It snowed!

And I love it...

But my beans don't seem to keen they got this machine in the move all the lovely snow and then went out in the big black car and left me.

Finnegan the foolish hooligan - chapter two

Well, more of Finn the Destroyer than hooligan.
In the last couple of days he has eaten / damaged / destroyed or otherwise chewed:

• three napkins
• two towels (only one of which was a dog towel)
  
• two television remote controls
• one invoice (not yet sent)
• one bottle of nail polish
• several emery boards
• the TV paper
• two pens
  
• part of the daily crossword
• the Past Times catalogue -we didn't want anything - well we don't think we did!
  
• the corners of virtually all the dog beds
• the edge of the hearth rug
• attempted three different sorts of chair
• the dining table - only half heartedly not sure if that's because people were present or he was tired
  
• tried and was (thankfully) defeated by a box of tissues
• one purse, leather (which distracted him from the money)

Do you think there might be something lacking in his diet?

(Yes, he says, I'll just eat this labrador's leg)

No, no, no

No, oh no. Why beans why? And most definitely, don't ever think about I'm never doing that!

Dog owners celebrate Halloween by dressing up their pets in bizarre costumes at parades - Telegraph

Dogs recognise their owner's face

BBC - Earth News - Dogs recognise their owner's face
Hebe says well of course we do and I know when to hide under the table (usually after I've tried the roast dinner) and when to sit down and wait for the inevitable biscuit. I know Beans sometimes find it difficult to tell us apart with the exception of Finnegan, of course (him being big, stripey and grey-ish) the rest of us being black must make it confusing, that nice lady at the Post Office still doesn't know her Maia from her Juno (I always introduce myself, it's only polite).

Shivering Penguins - fire up the Pig

We awoke to a dusting of snow this morning and the big yellow snow dragon (otherwise known as a gritter) has been spotted but not before several vehicles were seen slithering down the top road, a few slightly sideways.
So -
for the first time this year the Pig has been lit. As it's the first burn of the season a very hot burn is required to retemper the hotbox and now the house is perfumed with the unmistakeable aroma of hot pig (scorched dust and glowing, expanding iron).
To our great surprise Finnegan isn't in the least bit bothered by it, although the coal scuttle on the hearth might just prove too tempting; especially as he is now confined to the ground floor thanks to a stair gate.

I'm not happy about this

Flippin' Finnegan, gets all the attention and now he's claiming a massive sculpture is of him!  I don't think so - well it had better not be or he's going to be positively unbearable.

~What do you think - is this a horse or a dog?

 

The White Horse of Uffington. Photograph: Alamy

Well someone now thinks it's a dog and not just any dog but a wolfhound!

As reported in the Guardian: It is one of Britain's most-loved ancient hill figures, careering across the downland. Now vets are being urged to question whether the White Horse of Uffington was meant to be a horse at all.
Challenging the traditional description of the Oxfordshire landmark, retired vet Olaf Swarbrick asks whether the "beautiful, stylised" figure might instead be a dog such as a greyhound or wolfhound.
Swarbrick says: "Looking at it again, it seems that it is not a horse at all: the tail and head are wrong for a horse and more suggestive of a dog. It appears more like a large hound at full stretch. I thought it may be a greyhound, but an anthropologist suggests it is a wolfhound, which (assuming it is not a horse) makes more sense."  More

Oh, Finn - only an Irish hound

Could get himself run over - by a stationary car!

Last night on his way back from a post dinner (his not ours) walk Finnegan decided to investigate an interesting noise in the garage and got stuck. Mum came in to say she needed a little help because Finn was stuck. However, on first glance no wolfhound was to be seen. He had gone down the narrow side and then couldn't back up (he's not very good at reversing) so he obviously thought going under the car was a good idea. Closer inspection showed a pair of very long thin wolfhound hind legs lying alongside the back wheel. A torch and a wriggle under the back bumper gave sight of a remarkably calm, insouciant looking hound wedged under the petrol tank with an 'I think I may be a little stuck here' expression on his face. Removal of some of the junk freed his back legs so that they were not wrapped around the wheel. Car in neutral and 'yes, taking the hand brake off might be useful' with a big steady push the car gently rolled forward to expose a grubby hound who with a little wriggle was free. He stood up and shook himself whilst we breathed a huge sigh of relief. And then realised we were all stuck in the garage because the car was now blocking the door (no keys - great thinking). A pull backward and I could slide over the bonnet to push it back in creating enough space to get out.
Finn was dirty and with only a small scuff on the inside of one knee to show for his adventures, half an hour later and he's gallumphing around with Hebe.
Now we all have sore ribs from laughing over the hound who got run over by a stationary car, (there may have been some hysterical laughter in there from sheer relief).
No doubt more chapters in the Adventures of Finnegan the Foolish Hooligan will follow...

