still here

It's been quite a while since I was on here. This doesn't mean the dogs (and Gizzy) haven't been up to all sorts of mischief; it just means I haven't thought, or had the time (or the inclination?) to record it.

Of course, as they get older they do calm down. Emily has a springer spaniel now - Jake, he's 1 year and 4 months old - and the difference between him and Maddie is HUGE! He's longer and taller than her and just skin and bones - they feed him tons but he just burns it off. Like Maddie used to, when I think about it. Compared to him she's a wee tub, and yet she's not really fat. She's smaller and sturdier and has filled out. She's 6 and a half now, and comparing her to Jake really shows that she has calmed down a lot! You forget what they're like when they're young.

Murphy is 12 now. he never really tried to jump up into the car any more - he put his two front paws up and waits for someone to lift the back end up as well! When we were going away recently, he did his usual of getting quite upset that we were going to go away without him and wanting to sit in the car as we were loading it. He snuck out the front door and next time I came out, there he was - two front paws up in the boot, waiting for someone to come and boost him up. Lord knows how long he'd been there for! he can still run around a bit with Maddie in the back garden, though. Life in the old dog yet!

When we came back from that particular trip, Gizzy was waiting for us. Next morning, she sat on the top stair and maddie was too scared to come up (she's got both dogs suitably feart in the house). maddie was sitting on the turn of the stairs, whining and growling to come up. When I went out our bedroom door to see what the matter was, Maddie took advantage of my presence and decided to slink up the other side of the stairs to where Gizzy was sitting. She made it too, but when she reached the top step and went into our room, Gizzy turned and swiped at her disappearing backside with a paw. The squeal Maddie gave! You'd have thought she was being murdered! It was very funny. "I'm still the boss, and don't you forget it", Gizzy was saying.

Cornwall positives

Before the whole Maddie episode on the first night, I had been vey proud of myself. We accidentally locked ourselves out (Yale locks - so not used to them!) but I'd left the French windows open which had a railing in front of them. They were on the other side of the building (technically the front, I guess)and a floor up when you stood at ground level, but luckily I was in jeans and trainers and there were ornamental barrows littering the place. So up I hopped and after doing some Tom Cruise Mission Impossible-style edging up the window below (sunk in so I was able to use the stone window frame to get up, bracing my legs against it on either side) I was able to get up and over the railing and in - success!
Shame Richard didn't take any photos. although maybe an action shot of my backside isn't really what you want.

Previously, in Cornwall...

It has taken me a while to think about writing about this. It was extremely traumatic at the time and is a real black mark on both Maddie and us.
We went to a dog-friendly place in Cornwall which, it turned out, was in the middle of a small farm, with sheep LITERALLY over the fence. We discovered this the first night, when (Richard as usual urging me to let them off the lead, although to be fair we had scouted the place out and asked about and been assured there were no sheep in the vicinity) we realised that Maddie had disappeared and I heard the sound of paws scraping over corrugated iron.
To cut a long story short, after ripping my jeans (and me inner thigh) on barbed wire and wading through yet another patch of nettles (my ankle was numb for about 4 days), I found her trying to attach a sheep. She had attached another one already.
So that holiday consisted of me NOT letting her off the lead ever (except for twice when yes, she ran off after sheep that were so miles away even she gave up before she got there, thank god) (and no, we had no idea they were anywhere near). On the plus side there were several occasions when I refused to let her off and this was proved the right decision when we turned a corner or whatever, and found sheep there.
The sheep/old lamb (Larrina - I thought it was a boy originally and named it Larry the lamb) survived and the farmer was gracious about it once everyone had calmed down and R had given him money for the vet costs.
So now it is essential we manage this and don't let her ANYWHERE near sheep. Next time she'll be shot.

We went on holiday. Maddie noticed...

Murphy's too old to go into kennels any more, so this year while we were away Murphy went to stay with Emily and Alex and Maddie went to stay with Nick and Elle. Gizzy stayed at home and a nice lady came in every day to feed her and talk to her.


I'm not sure who had the best deal - well I am, it was Emily and Alex. Murphy went on holiday with them to Skye, with Glen as well. Murphy schmoozed his way round the available tourists and was universally told how handsome he was and what a lovely boy, etc. He did apparently bark if he got left behind anywhere so he wasn't entirely perfect!


Maddie, on the other hand, ran away four times, spent one morning curled up on the feet of the headmistress of the local secondary school and was most upset when Nick took her to work one day and left her in the dog-pen with (gasp!) another dog!


The dog warden grew to recognise her and we had a letter waiting for us when we got back to say that as she had no previous, they returned her without charge but we wouldn't be so lucky next time - £61.50 for a return plus £10 per night for any sleepovers!!


They must've thought we were very irresponsible owners - the first time she was caught and returned Alex and Andy were both IN THE HOUSE! I have pieced together various stories and ... the dog walker came and took Murphy and Glen out but didn't realise Maddie was in the kitchen. She decided she wasn't staying alone and went out the back garden (and over the wall) to look for them. When she was returned the dog walker came to the door and asked if they were missing a dog. The boys were most confused and replied along variations of "I don't think so", "Isn't she on her walk?" and "Which one?"!!!


