Awww ... Suky's Mum

 

Aww ... look what popped up in my Facebook Memories on the first of this month.

It's little baby Suky and her Mum in a photo that we used on a calendar, we had it made for us and a few family members who got their copies as gifts for Christmas 2016.

They all loved it by the way and it seemed to be a novel gift idea, perhaps we should do it again one year, or maybe not it would never be original again would it, perhaps we could do it just for us next time.

Suky's mum was a Welsh Pug called Lady Midnight Star and her dad was a black Pug called Kenmilleven Graphite, I'm guessing he was called Ken for short!!  I remember sharing her family tree when her Kennel Club registration came through and it turned out that one of my blog readers had a Pug with the same dad as Suky.

It's funny to think that both our dogs are Welsh.  Suky was from South Wales but bought when we lived in Oxfordshire, and obviously Mavis is from North Wales.  So we cover nearly all the UK between us, me and Ginger are English, Alan is Scottish and the dogs are Welsh.

Suky last month, looking much older than her Mum now, but still just as gorgeous in my eyes.

Sue xx

Apologies to Anyone Who Loves the Heat

 For sure.  💚

I love Autumn, and no sooner than I thought it had arrived it left!!

 Only the other week as the days, and especially the nights, started to cool I was dreaming about putting on my winter-weight duvet and snuggling up at night, pulling my warmer jumpers and cardigans out of storage and packing away the lighter Summer coloured t-shirts for another year.  It's a good job I didn't react to my first thought isn't it.  

Last week was a sweaty mess in every sense of the word.  Watering plants to keep them alive was suddenly top priority, well along with trying to keep my little place cool for the dogs and Ginger to escape from the sun.  How Alan managed down South wearing a shirt and suit each day at work I have no idea!

Yes, the nights are drawing in at a fast pace and the darker evenings are a balm to my soul but I need cool, lots of cool at this time of year.  Thank goodness it seems to be cooling down to more Autumnal temperatures this week ... and fingers crossed it stays that way. 

Now all I need to do is go to the car wash and get that Saharan dust that came down in the thundery showers the other day, washed off my car.

Sue xx

Mavis and Suky - Two Days of Adventure

 

I took the dogs to the groomers yesterday.

 I don't know whether it was the uncertainty of her Dad being away for work, it being so early in the morning or her just wanting to be back on the riverbank but Mavis did not rush in the door to greet the groomers the way she usually does, indeed I had to step back out of the salon, pick her up and lift her purposefully inside.

I drove away feeling very guilty ... was she trying to tell me something?

She was much better when I went back to pick her up an hour and a half later and waited patiently while I settled the bill ... gulp!!

As soon as they got home, both dogs had their usual long drink and settled down to sleep away the stress of being bathed, partially dried and having their nails clipped. 

 They stayed there pretty much all day.

To make up for yesterdays 'torture' I took them to their favourite park this morning.  Just two minutes away by car and with lots to sniff at.

We all walked around and bench hopped, even at 9.30am it was getting too hot for me and Suky.

The grass was long, gloriously damp in some places and soaking wet in others, and my shoes got pretty saturated but both dogs loved to flop on it and cool off.  

Unfortunately, there were no people to watch so Mavis had to make do with watching a cloud of Hedge Sparrows settling on the ground, then flying around for a moment and then retreating into the bushes before doing it all over again.  

She was fascinated.

I think this look just about sums up this morning so beautifully.

'This is a better day Mum, thank you.'

She's  always had eyes that speak to me.  💖

Sue xx

Sunny Sunday in Llanrwst

 

It seems only fair after showing your our Sunny Saturday in Conwy that I show you what we got up to on our sunny Sunday in Llanrwst, the town that we used to live so close to.

For once ... much to Alan's dismay ... we couldn't drive past our old home as the road was shut at the Tal y Cafn junction, but being former occupants of the area we knew the back roads and set off to enjoy the even more picturesque route to Llanrwst.

On a gloriously sunny day with the windows wound down, it was magical.  I've done it many times before in dreadful weather and the windy country lanes are not quite so magical then!

We wandered around the park seeing if the Horse Chestnut trees were starting to release their conkers yet, the main purpose of us going there ... but nope not ready yet!!  At least the dogs got a good wander around and sniff, staying mostly in the shade wherever we could.

Then we sat on a bench watching out over the river and the traffic on the Pont Fawr Bridge. 

As usual there was a lot of activity on the bridge, partly due to the road closure in one direction but also as there must have been an accident in the other direction.  Emergency vehicle after emergency vehicle sped along the road towards it and then over it and across the river.  With police at both sides directing the traffic, for once there wasn't the usual free-for-all of being the one to get to the top and therefore have right of way.

