Sunday puppies

This is Sunday 28^th August and the puppies’ seventh day in their new homes.

They may be rather confused, particularly Buster, who has travelled from Shropshire to Berkshire to Dorset and back to Berkshire. They were delighted to see each other again on Friday and slept together in a pen in our bedroom last night while Buster’s family went to London. Buster slept until 08:00 and was undisturbed by Bertie wanting to go out at 02:45.

Don't tread on me, Frodo - I'm only little . . .

Buster picks up the water dish to indicate that it is empty!

They had a busy morning playing in the conservatory and the kitchen after breakfast.

Who's biting whom?

After lunch they settled down for a nap. The big dogs are all napping, too. The human adults are feeling quite sleepy!

When you're little there's nothing quite so comforting as sleeping close to another warm body, particularly when it's your sibling.

Peace, perfect peace!

I am linking to 'I Saw Sunday', 'Camera Critters' and 'Pet Pride'.

Camera Critters #175, Pet Pride

Some of my favourite people, two-leggers and four-leggers, met in Somerset last weekend.

Barry, the one who takes the really GOOD photographs on this blog. We celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary yesterday.

Never too big to play with little children's toys!

Left to right: Elliot, Callum, Kiri, Louis

Frodo and Gus - boys together

Eve makes a big fuss of Gus

Tia 

Louis chats to Jenna

Frodo, Gus, Foxy

Marnie takes a rest

The gang!

I'm linking to Camera Critters and Pet Pride. Click on the names to see more lovely photographs across the world.

Camera Critters, Pet Pride Winston spies a stranger

 The pretty cat that often visits our garden appeared on the conservatory window sill the other morning. S/he is very friendly and would like to come into the house. I'm not sure Winston would welcome that!

'Look, Winston.'

'What?'

 'Hey! Who are you? This is my house.'  

'I’m going. I don't want to argue.'

'Where’s he gone?'

'Oh, he's back again. Hello.'

'I’m not a fighter but it’s a good thing this window’s between us.'

I'm linking to Camera Critters and Pets Forever.

Winston’s May 2011 blog

Winston here . . . p’rrrrr, p’rrrrr . . .

I haven’t blogged for five months, don’tcha know. Have you missed me?

Akchalee I don’t know what months is. Is it food? I don’t think it can be ‘cos I don’t usually get no food when I blog, just my usual rations which I might tell you is a bit thin at the moment. That’s ‘cos I went to see Kate-the-Vet and after I’d made a BIG fuss of her and she told me I was gorgeous and had wonderful clean teeth she spoilt it by saying I could do with losing just a little bit of weight. Last year Nadia-the-Vet said the same thing and so Mrs Human put me on short rations. I had to catch spiders and flies to make up the difference, don’tcha know.  Do you remember?

Anyway, after a while, everyone (except Mrs H) forgot all about what Nadia-the-Vet said and went back to giving me treats when I asked for them. I ask very nicely and the Humans (except Mrs H) love it and tell me a little won’t hurt. I like it specially when Gillian comes ‘cos she really can’t resist my winning ways and offers to feed me and then she puts lots of food out for me and my tummy gets really stretched – it’s lovely! After that I just sleep and dream for hours and hours.

 Well, this time, Mrs H told Mr H that *I have got to lose weight (she keeps saying that and Mr H just nods and smiles) But she said, ‘I mean it, he’s got to be rationed,’ and Mr H said, ‘But he asks so nicely in the mornings and he really enjoys his bit of chicken/ham/cheese/shrimp/tuna.’ (That’s not all at the same time, course!) In the end he agreed and I was very disappointed, don’tcha know. I thought I had him proply trained. So now he gives me just one little treat and I have to wait for my breakfast before my tummy feels full again.

I tell you, I got so hungry the other night that I opened the cupboard door and dragged out the tube of shrimp treats and a bag of dog biscuits and I tried and tried to open them but I just couldn’t. Course, just before I went to see Kate-the-Vet, Mrs H cut my claws ‘cos I kept getting hooked on things. The other day I got stuck to a cushion and it followed me everywhere. Gus barked, silly boy and Mrs H laughed when she saw me though she tried not to let me see. So course I couldn’t get a good grip on the bag of biscuits.