Michaelmas Day

Is grey, wet and miserable. We don't have any Michaelmas daisies any more - not sure why not - but if we did their head would be pointing earthward like so many other plants, my poor thistles are virtually horizontal, I'm going to have to tie them up to stop their crowns rotting and then pray we don't get massive gales to snap off their stems.
The ground is sodden and so are we, we're running out of dog towels - not helped by Finn who emptied the dog dish all over the kitchen floor. This time it really was an accident, his big heavy ball bounced in and tipped it up - however, the flood in the dog house was probably deliberate, thank goodness all the beds are off the floor otherwise we'd be trying to dry those too!

Finnegan

Ah, now I understand.

Meet Finnegan - my new best mate...

I've been busy teaching him all about life at The Moorlands.  Although he's bigger than me he's only a baby, Beans say he's four months old so although we'd really like to play rough and tumble we have to stop coz he's fragile.  Juno's teaching him his manners so I'm sure he'll be fine.

Something Strange

My beans are acting most oddly.  First of all I was (well, we all were) banned from the yard by a series of barricades, when it was just one I could jump over but lots within not much space between were beyond even my tiggerishness, we were kept out for about two weeks, which was quite good because we were allowed in teh garden instead.  And then this weekend the barriers were taken down and we could go down the yard again but all the lovely grass and nettles had been removed and the concrete cleaned with the smelly stuff.  Next was that my puppy bed appeared in the dog house, but the door was shut so I couldn't get in.  Very odd. 

How come it's mid-July? Where's the year going??

So what's happened since 9 June. Well not a lot and then again loads!
Juno is now officially a teenager having turned thirteen, which is 91 in dog years not that you'd know it; most of the time she behaves just like a youngster but then at other times I catch her in repose and she's got a saggy, baggy face (too many puppies hanging off it) going grey around the muzzle. She's slowing down too but that doesn't stop her from joining in Hebe's mad half hour every now and then.
She's also being dosed with a herbal potion created for her by Katie the herbalist vet, every day she gets milk and honey with extract of compost heap with her breakfast and then two lots of yoghurt also with compost extract. It's done brilliantly well until this last week when she started chewing her feet and then over the weekend progressed to trying to remove her skin. Katie's working on a new improved brew for her.
The garden is looking wonderful, although I can see a few gaps to be filled with plants. This year was designated clear up and tidy year. It's been progressing slowly but I have at last weedkillered the yard and it's beginning to have some effect, the yard fence was washed down and last weekend was painted green – very smart it looks. The new table and chairs have been teak oiled and the recent rain is standing off the wood. Andy has dug out the bed at the foot of the hedge although I've not yet managed to get the new compost and manure dug in but there are very few weeds popping up so that's good. Once it's fully prepped it's going to be a green and white bed (this does kinda come under tidying up because it was just a weedy mess and now it's a patch of clean soil which means it qualifies – at least that's my excuse!) However there is still a lot of weedy gravel and a heap of stone down one side of the house. I have to move the stone before I can tackle the gravel and the stone is going to edge the gravel garden in the back still to be cleared – another job for Andy but we've not had the right sort of conditions so there's another wonderful excuse… And there's no point clearing the drive until I know when I can order more gravel and I might as well order for the paths and the drive. I did order a big table bed planter to be my new herb bed, again this comes under the tidy up campaign because I can get rid of the multitude of untidy pots scattered around. The catalogue said requires some self-assembly, just like the new table and chairs which required approx. four nuts each and came complete with their own spanner. However, the planter arrived as a heap of wood and bags of screws with an instruction novel (yep, that's a novel not sheet). I looked at all the bits, looked at the book and put it away, left it a week then got out the bits, looked at the book and put it away again and then I had a brainwave – my wonderful Uncle John, retired CDT teacher would read the instructions and put it together in 10 minutes. John looked at the bits, scowled at the book, drank some coffee, threw away the book and then put the wood together in the right order taking closer to an hour than the envisaged 10 minutes – note to self don't go buying big planters over the internet. Mum says it looks like a coffin on stilts, it does a bit too but once it's painted soft green and filled with aromatic, tasty herbs it will be glorious.
The new IT system in the office is still causing problems, granted not as many as before allowing my broken hand to mend and fortunately it's not been bad enough for me to smash it into the wall again so I dropped a table on my foot instead!
On the hound front we thought we were going to get a puppy in October but we found out over the weekend that the bitch wasn't in pup so we'll have to carry on waiting but we'll keep on searching and one day soon there'll be a long-legged stripy scragamuffin to join the pack.

