September 2nd – With autumn looming large, and the forecast being good, I got in a good hayride to The Roaches, taking in Uttoxeter, The Weaver Hills, Marriage, the Roaches themselves, the Dane Valley, Wildboarclough and Macclesfield Forest, returning on the train.

It was a fantastic day, with great weather and a 100 mile plus ride.

I won’t elaborate too much on that as there’s a post hopefully coming on my main blog in the next day or so.

However, as with any long ride, it’s the quirky things that were great, particularly this elderly border collie at The Roaches Tea Rooms near Hulme End.

A great day. Stay tuned for more.

September 26th – I nipped over to Burntwood to get some shopping in after work. On the way, I passed through Chasewater.

Near the top of the dam I saw an older chap with a bicycle trailer, containing a handsome, elderly brown and white collie dog. When your old mate cant walk so far, but still loves the fresh air and a change of scene, you do what you can. 

In this case it was saddle up the bike, get a trailer, put some old carpet in it for comfort, and use it as a chariot.

A lovely sight; two old friends out for a constitutional – not unlike the two boater dogs I spotted on my return at Anglesey Basin. I think they’d had a falling out as they seemed to be studiously ignoring each other…

April 21st – These two 18 month old border collie brothers were having fun at Chasewater. One was scared to swim, whilst the other couldn’t get enough. Every time the plastic bottle was thrown into the water, one dog would swim to get it, bring it ashore, and give it to his brother, who took it to their master to throw again. Teamwork. Gorgeous dogs.

February 16th – On the Dam path, at Chasewater, I gladly hung back to watch this pair of great friends enjoy what must be a regular game…

If you’re a Border Collie, all you need in life is a large stick (or small tree branch), some open space, strong teeth and a willing freind to join you in a tug of war. How wonderfully happy is this dog?