Puppies, Theatre and Birthdays

Dear me I've been a bit neglectful of my blog this month, so thought I'd make another April entry so I have at least two this month!

Seamus is thriving, he's grown so much! He and Pepsi are great friend now and enjoy tiring each other out racing about the living room and play fighting. Ellie is still a bit wary and I have to watch she doesn't stand on the little fellow as she is such a klutz lol.

Seamus has attended puppy class and was very confident and at ease from the start. He is intelligent, walks well on the lead and is getting better with house-training.

I had forgotten how much work a puppy is though, they are a real commitment and you need patience and more patience. But it is all worthwhile, Seamus is a joy and I love him to bits.

Inbetween looking after my puppy I have started a new job within the firm I work for and it is ok. I now have a two week rolling rota so know exactly what I'll be working unlike the previous job. So I think it has been a good move.

I went to see Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel at The Theatre by the Lake in Keswick the other week. It's a play I've wanted to see for a long time. It is set in a kitchen of the home of five very different unmarried sisters, their disgraced priest brother recently returned from Africa and Michael the illegitimate son of Chris, one of the sisters. Michael as a man looking back to 1936 is the narrator. Not a lot happens on the surface and as they go about their repetitive lives, there is much repression and restraint. But beneath this there is passion that occasionally shows itself as it does when the women, even the self righteous matriarch Kate, movingly dance wildly to music coming from Marconi, as they called their radio. Little happens, yet, everything is changing.  It is a touching, deep play that has many themes that intertwine that I feel I would like to see it again to fully appreciate it.

My friend Debbi is 50 this year and like me last year she is having an official and a real birthday. For the official one she has said she wants to go wine tasting in France, what an excellent choice. Really looking forward to celebrating her day in that way, France, good food and wine and great company, perfect!

My New Family Member

As some of you know I lost my 12 year old dachshund Max tragically last October. Recently I felt ready to get another dachshund to keep my wire daxie Pepsi and daxie cross Ellie company. Twice I was very close to adopting a rescue dachshund, but both times, through no fault of my own, they fell through. The last time that happened was on March 16th, then on the 17th I saw dachshund puppies for sale on Facebook and soon my name was down for a gorgeous wire boy!

On March 25th my friend Justyna and I drove through to County Durham to pick up my pup, who was just then ready to go to his new home.  The trip was pleasant, across to Hexham and then onto the A68  through Northumberland and into County Durham, up and down rolling hills with some beautiful big country vistas.

The puppy was gorgeous in real life as he was in the photos and on video I'd seen, I met his lovely mum and dad as well as his human mum!  I had shortlisted three names, (all Irish as I'd bought him on St Patrick's Day), Paddy, Dillon and Seamus and when I saw him I just knew he had to be a Seamus, it was perfect for him. His full title is Seamus O'Sausage, just couldn't resist lol!

I had a first photo taken of Seamus and me before we set off home, unfortunately he is slightly blurred, when he's awake he's never still for long. Seamus was snuggled in a fleecy blanket for the journey home and slept all the way.

Once home I introduced him to Pepsi and Ellie, they were interested in him but I was careful as he was so tiny. He was lively, bright and had a hearty appetite. He also settled remarkably well, with only a little whining in the first 24 hours, pretty amazing since he'd left his siblings and the only home he'd known.

Since then he has been a joy, already in just over a week he has grown and put on weight and is very settled indeed. My other two dogs are getting to know him, though it will take a while for them to get fully used to this crazy little pup tearing around lol! He'll be going to puppy classes soon, there's no doubt he will be the smallest there - however, as with most daxies, he is big on attitude and personality! So, welcome to the family Seamus, you'll get lots of love here and I know you will bring much joy.

Irresistible!

I found this photo on one of my favourite websites, The Long and the Short of it All, aren't they just irresistible?   You can read the story behind the photo here, some bribery for posing for the photo was involved LOL!

Happy 2012!

Just a few words as 2011 is drifting away.  I hope that 2012 will be a great year for you, I hope it will be happy and healthy and that you will have lots of whatever makes you content.  I have trips to Stoke, Manchester, Iceland, Dublin and Nice lined up so I'm pretty happy with that as travelling is one of my big loves and I appreciate that I am lucky in that I am able to travel that much.

As I get older I appreciate my health more and more, without good health life can be pretty difficult no matter how blessed you are in other ways, and I hope for continued health for all in 2012.  My diet/gym has been sidelined these last few weeks but I am getting back onto the wagon from tomorrow, I am determined to keep the healthier lifestyle doing!  Hopefully I'll be a shadow of myself this time next year.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, I'm chuffed that I get so many people popping in to read my various musings and hope that you will continue to do so next year.  My very best wishes for 2012, and a couple of woofs from the longdog rascals below too!

