Tuesdays are normally good days

but not today.
Started first thing when I threw a full mug of tea all over the papers, my desk, the dogs, me, the keyboard. We were stunned into immobility as the tea dripped into the floor, fortunately the dogs were not so slow on the uptake and started cleaning up the floor. Several towels later and the spillage was mostly mopped up and now we're all dried up.
Then we put through the card details to take payment for an advert and forgot to bill the VAT, so had to do it again. Plus a few rather odd emails and a couple of slow running computers.
Hebe (the juniorist of office dogs) has a queasy tum on account of the large quantities of butter she stole. So far that's it but we're just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

On the positive side a charm of goldfinches arrived on the feeders this morning and a family of long tailed tits has just left. Which means winter is just around the corner, lovely for those who relish the cold and pretty gloomy for the hot house flowers who are quietly shrivelling at the hint of impending chill.

Front Page news

in the local paper.

Well it got your attention. On Saturday evening there was a very large yellow Sea King RAF Search & Rescue helicopter flying round for quite a while. Turns out that some fool had been tombstoning down one of the many waterfalls, and damaged their back. This particular waterfall is notorious in the village and the footpath has only just been reopened this summer. For more see the Whitby Gazette. And much as we love to see the Sea Kings (lovely piece of machinery if a little noisy) please don't do anything so silly.

Juno (one of the office dogs) had a couple of lumps removed yesterday so she's a bit sore and grumbly today and is wearing a very fetching tee-shirt and one sock with a lampshade collar in reserve.

Tomorrow is the village Flower & Veg show, HB is the secretary so has taken today off to try to get organised (and bake enough cakes to feed the five thousand).

CJS Monthly went out as usual on Tuesday and should have reached everyone by now, CJS Weekly with September's training calendar is currently printing and will soon be on it's way to postal readers, digital copies already available. You're also getting the CJS Focus with this edition - more of which next week.

And for now that's it.

D*#!@** Dog!!

Yes, Hebe strikes again.
Standing by the open garden door doing a bit of bird watching, enjoying the sunshine and a lovely cup of tea when the small black tornado decides she must be outside. But not for her the straight route down the corridor and through the big gap between legs and door - oh, no she has to jink right, squeeze through the smallest opening and brush the door jamb hurdling the water bucket (a two gallon pony bucket) on route. Unfortunately she was going so fast, was blinded by the bright light (she says...!) and puts BOTH back feet in the bucket which is kicked down the corridor tipping it's recently replenished contents all over the kitchen. It would appear the kitchen floor isn't entirely level, or maybe the violence of the action made the water run towards the main CJS server. Tea towels were hurled at the crest of the tidal wave and succeeded in stopping the flow inches before it reached the server. The dehumidifier has now been moved and is drying out a very soggy kitchen.

Busy birding.

There's something in the air.
Thunder and hail yesterday and today the dogs are behaving most oddly; Hebe is usually as mad as a box of frogs and this morning was even more crackers than usual, even Cara (the large hound) is acting strangely. All except Juno who's a little subdued she has injured her paw and had to visit here favourite veterinarian on Monday and is now on antibiotics.
We hadn't heard the cuckoo for several days but yesterday evening it was calling again. Lots of the garden birds were yelling too because the owl was sitting on the telephone wires again, looking thoroughly miserable and more than slightly soggy. And today it's been the turn of the swifts to be screaming around, our very own Springwatch right outside the window.
This week the Monthly has gone out and Monday's Weekly contains the July Training Calendar added to which we launched our facebook pages too.
We have two pages, one all about CJS at www.facebook.com/pages/Countryside-Jobs-Service/20284044858 but if you're not interested in our news (then why are you reading the blog?!?) and want to get straight to the action then become a fan of the CJS Jobs page at www.facebook.com/pages/CJS-Jobs/73274275980 So it's been a busy week all in all. The Weekly is currently printing, it's 11 pages plus five for the training calendar containing 60 new paid posts of which 29 came direct to CJS. As usual it's already online and paper copies are due on Monday.

Birthdays, butterflies, dolphins, rain and jobs...!

After a beautiful weekend and start to the week the weather broke and it's cold, grey, wet and miserable today. The swifts and house martins are conspicuous by their absence, they've gone to hunt in brighter skies although the nest building is coming on well. The big event this week was most junior office dog Hebe had her birthday, she's now two years old and officially no longer a puppy - will someone tell her that please, apologies to any callers who heard strange squeakings, it was just the birthday ball.
Our article in Monday's edition of CJS Weekly is about the incredible migration of the painted lady butterflies, one has been reported in Goathland so they've reached us too. But even more amazing is that bottlenose dolphins have been reported off Whitby, see our local paper, The Whitby Gazette, for more details.
Oh, yes and CJS Weekly is now printing, 10 pages this week with 91 new paid posts of which 27 came direct to CJS.

