Merry Christmas All

Hi Everyone,
Things are different this weekend. Music is playing, pretty lights twinkle on the fireplace and above the kitchen cupboard.  There is lots of food around and comings and goings of friends (AND I have managed to be quite good and chilled about it all so far).
Having dutifully sat for a photo-shoot yesterday, after my coat was brushed to a shine and most of the mud removed from my feet, I thought I would share the results with you.

This was the best of the first set of pictures. Is the tree small, or just far away? (A Father Ted joke for you there!)

This was the chosen photo for my Christmas 2013 album.  I hope you like it.
Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Lashings of turkey and big snuffles of pastry crumbs (my favourite treat).
Lots of love xxxx
 

It's a wrap!

All this different stuff going on!
Paper all over the floor, different toys, chocolates - don't kid me, I know!
Why Can't I play with them for a bit first?

It's only my second Christmas, that I can remember and I want to experience everything - including the wrapping!
I think mum was a bit fed up of me stealing labels and walking across and sitting on the pretty paper at first, but she saw the funny side eventually - I think!

 

Here I am trying to advise NOT wrapping the sweeties but giving them to me instead! Hee, hee!

Missing dad

It has been a strange week. Dad went to work on Tuesday morning and hasn't come home yet.

I did spot he had an extra bag, but he normally comes back after one sleep. It's been three.

Mum says he has gone to 'Abroad' and will be back tonight.  I hope so, as I quite miss my fuss by the sofa in the evening from him.  Mum doesn't do it quite the same.

To be fair, mum has done her best to keep me cheery.  We've had nice walks together and I have had lots of calming belly rubs and plenty of extra fuss. A cheezy kong slurped on my cosy dog bed always cheers me up a bit too!

Looking forward to a family weekend xx

Lovin it!

Hey,

Just a quickie coz mum's a bit mad.
Remember my 'Swap-shop' toys?

Well, I got chased out of the house this week and banished to the garden, for sneaking in with one of them and making sludgy brown stains on the stair carpet - allegedly!

Whoops - in the bad books again. 

I'm still here!

Hi All,
I expect you have been wondering where I have been and what I have been doing?

Thing is, mum has to help me with my blogging and she seems to have been busy..... so what have I been doing?

Well, in September I was enjoying running around with lots of sticks in the garden while mum and dad were cutting back and tidying up my garden.

In October I went on holiday to my Gran's house in Cornwall and had lots of walks by the sea!

I had a lovely time, but overstayed my welcome as I shouted and jumped up at Gran. I have a lot of work to do to try and behave better and mum and dad are working hard with me using a technique called BAT. I hope I can be a better dog soon.

 

Then, in November, I started going back to my dog classes a little more regularly and so far have really enjoyed them.  I have also been enjoying my tennis balls.

Then, early December, well last weekend actually, a really strange thing happened.  Two of my toys disappeared and two different ones replaced them!

Dad has been going around all weekend singing the 'Swap Shop' theme.  He reckons the foxes have been playing in the garden again and got bored with their toys and swapped them with two of my Kong toys!  very funny!

Catch up with you soon! x

 

 

Lazy rainy Sunday afternoon....

Hi All,
Well.... there goes summer!  The rain finally hit us at lunch time and I think mum and dad are not particularly looking forward to an evening walk in the cold, rain and mud.  Not sure I am either.

Here I am "chilling out" as us young folk say, whilst the Sunday papers are interrogated by the rest of the household.

I feel a snooze coming on......

Fun in the garden - nearly a year!

Hi Everyone,

Hope you have enjoyed the summer as there is more than a whiff of Autumn in the air now, particularly in the mornings.

This weekend I was so well behaved at 'granny Pam's' that mum has taken a picture of me to celebrate what a good dog looks like.  See for yourself!

I have been here nearly a year in October and it's my 4th birthday this week.  I must be starting to settle down a bit.

 

My room is finished!

Hi Everyone,

Great news...... my room (they call it the study, but what do they know), has been redecorated.

New wall colour, a fabulous new carpet, which I am currently testing out and can report back is very comfy.

And best of all, my crate is back in its place under the window, complete with lovely vet bed luxury bedding.

I am a lucky dog

Scotland jollies.

Hi Everyone,

Just checking in after a fantastic few days with our friends up north: Nicky & Tony (human), Duke and Mia (Dobermans).

Here we are on our daily hill walk along the path between what used to be evergreen forest, just starting to re-grow.  Followers of my blog will remember this was a snowy walk in March!

Still have a few problems about 'who is the boss' between me and Duke.  Mia was happy to play, but Duke and me did have a few cross words.  We seemed to fall out in the field walks, but were happy enough to ignore each other along the forest trail.

Here we are eyeing up, though we did agree to ignore each other and go separate ways!

Whilst the humans were working on the house during the day, the doggies relaxed.  I played 'farm dog' by sitting in the back of the open car, snoozing, sunbathing and keeping an eye on anyone passing by.

In the evenings, after our tea-time walks, I was allowed in the house and even into Duke's basket! (hee hee!). He and Mia have a lovely bedding called 'vet bed'.  It feels so nice.

As you can see.... I loved snuggling around on it.  Nicky has kindly given me some for my bed at home!
This has been a great holiday. I hope yours was too! xx
 

It really has been too hot!

This is me trying to keep still and cool down!  There is a big window open just above me and I am trying to feel some breeze.

I don't know quite where to put myself.

