossed, and blessings on our business.

.........and the two little pigs??...........well, Jim , (Ness's Dad and our neighbour) has gone smallholder-mad since arriving up here. He is an inspiration, and also the source of our piggies. At the moment they are sat in his barn ....along with several other tasty little cuties....and Jim has offered us a couple. They have to stay with Jim for a few weeks to satisfy the government regulations on movement of animals, but two of them will soon be joining us......for a short while!......down at the Mill.

These little porkers will not have names as we intend to fatten them up for pork in a few months time and we cannot afford to get all sentimental about them. I have two pig arcs from Alister to construct, a training pen to build and an electric fence to erect before the pigs can come, so thats my weekends filled!

Dog running continues. We still haven't run competatively this year. I have very mixed feelings about this. I want to go to rallies for many reasons. I want the pups to experience the excitement, the noise and the general hubub of race day. Yet, at the same time, we are so busy here, that can I justify the time (mainly the time!!!...) and the expense of traipsing across Scotland to run Team Tootle? I can't really answer that question as it is a dilema for me right now. I know I am itching to get to a race. It is an itch that needs a really good scratching I think..........................

So we are slowly getting back to normallity. It has been hard after such a wonderful time. But life goes on and bills have to be paid, jobs have to be attended, dogs need to be run, stables have to be mucked out......ok, enough already.

We have been building the mileage up very slowly with the Valuiki girls, Hex and Cruz. We have to remember they are still very young cause these girls just want to keep going. Zillah has done a sterling job of showing the pups the ropes, but bless him, he is now getting necklined by the wee girlies. His time is up and he will drop down to Team Tootle as we bring the girls on. I still dont think they have their directional commands yet, but won't learn until they have to make decisions for themselves. We have also started the Seppala girls in harness, just a 30 - 40 yards to start with. Sam ran Voodoo and Romany for their first ever run. We are employing an overarching principal of "No bad experiences" as we bring pups on, just let their confidence grow, let their muscles develop and remember not to "give the dogs their head" for they will run till they drop I;m sure.

Mr. Magnifico has settled in well. He seems to think he is a goat, all be it "Top Goat". He has a tendancy to take a mouthful of wool off any goat that he feels nicks his titbits from Dawn. He is a cutie. I have to patrol the kitchen door because Im sure if I turn my back for too long Dawn will have Mr. Magnifico installed on the sofa. I am planning to rig up a Donkey alarm and CCTV to ensure the house stays donkey-free even if i am at work.

We have had heavy snow this weekend and all the animals look chilly. The ducks seem to be waddling on tip-toe, as if they don't want to get their bums on the snow. The goats are spending more time in the barn. And we have dusted off the sled and had fun running the dogs in pairs around the grounds. Dawn has decided she hates sleds! We had a real "You-Tube" moment yesterday.....Dawn came flying down the hill with Pagan and Zillah doing a "turbo" on the sled.....Dawn yelling "Haw!Haw! Haw! you gits........okay Gee!Gee!  .......do what you bloody want!"...and they did. Our Gee/Haw leader Pagan decided sod the commands, I want to go and have a look at that donkey.......and Dawn shot past me screaming, being completely and utterly ignored by our "good" dogs.

Today Sam and me joined Andy for a boys day out logging an areas of woodland that is being cleared to build a house. I am proud to say I felled my first tree......and I still have al my limbs attached. Sam helped dragging stuff off the path and took on the role of Beastmaster.......looking after Lucky and Angus (...who are Andy's Bearded Collies and not gnarly lumberjacks). Unfortunately, it started to rain and Lucky decided "I've had enough of this" and turned tail for home. We eventually found this little chap snugged up in a local cottage. He had set off in the direction of home (....which was about 25 miles away) and then decided to follow a local family home. He broke in through the cat-flap, then having been dried off, given biscuits and found the fire.....made himself at home. Andy, was close to giving up the search when he thought he should leave his name and a discription of the wandering mutt with the locals in case Lucky turned up.......and there he was, warm, dry and happy. We were very pleased to find ....THE LITTLE SOD!!!!  ;-)

....and so it is done! Dawn and I are handfasted! On the evening of 31st October we celebrated our binding. It was a truly magical evening........

