A Little Catch-Up From The Quantocks
Goodness, What An Autumn It's Been
If ever there was a time for putting the kettle on — or pouring a rather large glass of something stronger — this is probably it!
It's been quite an autumn here at Quantock Cottages. Two new four-legged characters, a milestone wedding anniversary, rather too many technological disasters and, sadly, more heartbreak than we ever imagined.
Our beautiful Star & Krma
In the space of just two months, we've lost both our darling German Shepherds, Star and Karma, each only ten years old.
We're still feeling terribly raw and numb.
Star was my shadow, my soulmate, while Karma, our decorated retired police dog, was gloriously opinionated and never short of something to say — particularly about motorbikes and leaf blowers!
We miss them beyond words.
Some of you will remember our somewhat ambitious six-week caravan adventure through France with both girls, fulfilling a promise we'd made to Karma that we'd take her swimming in a warm sea.
Those memories have become more precious than we could ever have imagined.
The kindness and lovely messages we've received have meant the world to us. Thank you, from the bottom of our rather battered hearts.
Meet The New Kids
From Belmarsh Prison
& the Met Police
to the Sofas of Somerset!
We certainly weren't looking for more dogs, but somehow two rather extraordinary young ladies found their way into our lives.
First came Miss Belmarsh, a three-year-old Belgian Malinois whose previous job involved guarding Category A prisoners at Belmarsh Prison. Slightly different from life in the Quantocks!
Having spent her working life being trained to keep strangers at a distance, adjusting to family life was always going to be quite a challenge.
We were warned she was a nipper, a destroyer of property and should be crated when not working.
So far, the casualties have been one slightly shredded dog bed and my favourite childhood teddy, who survived boarding school and fifty years of life, only to lose his nose to a mad Malinois. Poor chap now requires reconstructive surgery!
Our first priority was, naturally, to make Miss B safe and comfortable visiting pubs. This meant Simon and I had to embark on an extensive programme of visiting as many hostelries as possible. Tough work, but someone had to do it!
There were also essential excursions to Watchet for fish and chips, cafés for sticky buns and pet shops, where our supposedly highly trained former officers nearly got done for shoplifting after helping themselves to rather more pick-and-mix treats than permitted.
But joking aside, we're incredibly proud of her.
In just a few weeks, she's learned to swim, visit busy towns, enjoy outings with the horses and even cope with the crowds and livestock at Dunster Show. After five gentle familiarisation visits to the vet, she happily had her vaccinations without needing a muzzle.
And her first physiotherapy session? Upside down, legs akimbo, purring like a very large cat!
She still needs space around strangers, and we take that very seriously. But watching her learn to trust people and enjoy a life she'd never known has been wonderful.
And then, because clearly we weren't quite busy enough, along came Miss Met.
Not quite three years old, fresh from the Metropolitan Police, and a German Shepherd approximately the size of a small pony.
In the house she's more like a baby elephant. Her front legs go one way, her back legs another, and the rest of her arrives shortly afterwards. She has absolutely no concept of personal space.
When the two girls play, tables move, chairs topple, and we're beginning to wonder whether the house will survive their retirement.
Miss Met is also convinced that the hoover is an extremely dangerous intruder which must be eaten at every opportunity.
Both girls previously lived in kennels, so discovering sofas, beds, washing machines and the peculiar habits of humans has been quite an education.
Although Miss B has adapted to sleeping in our bed remarkably quickly. I now have a four-legged hot water bottle who insists on sharing my pillow!
They are both still learning, as are we.
Their former training means we'll always manage introductions carefully, but seeing them blossom into much-loved family dogs is an extraordinary privilege.
And although they're officially retired, they still have a little job to do here — keeping the bad man out and, naturally, any particularly naughty guests in order! 😉
For security reasons, we don't use their real names publicly. But you can follow Miss Belmarsh and Miss Met and their ongoing adventures on our Facebook page.
Something tells us there will be plenty more stories to come!
Thirty Years Married!
(This Time We Checked!)
Yes, Simon and I have finally celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. And we do mean finally!
Last year, while touring France in our caravan with Star and Karma, we happily celebrated what we thought was thirty years together. It wasn't until we got home that we realised we'd got our dates muddled and were a whole year early!
So this year, having double-checked the arithmetic, we decided to celebrate properly with a trip to London.
