Walking the Fields with Winston + First Bread Oven Trial

 When I lost the use of my laptop computer I decided to embrace the change and make good use of the time I would normally have spent online.  Extra dog walks, lots of reading, a little extra cleaning (that one didn't last long) but the reading and walking were enjoyable.

Now that the computer has been restored and secured things are almost back to normal.  Almost, but not quite.  The extra dog walks are here to stay.  Winston is now old enough to be able to do 35-40 minute walks which means that he is able to come on some of my favourite walks along farm tracks, and old rights of way.  

One particular route is still out of the question because he can't jump over the stile and there is no dog-friendly alternative offered.  He is not a particularly agile dog and I don't want to encourage him to jump over gates or fences anyway, lest he take it into his doggy head to set off on an adventure following the cats into the field around the house.

Once we get home he has a quick rub down followed by a quarter of an hour in his crate, while I sort myself out and catch up with jobs, feed the cats, etc.  Then he takes up his favourite sleeping position and is soon snoring.

The bread oven is finally complete and has been fired up a couple of times.

Once the correct temperature reached, the ash is swept out and the bread quickly popped in.  Today's recipe was for a milk bread, it rises well and keeps nice and moist for several days.  One for the pantry, one for the freezer.

Unfortunately, the oven didn't retain the required temperature for quite long enough, so I had to pull out the loaves and finish them off in a hot fan oven for an extra ten minutes.  Almost there, but not quite.  Still, I like a challenge.

The bread is excellent, I couldn't resist cutting off a crust and having a nibble.

This photograph was our morning walk,

and this one, our afternoon.  Lots of space and plenty of good sniffing time.  Winston is still able to fit into Toby One and Toby Too's old harness at the moment.  It won't be too long before he needs a larger one though.   He is built on a much bigger scale.

Wishing you all well,

Elaine