Settling in

We have been at the Barn for a week now and it is still chaos. Andy is never one to go for something simple like just moving house, no, Andy prefers to renovate the whole place whilst we are moving in. So moving day arrives and I find myself trying to unpack whilst surrounded by electricians and joiners who were tearing the place to bits!

Did I mention that the week before we moved the whole roof was lifted and put back on? So having spent the whole weekend prior to moving cleaning the Barn - I was now surrounded by a load a blokes intent on making a mess again.

There are plans for every room and every room apart from our bedroom are now bashed in some way and everything we own - whether it still be in boxes or unpacked - has a lovely layer of dust.

It is however, quite exciting coming home from work each day wondering what on earth I will find.........hmmm, is exciting really the word?

Molly and Nemo have taken very well to the move. Molly has lived at the Barn before - it was Andy's batchelor pad in the days before he met me. Moll has always loved the Barn and switches onto instant relaxation mode the moment she enters the door - yes, she really does get more chilled than usual.

Nemo has continued to be his little sod self - he has already wrecked a brand new pair of my shoes since being here. (I blame the electrician for leaving the door to the bedroom open). I am gutted though as they were a gift from a friend who visited from the states and I can't replace them here. He does love being at the Barn, he particularly loves the garden and spends hours exploring it. He also loves the sheep in the field next door - he hasn't decided what they are yet though (thank god) and lies in the garden just watching them.

After a week of turmoil with Jess, she has finally calmed down and settled in. The first night we were here she cried through the night, the second night she found her way into the bedroom where we had put all our boxes and bags ready for unpacking, she made a nest in the middle of it all and refused to come out. The third night Andy relented and she was allowed to sleep at the side of our bed. It was unheard of, believe me, for a dog to be allowed in our bedroom. Jess was clearly aware that she was on previously unknown territory and she kept so still and quiet in the night - if I don't move, he will let me stay here! The following night Andy wasn't feeling quite so mellow (not quite as much red wine before bed time), so Jess was back in the hallway with Moll and Nemo. There was quite a bit of crying through the night.

As the week has gone on she has got more settled, I don't think the constant coming and going of work men and the constant wrecking of the house has really helped. Andy thought he had lost her the other day and found her hidden under the bed in the spare room - bless her.

I think yesterday Jess finally relaxed. It probably helped that I had the day off work and was here with her during the day. She just slept all day, she must have been exhausted with the stress of it all. I know how she feels!

So here are some photographs from our first week in the building site formerly known as the Barn

Our lovely new roof lights. We are really pleased with these as they have made a huge difference to the light inside the barn. As you can see though I have yet to suffer the plastering which starts monday.....

This huge beam has been moved so that we can build a wall there for the new utility room, the stairs have yet to go. So - how do you get upstairs (the barn is upside down so living accomodation upstairs) limbo thats how! Dave is laughing thinking, Jeanette is going to go mental when she comes home to this!

It is all too much for Jess, this is where Andy found her after a frantic 10 minutes search

Oh and Nemo was there too

But the limbo was only a temporary thing. The following day whilst I was at work they decided to cut a massive hole in the floor where the new stair case will go.

Unfortunately the day didn't quite go to plan, so when I got home that evening........

The only way upstairs was up the ladder!

Nemo was not impressed with this latest development, he was very surprised to find that the old stairs disappeared half way up

Wot no stairs!

But we're down here!

I am going to sit here until someone puts the rest of the stairs back

Poor dogs!

Luckily, we were only up ladders for one day, and we now have a lovely but temporary staircase

And as you can see, the dogs can get up it!

Whilst I still have to limbo under a gas pipe and various electrical cables that still need to be diverted!

And that is just week one!

On the move

Hebersghyll Newfoundlands are moving. All our "owners" should now have received our new address details. if you haven't then please call Andy or myself on our mobile numbers and we will be happy to give our new details to you.

We have been packing for a couple of weeks now and furniture has been disappearing into storage. Molly has taken it all in her stride, Nemo is too young to notice anything different. Jess however has become very unsettled. Always very clingy with me, when I am in the house Jess always follows me everywhere - even to the toilet, given half a chance.

This week her clingyness has reached such a level that she refuses to go for a walk with anyone but me. Now Jess loves her walks. She loves nothing better than a good charge across Ilkley Moor and she has never cared whether I take her, Andy takes her, my Mum and Dad, Clare our cleaner (and surrogate dog owner)......If there was chance of a walk, Jess was taking it. Not at the moment she isn't. My parents tried to take her this weekend - not a chance, she would not go any further than outside the front door, where she remained staring through the glass at me.

Andy then decided she was going for a walk and he was going to take her. Well he got her as far as the bottom of the steps, and then she just sat and watched him and Nemo go up into the woods.

When they returned, it was decided that Jess was worried that I was going to leave her while she was out, so I have to take her on all her walks until we have moved and she feels a bit more settled. Poor Jess, I feel awful that our moving house has had such an effect on her.

We currently have no furniture left downstairs, so here are Jess and Andy enjoying our last night at Ghyllside. Sitting on the floor..........

Loving her monkey

I will update the blog again as soon as we are settled and have the internet back up and running. Don't forget to send us pictures of the pups so we can feature them on the blog!

Shoe Love Update!

Nemo (7 and half months)

Nemo has devoted many hours to chewing his shoes since I last blogged about it, so I thought I would post some updated photo's so you could review his progress.

The remains of Andy's slippers - a single insole

The last of the brown shoes

The brand new Reef flip flops

The cuplrit!

It's been hard work obviously!

Elwood - Top of the swimming class!!

I had to post these photo's of Elwood. Ian and Cath post a lot of their photo's to photobucket and we get an e mail notification every time they add some more. These shots are some of the most recent and have been the subject of a few tellings off for Nemo.

Go on Elwood!

Good retreive Elwood - pond weed! Great!

Yes, having seen these photo's -( there is also an accompanying video but I haven't worked out how to download it), Andy decided to show Nemo so he could see how it should be done. Despite his name, Nemo is just not taking to this swimming lark. He can do it when necessary - when Andy drags him in or when he just paddles out a little too far and has to swim back. But so far he is showing no real appetite for it.

Andy of course, is not happy about this at all. Nemo is after all, a BOY, and therefore he should be tough and strong and a fantastic swimmer. And be better than his Mum, because she's a GIRL. And as we all know, BOYS are always better at everything than GIRLS.............ha ha

Well, Nemo, you have a lot of catching up to do with Elwood and you will really have to go some to be a better swimmer than Jess. Oh and while we are on the subject - Nemo does have a shoe fetish, hmmmm...........

Here are a few more shots of the rather stunning Elwood

Gorgeous!(Looks just like his brother I have to say)

Doing his best Devil Dog impression - Jess does it too

Not quite sure what he is doing, but what a fantastic shot!

Thanks Ian and Cath for posting the photo's, Elwood looks great and Andy is gutted that he can swim better than Nemo!