Front of house

As seen from the hillside opposite. It's a pity the house faces almost north so the sun rarely shines on the front, and then only obliquely.

The garden gates

A detail of the gates to Stanmer House garden.

And again

I'm not allowed in that part of the garden so the Boss took this picture through the railings.

From the Boss: That marquee seems to be a permanent extension to the house. The house had fallen into a pretty poor state but was taken over - presumably on a lease from the Council - by a private company who renovated at least the ground floor to a high standard and now let it out for wedding receptions, parties etc. It would make an ideal venue for a Lions charter night - if only we could afford it! One room alone can cost upwards of £1,000 for an evening.

Stanmer House

Without the leaves on the trees it is possible to see Stanmer House from the woods.

Winter trees, winter sky

The new football stadium

It's coming on. The Albion are due to start playing here in 18 months' time.

Old Boat Corner

I start getting excited when we cross the bypass and head up to Old Boat Corner as that means we are nearly at the woods.

From the Boss: The woods at the top of the hill in the photo are Stanmer and the highest point is at Old Boat Corner. This is a staggered crossroads and there are at least three different versions of how the name came about. One is that there was at one time an old boat stood upright to act as a shelter for shepherds, another is that a sarsen stone near here looked like an upside-down boat, and the third is that "boat" is a corruption of the Saxon word "boke" meaning boundary.

That sky looks ominous

That explains it

You'd think that after three months somebody would have done something about it.

Sand pits for dogs?

On the edge of the woods we came across several of these constructions. Sand pits for dogs to play in? Dog toilets? What could they be?

The strange things humans do

I thought it odd that some human had tied a bunch of dead flowers to a tree, but the Boss explained that the flowers had been alive when they were put there, probably in memory of somebody who had died. I suppose there's a kind of logic in leaving dead flowers for a dead person.

Back in the woods

Well, nearly back into the woods. The Boss says it's still too muddy for me to go there just yet.

From the Boss: It's a pity I didn't get round here while the snow was on the ground as those red branches would have stood out even better.

Broken limbs

Lots of humans broke various bones during the recent snow. The Boss says that dogs are better off in snow and ice because we have four-wheel drive, whatever that is. Anyway, yesterday afternoon we got back into Stanmer Park and walked through what used to be the garden of Stanmer House where there are some large trees which the Boss says he thinks are wellingtons: I thought wellingtons are what he puts on his feet. Whatever, the snow on those trees was so heavy that quite a lot of branches broke off.

From the Boss: Those trees are wellingtonia, not wellingtons.

Where is everything?

The Downs were lost in the fog/low cloud yesterday and it rained hard for most of the day. Going for a walk was a soggy business.

Nearly gone

Well, the snow has just about gone and the Boss will be complaining about all the mud. Honestly, some humans are just never satisfied. I didn't think I would like snow at first, but it was really quite fun. I wonder how long it will be before we see this again?

Cotton wool

Those fluffy balls of cotton wool have gone now.

Mole hills

I wonder if they'll still be there when the snow clears? And do the moles know it's snowed? Going by the number of mole hills we've seen lately, the critters must have just about reached plague volume.

Those bars...

...are still at the window.

Withdean Park

We come here every morning and, for the time being, every afternoon as well as the Boss says we can't get to Stanmer.

From the Boss: The windmill on the horizon is the one we can see from the Roman Camp and is just about visible in this picture.

Bars at the window

Our road

The Boss says it must be more than 30 years since he last saw our road like this. That's almost prehistoric! Anyway, no cars up or down for four days now.

Snow Kennel?

Some chap just around the corner has made a dog kennel of snow in his front garden.

Eh?

Come on, Boss, let's get out of here!

Night over Patcham

Yes, those clouds did bring snow.

Storm brewing

Clouds gathering over Stanmer. They have now dumped so much snow on us that I don't think I will be going there again for a few days.

The Wild Park dew pond...

...is frozen over, but the Boss thought it might not be safe to walk on it.

It's not only dogs...

...who run in the woods. I nearly managed to trip one of them up.

Brrr!

The last few days have been bright and sunny but cold enough for the frost to linger all day.

Woods at last!

The Boss took me into the bottom of Stanmer Park again yesterday afternoon, but we walked across the field on the other side of the road (luckily the cows had been moved - I don't like them) and into the woods at the top. This is the view of Stanmer House from near the top of the field. The woods in the background are where we normally walk.

From the Boss: The Council nurseries are tucked away beyond Stanmer House and the tops of the greenhouses can just be seen in the picture to the left of the church.

Draughty

I suppose it's alright for the birds but I would have thought it was a bit draughty up there. Give me my basket in the kitchen with the nice cosy blanket any day - or night.