Having both lived and worked there for years, it seemed extraordinary that I hadn't been back for almost 25 years.
We went to see Mamma Mia! at the theatre, which was AMAZING, and treated ourselves to a proper Chinese meal in Chinatown. Hugely exciting when you live in deepest, darkest Zumerzet and your takeaway options are somewhat limited!
We visited the National Portrait Gallery and the Natural History Museum, although I have to admit the latter wasn't quite as wonderful as we'd remembered.
Then there was Harvey Nics. Naturally, we headed straight for the fifth floor, which in our London days was the place to see and be seen. Well, goodness me. Not a soul in sight, and half the shop seemed to have absolutely nothing in it. No clothes, no customers, no anything!
But the biggest surprise was Leicester Square.
There, we discovered an enormous five-storey LEGO shop, with people actually QUEUING to get in! Naturally, we joined them, purely in the interests of research, you understand. Who knew LEGO had become such an enormous thing? Or quite so eye-wateringly expensive?!
And directly opposite was a four-storey shop selling nothing but M&M's.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love an M&M as much as the next person, but FOUR FLOORS? Of chocolates?! Apparently the world does, because that place was absolutely rammed too.
Clearly London has moved on considerably since we last knew it. Although quite how Harvey Nics can be deserted while thousands of people queue to buy plastic bricks and chocolate is beyond me!
The other enormous surprise was how quiet London had become. I remember the noise, the traffic and the fumes, but with electric buses, taxis and cars, it all seemed remarkably peaceful.
Which was rather fortunate, as we'd rented a grotty apartment on Charing Cross Road, and I'd fully expected three nights without a wink of sleep!
Still, thirty years married, a wonderful few days together and plenty to laugh about. And this time, at least, we got the anniversary right! ❤️
Simon "braving" a night out on the town!
Me at the M&M shop it went over many floors!
When we're not walking dogs, rescuing teddy bears or celebrating anniversaries, we've been busy finding new ways to make Quantock Cottages even better.
We've always loved technology and discovering clever new ways of doing things.
My latest adventure has been learning Wondershare Filmora to make our own little promotional films. Great fun when it works, rather less so when it doesn't!
We've also been giving the website a substantial makeover. Not just making it look prettier, but trying to make the whole user journey easier for you — from finding the perfect cottage for you and your dogs, to checking availability, booking your stay and discovering all the little extras that make a holiday here special.
Unfortunately, the bloody website has developed a delightful habit of crashing just when I've finally got something looking exactly how I want it.
And there is nothing — NOTHING — that drives me quite so potty as a computer that thinks it's cleverer than me.
Which, infuriatingly, appears to be most of the time!
Simon has wisely learnt that when certain words start coming from my office, it's probably best to keep a safe distance. 😂
Meanwhile, away from the computer, we're already knee-deep in planning our next maintenance weeks.
These are the times when we close the cottages, roll up our sleeves and get stuck into all those jobs that simply can't be done while guests are staying.
There's the never-ending programme of keeping the cottages, gardens, grounds and dog facilities looking their best, not to mention dreaming up the next little improvement (which Simon always shudders at when I say "Darling I have an idea" as he knows its going to cost!!
We're currently juggling lists, gathering quotes, organising contractors and trying to squeeze an extraordinary number of jobs into a very small window.
It's amazing how much planning goes into making everything look as though it just happens!
Sixteen years on, we're still looking at every corner of the place and asking ourselves, "How could we make that even better?"
And that's the thing. We never want to stand still. Whether it's a better booking experience, a lovely new touch in a cottage or another improvement for your dogs, there's always something we're working on.
Although I do sometimes wonder whether persuading the website to behave might be our greatest achievement of all! 😂
Well, that's probably quite enough of our ramblings for now! There's plenty more to tell you, but we'd better save a few stories for our Christmas letter.
It's certainly been an autumn of highs and heartbreaking lows, but life here in the Quantocks carries on, the new girls are keeping us on our toes, and there's never a dull moment.
Thank you for being part of our little world, whether you've been coming to stay for years, have only recently discovered us, or are still planning your first visit. We never take your friendship, kindness or support for granted.
We hope life is treating you and your four-legged family kindly, and that our paths will cross here in the Quantocks before too long.
With lots of love,
Emma & Simon xx ❤️🐾