The build up started on the Wednesday as our children and Dawn's dad arrived by plane. Not before we were completely blown away by the early arrival of our fab friends Alan, Debbie and Alf with Nabeyo dogs in tow. These guys consistantly surprise us and we love 'em to death.

 It took two vehicles to pick Sinead, Bella, Luke, Liv and John up from Inverness airport. For John this was a momentous day as he was never going back ........Dawn has found a cottage in Keith for her dad, he had packed his belongings and now has become a white settler (Englishman in Scotland) along with us.

For the rest of the family who were driving up, things were not so simple. Yvonnne and Alan had satnav mischief and from being nearly on our doorstep, managed to do a tour of the North-East of Scotland....their 11 hour journey, being extended to a whopping 17 hours. Mike and Lisa set off behind them and battled snow and high winds as they crossed the Cairngorms in their wee Micra. Eventually , at 01:30 in the morning, everyone had arrived safely.

The next day was dominated by preparations for the big day. We cannot begin to thank all our guests for their hard work. It made everything so much more enjoyable as everyone pulled together to get stuff done. We counted 18 people in the house that night....and only one bathroom! Yet everyone was great. The only misshap was some extremely dodgy parking on Lukes behalf!....anyone selling a car??

Friday came around very quickly. We had chosen to hold our ceremony at night on Halloween and this gave us time to finish last minute preparations. It also allowed Dawn and I to become more and more excited/stressed. Dawn had beautifying appointments which gave me time to worry in private. It wasn't a horrid stress, rather an anxiety that all our plans would work out and our guests would enjoy themselves. We had decided that although we had been together during the day, we would have our final preparations apart. I went to our neighbours Andy and Diane where I was greeted with a large whisky.Andy helped me get dressed.....normally I am quite capable of getting my clothes on, but I was surprising Dawn by wearing a kilt and full Scottish garb. I had to ensure my sporran was sitting right!! Sinead and Bella helped Dawn with final makeup, hair and dressing.

The last part of the jigsaw was Elena and John arriving. Elena is one of Dawn's bestest friends. We were blown away by their decision to fly up on the Friday, join us for our marriage, then fly home the next day for another family party. We are blessed to have friends like this. The ceremony was due to start at 7pm and with minutes to spare Elena and John pulled up looking stunning.

We had arranged to have owls from the local falconry centre to greet our guests and to be part of the ceremony. Our thanks to John and Kirk for a wonderful display and such beautiful animals. Our guests were assembled and messages passed to Dawn to come across. I will never forget that moment when Dawn came around the corner with my girls holding her bridal train. To me I was marrying the most beautiful woman on the planet. Dawn initially did not register that the strange man in a kilt was her husband-to-be.....but then was most complimentary of my surprise outfit.

With everyone inside the Mill and waiting we took a moment to hold each others hand. As we entered, Murray, the Eagle Owl flew in and across the circle we were about to enter. Fiona called our guests to order and we entered the circle on her invitation. We had chosen a Pagan ceremony to mark our binding and it felt absolutely right in every sense, reflecting our beliefs and allowing us to say what we wanted to in front of family and friends. Our celebrant Fiona had helped us create the most wonderful ceremony. Standing in the middle of that circle, making our vows and binding ourselves to each other and to our children was a magical event. We must also thank Vanessa, Layla, Helena and Emma for calling the Quarters for us. There are some pictures in the gallery section for your pleasure!

The rest of the evening was fantastic. We were so lucky to have Paul Anderson play fiddle for our guests. For those of you who do not know this genius, Paul is the Glenfiddich champion of Scotland and his music is sublime. Have  a google and you will find Pauls albums available to purchase. We danced and danced and laughed and danced some more. I was so happy and looking at our many photos it seems in every shot people are smiling and laughing. Alan carved our tasty piggy, hogroasted to perfection and we feasted royally. I hope everyone enjoyed the evening as much as we did. I certainly enjoyed the freedom and swirliness of dancing in a kilt!

