Lazy Summer Days

Our hot and sunny spell continues, we so deserve this good weather after all the crap summers we've had recently. This is when I appreciate working part-time all the more as I can fully enjoy these lovely days.  I don't mind not having a holiday somewhere warm this summer when it's like this, this is such a lovely country when the sun shines! Apparently the jet stream is sitting north of the British Isles instead of south hence the prolonged good weather, hopefully it'll stay there for a good while yet.

In the garden my strawberries and raspberries are reddening, will pick the first of them tomorrow. I have my first crop of Cox's Orange Pippins fattening up on my apple tree and my potatoes are nearly ready. This is the first year in about five that I haven't planted tomatoes, I gave up as they had failed miserably due to little sun and copious amounts of rain. Ironically, this year they would have thrived!

Took Pepsi to get groomed today, thought he'd appreciate losing his thick curly coat in this hot weather. He's literally half the dog he was lol! Though Pepsi, being the ragamuffin he is, still manages to get his "beard" all over the place!

Enjoy the summer folks!

A Breath of Summer!

Cheeky Boy Pepsi!

We've had a lovely couple of summery days, 21 degrees (my perfect temp!), sunshine, gentle breeze. Suddenly people are wearing their bright summer clothes, having barbecues and picnics - we Brits know how to make the most of EVERY (rare this year) good summer's day lol! I was getting morose at seeing autumn clothes appearing in the shops AND Christmas cards!!  Can you believe it Christmas cards in early august ridiculous.

I've been for a lovely walk in Rickerby Park with the boys earlier, we all enjoyed it.  It felt like we'd actually had a summer, nature had that lazy, ripe stillness of a high summer day, basking in the rich fertility of the season, I could almost forget the weeks of rain, almost.  I just love that feel of a mid-summer day, which reminds me I must go looking for brambles soon;

I like walking in this large park, even when it is busy it does not feel crowded. It is almost in the centre of the city flanked on one side by the River Eden, yet it has cattle freely wandering about and grazing, not many places the size of Carlisle can boast that!  I had to laugh as one of the cows decided to wipe her snout on a convenient parked car as I was passing by!

River Eden in Rickerby Park

The boys were the usual child magnet, and I had a couple of little girls come across to see the dogs as I walked along. I think small children relate to small dogs because they always love my boys.

The Cow Beside the Car She Cleaned her Snout on LOL!

I bumped into someone I worked with years ago (Irish Tom, some of you will know him!) and we had a good chat and relished the fact we were retired from the stressful jobs we had.

I really enjoyed having a lovely, long relaxing walk again, something the weather has put the reins on these last few weeks, let's hope I get the chance to do more before the winter sets in.

Gone to Ground......

Dachshunds are known for their burrowing and liking to cover themselves completely.  It comes from what they were originally bred for, badger hunting, (dachs - badger, hund - hound in German) when the plucky and deceptively strong dogs went into the setts after their prey.  Their unique shape, short legs and loose skin helped them tunnel down into the ground.  And now, even when dachshunds are mostly kept as pets, you frequently hear stories about them having to be dug out of holes they've decided to explore whilst on a walk.

I went into my bedroom last night and saw a small lump wriggling up under the bedspread from the bottom to the top of the bed and out popped Pepsi's head!  I had to grab my phone and take a photo as he looked so cute.  Whether he went there for comfort or natural instincts I'm unsure, somehow I think it was the former!

Pepsi - pleeeease can I stay?

Snow Snow Snow!

Snow for two years on the trot, so where's the global warming?  It looks so pretty.  I'm going to a Christmas Market in the city centre tonight and one of the special events is an hourly fall of false snow lol!



Who's been out in the snow then?



   

A Christmassy tree in my garden

Birthday Boy

Two today - and what a little poser!

Dog Emergency!

Got up today, and as usual, I was my normal slow grumpy self (I'm not a morning person as people who know me well can attest to!) I was just about to give the dogs their breakfast when I noticed Pepsi had something in his basket. It was a sleeve of eight Paracetamol tablets and one was missing. Somehow Pepsi had opened my handbag and got it out and eaten one tablet. Well Paracetamol is a highly toxic painkiller, people have been known to die after relatively small overdoses and here was my 4.5 kilo dachshund having eaten a whole tablet! He hadn't had anything to eat either so it would get into his system faster. With my nursing experience I knew that you have a window of time when you can remedy the situation by giving an emetic and an antidote. I rang the vets and was told to bring him in as they would have to make him sick. So I flew up there and he was given the emetic.

I sat outside in the sunshine with him whilst he threw up over and over again. I felt so sorry for him, I could see he was distressed and not sure what was happening. Pepsi is always so bright and happy it was sad to see him like this, but it had to be done.

I went off with a dachshund feeling very sorry for himself, the antidote and a lot poorer - why are vets so expensive? Luckily I can get the nasty smelling antidote into Pepsi ok. The vet says because I got him there fast he will be ok, but it just shows you how easily disasters can happen. Needless to say I have taken the Paracetamol out of my handbag!

A Dog In A Suitcase!

Well I'm off to Nice soon for a weeks holiday and my first U2 360 gig, it 's the start of my tour. I'm so excited I could burst! I've never been to Nice before and it's a place I've always wanted to see. And of course the concert is eagerly awaited! I've looked a little at reviews but tried not to learn too much about what has been happening on stage so far. Started my packing tonight and a little dog called Pepsi decided he wanted to be part of my luggage! See the photo below, think he's trying to tell me something? LOL!

I'll be taking my netbook with me so may try to update the blog while I'm away. Keep checking my tweets on Twitter as I'll be updating on there too.

Caught In The Act

Now who could it be that had such fun disemboweling the cushion?!

Week of Puppy Destruction!

Well my darling little mini wire-haired dachshund has been on a chewing spree this week! The puppy honeymoon period is over and he's getting his teeth well and truly into things. So here's the list:

Computer AC adaptor cable = £30
Leather purse = £12
Wicker dog basket = £24

Grand total £66!

The thing is, he only has to look at me with those big brown eyes and tip his head to one side and he's forgiven. Well, could you resist the little fella below?

I'm Sure It Was In Here.....

My puppy Pepsi exploring a toilet roll, cute or what? If you want loads of laughs every day get a puppy!