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...

  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...

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 ...