I’m trying to work out how to get into the fridge now. The Humans have had fridge-raiding cats before so I’m sure I can find a way. I think if I sit and stare at it long enough it will open. I talk to it, too. Watch this space!

The other thing about having blunt claws is that I slide off things. Usually when I stretch up on Mr H’s legs I can hang on but now I just slip off. Never mind, my claws will grow again.

There’s a funny **red thing that appears now and then and I chase it but I can’t never catch it. It’s odd – it don’t smell or make a noise and I don’t know where it goes when it’s not there – or here. Gus don’t know nothing about it, neither and he can’t catch it, too. Mind you, he don’t move as fast as me.

The Humans know how much I love bird-watching so they very kindly moved the bird feeders closer to the house. I spend many a happy hour watching and chittering at the birds. I think they’d like to come and see me, too, don’tcha know, ‘cos several of them have banged on the patio door.

That’s all I’ve got. Be good!

TTFN

(Mrs H: 

* Winston's not very overweight ; he just needs to slim down a little!

**It’s a laser light)

I'm linking to Misty Dawn's Camera Critters and Bozo and his human at Pet Pride.                                            

Camera Critters #147, Pets Forever

It's amazing what you can get from Amazon these days!

Opening the box is always exciting.

. . . a glimpse of something warm and furry . . .

I think we should have called Winston 'Amazon'!

Click to see more Camera Critters and  Pets Forever.

Gus and the airer

Gus has a very long tongue and it seems to lengthen when he's excited - or apprehensive.

It’s easy to forget how young Gus is – just 16 months old. He’s a very exuberant pup and gives the impression that nothing fazes him, apart from the vacuum cleaner. He’s a bold and fearless guard dog, though we know that should any stranger come through the door, Gus would greet him with open paws rather than slavering jaws.

The infamous airer! Gus was convinced it was waiting to pounce.

So it came as a surprise today when the clothes airer spooked him. I have a backlog of washing to dry so decided to supplement the tumble dryer with the airer. There is absolutely no point in hanging the washing in the garden – it wouldn’t dry and would probably be brought in wetter than it went out. The solution Barry found last year in 2009 was hailed with much rejoicing but turned out to be less than satisfactory (slight understatement there!) 

As a refuge for the smaller forms of flying wildlife it was unsurpassed. It was almost a case of standing room only. Much as I admire and am interested in winged beasties, I have no desire to get up close and personal with them, but was forced to confront them as I wrestled the washing from the rotary dryer. Lifting the skirts of the cover to gain access to the laundry was difficult if even a slight breeze was blowing. Eventually, a stronger than usual wind happened along and tore the whirligig from its moorings. So now I have reverted to a naked carousel which is used only when rain isn’t falling.

Today, however, was not such a day. The ground is soggy, the dogs’ paws dig deep; consequently, things with which they come into contact when they come home – mats, chair covers, dog bedding – are soon rejoicing in a new guise, the ‘clean dirt’ look. Mud is ‘clean dirt’ – I leave you to imagine what might be classed as ‘dirty dirt’.

If damp items lie sullenly in laundry baskets too long, anticipating their turn in the drying machine, they sometimes rebel and develop an unwholesome odour. Then they have to be washed again because musty linen smells most unpleasant. Thus the task sometimes seems endless. I do occasionally complete all the washing so that none is left sadly awaiting its moment in the spotlight, its fifteen minutes of fame (actually, that should read ‘its moments in the washing machine, its anything from forty-five to ninety minutes of attention’)  

Gus relaxing during Frodo's ministrations

Anyway, as I was saying, Gus was frightened when the clothes airer appeared. No, it didn’t come stumbling out from the cupboard unaided but had to be wrenched from its lair under the stairs. It’s a harmless piece of equipment but Gus didn’t know that and had to be comforted by Frodo.

I’m linking to ‘Camera Critters’ and ‘Pets Forever’. Why not take a look and see what other folks have to offer?

Camera Critters #140, Pet Pride

I’m minding my own business when a woodpigeon lands clumsily on the pyracantha. I am instantly alert. Goody! I can enjoy one of my favourite hobbies – bird-watching.

(Mrs H: Oh dear! He does need to go on a diet - just look at that tiger tummy!)

I heard that!  Anyway, if I lean a little more to the right I’ll get a better view. Gus isn’t at all interested. I expect that’s because he’s a Labrador and only takes notice if he’s expected to pick up.

