Life with Rick & his humans

  Wow—it’s been very hot here in the UK over the last few days! So, Rick’s daily walking routine has been tweaked a bit. He now heads out very early in the morning and again late in the evening. I’m not sure he entirely approves—he does love his routines—but needs must in this heat. Gardening chores now have to be done before coffee because it’s simply too hot after that. I try to grow as much of our own veg and salad crops as possible in summer. Last year’s courgettes were a bit of a disappointment, so I planted a few extras this time around. Well... they’ve gone into overdrive! We’re now playing a daily game of courgette Jenga . I either need some excellent courgette recipes—or a lot of friends willing to adopt some! Meanwhile, today was the big day for our kitchen radiator upgrade. We’d decided to swap out the old one for a stylish anthracite cast iron model. The young plumber arrived bang on time, and I showed him exactly where we wanted it. I’d even carefully marked the flo...

  Back home and back to the familiar routines. Of course, in true British fashion, we’re being thoroughly dramatic about the weather. Yes, we’re having a heatwave—but honestly, the news coverage makes it sound like we have never seen the sun in Lincolnshire. I mean, thank goodness for the helpful experts reminding us to sit in the shade and drink water . Who knew? Still, we made the most of the sunshine with a quick spin on the bikes. It had to be a short one—we had a busy day ahead—but we stuck to our usual loop out to Waddington, with a little extension for good measure. This took us down a narrow lane flanked by unusually wide verges. So wide, in fact, that the farmer had mown them for hay. Clearly, this was irresistible to a mother sheep and her two lambs, who had taken the opportunity to stage a breakout from the flock and were happily munching away at the roadside buffet. We spotted them up ahead and slowed down. Surely we could just pass quietly and carry on? Of course ...

  Rick’s short seaside holiday has come to a close. We were up bright and early at 4:30, just before sunrise, and headed to the beach for one final stroll along the shore. Unsurprisingly, we had the place entirely to ourselves. Rick made the most of it, tearing about the sand and enjoying an uninterrupted sniff-fest. A peaceful way to say goodbye to the sea before heading back for breakfast. By 6 am, we were packed up and on the road. As expected, the M25 was already waking up, but our early start paid off — the traffic flowed and we made good time. A couple of leg-stretching stops later, we were back home just in time for a lovely lunch in the garden with a chilled glass of Prosecco. What more could you want? Well, maybe a bike ride… but not in this heat! That’ll have to wait for a cooler morning. First things first, I was keen to check on the greenhouse and veg patch. It’s amazing what a few days of sunshine (and a very kind neighbour with a watering can) can do. Everything had...

  The beautiful weather continues, and as usual, we were up and out by 7am. Rick had a good long walk this morning — a tactical move, since we were heading off later to visit relatives, which meant a long stint in the car. Thankfully, the air con works a treat, and the rear vent keeps Rick’s crate nice and cool. He travels like a prince. A few hours were spent chatting and after some nibbles we headed back. Back at the cottage the next morning, we decided on a chill-out day. A few cheeky lunchtime drinks may have been involved — well, the sun was shining, so it would’ve been rude not to! Fish and chips are on the menu tonight, followed by an early start tomorrow for the journey home. We’d originally planned to stay until the weekend, but the truth is… we got a bit bored. More than that, we just missed being at home. Our garden, the quiet, the routines — sometimes that’s all you need. So, we’ll brave the M25 and head back to the peace of Lincolnshire. I don’t think we’re the only...

Rick’s Road Trip: Cottage Getaway Begins Rick has been on high alert. A suitcase spotted in the bedroom can only mean one thing — we’re going somewhere! The final confirmation came when his food and bowls were packed into the car. That’s when excitement levels went off the chart. Rick loves a car ride... though he does insist on barking at every lorry, car, and especially motorbike we pass. To protect our ears, Rick travels in his own little “mobile den” — a secure travel kennel with just a front view. It works a treat and, once we’re on the move, he usually settles in nicely. As for me, I hate this journey. Why? One word: M25 . Google optimistically promised a 4-hour trip, factoring in a stop to see Kat on the way. Reality check? Over 5 hours, thanks to three collisions en route. (not us of course) We eventually made it to Kat’s and grabbed a bite to eat. We had a catch-up and admired her new bird feeder, which is fixed to the window and offers a brilliant view of the visiting ...