Mum tried putting a wet towel on my tummy and back to help cool me - but I wasn't keen. Luckily for me she decided not to squirt me with the hose as she thinks I might be scared! Not keen!

There is always lots of cool water available and I drink loads all the time, but I am still HOT!

Mum wont take me out for a walk at lunchtime either because she says I will feel worse.

Still, I have to agree, it's much nicer when we walk late evening, when it is a bit cooler.... not keen on the hooting owls though - they spook me a bit!

Hello Everyone!

So sorry I have not kept in touch lately. Where does the time go!  I will try and get back up to date with my news.
Mum and dad went on holiday for 4 days in May and I had a new adventure at my new exclusive hotel for doggies that are nervous. (http://www.meadowcroftkennels.co.uk/id15.html )
I had a fantastic time!
They put this picture up on their Facebook page for mum and dad to see whilst they were away!

The lovely kennel ladies fed me, took me out for exercise in the paddock and best of all - played with me!!!  Here I am waiting for the ball to be thrown!

I am still trying to be a good dog..... and I am improving a little bit!  Look at my cute - butter wouldn't melt face :-)

 

Here I sit

Afternoon all.
I thought I would show you were I reside during the working day.

This is the study where mum and dad have put a nice cosy crate with a lovely cushion to snooze on. 

They did this just after I came to live with them.  The idea being that I would have somewhere safe that was my space, away from everyone.

They even put a piece of thick carpet on the top to make it feel more of a 'den'.

What actually happens 99% of the time is I curl up on the top and look out of the little window!

I can jump and reach this spot from a good 8 feet away!  I love it here - I can see everyone and everything going on in the road.

I really should be on the residents committee for Neighbourhood Watch! xx
 

Back in the garden..

Hello all,
At last a bit of sunshine!
This has a strange effect on mum and dad, who suddenly find lots of jobs to do out doors.
I do like being outside with them, but I am a dog that likes attention, or something to play with (destroy - says mum!).

Finding an unused plant pot was great fun!

Running around the garden with it was even better!

Scotland trip

Hello! I'm home from a brilliant trip up north (Easter Saturday to the following Wednesday 3rd April).  The date is important, as the weather was like this:-

It seems spring is still a way off!  I have lots to tell you about.

The sitting sunbathing in the back of the car at the steading whilst mum and dad worked on the roof of their friends house.

Travelling really relaxed without any fuss in the car for 9 hours each way (was it the Dap diffuser? Or am I just getting better at travelling?).

Meeting two new people and feeling quite comfortable with them.

Most importantly though: meeting two new doggie friends Mia and Duke, who took the time to show me around their local woods for a walk in the ice and sometimes snow - depending how high up we were.

I look forward to visiting them again late summer time.
 

This is NOT an advert! :-)

How they laughed at me!

 Dad let me run around with the empty Coke box this lunch time.  I ran upstairs with it and was left to have a chew.
I think I was a bit noisy with my play as mum and dad suddenly came running out of the kitchen to catch me throwing the box down the stairs and chasing after it!

I do enjoy throwing things down the stairs.  Usually it's my toys.  I don't think they expected this!
What fun!  You don't need a Coke box to do this.... any box will do! :-)
Hope you like mum's action shot!

And more snow!!

So -  this morning I went out for my usual first of the morning toilet moment.... it was STILL snowing! Not heavily, but still enough to be quite a bit deeper and rather cold on the toes when you have come from being snuggled up in a warm basket.  I was quick!

We then went out for our morning walk and mum and dad let me off the lead to run around in the fields. I loved it!

Nice eh? Right outside my back gate.  I am a lucky dog.

I did have a few problems in the snow mind.....

I love to sniff and prod around in the snow and the old snozz (muzzle) gets a bit snow blocked at times.
It doesn't bother me though, every time someone clears it for me, I just roll in the snow again and look the same!

Lots of fun!!

Snow in March?

Hi Everyone!
I really cannot believe that we are back to the white stuff again!
We have had well over a paws depth (mum says 4+ inches), which was quite a surprise when I popped out for a quick toilet stop first thing this morning!

 Oooooh! its great to run around in!

Mum says that at least the snow makes the garden look nice again! - I believe this is a reference to how I have apparently turned the lawn into a muddy race track!

We are going on holiday next weekend - More adventures I will be able to tell you about! So have a Happy Christmas, ha! ha! I mean Easter! xxxxx

Now.... where are the daffodils I was tearing up the other day.......

In the Woods!

Last few pics of my holiday!
One of the days, Dad wanted to find out how my off-lead walking and recall would be if I was on dry land for a change.  So we decided to go to some forest trails and see if I liked being in the woods as much as the beach.

 Getting a sniff of something exciting!

 

 Hello! I am cute, even wearing a snozz! (don't you think?).

 

 

Just about to race off down the forest trail!

It really has been a fantastic week - I hope you enjoyed my pictures!


 

Beach after beach!

Hoping not to bore you all too much, but I have to share my holiday snaps!
These are some of the beaches I visited:-
Widemouth Bay, Padstow, Hayle, Gwithian, lost of different bays on the way to Newquay and Rock.

 With my 'dad'.

 Displaying good 'recall'.

 The end of the sea is often frothy!

 I hope my tail tells you how happy I was there!

 Mmmm I just wanted to dig at Rock!

 This was a cloudy day, yet we still walked about 10 miles along coast paths and seasides to Newquay and back again.

 Can't remember what I was trying to find in the water!

 This was a sunny day at Padstow I think, where the fishy chef lives.

Happy, happy days. can't wait to go again!