British Tigers

And no we're not talking rugby (although we will if you want, how do you think Tigers will fare against Bristol tomorrow then? and what about the Lions selections?)
This is a countryside site so we're actually talking about the Scottish wildcat which is the focus of our fascinating feature article this week. With the horrifying thought that there could be as few as 400 pure bred wildcats left making them rare than the bengal tiger. Click on the logo to visit the site and find out more.
CJS Weekly is now printing and post allowing will be with you on Monday, the digital copies are already online so log on to check the latest vacancies of which there are 87, 53 of which came direct to CJS. this edition is 12 pages long.
The windows are progressing well, scaffold down on Monday and then the downstairs ones go in. The dogs are still on tenter paws and watching every move, it's good job they've not learnt to climb ladders, although it won't be long before Hebe figures them out!
Enjoy the sunshine whilst it lasts.

Crash, bang, wallop...

Apologies for the noises off when you phone us. The builders moved in today and are putting in new windows, thankfully not in the office but across the front of the building. Lots of new windows means it may take a while.
The office dogs are wearing themselves out, watching everything with great interest and a little anxiety about all the extra people coming and going and being gun dogs are sitting at point waiting to be sent to retrieve whatever was felled by the last big bang. I don't think they'll need much exercise this evening!

Catch up.

Well it's been a frantic, stressful and strange few weeks but we've made it.
CJS Weekly has continued to be produced as normal and most people seem to be coping with the new log in details without too many problems.
In the midst of it all Hebe has been fitted with her zip, she was very brave and didn't even look at her stitches, she's been unpicked but now has a frozen tail. Totally unconnected with the surgery but from playing too roughly within a visiting small person, she's feeling more sorry for herself about her tail than her zip, however, it is beginning to defrost and to wag again. The Owls have visited regularly, especially in the frequent downpours. In the high temperatures of a few weeks ago we were adding ice to the tropical fish tank! And KH was asking for a walk in freezer (doesn't do hot, but loves the snow). The plum tree is infested with greenfly which have also damaged the hop, roses and apple trees, the birds have been feasting but not really making any significant impact on the population explosion. Although it is nice to have flocks of long tail tits in the garden at this time of year reinforcements were called for and yesterday a package of ladybirds was released. It was really funny the way the ladybirds suddenly spotted (no pun intended) dinner and stormed off into the worst areas.
At last this week's edition of CJS Weekly is being printed. This week it's thirteen pages containing details of 106 new paid posts of which 33 were sent direct to CJS.

Damn dog…

Hebe is a small black destroyer, we knew that but today's revelation really takes the biscuit. She chewed all the trim, fascia and bits of car within teeth range and today it turns out she's also managed to reach the seatbelts, despite a factory fitted dog guard. The car failed its MOT because of frayed seatbelts! Little monster.
It's been an odd week, we've all been very busy but don't feel like we have anything really to show for it. It just goes that way sometimes. However, we have managed to produce the CJS Weekly as usual it's currently printing. This week's edition is eleven pages long containing 86 new paid posts of which 37 came direct to CJS.

Disaster free week and Chelsea photos at last

No disasters or calamities to report this week. Maia has made a full recovery and finished her antibiotic eye drops. It was Hebe's birthday on Monday, the office pup is now an office doglet at one year old but just as crackers this week she has eaten (well chewed up and spat out in lots of bits) a bar of soap so she's been foaming at the mouth but I doubt if she's learnt anything and today she's been at the 'bad beans', into everything mischievous and troublesome. We have managed to get the Chelsea photos on Picasa, they're at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Humphreys.Goathland/Chelsea2008?authkey=9oc27ipTjd4 or click on the album cover (below)

Chelsea 2008

This week's feature article in CJS Weekly is all about the decline of puffin numbers on the Isle of May, a worrying trend. In addition to the fascinating feature there are 82 new paid posts, 31 of which were sent direct to CJS over 10 pages.

Black eye, holes and a copy of CJS Weekly.

