There’s been a lot of nap time for the four us since our adventure in Kielder. With me and Susan I think the need for R&R was physical, with Beanie & Biggles it was more to do with the amount of stimulation they’d had.

On the night of our return from Kielder, Biggles decided he wanted to retire to bed early. His crate was closed so instead he pawed open our bedroom wardrobe and made himself comfy on our discarded winter duvet amongst the shoe boxes..

The first sign that our monkeys were fully recovered and ready for action came when Susan spotted something unusual out of our bedroom window:

That’s our miniature apple tree with a Bigglet on it. We only got it recently (the tree, not the Bigglet), and already little apples are appearing. According to the guys at the garden center, we’re supposed to pluck some of them off early while the tree is still young to help it grow stronger in subsequent years. We’ve been a bit lax in this respect, so “Biggles Titmarsh” decided to give us a hand..

Our instructions were to pluck the apples off rather than nibble them away, but I guess the end result is the same.

Who knew gardening could be this tasty!

As I watched little Mr Green-Paws I became concerned that he was getting a little too enthusiastic about his work.

I certainly didn’t remember the garden center boffins saying anything about pruning the tree’s branches, and so I brought this little gardening session to an end.

So the apple tree has joined the long list of items that require protection from our Beagles, and apparently our toilet rolls should be on the list too…

Beanie destroys another bog roll

..along with Biggles’ tail and Beanie’s ear flaps.

You’ve heard of the Mexican Standoff; this is the Beagle version

After a couple of hours of mayhem the Beagle batteries ran flat again and we got to enjoy a quiet coffee in the sun.

Or at least we did until the buns came out and the begging started..

Beanie’s distinctive begging works on just about everybody

Except us. Disappointment ain’t pretty!