At 01:30 our cab arrived to take us to The Mains of Auchindachy where we were to spend our wedding night. Ronnie and Lynn had provided a beautiful room for us and if you should ever be looking for a Bed and Breakfast in the area we heartily recommend their beautiful home.

Overall we had a perfect night and we want to thank all our guests and well-wishers who helped make it such a special event. Our gifts and blessings were amazing and so thoughtful. Dawn and I have been together for more than 10 years, and I truly believe we fall deeper and deeper in love with each passing day. I am blessed to have this life and to share it with Dawn.

Shame on me.....been a while since i updated this blog. But I have a good excuse, simply so busy that blogging went on hold. We are preparing for our binding ceremony here at the Mill. Dawn and I will be bound for all eternity on Halloween in our handfasting ceremony. We have wanted to do this for many years, but at last the time is right. Dawn was always adamant that we should have our ceremony on halloween after her 40th birthday. Despite all the other things going on, we have decided that this will happen.....and now it feels so right.

We have been fortunate to cross paths with Fiona, who will be our celebrant on the night and has crafted a ceremony that could not be more perfect. We have a hogroast booked, owls being flown and one of Scotlands best fiddle players to entertain our guests. Our children will all be here, as will our dearest friends and family......we are so excited. What has been lovely is that we are not stressed, things are dropping into place....everything is as it should be! Expect some fab pictures ....watch this space.

Today was Dawn's 40th birthday, and it was in danger of getting lost in our binding preparations. However, I was determined that Dawn should still have a special day. A big thank you to all our friends who braved gale-force winds for a surprise pic-nic at Loch Park. The planned canoe trip had to be abandoned due to adverse weather conditions and we ran for cover back to the Mill. Hot tea and cold wine and beer! Perfect.

Another reason for abandoning Loch Park was to come and see Dawn's present from me. What do you get the woman you love who insists she has everything she wants...........madam, I beg to differ.....when I look into your soul I see you desire......A DONKEY!!!!

Welcome Mr. Magnifico our newest baby .....a baby donkey! He is so cute, just over a year old and the most affectionate donkey you could imagine. Carrot addict!!! Bless his furry rump, he crys when he gets left alone. Today we have introduced him to the goats who we hope will be his new best friends.He follows us everywhere , but I had to put my foot down when Dawn wanted to bring Mr. Magnifico into the kitchen. Whoaaaa there girl, donkeys stay outside!!

So, as we make our preparations for our guests and our ceremony that happens on Friday this week, we watch the weather forecast with trepidation .....there is heavy snow forecast on Wednesday!!! OMG!!.We are happy happy bunnies

Ive been for a spin....2000+ miles later Im back at The Mill. Last Thursday saw me off in the van to head south...not because the weather was turning and I was "makin like a swallow",but because I was helping move my eldest daughter to Brighton University. It is traumatic enough when your baby girl gets al grown up and leaves home, but we really are now at opposite ends of the country. The Transit was dedogged, decaged and air freshners installed. Off I went. 11 hours and 600 miles later I was at the girls home. After a long drive I relaxed with a chicken dhansak then into my sleeping bag.

The Friday was Uni-eve and Sinead also had her birthday coming, so while she was shopping for Ugg boots, Bella and I braved Ikea to get a bed for the Yurt. OMG!!!! Ikea v Hell.....I cant tell the difference! Eventually we had our bed on board and back to the girls. Friday evening I caught up with team Nabeyo. A flying visit but always good to see Alan, Debbie and the boys. Charlie is off to Finland to work at the Border Inn, kennel hand, guide and general mushing dogsbody...good luck Charlie!!

Saturday we moved Sinead to Brighton. A day to be brave, we had a rule of now sentances beginning with prolonged vowels eg ooooohhhhh,uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,oooooooooooooo etc. lest we crumpled. Overall Sinead's new home looked fine. The general chaos gradually gave way to feminine grace and her little room in the Halls of Residence felt quite homely. I am speaking to Sinead every day. I think she will love it, but just now it is all a big upheaval.