Then we crossed the road and sat in the sunshine outside the tearooms to have a much needed cup of coffee and a sandwich.  The dogs alternating between watching us eat and sitting in the shade under the picnic bench.

Then the heat of the day got too much, and we went back through the park to the car and headed back to the flat, taking the same scenic route in reverse until we were home in the cool of the flat.

There might have been a short afternoon nap before we gathered together our bags and set off late afternoon back home to England.  😃

Sue xx

A Walk by the River

 

The other evening after a computer filled day for us both, we decided to take the dogs for a walk along the river.  They both miss having grass, so going to the river or the park is a good way for them to enjoy a multitude of new smells and a different surface to walk on.

Mavis loves the freedom of being off the lead and is good at recall now, it only took us most of her little life to perfect the distance commands.  She was never a quick learner.

Unfortunately Suky mostly has to stay on her lead now, being completely deaf means that if something catches her attention and she dashes off to have a look, we have no means of shouting her back and her short-sightedness means she loses track of us very quickly.  In fact I've noticed that she now gets a sense of security from feeling one of us on the other end of her lead.

This is the time of year when Suky's arthritis starts to affect her and her medication has to be given daily.  On walks such as this when I notice her flagging I find a bench, and the two of us sit and watch the world go by while Alan takes Mavis on for a few more minutes to use up some of her extra energy, she doing well for an old terrier.

On this day we sat and watched as dog walkers passed by us and the young lads behind the fencing gathered on the cricket pitch for a town team training session.

All the while Suky was glancing into the distance for that first sighting of Dad and Mavis coming back.

Then it was back into the car for the five minute drive home and to settle down in their beds for an evening of snoozing and watching Dad closely for any signs of snacks being forthcoming.

Sue xx

Saying Goodbye to August

 

August has whizzed by.  

With much cooler days the tomatoes have taken an age to ripen, and some just haven't.  The garden is slightly going over with the only flowers left being the beautiful white Cosmos 'Purity'.  Each day I tidy a bit more and add to the contents of the compost bin.

As the nights draw in the animals are sleeping indoors more, no basking in the late evening sun on the patio as they did earlier in the year.  They claim their spots and then switch around when the mood takes them.  The other persons bed is always comfier it would seem.

In the bed by my chair Mavis is usually well placed to see if I'm consuming any tasty treats, although there's not so many these days with my rationing challenge going so well, I'm never hungry enough to need nibbles in the evening.

Suky has eyes like little radars always on the lookout for what's going on.  It's important to look and sniff when you can't hear.

One burst of real colour left in the garden is the weed by my living room doors.  

It's flowered since Spring and is a firm favourite with bees.  So much so that I have been saving seeds from it and I will surreptitiously scatter them in the hedgerows along the canal when I walk there next Spring.

It's been a strange Summer, with the heat of June dissipating almost as quickly as it came and then the much cooler August seeing the season out not so much in style, as in the need for woolly jumpers before they are even unpacked and the Summer clothes put away.

What will September hold ... that's anyone's guess!!

Sue xx

Making the Best of Typical Bank Holiday Weather

 

It's been a busy couple of days, so we decided to make the most of the sunshine that we woke up to yesterday.  

The forecast hadn't been brilliant for the weekend, so the minute I saw sunshine when I opened my eyes, I got up and loaded the washing machine and then managed to get it out on the washing line before we set off to Morecambe and a couple of hours at the seaside.

We walked along the prom and then sat at the far end admiring the view.

The dogs appreciate the rest as much as I do and they are brilliant people watchers. They met a lovely little dog called Rita who was celebrating her first birthday with a Puppicino ... a doggy drink from the café.

And after admiring the views for a few more minutes and seeing the clouds rolling in ...

... Mavis reminded us that part of the purpose of the outing was to get Mum a coffee and Dad a bacon butty.  So we wandered back along the prom to the Clock Tower Café.

We had a coffee each and Alan got his bacon bun, and of course the dogs got a little bit each too.  After a good half an hour of watching the world and his dog go by we carried on walking.  I had spotted a large Animal Rescue charity shop as we drove away from the prom on our last visit so I told Alan I would nip across the road for a quick look while he walked the dogs up to the grassy area for a while.

For less than the cost of Alan's bacon butty I managed to get a t-shirt, 2 books and the cutest little Dunn Bennet & Co. Burslem cup.  I've just looked up the cup online and it's mark dates it to anytime between 1937-1968.  There's a similar much less decorative one for sale on Ebay for £12.99 , so I think I've nabbed myself a bargain.

And of course I still have all these things ... Alan's bacon bun is long gone.

A successful day and one that I ended by binge watching the entire series of The 1940's House.  What a relaxing day.

