The weather was simply glorious so Barnaby and I walked part of the Windrush Sculpture Trail — the two-mile footpath is part of the recently developed Windrush Path from Standlake to Newbridge.

It was the brainchild of the late Ariana Clark Windle who gathered a team of local enthusiasts behind the idea — and they went on to complete it after her death in 2004.

The trail is unusual insomuch as the striking mosaic markers strategically placed along the track are created from colourful recycled materials and depict foxes and pheasants, woodpeckers, kingfishes and many other creatures that frequent this area.

It’s certainly a fun place to walk, especially now the mud left behind after the wretched weather earlier this year is beginning to dry.

You will find the entrance to the trail next to The Mulberry Bush School just off the A415 and opposite the garage.

The Black Horse in High Street is just a couple of minutes’ drive away if you take the road into Standlake situated next to the garage. This is a quintessential 17th-century English pub that not only looks charming, but is professionally run by Karen Ohm and Adam Morris who both boast many years in the catering trade.

It’s so refreshing to visit an establishment run by professionals, who know how to make you feel welcome, who purchase their ingredients from local suppliers and keep a good ale.

Karen was once the catering manager for the famed staff restaurant at Oxford University Press, serving at least 1,600 covers a day, and Adam has been running public houses for more than a decade.

I was about to select my lunch from the main menu, which includes artisan breads, hot smokies in a hot bubbly cheddar sauce £5.95, peppered beef steak £7.95/£15.95, Thai crab cakes £8.95/£14.95, plus an assortment of burgers, jacket potatoes, pizzas, sandwiches and bagettes, when I noticed the Winter Warmers special menu.

This included several dishes created to keep out the cold at just £5 each. I selected roast beef with all the trimmings and waited. Would I really get served a proper roast beef dinner for that price? Actually, I did.

It was simply delicious. The beef was plentiful and tender and the assortment of fresh seasonal vegetables were really tasty.

It was served by a delightful female member of staff who even remembered to offer horseradish sauce with the beef and didn’t flinch when I ordered tea for Barnaby.

The fresh fish served here includes sustainable British seawater fish and local trout from Farmoor reservoir. If you fancy fresh lobster or crab and order it in advance, it will be ready for you midweek or at the weekend.

And, by the way, Barnaby was not the only pet in this pub, two glorious cats, one large ginger and the other black, took absolutely no notice of Barnaby when he walked in, they just continued luxuriating on one of the settees in the bar until Karen ordered them outside.

There was only one blip during my visit. I ordered an espresso and was brought a cappuccino. Perhaps, I should have pointed this out to the member of staff who served me, but she was so efficient in all other respects, I decided to be terribly British and say nothing.