My Constant Companion

It’s been a quiet day today catching up on my book in the garden and this boy has never left my side. I took him a 2 mile walk this morning and will do that again this evening. He has a young dog walker come after school to take him a walk. Maxine the daughter of Fraser’s best friend Aurelian has started this regular service to raise some pocket money to help her get regular riding lessons.

Visit to Los Gatos

This morning Gaye and I decided to visit Los Gatos to explore and enjoy a walk along its very fashionable Main Street. We booked an Uber which arrived in about 4 minutes and because I had a credit with them from 2022 it only cost $3. We enjoyed a lovely Coffee and croissant in a pavement cafe and then sat in a park in the centre of town and watched the world go by. Some very fashionable people in very expensive cars. Another Uber home for $13 and a 6 minute wait and we were soon back home. A most enjoyable morning.

Back home Sammy was waiting patiently for Gaye’s return as we sit out in the garden for the afternoon. 

  

Morning Walk with Sammy

This is Wildcat Creek and it’s been dry since March and will remain dry now until November unless there are some severe summer storms.

Another photo of Wildcat Creek.

Sammy in Gardener Park at our halfway point. We often sit here and talk to other dog walkers. This morning I met a charming lady and her lovely dog. She works for Pay Pal and her husband works for Facebook.

Californian Poppies are everywhere.

Just a few of the many beautiful flowers we pass on our morning walk but this last picture was the most spectacular. It’s going to be a fairly quiet remainder of the day as Fraser and Leslie are at work and the kids are at school so it’s just the auld yins, Sammy, and the 4 Hens left. 

A Football Victory

A lovely morning so Gaye took the opportunity to sit outside. 

Then helped Fraser to make a batch of bread even although according to my friend John Irving he does not knead the dough.

It was then a trip to see Eleanor play for her Football team Allstars United. They started badly and within 15 minutes were 2 goals down. They fought back and scored twice to be drawing at half time. In the second half they pressed hard and 10 minutes from time Eleanor had a great run and passed a through ball to Jessica who scored a beautiful goal. Despite a few scares in the last 10 minutes they hung on to win.

Gaye and Fraser enjoying the game.

Fraser let his Hens out for the morning and they enjoyed their freedom for a couple of hours. The fourth one was busy laying an egg.

This is Fraser’s office in his garden. 

A busy day in Saratoga

Eleanor at her Athletics meeting in Silicon Valley today. It was finals day for all the High Schools in the area. She competed in the Pole Vault in the morning but no photo as we had to be elsewhere to take Thomas to another event. We returned later as she had agreed to run in the 4x800m relay to replace a girl who had called off and despite that not being her distance. She ran the 2nd leg and had a lot to catch up but didn’t. She did however knock 40 seconds off her best time for 800m.

The ugliest Electric car in the world the Tesla’s Cyber Truck which was parked at the stadium. They retail at $110,000.

My pal Sammy won’t leave me as he wants to play all the time. Leslie and Gaye are at a school play where a friend of Leslie’s has a daughter appearing in it. We will end the evening with a BBQ and enjoy food and a drink in the garden. Tomorrow should be a quieter day except Eleanor is playing Football. 

Fraser’s Saratoga Garden

One of the pleasures of being here in Saratoga is sitting in Fraser’s garden as there are loads of shaded areas. This is his Fire Pit and we will enjoy a beer here in the evening as it gets dark.

A swing from a tree for the kids.

A giant trampoline.

A lawn and more large trees and round the edge of the lawn are a lot of fruit trees.

The dining area. Many of our meals are outside.

The grill and an outside fridge.

The shaded canopy over the outside setee.

My constant companion Sammy wanting to play with a stick or a ball.

A Tribute to Peter Bart-Smith

These are a few photos taken of our good friend Peter Bart-Smith during his walking expeditions and holidays with The Last of the Summer Wine Walkers. He was a great walking companion and we had such laughs and discussions. He will be sorely missed but we are all better people for having had him in our lives. Our sincere condolences to his family and many friends and especially those who enjoyed playing sport with him as he was a true sportsman in every sense of the word.

This was taken at 12.12pm on 12/12/2012

Peters first walk with The Last of the Summer Wine Walkers was near Appleby.

From our walk of The Great Glen

Walking the Pebble Beach near Cromer in Norfolk

With John in the Stocks in the Yorkshire Dales

Dinner at a nice Hotel near Colvend in the Stewartry

Another from The Yorkshire Dales

Somewhere in the Borders

On the Bowling Green for our annual LOTSWW match and the only sport he didn’t excell at but he tried hard