From Brighton to Dorset and another 3 1/2 hours in the van to see my Mum. We had a quiet day, and a lovely lunch out in Milborne Port. Always good to have some time to chat and catch up. Early to bed as I set my alarm for 03:30 Monday morning. I was on the road by 04:15, home by 15:00 ish. and over 2000 miles clocked up.

While I was away the dogs had been playing up! Our Zillah and Pagan decided they needed to sort out pack order, and Dawn had to pop her arm in there to drag them off each other. A day of chilling, then a hard run and all seems to have settled. We are running the dogs at least 3 times per week just now. These guys need it and the puppy development team is coming on in leaps and bounds. Even Team Tootle is improving.

Training news to follow.........................

We are on it! We have had one of those super productive weekends. We have run the dogs both Saturday and Sunday and stepped up the pups runs to about a mile. We are now running Hex and Cruz with Zillah. Poor Pagan can't match the pups speed already. Zillah is keeping up and working hard. I cannot begin to explain how much of a thrill it is to ride behind these pups...they are amazing nutters who just want to run! Our dogs are now split between the puppy development team and team tootle....Pagan, Ghost and Reef, who tootle round at their own pace. Seppala pups have been coming along for the ride and to meet some other dogs. We met Cameron and Lisa this morning and pups got to romp with Natalie (a dog, not a person), What a beauty.Voodoo and Romany are lovely, cheeky little pups but hey, they are only young once! The pack are a happy bunch at teh moment.

On Friday we blitzed the goats, all wormed, hooves clipped and de-dagged. We had our first attempt at clipping the Angorra goats. It was ok! We just trimmed them, and they looked a bit like they had been to a dodgy barbers.

We also met Fiona who will be our celebrant at our upcoming handfasting ceremony. What a lovely lady and we are looking forward to a wonderful celebration on Halloween here at the Mill.....Life is good.

We have new arrivals!

 Romany

and

Voodoo,

two pure seppalla pups from Helen and Dave Patterson. They are too cute and they are pure Seppala!! For those of you husky-folk you will know how thrilled we are to have these historic dogs in our kennel. We hope they will compliment our Zero girlies Hex and Cruz.

Pups come from Mcinley(Articmoons Attilla http://www.pawvillage.com/pedigree/pedigree.asp?ID=8A6LJCQYQU) and Misty(Chatanikas Misty http://www.pawvillage.com/pedigree/pedigree.asp?ID=XN9OZ9YALO) and we are thrilled to have them here.

And today we ran Hex and Cruz with Zillah and Pagan. They are truly mental!We are running about a mile and they just seem to get faster as they go round. This is a very exciting time for us. We have no excuses now! We have pups from the finest bloodlines in this country. The awesome Zero/Tupilak line and now pure Seppala dogs who can be traced right back to Leonard Seppalas original dogs with a tight, carefully planned breeding behind them aiming to keep that original working attitude and performance.

Dawn also took Reef and Ghost for a tootle round.....poor Ghost has been off the team, but with Reef her confidence seemed to grow and she trotted round ok. And in many ways that is just as thrilling, to see a dog doing what they were bred to do, in a way that they find reassuring.

So there we go......back on the trail

A timely reminder before the season starts proper, that this sport of ours, whilst being crazy fun also carrys a degree of risk.....and some lessons to learn.

Dawn was a way down south for the last 2 weeks and I decided I would take Zillah, Pagan and Lenny to explore Ordiquish forest and try and find some new trails. I took the bike and set off. Well, true to form we got lost and our 3 mile jaunt turned into nearer 8 miles. Eventually the trail became familiar and with relief I called the dogs on to "take me home". I was tired, they were tired and a classic sled dog tumble ensued...that old corker of going over your slack tug line, wheel immediately locks and off you go. In my case, straight over the handlebars, landing in an untidy mess, wind knocked out of me, and excrutiating pain in my ribs.

Somehow I got back to the van, loaded and limped home. Over a week later the A&E doctor tells me I have bruised my ribs and damaged intercostal cartlidge. Being the rock hard musher I am , I have taken every painkiller under the sun, moaned constantly, tried Dawn's patience to the limit and not slept for a week! Apparently, "Its to be expected"...says the evil, uncaring doctor.Huh!