It’s been a busy few days here, with lovely weather and a long list of jobs to tackle before we head off on holiday. Rick, of course, has been right in the thick of it—or at least supervising in his own special way! Rick has been chilling out in the garden, supposedly helping me sort out the lawn and veggie patch. His idea of “help” mostly involves chasing the mower and trying to bite the wheels. When that gets too boring, he drops his ball right in the mower’s path, forcing a quick game of fetch. I'm convinced the lawn now takes twice as long to mow. The spring-planted first early potatoes—Maris Peer—were ready to crop, so that was next on the list. Rick took up his preferred supervisory spot under the apple tree. It’s a strategic location where he can keep an eye on me and stay alert for his arch-nemesis, the postman. We ended up with a pretty good haul! Pro tip: cook way too many and enjoy the leftovers fried with chorizo the next day. You won’t regret it. While I was under ...

  Rain Watch and Race Day The weather has been all over the place lately — bursts of sunshine one minute, heavy showers and strong winds the next. Rick isn’t keen on getting wet, so we’ve been carefully watching for dry spells to squeeze in our walks. This morning, Rick was on rain watch from his usual lookout: the leopard print chair by the window. From there, he spotted his pal Barney heading out for a walk with Mick. Five minutes later, the heavens opened — poor Barney, that was going to be one soggy dog on return! Rick on watch We held off a bit, waiting for the skies to brighten, and it turned out to be a smart move. The sun came out, and Rick even helped wheel the bins down. At the bottom of the drive, we bumped into Bouncy Charlie — full of beans as always. He wasn’t moving on until he’d said hello to Rick. Luckily, it went smoothly today; Charlie can be a bit overenthusiastic. We took to the lanes for our walk. The wind was still gusty, sending the clouds racing by ove...

Well, Kat and Craig left us on Saturday to head down to Stafford, where they were camping overnight so Craig could ride in the Inter Services Time Trial. Go Craig!! This was after a bit of drama with their car — the electronic boot got stuck, which triggered the alarm sensor. Naturally, we thought, "The manual will tell us what to do." Err… no. "Google will know." Nope. "AI will sort it!" Still nope. After two hours, panic was definitely creeping in. But then — what’s the first rule of IT? “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” A car? Really? Yep — we disconnected the battery and then reconnected it. Everything reset, and bingo, problem solved. Meanwhile, Sarah and Andrew set off to pick up a turbo trainer to complete the pain cave at Andrew’s place. Then they were off to climb the Alpe de Zwift. Good luck, guys — I’m definitely not coming along for that one! Pain Cave picture by Andrew Now that the pack had dispersed, Rick settled happ...

 Kat and Craig arrived last night and are staying with us until Saturday morning. Rick, of course, was beside himself with excitement. Whenever we have visitors, he charges around the house at full speed, rummaging through his toy stash to show off his favourite. This time it was Mr Badger — a soft toy with a weighted head that Rick flings with surprising force and enthusiasm. It tends to land in the most unexpected places, making indoor navigation something of a contact sport. Hard hats may be advisable in future. I had the lunchtime walkies shift today, and we had a bit of sunshine. We suspected the overnight rain might have filled the Beck, but it was bone dry — not a drop more than usual. The village was a little busier than normal, with a few vans around. Rick is not a fan of vans, motorcycles, or surprise cyclists, and tends to make sudden manoeuvres when he spots one. He can pick out the postman’s red van from an uncanny distance. We had to take a tactical detour to avoid a...

  Rick was not happy this morning. It was raining — proper rain — but he still had to take his human (that’s me) out for our daily walk. Rick had his red coat on, while I sported my blue rain jacket and baseball cap to keep the rain off my glasses. We made our usual check of the beck to see if the water was flowing again. Still not much in there, so no paddling today. In the distance we spotted Bouncy Charlie, the ever-cheerful golden retriever, and gave a wave. No other doggie or human friends were out braving the downpour. Back home, it was time for breakfast. Sue gave Rick a good rub down to get him dry and warm again — he loves that bit of pampering. Later today, Kat and her husband Craig are due for a visit, so we’ve got bedrooms to make up and a bit of tidying to do. The whole family loves riding bikes and racing. I’m into Zwift and today was team time trial day. I joined the crew at 10am for a tough race around virtual London — complete with a huge climb. We did okay, bu...

  Windy Walks and a Scruffy Sidekick Rick , our scruffy little character, likes his days to follow a certain rhythm—and so do I, to be honest. We’re both usually up by 6am , bleary-eyed but ready to face whatever the day brings (usually breakfast, for starters). After our usual routine, Rick had his morning village walk , tail up, nose down, doing the rounds. He bumped into a few of his doggy mates , which gave me a chance for a quick natter with their humans. It’s always a nice way to ease into the day—small talk, wagging tails, and shared complaints about the wind. Speaking of which, the sun was out , but there was a real cool breeze blowing through. Susan and I had hoped to get in an early morning cycle , but the wind was a bit too strong today. We're both keen to get a few kilometres under the belt soon—hopefully the weather settles down in the next few days so we can head out. Rick had a bit of a dodgy tummy overnight , so I packed extra poo bags —just in case. Thankfu...