A day in the Life of Dobbin - Saturday 23 October 2010

The day started with a trip to





to fill the car with petrol.

This was followed by a haircut.

Back home by 8:30 I was cleaning out the chickens.



Only one egg this morning



By 9:15 Skye and I were on Reigate Heath with too many golfers



It had rained quite heavily in the night much to Skye’s delight





Happy Dog!



Take Skye home, quick change of clothes and by 10:30 its back in the car and the joys of the M25 to collect Grandma from Woking.



Lunch at the Skimmington Castle by Reigate Heath. Very good liver and bacon. The Skimmington Castle started life as a farm 400 years ago. It became a pub in 1825. http://www.skimmingtoncastle.co.uk/index.php



A dead tree in the car park stood out in the sunlight.



Then drive to the Harlequin in Redhill to meet up with Matthew to watch The Opera Clup of Reigate and Redhill perform Beauty and the Beast (costume pictures to come on later blog)- What I saw of the show was really good






Unfortunately I had to leave the show with Matthew at the half time interval in order to get him home and then onto





So he could start work at 5pm.
Feed dog.
Put chickens away.
Drive back to Redhill.
Collect Grandma from Harlequin and drive back to Woking (arrive 6:15pm)
Curry with Grandma watching Felicity tango on Strictly
Drive back to Horley.
10pm : its back to



To collect Matthew from work.

Mushrooms and Chainsaws

An early morning walk in Buchan Park near Crawley. If you look closely there is the face of a Green man looking out from the bottom of this stump.




Early October is clearly mushroom time at Buchan Park with signs up warning you not to pick. I have identified the obvious poisonous mushroom but I’m open to suggestions as to what the others are.




















This next one is easily recognisable and (according to http://www.mushrooms.org.uk/) this is Amanita Muscaria

Common Name: Fly Agaric
Edibility: Poisonous and hallucinogenic, contains muscarine and ibotenic acid
Season: Late Summer - Autumn




This is possably Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)- if I'm correct you can eat it!




This is a new chainsaw sculpture (by www.woodlandcentre.co.uk) which stood out in the early morning sunlight.




Just to prove I wasn’t alone…

One Misty Moisty Morning....

...and a hot afternoon.

Reigate Heath early this morning in a damp mist.



The windmill was only just visible.




Skye, as ever, was willing to pose.




Skye saying goodbye to one of our chickens which we donated to the loacal infant school summer fair.



In the afternoon we went to the fair. Someone was volunteered to sit in the spalsh an adult seat.



Probably the best Infant School Head in Surrey/England/the World

Dog Walk behind Earlswood Allotments

Dog swim may have been a better title. Unfortunatly the flash went off hence, Skye's demon eyes.




After her swim, Skye ran through a wild flower meadow full of buttercups - what a dog!

Another morning walk. this time on Reigate Hill

Actually we started on Reigate Hill and walked to Colley Hill. Lots of buttercups but as usual Skye was only inteested in her ball.


The Inglis memorial on Colley Hill was donated to the Borough by Lieutenant Colonel Inglis in 1909. It was originally a drinking fountain for horses.



On the ceiling is a mosaic showing the Sun and the planets around it.



The view from the memorial looking towards Leith Hill.

Early (ish) morning on Reigate Heath

An early morning walk yesterday before it got too hot (Summer is here - it must be exam time). The mist was only just beginning to clear - Reigate Heath Windmill is on the skyline.



On one slope up to the windmill there was a mass of small cobwebs on the ground. Normally you wouldn't see them but the combination of the early morning sunlight and dewdrops made them standout.




A wonderful old oak tree in the woods on the edge of the heath.



Proof Skye came with me!

Dog walk in the sunshine!

At last a walk in the sunshine. A day off today as I had a meeting at school at 9am but before that I was on Earlswood Common at just after 7 this morning. Earlswood Common includes a golf course but at that time in the morning it is free of golfers which makes for a more enjoyable walk.



The Common includes a couple of small lakes which we tend to avoid (Skye + water.....)



There is a cricket pitch on the common which is a good ball throwing area according to Skye.



Shame about my shadow at the bottom of the picture (I thought I'd mention it before anyone else)



Proff that there is a lake here.



Skye wasn't too sure about the swans.

Another dog walk in the rain

This time we went to Buchan Country Park (between Crawley and Horsham). The park's origins go back to the 1880's as a Victorian landscaped garden. A stream running through the valley was dammed to form two ponds with a castillated waterfall and boathouse.

Much of the park is woodland :leaves are finally appearing on the trees.



Guess who found the muddy bog before I spotted it!




At least Skye then decided to clean her paws in some fresh water on the spillway of Douster Pond. The boathouse with turrets can be seen in the distance.



The view down Douster Pond with one of the turrets of the spillway in the foreground.