But adversity should teach us something. In between the moments of agony (ladies, child birth is nothing on bruised ribs!) I have learnt:

1. Tell someone when you go out training
2. Wear a crash helmet and for God's sake buy some body armour
3. Always carry a phone......gives you something to do while gasping your last and realising you have no signal anyway
4. Slow tired dogs and slow tired musher is a recipe for disaster.
5. And Dawn says.......listen when you are told not to run dogs by yourself

So I apologise in advance, but I am moaning, and whinging and whining......but in all honesty I can't wait to get back out there. Sucker!!!

Its a bit lonely tonight, Sinead has left today after being here all week and this afternoon she flew home. Dawn is also still down south looking after her dad, so Im home alone.....and its losing any novelty it had. Oh well, up early tomorrow to run les mutts. Dogs have been out every day this week for walks as Sinead discovered the magic of wellies. Hey ho.......

There is a slight nip in the air some mornings, you think "I could really do with a jacket on" and you realise that Summer is slipping away and that must mean the next sled dog season is just round the corner. Rig maintenance and equipment checking need to be done. But most importantly the dogs need to get fit.

Here at SalvaMea, last year was hectic with the move from England to Scotland, new job, home educating Sam.....and that impacted on our training and competing. This year we have bigger plans afoot, not least as we will be bringing Hex and Cruz on to join the race team by the end of the season. Zillah, Pagan and Reef are out on the trail again. These guys will never be the fastest team, but they work well and enjoy competing. Our challenge will be to find the right combination of dogs to allow Hex and Cruz to achieve their full potential. And whilst it may seem obvious to run them as a 2 dog, I'm not as young as I was, and in this class musher fitness is probably as important the dogs...sad,sad old man (.....as my kids often remind me!)

Our pre-season training starts with 1 or 2 short runs a week to ensure general conditioning. As the temperature cools and the season gets nearer we will build to 2-3 runs of increasing distance and rallies at the weekends. In my mind I am trying to build both speed and stamina. Perhaps the hardest element to work with is Attitude. In my opinion this is the great unknown and probably the most important element. The desire to keep going when the trail gets tough or conditions aren't good.Is this trainable? I honestly don't know, but I think you can aim for "no bad experiences" ( a maxim told to me by a very experienced successful musher) and so give your dogs the best chance to succeed.

So, the season looms. Every year I am surprised how excited I am, how I look forward to getting on the trail, meeting our friends and competing. Every season is full of "potential", who knows what will happen?

Good luck to all you mad mushers out there........see you on the trail! 

Way back in time when we were living on Gander Green Lane in Sutton we had a dream that we would live in Scotland in a yurt. A crazy dream, but hey ho, we sold our house, bought a yurt http://www.mongolianyurts.co.uk/  and made an agreement with Vanessa that we could rent a bit of her field to live in while we looked for our home. Well, events conspired and with less than 2 weeks to go before we moved the opportunity to rent The Mill came up. So here we are, living a new dream, but there was still a little bit of us both that regretted we had not lived in yurts for a while....oh the romance....oh the cold and wet. So the yurt was stored around the house and in the steading. Nearly a year after we moved in we were in a position to get it up at last.

Our first challenge was to construct a base that would raise the yurt up off the soggy Scottish soil and provide ventilation. Whilst I am happy to bodge together a hen hoose out of pallets, this was out of my comfort zone. So, in true Highland hippy style I did a "labour swap" with Jim. I helped put a roof on his log cabin and he helped me design and construct a base. I can't help thinking I got the better half of the deal so I am indebtted to Jim for that.

 We made the base from finest sarkin board and 3x2 mounted on DPC covered concrete blocks. It took two days to build and another half day to assemble on site, but I think it has worked well. Time will tell.

