Sue Woodcock: Life, death, and a new start for two dogs

Giving him a cuddle is the best de-stressing strategy I have come across in a while. He is growing fast and spends a lot of time snuggled up in the sunshine.

The other billy kid, Godfrey, towers above him, electing to dance on and off the cement mixer, the back of my car, the sand sack, or the walls and roof of the barn. I made the mistake of leaving the car door open for a few seconds, both Godfrey and his mum Gwendoline were in the back seat in a flash, munching their way through a piece of chocolate cake I was looking forward to as a special treat.

I get given bread for the birds and the sheep. They home in on the farmyard and devour it with relish. When they have retired to the top field I let the dogs out. I do feed my dogs, I really do, but they still like to select a particularly stale bit of bread and make a show of eating it, usually when there are visitors, just to emphasise they are ill-treated and underfed. Now that walkers trail past my gate they rush up to inveigle tasty sandwiches from them.

Everywhere birds are getting on with their lives. The oyster catchers and curlews are making a racket overhead and the pied wagtails and wrens compete with the swallows and house martins around the barn.

A friend came up to assess the walls. She enjoys walling and likes to teach it and I offered her the use of my place if she wants it. I have had quite a few visitors this week but I have been quite busy too. I had to go to a PCC meeting and then the next two nights were choir practice.

Sometimes in dire circumstances the officials of neighbouring areas need to combine to solve an emergency. This happened this week. My wonderful dog warden asked for my help and the end result was I have taken two dogs for her that desperately needed rescuing. Their story is too horrible to recount here but now I need to show them that humans are sometimes all right. Two beautiful mongrel bitches who had been living in appalling conditions have very quickly shown me that they are gentle, loving dogs desperate for affection.

I took them out on to the field for their first walk. They couldn't believe their luck and within 36 hours learned to run. I hope to get them adjusted for adoption and vetted soon.

At the same time, two terriers came to me for the weekend. So, temporarily I have nine dogs here which has been rather chaotic to say the least. Why all of them insist on sleeping on my bed I do not know, but it is the only way to shut them up at night so I put up with it.

Now we have had some much needed rain the grass is greener and the foliage on the bushes and trees is bursting forth with a lush display of colours.

Marsh marigold can be seen in blue in the streams and soon the scenery will be obscured by every shade of green.

I went to Skipton's Street Angels commissioning service at Christ Church, Skipton. Then it was a dash up the dale for the pub quiz, where we raised 60 for the church at Hubberholme.

Life is full of such various delights and every day I give thanks for it. I am just so lucky!

CW 8/5/10