Never mind elbows - get your FEET off the table!

I just walked into the kitchen to find Hebe with two front feet on the table, one hind foot on a chair and the other hovering above the table - if I hadn't walked in I'm sure it would have been on the table! She very rapidly descended to ground level and is now walking about proffering a gift of the dog-nuts - the first thing that came to mouth.

Happy Birthday to Me

I'm three today - so my beans tell me. I got a lovely pink very noisy squeaky and an even better multi-legged softie complete with lots of squeaks.

I have been missing my best mate most dreadful but now I'm feeling much better and can give all my people all the attention they deserve, not that they appreciate it.
In new developments we're now getting two course meals, a starter of milk and yoghurt (it does smell a little funny but it tastes OK) and then the usual bowl of euk, rusk and veggies. This is definitely to be encouraged.

Well mush dash, lots to squeak you know.

Ultimate sadness

Yesterday we took the heartbreaking decision to put Cara to sleep.

She had developed chronic pancreatitis and despite ours, hers and the vets' best efforts she was in terrible pain - but no longer.

Poor Cara

She's not very well at all. She has been diagnosed as having pancreatitis. Although she's less stressed now she's back home from a night at the vets she's still not good at all. She doesn't want to eat and is very 'flat'.

I've found her

She's back with a pink (and you know that's my favourite colour) bandage around her leg. She smells funny and now I've been banished back to the office.

Oh, my whiskers

paws and pink too.
I've searched and searched and can't find my bestest mate. The beans tell me that Cara is not very well at all and has had to stay at the vets who are trying to make her better.

Vet

Cara saw the vet this morning, it's good news (we think), it seems that she has very bad gingivitis which is why she doesn't want to eat. So we'll sort this first with antibiotics and some steroids and then look at her nose / hayfever for this year. Poor hound is very down in the ear and looking rather thin.

Busy, busy

I'm soooo tired.

We spent all weekend outside, except when Cara was out and then I had to come in. Beans did their digging in the ground thing, pulling out some plants and putting other in - I don't think I'll ever understand them.

My best mate Cara is not well, snotty nose and poorly tum, She's off to see the Vet lady tomorrow.

Birthday Blackout

Maia was 10 yesterday and still naughty! A small heap of pressies was gratefully received by Hebe. One already has a large hole (small destroyer strikes again).

Mid evening the lights went out, then 10-15 mins later a low voltage returned, not enough to run any equipment but for the lights to give a dull glow. The UPS is still without a battery which meant that the server started screaming but wouldn't go off because there was still a little power running through it, we ended up pulling the plugs on all the computers and printers. The evening was passed in conversation, reading and cards. Just after 10 even the low voltage failed and we were plunged into total darkness but Juno's Christmas gift of a head torch saved the day - perfect for power outs. NEDL kept us informed and at one point they said they had over 4,000 properties without power. As we decided to head for bed the lights came back on.