This morning it's wet and quite chilly, so after breakfast I decided to mend the handle of my kettle with a bit of superglue.  Only Alan's superglue was all stuck up, and when I tried to force the lid open it all spurted out all over my fingers.  I managed to get the kettle fixed ... and now I can have a relaxing day picking bits of dried up superglue off my fingers.  😏

How are you spending your weekend?

Sue xx

Waiting for Dad

 

Alan was away down South for a few days for work at the start of the week and as usual Mavis went periodically into a state of decline.  It's almost as though the food with Mum is good, the walks with Mum are good, the snoozing in the doggy bed right next to Mum's chair is bliss ...

... but every now and then she realises that Dad has gone.

And there's nothing for it but to sulk and stare into space, or in this case sit looking at the freezer door for over an hour.

Every single time he goes away it's like this, and gosh he's been doing it for all of her little life with us, she knows he always comes back but she does enjoy a good sulk.

I usually let her have her space for a while and then call her back to me Suky and Ginger in the living room end, and put something doggy related on the television for her.  She does like a good programme with dogs, cats or farmyard animals to watch.

https://youtu.be/p1dFuSGx1mI?si=xQ1lkIdqXKfjNCnA

She also loves watching Mr Hamster ... but the music drives me mad so she only gets small doses of that.

*  And yes, those are Gingers ears at the very bottom of the first photo.  😸

Sue xx

Making the Most of ANY Sunshine, Freebies and a Sulking Mavis

 

At the moment, like many people here in the UK, we are making the most of ANY nice weather. 

 It was a rainy and at times cold July, and to see it out in style, when there was a brief window of sunshine on Saturday morning we jumped in the car with the dogs and headed to Williamson Park in Lancaster.  

Just twenty minutes away it's a good place for dog walking and enjoying some wide open spaces ... and there's a good little café in the park that sells coffees and bacon butties.

I love big open skies and the view across Morecambe Bay from the café is amazing.

As the clouds started to gather again we headed back to the car, but in a brief flash of sunshine this lovely little park seating shed in it's own clearing amongst the trees and bushes looked magical ... and very hobbit-like.  I just had to stop for a photo or two.

I came home with some freebies in my bag, and we missed the rain completely as it didn't start properly until we were almost home, always a good outcome in my book.

Then Alan had to go away for work for a couple of days ...

... and Mavis sulked!!

She's a good little sulker and she's perfected her art well over the past couple of years.  If she's not sat facing the furniture or a corner, she's right up the end of my hall lying on the doormat, you know when Mavis is sulking!

Sue xx

Fluffy, Noisy Neighbours, Partying Bed Springs ... and It's Good to Be Home

Our neighbours at the caravan park.

I have never seen fluffy baby seagulls before, lots of speckled adolescents chasing round after chip stealing parents, but never the very young version.  They were lovely little things ... even if Mum was a bit vocal for a good part of the day.

After a visit to the flat and then on to our letting agents to discuss us not selling it, and a talk about how they had mistakenly given the go ahead for the redecoration and re-carpeting of the flat we drove into Llandudno.

The dogs both enjoyed the return visit to their favourite old stomping ground, and loved walking along the grass near the Little Orme.  The tide was right in and the beach that's usually there was well hidden, there was just a lone fisherman at the waters edge braving the grey skies and winds.

Moody skies but lovely fresh air.

Later after an evening playing bingo and having a drink in the club we enjoyed fish and chips in the caravan.  Then the next day we did a return visit to the flat to measure up for curtains and plan a few things for it's future.

The caravan was advertised a a 'Comfort' version ... it was nothing of the sort, and after two sore nights lying on a mattress with every spring having a party with it's neighbour we decided to call it a day and come home a day early to sort out some things that needed sorting.

 It's good to be home.

  

You only realise just how good home is when you leave it for a while!!

Sue xx

Shedding the Fluff ... and How Could You Have Known!!

 

We tried to get the dogs into the groomers on Monday, they weren't answering the phone so as we were across the road at the vets with Suky later in the day we called in person.  The girl there said they were fully booked and had no appointments until mid August ... so we made an appointment for then.

Feeling sorry for them we gave both dogs an extra good brushing when we got home.  Suky has a double coat and it takes a LOT of brushing to keep it under control at this time of year.  Mavis was just looking scruffy, extra scruffy even though Alan had trimmed her beard for her last week.

Then this morning the owner of the grooming salon phoned me and said they had had a dog not  turn up and did we want to bring both dogs into the shop in half an hour.  When we got there she apologised for the other girl and said that she would always find a spot for two of her little favourites.

And doesn't Mavis look smart with her skin freckles all showing through and her super neat fur all over.  We only have her trimmed this way once a year as she is supposed to look a bit scruffy as she's really a Parson Russell Terrier and that's their look.

But it's nice to see her all sleek, and looking cool after her bath and titivation. 