So with the base in place we called on our trusty, good hearted friends to come and lend muscle and brains....not neccessarily in equal part. So Jim, Gill and the family Dolphin arrived, followed by Ness, David and Jim. Andy and Diane roped in Lesley, Adam and Robin, while Layla pursuaded       Craig to come along for a BBQ, beer and wine and the chance to take part in a giant jigsaw puzzle. With all these different characters things couls have got ......interesting, like some mad management team-building exercise in the style of severence. But on the contrary, we seemed to gel and just bought differnet skills to the project.

Within 6 hours we had the yurt up, the wood burner mounted on Caithness slate and fired up, and the chance to sit back and marvel at what we had all done. The yurt looks wonderful. It is warm and cosy even in the rain. To see the smoke billowing from the flue of our amazing yurt. There is something very special about just "being" in a space with no corners, a round house, a mongolian cloud house.

A big thank you to all our willing band of workers again. We could not have done it without you all. We now need to arrange a yurt christening party. Watch this space.

This morning Hex and Cruz had their first run in harness. Just a 100 yards or so with Mr Lover Lover in wheel (Zillah) as we can always rely on our big power house. Once they realised they were supposed to go forward and not just follow me back to the rig they were great....speedy little things those Valuiki pups!! The racing season will be upon us before we know it so I need to get the big dogs fit, but even here in Scotland it has just been too warm. But I need to start putting some miles on the dogs.....get them fit. Hopefully this season I will be able to compete at more rallies as my job allows me to know I will be off at weekends. I love this time of year as I start making plans and preparations for the coming season. The pups won't be able to run until the last couple of races, but I will be aiming to bring them on slowly and steadily with "no bad experiences" as the underlying principal of all their training runs.

In other news....we have 5 Angora goats who we obtained from Philip and Sheriden. These lovely girls have settled in well and Fanny and Nell have been pretty tolerant. Now all I need to do is to learn to shear as they will need to be clipped 4 times a year, but we can sell their mohair to a national collective.

We also have ducks, a trio of girls from the Walled Garden in Drummuir. We have also learnt how to make butter! Thanks to Matt who went home after a demonstration of this new found skill and made Dawn a pair of "Scotch Hands"....or butter patts to the unelightened. I have also constructed a "pumpkin patch" for my beloved out of railway sleepers. ....the chickens mistakenly think it is a mud bath for their personal use, but the pay off is they will hopefully do the business on any nasty slugs and bugs that come a pumpkin poachin'.

So, its a lovely Friday afternoon, your at work, weather is lovely....what would you fancy doing at the weekend?.....a cold beer, a glass of wine, a lay in?????......or drive over 600 miles to see your mates in Scotland for 36 hours? This is why we love Alan and Debbie! We cannot begin to tell you how priviledged we are to have friends like this. Leaving New Addington at 5pm to arrive with us at 04:30 am on Saturday morning. What nutters!  We had the best time, as we always do. We miss these guys all the time, and we have been trying to work out why? Is it Al's colourful use of the English language and associate T-shirts, is it Deb's drinking stunts?......no.....it's because these guys just "get it". We share the dream. So fingers crossed they will one day find themselves our neighbours up here. In the meantime they are always welcome in our home. Saying adios this afternoon hurt...but we will see you soon. There are no "goodbyes"......see you soon!

And this week we also had Dawns Mum and Allan staying with us. Allan drove up from Sussex, via Epsom to Scotland in his Mini Cooper.....Fair play!! We have chilled, got out and about and eaten too much and drunk too much. Not only that, Yvonne and Allan have announced their engagement, and they plan to marry early next year in Graceland, USA. ....wowzers!!

Other news from Mill.....chicks are doing well, mums being good to them, and rapidly turning other hens to broodyness! We have ducks now.....a trio of ducks from the Walled Garden in Drummuir. Today we got the girls onto the pond we dug and boy did they look happy. And I am starting a new job tomorrow as Development Nurse Manager at Dr Grays! My first managerial job....OMG!! Ive even got a p.a.!

......the saga continues

Tonight we are recovering from our first proper Ceilidh which was held at the top of Cairn Gorm....for those of you who race at Aviemore will understand our sense of bizarreness as we drove past the rally site and carried on up to take the Furnicular railway to the summit of Cairn Gorm. The evening expedition was organised by Vanessa and David, who convinced myself, Dawn and Sam, Emma and Ian, and Andy and Diane that this was a good idea.

