Sue Woodcock: Rising water inside and out and insects heralding autumn

Next day I put them up where I thought they were safe but at least one of my dogs is more athletic than expected. The slippers were comfy while they lasted and I shall be more careful next time.

Boo came in from romping round the field with a nasty gash on her upper hind leg which required an operation to stitch her up and she had to stay in overnight at the vet’s. I am grateful Boo is insured and when I went to fetch her the next morning I was so relieved she was all right. It had been very quiet in her absence and she was rather subdued from the anaesthetic for 24 hours, but after that was back to her boisterous self which with a plastic collar made for a noisy and disruptive time inside.

I had to let her out on a lead as she must not run too fast or jump or the stitches might unzip.

She does not understand this and keeps begging to go off and run. I took her back for a check up two days later and had to get another plastic collar. She had demolished the first one.

At Bolton Abbey the heather is in full bloom up on the tops and it reminded me of the line from the hymn: The purple-headed mountain with the river running by. Walking up in the heather is pleasant with a delicious sweet aroma. The only trouble is that it makes me sneeze a bit.

The river was running high because of the rain and it churns down towards the sea in a brown frothy torrent which in places can be very dangerous. There is no way I would risk my dogs near it.

I’ve also had an indoor flood. I suppose I was being a bit yonderly and trying to do several things at once. I foolishly let the washing machine overflow all over the kitchen floor. It ran into the hall and has taken days to dry out.

Little Ginny the miniature Jack Russell is still waiting for her permanent loving home but I am sure the right one will come along in time.

It was so cold one day that I lit the fire in the front room and she really likes lying as close as she can in front of it. At other times she is quite content to rest in my knitting and with Brillo likes to re-arrange any balls of wool I leave lying within their reach.

One of the smaller lambs has succumbed to an infection. I did all I could to save her but the final straw was fly strike. The other lambs were all fattening well on the ample grass. The chickens are getting fat too and eating everything I put out for them. The new hen Helen is getting quite tame and runs towards me and even allows me to stroke her.

One of my favourites is a little black hen imaginatively called Blacky. She and Helen have palled-up and sit in the nesting boxes next to each other. Talk about Little and Large! The growers (who I didn’t mean to buy) are much bigger and I have moved them on.

Lots of bats have been around. I love bats. They are quick and clever, if a bit smelly and I like to watch them. As the light fades on a fine evening I sit by the house to watch their aerial antics. A young friend displaying a healthy curiosity about his surroundings found a dead bat by the road and brought it to me. I was able point out their special features before we buried it.

I remember being similarly inquisitive as a child and I don’t think it has ever left me. I was so lucky that the adults around me were patient with my unending questions.

I spent many happy hours as a child investigating anything and everything. I was a definite tomboy and usually got home covered in mud or wet, but my grandmother bore it with fortitude. I am far from an expert in wildlife but have gleaned a little during the years.

As a child I wasn’t keen on spiders but daddylonglegs never worried me. Soon the whole area will be smothered in these inelegant but fascinating insects which do me no harm and provide food for other animals.

It always heralds the start of autumn when they appear which rather makes me wonder: what happened to summer?