Green thingy

I think my beans are really rotten spoilsports.  I've spent months working out how to get the lid off the black bin by the back door, it's always full of lovely smelly, really tasty things.  I finally worked out how to get stuff from the bottom by balancing on my elbows; it's not advisable to put both front feet in because then you can't get out again so your "help me" barks get all muffled and if a bean hears you you get scragged or if you tip it up to get out the contents get nicked by the other dogs but at least then everyone gets scragged when the bean turns up.  Anyway, after working out how to nudge the lid aside and to pull out the really best bits now those rotten beans have gone and tied the lid on with a green stretchy thingy.  I've tried nudging the lid up, pushing it sideways with my nose, pulling with my paws but it just won't shift.  I'm watching them very carefully because they don't seem to have any problems.  There must be a way in....

Cough, cough, splutter

Back in the land of the living - well sort of, just don't ask me anything complicated I think Hebe has my brain...!
I hate being ill, I can cope with a damaged limb or bleeding digit and just get on with stuff.

What a strange week

I didn't get my walk on Monday and then The Bean was missing all day on Tuesday, well apart from a couple of appearances. Wednesday was much the same but she arrived at lunch time and instead of going to work we went upstairs and watched the talking box. Perhaps it's a holiday - but then she went away again early in the evening. Very strange. Thursday was similar, although I really did like lying on the sofa with her as a pillow. Today she's around but making odd spluttery noises and she sounds odd when she speaks to me. Most peculiar.

Now then don't go getting ideas...

From today's Daily Telegraph:

Yes, Hebe, it's you I'm talking to!

More on the tooth

It's Monday morning and of course the phone line is jammed. Ring back is a wonderful invention.
Finally spoke with someone and they can't fit me in until middle of next week, no gas for the knockout out today or tomorrow, the dentist doesn't work Wednesday and they don't have any computers on Thursday or Friday. Early next week is very busy and won't have a space long enough so it will have to be the end of next week but I already have an appointment on Tuesday and that will have to do. I'm speechless.
Good old NHS....

Urgh!

Opened the cupboard to get the ingredients to make some bread and the top shelf was infested with hundreds of small brown beetles which were tumbling down onto the other shelves and, as we soon discovered, down in the cupboards below. I think they must have come in with the new wheatgerm I bought a couple of weeks ago. They had eaten into the bags holding the old wheatgerm and oatmeal which, of course, then flew everywhere when the bags were picked up. Needless to say the cupboards have been emptied, thoroughly cleaned and every jar, bag and bowl checked, cleaned and as there haven't been any beetle sightings for 24 hours have now been replaced.

The tooth saga continues, the new filling disintegrated less than 12 hours after being put in and this time took a chunk of tooth, dentist closed over the weekend so fingers crossed for an early appointment next week...

D-B-S, just lost my new filling.

What a saga, started nearly 18 months ago now, all to save one tooth! The latest bit of work, completed on Monday has just disintegrated and I'm spitting bits of filling, that's more information than you really needed. Back again on Friday for a patch up, good job it's only needles and dentists I'm phobic about...

Holiday

So last week I was off work for 'gardening leave'. The real sort where you weed the flower beds and prune the shrubs - and what did it do? Snow, rain, hail, gale etc. Resulting in very little gardening (or many walks says Hebe). Today back in the office (after a tortuous morning at the dentist) and it's gloriously sunny and warm! Typical.

Horrid beans

This morning my toy box was nearly empty. I thought all my favourites had been stolen away by some other dog.

But now I've found them - here they are:

What an awful thing to do. All clean and bright and hanging out of reach. My beans can be really horrid to me (and my toys).

The long blue one on the left is my bestest, it's Okopus. The pink one is my next bestest, that's Fifi. Both are good to fetch and carry and throw around.

Spring

Spent lots of time playing in the shed. Compost and pots and stuff. But not so good was lots of time in front of the magic box with the beans getting exciting about the oval ball thingy.

Little Excursion

Hebe writes: I get bored waiting outside the shop for the beans. So this morning when I found my lead wasn't quite as firmly fixed as usual I took myself off for a wander. There were lots of lovely smells and interesting things and then I found a nice person, but he led me back to the Post Office which rather spoilt my excursion. I'll have to be more sneaky next time...

Great excitement

After weeks of white stuff today there are muddy footprints on the kitchen floor. We'll be cursing them before too long but today they were a very welcome sight...!