Country Escape: PART ONE

Just look at that view. There's nothing like lush green grass, rolling fields and being surrounded by wildlife to make me feel really happy. 

As much as I love Newcastle and living in such a vibrant, busy city, my heart longs for my own farmhouse in the country. I love the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside as weird as that might be. I love the smell of the hay from hay bales, the smell of the grass and the fresh air. Nothing beats the sight of endless open spaces and boxing hares, snuffling hedgehogs and gently grazing sheep. So when a friend of mine asked me if I would dog sit her two lovely labradors Gus and Cinders at their farm for the weekend, I couldn't wait to get my wellies on and play farmer's wife. 

Bringing with me best friend Emily along for the ride, we said goodbye to Newcastle and headed for a small village called Felton near Morpeth. 

Gus and Cinders were pretty pleased to see us and it wasn't long before we settled ourselves into Julie's beautiful farmhouse. 

Since I was the only one out of the two of us who is from up North, I felt duty bound to show Emily just how gorgeous Northumberland is. Bundling the two big labradors into the back of my car, our first stop was Druridge Bay which looked picture perfect in the afternoon sun.

It was lovely to see the dogs enjoy themselves and run freely on the beach. Thankfully the weather stayed nice too so we didn't mind getting wet as we walked along the seafront in our wellies. 

After a good frolic on the beach and the obligatory 'write your name in the sand' photo, we bundled the smelly, wet dogs back into my car and headed for a drink at the beautiful Northumberland Arms. The pub overlooks the picturesque River Coquet and we couldn't resist stopping to say hello to the ducks before going inside. 

The pub was just the right kind of busy for us to take a seat by the fire, grab a drink and have a chat while the dogs lay by our feet. The interior was beautifully decorated and the food smelled amazing. We promised we'd come back for Sunday lunch another time!

Once we were back home we fired up the AGA (or Emily did) and made ourselves a feast. Playing the perfect farmer's wife I set the table for tea before we all piled into the sitting room to watch a dvd, eat chocolate and chatter until the early hours. 

With the dogs snuggled in their basket, we headed upstairs to bed, but it wasn't long before a certain someone decided he didn't want to sleep downstairs and hopped into bed with us. Being used to my two little bichons, I don't mind sharing my bed, but I have to say Gus took up a lot more room than expected! 

After a brilliant first day, I couldn't wait to show Emily more of Northumberland tomorrow.

Stay tuned for part two to see what we got up to!