Of course that scruffy face and winky eye is still there, and she's still loved to bits with fur or without it, but I bet she's feeling rather lovely at the moment.

Suky looks much sleeker too and the groomer said she got a lot of fur and fluff off her, but I didn't have time to nab a photo of her because as soon as she got home Suky took up her usual midweek position under her Dad's desk, where no doubt titbits are regularly forthcoming.  Unlike under Mum's desk where all you might get offered is a cup of coffee.

Me - 19th December 2017

I enjoyed all your guesses on the last post, I am a tease aren't I.  😁

Nope, it's not a caravan, a narrowboat or a cottage ... although I would live quite happily in all of those.  I think I thought you all knew more about what it is than you could possibly have even known.  I had assumed that a good percentage of my longer term readers would know about this, but looking at my old blog there seems to have been a gap in proceedings when I didn't keep anyone up to date on something we did ... oops!!  It flew entirely under the radar between my old blog and this one.

So I will have to apologise and let you know sooner rather than later.

Sue xx

Hot Days and Hot Dogs

 

There's not been a lot of dog walking over this past few days, the weather has just been too hot for little friends wearing fur coats.

I have been getting up earlier than usual, feeding the trio of furries and then walking the dogs on a quick loop along the canal and back home.  Doing this means that there are plenty of surfaces to walk on, more than enough things to sniff at and just enough fresh air and distance to satisfy a bouncy Jack Russell but also appease an unwilling Pug.

We start off along the road and come down a set of ancient stone steps from the bridge to the canal, and this is the sight that meets us.

Then after a bend or two we are on the homeward straight, passing narrowboats and little cruisers until home is in sight.  Mavis occasionally gets to say good morning to her best friend Maeve if she is playing in her back garden as it backs onto the canal.  It has trellis fencing at the bottom which is ideal for doggies to greet each other through, and many doggy kisses are exchanged.

Once home a rewarding gravy bone and a drink of water are the order of the day ...

... before everyone collapses in a heap around the living room.

The dogs and Ginger switch from beds, to carpet, to tiled floor and back again many times during the day depending on their comfort levels, warmth and state of mind.

Me, I just make a coffee and settle down with my feet up for a while, watch a bit of YouTube or read my book and listen as the washing machine does it's thing, and I defer doing anything else until it is all pegged out on the washing line.

Sue xx

Food, Shopping, Shoes and Trucks ... Where Did May Go?

I seem to have blinked and suddenly May is over.  

We got through so much during May, work-wise, holiday-wise, food-wise ... I think I've eaten far too much food recently.  Even though we both got small portions of everything while on holiday, we still came home feeling podged ... and I was 2lbs heavier!!

Anyway the month has whizzed by, so much so that all of these photos were taken to be shared with you on the blog during May and were never used.  As I've now gone over to the June folder on my computer I thought that I would share them all today and start off June with a last look at May.

The top photo is my basket of 'you should use these things up soon' foods

It was a month of eating simply and using up what I had in, also of bulk cooking at least one thing each week to use over the course of the week.  This time it was penne pasta.

I only really shopped twice, this was the second lot of purchases.  A total spend of £13.34 spent at Sainsbury's buying only what I needed to make what I already had into satisfying meals ... along with two more of the tubs of spread while they were on such a good offer.

My mustard sneakers on the mustard rug just made me smile one day, so I decided to take a photo to remember the moment.  Seeing the photo here made me wonder how many years I have had these shoes for and looking HERE it would seem they are three years old.  They are a bit faded now compared to then, but still as comfy.

I had a roll of Aldi shortcrust pastry that was past it's best buy date in the fridge, so I decided to make up a batch of little tartlets with random bits of veg from the fridge and topped them with cheese.  The same filling was used in the pasty made from all the rolled out offcuts of pastry.  It made for a tasty lunch for three days for me and one day for Alan.

The dogs waiting for Alan to appear at the door ... form an orderly queue ladies.  😄

My little greenhouse was moved to the garden mid-month.

Rather than buy a Gro-Bag I decided to simply use one of the bags of compost that I already had for my main tomato plants.  I thought this would also weigh down this flimsy growing space.  Everything is looking so much bigger and better today, they are relishing their position in the morning sun.

And finally, just because it was the last saved photo in my May file, my elder son's new work cab.  

He is taking to the road again after a couple of years of being the garage foreman for Thomas Armstrong in Cumbria, and will be driving their number one heavy haulage tractor unit which bears a memorial to a former manager.  He simply could not resist the urge to be in control of the star of the company fleet and he will be taking it to as many truck shows each year as he can, as well as driving it with some of the heaviest loads that the company transports on a day to day basis.

So that was May, I wonder what June will be bringing us?

Sue xx