Les Creature Comforts

06/09/2021

Would you trust this cat...ears or horns???

16/03/2021

Snake?

13/03/2021

04/02/2021

Five Dartmoor ponies have arrived at Devil's D**e.
They are grazing over Summerdown, D**e Valley and Hillfort which covers quite a large area.
They are there to help restore the internationally rare grass chalkland habit.
The national trust team have requested that people keep their dogs on lead whilst walking up there and please DO NOT feed them. If they are fed they will expect to be fed by everyone and can become aggressive if they don't get what they want.
They are wild ponies and have plenty to eat naturally with the brambles and gorse in their environment.
In order for the grass chalkland to thrive it needs poor soil which means any dog poo left either on the ground or in bags discarded is damaging the environment so please clear up after your dogs and take your poo bags and put in a bin.
It is also extremely dangerous for the horses and cattle grazing. Sadly cattle have already been lost on the D**e due to people leaving poo bags in their feeding stations.
Any questions regarding the ponies can be answered by Helen at the National Trust estate office at Saddlecombe on 01273857712
Have had to repost as Facebook wouldn't allow me to add a map of the area to the original post.

23/11/2020

The horse does not know his score, at the end of the dressage test. Only, that he went along, just as he was ridden. Lazy by nature he tried only as much as he knew would be insisted on. However, being pretty and relaxed, as well as a relatively good mover, has earned him many points and blue ribbons in the past. His young rider though, has ambitions, and he cannot meet them. He will be put on the market and then sold.

The horse does not know... the time on the clock, at the end of the jumping round. All she knows is that she tried, even though some of the lines ridden to the fence depended on her heart, to clear them. She knows, that some of the spots where she left the ground, were hard to navigate a fence from. She only knows that it is her job is to jump what is in front of her. She trusts her riders guidance to help her, to do that job.

The horse does not know... a fraction of a second divides the winners and the losers in the rodeo barrel racing finals. He does not know that less than 16 seconds of his efforts could earn enough cash to keep him in hay and grain for the rest of his life. All he knows is that he must apply all his efforts into a very concentrated time span, and that the young lady that rides him is his very best friend.

The horse does not know... losing this race might put his very life in jeopardy. He knows his leg hurts and so do his lungs. He knows he is not the fastest horse out here. He is trying his hardest and some of the others are just coasting and he still cannot keep up. He knows he must run, because that is what he was born, and trained, to do. He does not know that this is his last race and two weeks from now his life will be over.

The horse does not know... now that summer camp is done and the last of the children have returned to school, that she is an expense. One that will not be maintained through the winter. She does not know that the auction she has been sent to has no buyers for a horse like her. She knows she will do as she is asked and so when the others who share her fate, climb onto the trailer that smells of fear and of death, she obediently climbs on too.

The horse does not know... growing old in a pasture, or a stall, is not a right, that all horses enjoy. His owners are old too, and they cannot care for him... and themselves. He knows he has been a member of this family and has lived here at this farm, for as long as he can remember.
Sure his joints ache a bit and he would rather saunter than gallop these days. The family members of his humans do not consider him part of their family. They give him to a man that says he wants a companion horse for his wife’s gelding. There is no wife and there is no gelding. Twenty four hours later he is on a truck bound for Mexico.

The world is simple to a horse. They take each day as it comes and none of them...trained or untrained...winners or losers...unstarted or retired, deserve to get on a slaughter bound truck. However each year, thousands and thousands do. It is up to each of us to do what we can for those with no voice of their own. Educate yourself and others. Care for your horses, rehome responsibly, pay for your horses retirement, or pay to euthanize them. Check out your local rescue and get involved.

Be the change that must occur in the equine industry so we can all look up, smile and say. “ I am...part of the solution.”

18/11/2020

The trouble is I never know what she is dreaming about... I know it won’t be good!

11/11/2020

Millie’s workout finished sooner than expected

06/08/2020

So true... all my cats graduated with 1sts from kitten school.

Just too funny....

01/08/2020

Almost oven ready... not surprising in this heat!

09/07/2020

Just found this site for preloved clothes. No bad thing as I rarely clothes shop and it’s great to recycle as much as possible.

18/06/2020

Never mind lock down... you’ve locked me in.

29/05/2020

Hello to everyone. Just want to let you know that we are open for business from Monday 1st June for anyone who may need our services. We will have strict social distancing and disinfection regimes in place for check in and check out until further notice. Look forward to seeing some of you soon.

21/04/2020

What a long lock down ... but still staying up beat. Along these lines I have been sharing desert island disc choices with friends. Your 8 top music choices to take with you onto your island... it would be great if you can list and share... a good excuse to hear them all on YouTube... mine to follow. Stay well everyone ... see you on the safe side x

03/04/2020

Lock down... so what. Everything I need is delivered to me direct.

29/03/2020

Just want to confirm to everyone that I am still getting my 10,000 steps in each day. I have a new interval training programme for running and walking. I use our driveway and I am gradually eroding it! Also want to let you know it is killing me!!!! But.., I will finish the challenge whatever the lock down here throws at us. Keep safe and well.

07/03/2020

Meet Vinnie a.k.a Count Dracula. Who knows what happens after dusk?!

07/03/2020

Quite bracing today... but done.

06/03/2020

So important to stay warm... these March winds can be so very chilly...

04/03/2020

So far Nora Bone has avoided the challenge, always busy guarding the place or resting... but tomorrow!!!
Will let you all know how she faces her Walk all over Cancer.

02/03/2020

Done and dusted for today.

01/03/2020

Day 1 of Walking all over Cancer.... 30 to go.

25/02/2020

Just a few days until I start Walking all over Cancer. Please if you can, make a donation using my Fundraising page... any amount will help towards research to stop this deadly disease. My tracker is at the ready to record my daily results. Thank you

17/02/2020

Always has to have a blanket... so special needs.

12/02/2020

I read a newspaper report today that details the requirements to travel with pets from the U.K. to Europe after Brexit. Looks nice and complicated and expensive.... I am waiting to see how it will work in reverse, I can’t imagine it will be any simpler.

06/02/2020

Nora Bone has just pledged to help me achieve my goal in March, 10,000 steps every day to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
What a girl... we’ll get fit together!!

02/02/2020

Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. This March I’m walking 10,000 steps a day throughout the month to help beat cancer. Help me Walk All Over Cancer and fund life-saving research by making a donation to my page.

30/01/2020

Say hello to Ruby, Millie’s doppelgänger with fur!

27/01/2020

Just trying to survive January.

15/01/2020

Just had a super productive meeting with Bushnell Community Services to spruce up and update my website. Thank you Olivia... always a great service.

15/01/2020