Max and Pepsi

It Wasn't Me

No Words Needed

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?

Autumn in the Air

Pepsi (what camoflage!) and Max

I've had a good weekend. Yesterday I went brambling again and got loads, but boy you have to suffer for collecting them!  In the first place I had to battle through knee high grass and weeds to get to the bushes resulting in trousers soaked up to the knee.  At the next picking spot I has to wrestle through nettles and thorny branches resulting in scratched hands that stung for the rest of the day!  And finally, the lovely weather quickly changed, with a few thunderclaps and I got rained on, so pretty much all of me, not just my lower legs, was wet by time I got back to my car.  Once home I got busy right away and got ten jars of bramble jam out of my travails so it was worth it.

Pretty, but deadly

There is definitely a touch of autumn around now, there's an occasional nip in the air and the leaves are turning slowly but surely. The fireweed's pink is fading and  it's growing the feathery seed pod tufts ready to drift off to find a place to settle to hibernate for the winter before sprouting again in the spring. There were also lots of fungi and toadstools, some so pretty (but deadly) you almost expected a pixie to be sitting on them!  I always used to hate this time of year because it heralded the winter, which is my least favourite season, but now I appreciate the beauty of it.







Today was cool and I went into town with Pepsi to meet up with a friend and go to the Continental Market.  I parked in Portland Square and walked through the Victorian garden in the middle of the square.  The flower beds there were beautiful.  We may moan at Carlisle City Council at times but they really have fabulous parks and the baskets/troughs around Hardwicke Circus are especially beautiful and always are every year.

At the market I always like to have a proper German charcoal grilled bratwurst, it definitely is the real thing, yum yum!  There were some very interesting stalls but I resisted buying anything as I'm on another "austerity drive."  I lost count of the people that stopped me to ask about/touch Pepsi, "What kind of dog is that?", "Is it a Dandy Dinmont?", "I've got a long haired at home, they are lovely dogs but very stubborn" (so true!!)  "He's very sweet natured,",  "Ooooh doggie doggie",  "He's so gorgeous".......  I must admit he does have a lot of the cute factor and just can't resist a tickle LOL.

A Christmas Message From Pepsi the Dachshund

Hello, I'm Pepsi, looking very sweet and gorjus.  Like my hat?  My mammy bought it for me, I need it with all the ice and snow outside, not gud wether for dachshunds!

I thort I'd write a little Christmas message to you, pleese excuse any spelling mistakes, I'm very clever but am only two.  My big brudder Max wouldn't wear his hat, or pose for a foto, he was just watching when I had my foto taken, he can be a bit anti-social, but I love him anyway, he's my best pal.

And here's me showing my true colours, (I have a lovely smile and don't you think?) a bit of a rascal who can't keep out of trubble for long - that's what my mammy says anyway, but I just love having fun, fun, fun  BOL!  She wasn't very happy when I chewed her boots the other day, she went rather red in the face and said sum strange words.  But she soon loved me again when I laid on my back to let her tickle my tummee.  

I eventually managed to perswade Max to pose under the Christmas tree with me, here's our festive foto.  Only four days to go - I'm soooooo looking forward to Chrisrmas and TURKEY! 

Happy Christmas to you all, and health, happiness and lots of juicy bones for 2011,  from mammy, Max and me, Pepsi! xxxx

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!

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.

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!

Welcome to Pepsi!

I've got my new puppy! He's a little sweetie and doing very well considering that he has left his mother and brothers and sister only today. My other Dachshund Max has been brilliant with him, very friendly and patient, so different to how he was with the greyhound, but of course little Pepsi is no threat at all to him. I got Pepsi a little bed but he much rather goes into Max's basket and Max squeees into Pepsi's! Dogs eh? My friend Debbi thought of the name Pepsi, so now I have Pepsi Max!

Back to Reality

Well, after my few weeks of galavanting abroad I'm home for the forseeable future. I so enjoyed my trips to the USA and Ireland and over the next few weeks will be writing about them in here in my blog, so keep checking in here.

On Thursday I'm getting a puppy. He's an eight week old mini wire-haired Dachshund, as yet nameless. Seeing my dog Max couldn't cope with a huge greyhound I went the other way and am getting something that is actually smaller than him! I don't think there will be any problems this time with Max, he's been fine with friends puppies. No Name is just so cute, here's a photo of him.