And indeed it was. I have to confess I was apprehensive about being swung round by the Gay Gordons or haveing my willow stripped, but I have to say it was "bloody good larf" as they say in the Highlands. Ofcourse having the evening lubricated with wine and whisky helped .....but by the end of the evening we were well and truly ceilidh sluts...we'd dance with anyone, and not even remember their name the next day!! Although the only true Scots in our party, Emma and Ian were not seen on the dance floor all night. They cited childhood dancing trauma as the reason......lightweights!!

The evening finished at a very civilised 10:20 then it was down the furnicular at dusk. That is truly an amazing sight and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Aviemore.Back to the vehicles and more alcoholic indulgencies before bed. Dawn, Sam and I slept in the back of our van on a squillion duvets and we were warm and comfortable....so much so that Dawn could not be shifted from her pit the next morning. But she missed the view in the morning....the mists rolled back and we were treated to a view over the mountains and lochs. It is just the best feeling to wake in the mountains.....even with a hangover.

Breakfast was had in Aviemore before the long drive home. What a great night....a mini adventure. How our life has changed in the last year. We miss our family and friends so much and wish you could all be here to share these times.

My daughter has been up for the last two weeks helping us at The Mill as her work experience. It was a Win/Win situation as I got to have time with Bella and she got to do some interesting stuff instead of stacking shelves in Tesco or the like.

Bella was fab. She was enthusiastic and got stuck into all the jobs we asked her to do. Building fences, making bee hives, sanding and varnishing, cleaning out animals.....all done with enthusiasm. T'was great. On Friday she will be heading back down South and I will miss her like crazy. But Im sure she will enjoy the company of her friends and Mum and sister. Thats the only problem here, you cannot just pop out.....every trip has to be planned, or involves a car trip. Consequently life has pauses and gaps.....not so much for us adults as there is an unending amount of jobs to be done, but for the kids, life runs at a different pace.

Our other news is that the bees are here. Dawn picked up her nucleus from Tony at the Moray Beekeepers Association a few days ago. I was very concerned about how you actually move a hive of bees in a car???? But Dawn managed it singlehandedly ....mainly because we only have one beesuit at present. Bees were moved in their original brood box. The new hive was set up next to the nucleus hive and left for 48 hours. Then Dawn undertook the scary task of moving the brood frames into the new Rolls Royce hive. Again ....a second bee suit is on our wish list. I watched from the safety of the Living room as Dawn calmly organised her new hive smothered in somewhat annoyed bees. Today Rolls Royce hive appears to be operating perfectly, bees are coming and going loaded with pollen and nectar. We are playing the "long game" with our honey production and do not anticipate harvesting any honey until next year.

Today we got two rescue rabbits, don't even ask!

We want ducks!......We want to rescue ducks....we have found an organization that offers battery ducks a second chance at a life.......we have our name on the waiting list for our rehome ducklets. Only problem is that ducks need a pond and we have none.

Never fear! With the promise of a barbie, booze and unlimited access to a trampoline, our friends donned wellies, grabbed a spade and turned up for a day of digging and drinking. With 8 people slogging away in the mud and Dawn providing refreshments the work was done amazingly quickly. We shifted scary amounts of earth and drank amazing amounts of beer and wine. The result was a duck dream home.

A huge thank you to Matt, Helena, Andy, Diane, Emma, Ian, Layla, Craig and encouragement from Vanessa, David and family. We honestly could not have done it without you guys....and it wouldn't have been so much fun. After a days hard labour we retired to comfort of the front room, the warmth of the woodburner and the hilarity of grown men competing (and they were really competing!!!) at Wii bowling, boxing and golf. Truly a pitiful sight, but boy did we laugh!!

Now all we need is ducks!!

