Different Dogs, Different Attitudes.

Ok, what are we going to do next?

Go away, see you tomorrow.

I had breakfast, leave me just for another five minutes.

What if?

These are the questions being asked by those about me, and the answers are mixed. Some from Bob and some from me. I bet you can guess who answered what..

What if the sun burns itself out?

His next in command, the moon, will take over and our lives will be mellower.

What if it doesn’t rain before September?

Irish people will become even more disgruntled and focused on the weather? Nothing new there. Their 4 legged tail wagging friends will wallow in the shade and be content with early morning walks in the woods.

What if Breeze the ogre moves out of the wood in search of water?

More cupcakes for little old me!

 

 

 

Gardening friends

People who don’t garden think it is tiresome, a never-ending job. A little like exterior housework I suppose.

However, I find it therapeutic and I am never alone.

We have a new visitor but he is a pretty young and scrawny looking Robin, we will have to feed him up.

Hanging about in Ireland.

Summer is strange, but often life is stranger.

We tend to walk a lot, (well Ellie and myself – Bob avoids it at all costs.) And during the past few months we came across these items during our travels.

A parish walk confirmed we are indeed in Ireland.

 

Greenhouses are not only for plants!

An iconic item

Bubbles but not of the chocolate kind, unfortunately

Say Yes and …

I was asked to enter Ellie in a contest called Nose of Tralee. The idea behind the contest is to let people see the amazing lives these animals who are re-homed or rescued can have with their new forever families.

Saying yes, was the easy bit because then I learned that a photograph or photographs of her were needed. That meant giving her a bath, which means I have to catch her, bath her, blow dry her and then clean the bathroom and finally clean me.

So it was done. Then to my surprise many people voted for her and she is now her County Nose of Tralee. Great I thought, until the sash arrived and more photographs were needed, which meant another bothersome bath. Being Ellie each photo session meant more and more items were gathered by me to persuade her to sit still until I ended up with this…

 

It took forever to get her to look at me but when it was done, I went in search of the main man -Bob. He had given up waiting for his photo to be taken and was snoozing. I woke him and this is the awful look he gave me!

Go away, I am not moving.

 

If you have a moment, because after all the washing and bathing I would appreciate a vote, the link to vote for her is: Ellie

Thank you,

A place to hide

Lately we have noticed that in the hotter days of Summer (yes, we do get a few here in Ireland), both dogs appear to disappear.

So I investigated. His loud snoring does have one advantage. He is easy to find.

When i did I discovered a really neat house.

The weeping willow has grown and its drooping curtain of branches forms a perfect hideaway for both dogs. Though, I did get the impression someone was not happy that I discovered their secret.

 

Summer Fruits

The problem with a big garden is you spend most of your time in it weeding. Sitting in it and reading are dreams of the future when life calms down.

So with June’s great burst of sunshine we were happy to discover fruit! Strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants trotted out – together. I am not complaining and neither are my two four legged friends who, as you can see, enjoy the fruits of the summer.

Bob, loves strawberries and Ellie loves raspberries, so we generally get to eat all the blackcurrants!

I know she dropped one

 

If I am very quiet…then…

Caught!

 

Dogs are always pups

For some dogs never grow up and we have plenty of shredded evidence. I bought Bob a soft rug . It lasted two days, so I resorted to making dog duvets for him from old (washed) duvets. 

Now I don’t know what to try next, as you can see she (Ellie) shreds everything. And  Bob? He patiently waits to see if he will be left with anything to lie on.

No Change

I went to Amsterdam for a quick (2 day) visit,  with my art loving daughter, Sara. We had a great time managing to visit The Rijks museum, Rembrandt House, The Maritime Museum along with a couple of canal tours.  It was perfect weather to explore this amazing city.  And we made the best of it. 

Though I did worry about Bob and his side kick.

 When I returned, I was delighted and relieved to see nothing much had changed. 

Ellie had added some socks to her collection and Bob. Well he just whiled away his time dreaming.

Surprises at Christmas

Unfortunately snow is not looking likely, yet again, here in Ireland but as it is usually a one or two day mushy affair, we are perhaps better off without it. However, these photos will explain the title of the blog post.

No surprise in the first one.  Bob asleep…again.

Even Ellie could not waken him.

 

She considered joining him but only for a minute.

But she did find one or two interesting things beneath the tree, did you spot them?

It left her feeling a little puzzled or is it just that intent border collie look, begging for someone anyone to play with her? You can decide while we grab a racket and a ball.

Happy Christmas everyone and a great, 2017 to all.