I‘m climbing carefully up the back of the settee. That greedy pigeon’s so busy scoffing all the berries it hasn’t seen me.

(Mrs H: You’re quite hard to miss, too!)

Harrumph! Now I’m sitting up I can see much more clearly. It’s a lovely plump bird – doesn’t look as if it needs much feeding up.

(Mrs H: Hark who’s talking! Pot, kettle and black spring to mind.)

So rude!! Wait - what’s it doing now?

It dropped a berry. Clumsy!

I’m getting very excited now, lashing my tail. Let me at it – I’ll give it what for!

 If I tried really hard I’m sure I could pass through this glass. SuperCat!

 Oh! It’s flown away . . .

. . . or did it? Just checking.

Yep – definitely gone. Ho hum – when’s supper?

(Mrs H: Winston has kindly agreed to allow me to share this with Camera Critters and Pet Pride and thanks Misty Dawn and Bozo and his human for organising these memes.)

Camera Critters #139, Pet Pride

Misty Dawn hosts Camera Critters and Bozo and his human organise Pet Pride. Click on their names to see more offerings.

Doggy memories

Watching the ‘Collie Walk’ video in my previous post brought to mind a couple of memories.

I first started work in a village where everyone knew everyone else. Most of the families had been living there for generations. The vicar, a charming ex-Naval padre, was closely associated with the school. He often talked to me, bringing me up to speed on the family circumstances of the pupils. His turn of phrase was frequently colourful, evidence of his service life.  He was proud of his son who had had much to do with designing hovercraft.

The headmistress, Joan, was a pleasant, amusing woman who had lived in the village for many years. She had been the inspiration for one of John Betjeman’s ‘young women’. Her husband lectured at the nearby college in Shrivenham where my soon-to-be husband was studying. They had a collie with a strong herding instinct and it was not unknown for the dog to herd the children along the road into school. This dog also attended church, remaining quiet throughout the service until the time came for the vicar’s sermon. The dog would then walk out of the church, no doubt watched ruefully by some of the congregation.

At that time, dogs at Shrivenham were commonly allowed to attend lectures with their masters (there were only male military students then) Our yellow Labrador, Whisky, lived with Barry and accompanied him everywhere. Consequently, she was a very well-educated dog in all aspects of life, appreciating beer and bar snacks, and swift and neat at helping herself to tempting morsels in people’s hands – or shopping baskets. She liked hedgerow fruits, too, sucking blackberries off the thorny brambles. During lectures, Whisky was quiet and unobtrusive most of the time but there were occasions when she sensed that the young officers around her, all fit and healthy and fidgeting to do something physical, were bored. She would then produce a loud drawn-out yawn and wander to the front of the room to sit next to the lecturer and look at him. This caused much mirth among the students and broke the tedium, at least momentarily.  

Whisky came to school with me on a few occasions when Barry was away and was a great favourite with the children. Though she was a large dog she nonetheless considered herself a lap dog and would clamber up so that when the children looked up from their work they would see her gravely observing them rather than me. She enjoyed joining in their games, too, and was instrumental in teaching at least one child to overcome a fear of dogs.

You can read more about Whisky here.

Every dog has an individual personality and a lifetime of living with dogs bequeaths a wealth of memories.

I'm linking to Camera Critters, Pet Pride and Shadow Shot Sunday.

Pet Pride - a cooling paddle

Frodo enjoys a cooling paddle in Swinley Forest

Bozo and his human host this meme - thank you both ;-) To see more lovely pets please click here.

Pet Pride - sleeping peacefully!

After a long walk and a satisfying meal there's only one thing to do and that is to settle down for a good sleep.

Gus has chosen to sleep in Barry's chair.

Jenna chose the settee.

Frodo was in his usual bed which is frequently chewed by Gus.

Winston didn't go for a walk but slept off his meal on Barry's jacket.

Thank you to Bozo and his human who organise this weekly meme.

Pet Pride Watch and Fetch!

 Watch the ball!

 They're off!

The race is on!

Tia is unlucky, Gus has a blue ball, Jenna's got a red ball. Will Foxy see the green ball?

Foxy searches underwater. 

Success! But this one is red too - did it change colour?
Thank you to Bozo and his human who host this meme.