As we speak our difficult cockeral "Lucky" is in the oven! Our first home grown chook to be eaten. Our friend Dan Buckley popped over for tea and ended up giving us a lesson in killing and gutting chickens. Whilst not the most pleasant of experiences....especialy for Lucky....we are somewhat euphoric tonight as we take another step towards self-sufficiency. I hate factory farmed chickens and we have thought we either stop eating chicken or we start raising and consuming our own animals.So tonight we dine on aggressive cockeral!!

Our other big news is that our bee hive is here. Made by John at Moray Bee Keepers, this hand made cedar hive is a work of art. Tonight we heard that we will be able to get a nucleus of bees Saturday week and our honey production will start. This is very much Dawns venture and she has been reading like mad and telling us all the wonderful things bees do....

On Saturday we are digging or duck pond. As is the way here, we will provide a barbie and booze and our friends will provide the muscle. We are on a waiting list for rescue ducks and hope to have 6 ducks in the near future.

My Dad has just visited and enjoyed his stay I think. Next week my daughter Bella is coming for 2 weeks to do her wok experience with us. We are looking forward to her visit and her ideas about how we move forward with the business.

Dogs all well. Battling with dreaded ticks at the moment. We took Lenny, the pups and Ghost to Lossie beach and they enjoyed a fab run.

Today we picked up 4 chicks from our friend Ishbel. Sam has taken to caring for all our birds so he wanted to raise some chicks himself. Tonight the wee birdies are snugged up in his bedroom. Our house becoming like Fort Knox as we have to ensure the cat doesn't get to the chicks, the dogs don't get to the cat, the dogs don't get to the chicks, the snake doesn't get out and eat us all........

The chicks will stay in for a week or two until they get their secondary feathers then they will go out into a hoose and their own run in our garden cum farm-yard.

We also ran the dogs at Deer Park. It was a horrid day, but at least that ensured there were no dreaded dog-walkers on the trail. We ran the 4 big dogs, and Dawn has started the pups education. We try and let the puppies see the big dogs get harnessed, and as we are about to set off we get the pups all excited......then as I set off we hope the pups will be busting to run. At this stage we hold on to them and just let them wish they were running on the team.  Dawn then walks down the trail, hides at the side then when I am on the home-run she lets me get ahead then lets the pups chase us in with loads of encouragement. It is imperative that there are no accidents to put the pups off so I have to be extra extra careful.

So far the pups look absolutely fab!!....watch this blog to follow their working evolution........

Never famous for my DIY skills, but unable to afford vast ammounts of wood, or to buy....stuff, I am rapidly becoming an expert in pallet wodwork. This basically entails picking up as many pallets as I can stuff in the van from Layla's work place, dismantling them.....involving lots of hammer work...and reassembling them into hen houses, duck houses, tree houses, fencing, gates and anything else I can think of. Whilst these constructions are not perfect, and a little bit.......wonky, they are most definitely FREE!!!! Lovely!

My Dad is arriving next week, then Bella will be up at the end of June. There seems to be an unending stream of visitors to The Mill, which we love. We have visits booked right the way through to the racing season.

Met up with Adrian and Lynn, our pups breeders for a walk. Already getting excited about next season. The pups won't be ready until the end of the race calender but we will be bringing them along to get them used to the excitement of race days. Training will start when they are about 6 months and we will be endevouring to ensure there are no bad experiences in their running development. We believe the mental aspect of race dogs is vital, and must be nutured to produce a dog with the mental toughness to keep working even when the going gets hard. We hope our pups will grow up to have "the right stuff", but we will love 'em whatever!

We have been meaning to set up a web page for ages. 7 dogs, 12 chickens, 2 goats, etc etc and sitting infront of a computer just never seemed a priority.....until my daughter Sinead bought me this web site for my birthday. Now we had no excuses.

So bear with us as we get up and running. At the moment the SalvaMea kennel is being dominated by our two new arrivals Hex and Cruz from the Valuiki kennel of Lynn and Adrian Tilsed. These fantastic little girls are keeping us on our toes ...... and testing our patience around the house. We will be investing in a Vax carpet waher very soon me thinks.

We hope this blog will be a way to keep our friends old and new to keep up to date with our news.Watch out CyberSpace.....here comes SalvaMea