Welcome Auntie Ruby!

Last week we went on a most exciting (and very long, for the UK at least!) road trip, travelling up to Northumberland, and on the way stopping in Leamington Spa, near the small village where I was brought up.

Hunningham, shown in the photos above, is a tiny village, just outside Leamington Spa, a typically Warwickshire collection of higgledy piggledy dwellings clustered around the parish church (where I used to play the organ as a teenager).  It was lovely to visit again as I hadn’t been back for many years – lots of new development of course, but a great deal also remained unchanged.  But we couldn’t stay long – we had an important mission to complete – so were soon back on the road again heading north towards Northumberland…

I remember visiting Northumberland on a childhood family holiday,  but had never seen it through adult eyes.  I was struck by the stark beauty of the countryside, all greenery and softness stripped away by the wild winter weather, as well as the wide open skies and rushing water as stream after stream merged into tributaries of the River Tees.  We will definitely return, but couldn’t stay long on this visit as we had an important mission to complete….

Collecting “Auntie” Ruby from a wild and wonderful place where she had lived all her life with a lovely lady who also bred Ted’s dad. Ruby is an ex-brood bitch and her owner, now that Ruby is six and her puppy bearing days are over, wanted her to enjoy a happy retirement in a family home where she could receive lots of individual attention, spoiling and treats.  (I feel I must emphasise there is absolutely no question of any welfare issues, Ruby was much loved and well cared for, and has only had three litters).  And so Ted’s Auntie Ruby, on the left of the photo below, has joined our team here at Bustle & Sew HQ.