The second time she was somehow captured at the school and the headmistress was charmed at her "beautifully-behaved" demeanour. this was spoken to Elle who had (after reporting her missing to the dog warden and then being appraised of her whereabouts after the school called it in) come over at lunch time to pick her up. Elle (who only left that school about 6 or 7 years ago!) then had to take her round all the offices to show everyone that "dog and owner were reunited" - her protestations (probably through a fixed grin) that she wasn't her dog were apparently overlooked.


Added to that is (1)  the fact that she made a break for freedom from their house twice, once over to visit the neighbours and once running down the road in the dark in the rain while Elle was trying to oversee another puppy's toileting, and (2) her inability to stay in bed after about 5am, coming and pawing at the door to try to get in to see if it was time to get up. I think you'll agree that darling Maddie has outstayed her welcome in the Junior Karasek household. Next time, kennels!

New dog, old issues

So we've got wee pupster in our life now. I should probably be more specific. We've got a young dog/puppy in our lives. This is Glen, Emily's puppy. He's not wee - at 6 months he's bigger than Maddie and as tall as Murphy. He's a short haired German pointer. (Currently only points at the cat) and he's more trouble than Maddie ever was!

(Here he is not wanting to go on his walk cod it's raining)

He's a counter surfer as well but he has longer legs! So nothing's safe - he has a habit of getting the kitchen cloth (he's eaten one already), he took an onion out the vegetable basket (at least Maddie sticks to carrots), he boxes Maddie cod he wants her to play (no chance) and on Sunday he got my bottle of sparkling water. I'd left it on the floor by the sofa and realised he had something in his mouth and was doing that shaking things they do. He was having a wonderful time to himself! Til I realised it was my bottle he had! 

I got it off him and make the fatal mistake of opening it. Oops! It exploded everywhere! (It was a litre bottle). I'll be a

touch more careful next time.

He's a real wriggly troublemaker but he's lovely anyway! Once he calms down he'll be fine, like Maddie is now. 😄

me, me, me

I haven't blogged for a while - moving onto Instagram and Twitter, being as how they're more immediate. Plus I can't type properly and get so fed up having to go back and correct it all the time! However I'm composing an ode - to the cold - so blogging is better suited.

I'm never ill - ask anyone. I breenge along, full of rude health and energy, when all around me are catching things left, right and centre. I attribute this to a normal 70's upbringing, leading to a very healthy immune system, plus a relatively upbeat attitude to life. And lots of exercise and outdoor air, not in a city (thank you dogs).

Every now and again though, something hits. In the same way that my lack of experience being ill leads me to have little sympathy with those who are (I may have got that from my mother, but I do try, honest!), it also leads me to being a bad patient - and if I get a cold, it's the manflu! None of this struggling along uncomplaining for me - if I'm sick, everyone's going to know about it!

 I've had horrendous coughs before but they usually go away after a couple of weeks. I've had the odd flu-like episode (and running a 10k with no training whatsoever beforehand a couple of years ago knackered my body enough to give me a stomach-flu) but these pass after a couple of days.

This year, I've broken all records. As of tomorrow I've had the cold for 6 weeks! I've been through all rehearsals and the performance of the Christmas Carol Service complete with tissues and cough mixture (NB - even when I can't hit the notes just above middle C, I can still get the high ones beautifully - clearly the cold doesn't affect those parts of the vocal chords). I've annoyed my colleagues at work by coughing all over their telephone calls for this period. I've gone through three bottles of cough mixture and four boxes of tissues (thankfully balsam-impregnated), my nose is permanently raw but could've been a lot worse - thank you Kleenex! I've passed the cold on to at least two people, who are now over it. Hmph!

I'm definitely getting there - although to be fair I thought that a week or so ago, at which point I went on our work's Christmas lunch and we were kicked out the pub at 1am when they closed. Twelve hours of talking (and/or drinking) just gave me a new/worse cold all over again!

However I've been more careful since and although I've been up to at least midnight most nights trying to get al the usual stuff done - baking, christmas cards, Facebook, Twitter etc I do feel I'm finally getting on top of it.

I'm back swimming (had to stop for a month after I got a tattoo) and I think that helps. Exercise is the key! As long as you have the energy and can breathe properly.

So six weeks and counting, but I can see the end of the tunnel now. Just in time for a prolonged period of Christmas stay-up-late nights and festive drinking...! Watch this space (or just listen for me coming)

Oh and PS - Maddie ate the bread we bought for breadcrumbs and was so anti-giving-it-back this morning I've got a sore finger now too!

How many days?

I'm going to set up a sign like they have in factories - so many days since the list accident - only in this case it will be so many days since the last incident! So far it's two days since Maddie ate my breakfast (a meal bar which I'd left down with only one bite out of it).

How many days til the next? We look forward to it!