Another week's gone by and we can't believe it's June already (well almost, we've been working on the 2 June edition since last week so we feel it's been June for a while now!) and in the post this morning was the first of the Christmas catalogues – not yet surely?
Poor Maia has a black eye – how do you tell if a black Labrador has a black eye? Tuesday morning a head long dash into heavy cover in hot pursuit of Hebe resulted in a loud yelp and a closed eye. This led to a trip to the Vets, they were very good, we phoned at 9am explained the problem and they said can you be here at 9.20, we just made it (11 miles over the moor). A full examination and home we came again with antibiotics and green tears (from the stain) but the good news that there was no lasting damage. By Thursday morning Maia looked almost normal again and today her eye is only slightly swollen but she still set off at full tilt down the lane this morning.
TB has also had an interesting week, on Tuesday a small hole appeared in the road by the land where she keeps her horses. It might be small of the surface but upon closer inspection a large cavern was lurking below and the tarmac was defying gravity to present the appearance of a road. It even stopped the postman, Highways were informed and put up 'road closed' signs. That's it we thought, that's the last we'll see of them for a while, but no- yesterday it was filled with several tons of concrete as a temporary measure. Engineers will do a full inspection at a later date and proper repairs will be made.
But despite various distractions, of a Bank Holiday, Maia's adventures, a mysterious hole in the road, reports of horse rustlers and so much more we've got the Weekly edition together and it's now on the printers to be with you on Monday post permitting. This week's edition is 12 sides with 73 new paid posts of which 46 came direct to CJS.

It's been a busy week.

It looks like it might be good news on the postal front with RM & CWU having reached a provisional agreement and this week's strikes being called off – let's hope that's an end to it. Well CJS Weekly is now printing, this week it's 12 sides with 113 new paid posts of which 27 came direct to CJS including a small splurge from the Environment Agency. It's been a busy week and AN has been on holiday; just after sending out a tranche of Special Edition letters resulting in lots of enquiries!

Our latest round of recruitment was not successful – how hard can it be to find one slightly mad, computer literate, doggie person? Apparently in this corner of the country extremely! So here we go again, new ad, new approach and everything crossed.

The local peregrines have been across a couple of times this week scattering all the garden birds but the falcon was just passing though not actively hunting. Hebe (the new puppy who's almost 5 months old now!) is claiming slave labour, that it's not right for a such a young personage to have to work such long hours – I couldn't agree more but how else is she to earn her bonios? She got rather upset last Saturday at around 9.30pm when her people (or Beans as she refers to us) got rather excited at events in Paris. We already on tenterhooks today so heaven help her tomorrow…..

Bill, stones and jobs...

Lucky old Bill – he's got a get well card from his cousin in New Zealand, now not every collie can say that!!

There have been strange goings on in the district – last week a series of mysterious stone heads appeared in the village and now they've been sighted elsewhere too, read all about it in the Whitby Gazette – click here.

In the midst of the spookiness the equinox storms have been raging (well, grumbling a bit) but the newly repaired roof is holding up well and once it stops raining the last bits of painting and tidying up will be finished too. This week we've seen the first flock of long-tailed tits flying through so we must clean the big feeders and get them out so the birds can get used to them again before they really need them. And through it all CJS keeps rumbling on, CJS Weekly is now printing, this week it's 15 sides containing details of 124 vacancies, 43 of which were sent direct to CJS.

Good news

Bill came through his operation very well and is now back home with a very impressive scar and nine stitches in his shoulder. He's already walking more soundly and getting fed up of being caged – sorry, restrained in an indoor kennel!

Dog news

Well Hebe's put her mark on the office – or rather her tooth prints in one of the invoice folders! Ah, the joys of Labrador puppies!! Bill (AN's collie pup) is now nine months old and as his sore shoulder didn't get any better he went under the knife yesterday. The surgeon says it all went well and after surgery like this an improvement can usually be seen in a week to ten days, so fingers crossed; he comes home this afternoon.

Proper CJS information now! CJS Weekly went according to plan and is now dropping off the printers, this week it's 10 sides with 65 new paid UK jobs of which 27 were sent direct to CJS. There's a new page on the website too, it tells you all about the types of jobs you can expect to find within the pages of CJS and the employers who advertise, read it here: http://www.countryside-jobs.com/Jobs/Types.htm

TriskaidekaFRIDAY

We're not bothered about Friday the thirteenth - are you??

So we were left in the dark yesterday. It worked out quite well as we received our first delivery of logs for next winter. No power = no computers so a spot of manual labour was a welcome change although a tonne and half of logs was perhaps a little excessive. Anyway two hours later all stacked and looking smart, the stack is four rows deep. These are mostly ash with some beech and are three-quarters seasoned should be great by October (we really don't want to light the stove before then if we can help it!). Of course we couldn't have managed it without canine assistance, Maia, on the left, and Juno. The shed to the left is where we stash the post until the postie collects - so it's a post box in disguise!!

RM workers on strike again today so your postal copy of CJS Weekly may be delayed and if you didn't receive your copy of CJS Monthly yesterday it will be, hopefully, waiting for you on Monday. CJS Weekly is this week 12 pages containing 81 new paid posts of which 42 were sent direct to CJS including several new advertisers.