Skywatch Friday

Summer is definitely here! All this week we have had wall to wall sunshine with plenty of heat thrown in.

Tomorrow, we head off on the motorbike for a week's holiday. Fingers crossed that this isn't the cue for the rainclouds to roll in.

Sun, sea and sand. What more could you ask for?

To see hundreds more skies, take a look here

"To the Papmobile, Teasel!"

Jana has accompanied us on quite a few cycling trips but the little hairies have always had to stay at home. All that has changed with the creation of the 'papmobile'!

There is room for only one little dog so they'll have to take turns at coming along for the ride. Teasel got the first shot and, after a moment or two of confusion, she loved it. Our route took us away from the road, where she got to run free and do a spot of rabbit hunting too.

We'll have to draw lots to see who goes on the next trip. Either that or get a few more baskets for the bikes!

Motorbiking, a moat and mixed weather

It's almost midsummer and, as usual, the British weather just doesn't know what it wants to do! We had some warm, sunny days earlier in the week, a real dreich day in the middle, improving to sunny intervals in between heavy showers being blown in by a strong wind today.

It may have been unsettled weather but it's already been a much better summer than last year. After a couple of lovely weeks in May, we waited in vain for the sunshine to return. 2008 - the summer that never happened.

One thing's for sure, we've been getting some interesting skies just lately. To see more of them, from all over the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

We watched this shower pass us by.

We were lucky, there was more blue than grey.


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Tuesday's weather was just perfect for a run out on the motorbike. We headed out over the very bleak Dava Moor and passed Lochindorb on the way. There is a ruined 13th century castle on an island in the middle of the loch. It once belonged to the infamous Wolf of Badenoch.

Stopping lochside to admire the view. We encountered about five cars on the narrow road - it must have been rush hour!

Looking back to the castle

The ruins

My view of the Dava from the back of the bike.

We ended up following a few country roads that we'd never been on before. This one was lined by some lovely rhododendron bushes.

Not only did we have an enjoyable ride but we called in for tea at the Mill Inn, Brodie. I stopped short of taking photos of the meal but I can tell you that it was delicious. I'd recommend the Inn if you're ever passing that way.


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Wednesday was mostly rainy but it cleared for the evening and that allowed for a pretty sunset. Jana and I went down to the windy beach to watch. We had the place to ourselves, must have been too chilly for the usual sky watchers.

An interesting cloud formation over the harbour. It was picking up some colour from the setting sun further west.

Jana's ears are blowing in the wind.

Nice sky, choppy sea.



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One of our walks today was to Duffus castle.

Desmond at his happiest - chasing and barking!

The castle is surrounded by a moat, parts of which are covered in a green weed and this proved to be the downfall of one small dog........ as you will see.

There were lots of tadpoles to be seen in the clearer stretches. These were all swimming in the same direction, as if they were doing laps of the moat! We decided it had something to do with the wind creating a current. No legs on this lot yet. (Click to enlarge)

These were on the other side and are slightly more developed. You can see their back legs.

Just a bit further on and we saw lots of these little guys in the grass at the water's edge. They made a beeline for the water just as our feet approached. Funny how there seemed to be different stages of metamorphosis as we moved around the moat.

Rosa was the small dog who made the mistake of thinking that the green weed was solid ground! It was her first ever swimming experience and, although she did a perfect doggy paddle, I don't think she'll make a habit of it. In a bit of a panic, she headed out towards the middle of the moat and had to be encouraged to turn back to the bank. Taking photos was not priority but I did get a shot of her drookit self afterwards.

You may be wondering what Jana is doing.
This is the rear view of a shaking vizsla. After a high speed run down the hill, her brakes failed and she also took an unplanned dip into the moat.

I can't imagine what the tadpoles made of it all.

Back in blogland

I am so behind with posts! Life seems to have got in the way of blogging.......but that's probably better than blogging getting in the way of life!

This is going to be a long post, with lots of family photos. For those of you who don't know us, I hope it isn't too boring. I've thrown in a few of the dogs for good measure so don't give up too soon.

Our family gathering was a once in a blue moon affair, the first time that my mum has been able to get all of her grandchildren together for a photo. My brother and family were over from Vancouver and my sister and her family came up from England. Ian, Lynne and Euan made it, despite a few hurdles, and Adam's uni exams had finished just in time for him to get here too.

All present and correct

All the grandchildren.
There is quite an age range, from Ian at 27 (and a dad himself) down to Elara who is 2.

Mum and her grandchildren, plus great grandson Euan.
Another grandchild is due in August and made it into the family group shot at the top, you can just about make out Nikki's bump - it's a handy resting place for Elara!

My brother Stuart.
His new camera is the same as mine and I've borrowed a couple of his photos for this post. (I have to admit to taking some lovely shots in totally the wrong light setting! Cue blue tinged grandchildren)


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It was warm and sunny on our patio this day so we thought we'd take a trip to Roseisle beach............

.............where it was incredibly windy!!
Keep your hair on Euan!

A bit of wind wasn't bothering Euan though and he had a swinging time.

Off the beach and into the forest. No wind here.
LSH has an intellectual discussion about pine cones with Elara...........

..........which leads to unicorn impressions!


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We visited the farm shop, the play area is a favourite, not to mention the coffee and cake.

Alex and Lewis getting a different perspective on things

Euan steers the pirate ship.....................

.....................and Elara peeks out from below

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This was the last day that everyone was here and the weather was lovely

Testing the water on Hopeman beach (it was cold!!)

Euan wonders what Elara has.
"It's banana, do you want some?"

"Thanks, maybe I will.
Hmmm.......not too sure now"

"You dropped it in the sand Euan! It'll be all crunchy now!"

Lewis had great fun kicking the football up and down the dunes with his big cousins.

Looks like Euan is ready to catch.

Big shoes to fill

Elara gives us a smile

Alex had fun with Jana

Dune surfing

Elara looks tickled pink!

Euan tickled too

Stuart took this one of Euan doing jazz hands. Wonder if he's thinking of a career on the stage?


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Another day and a trip to Duffus castle with Adam and the paps

Hebe, hot and happy

Downhill racers

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Back on Hopeman beach

I love this photo.
Lewis's face is a little dark but I hope you can see the gleeful expression he has on it
(click to enlarge)

Alex jumps for joy too

Adam can't resist it..........

........and nor can Jana


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We had a show last Saturday, it was my local one, being only 6 miles down the road. It was great not having the usual early start! There were no great wins in the ring for the paps but Jana did manage to win one of her classes. It was a very warm day and we were indoors so it made the run through the fields afterwards all the more enjoyable.

Pansy with her ball
"This is more like it!"

Happy smiley people

More skies

There's been no time for blogging this week due to our family gathering but the last of them left today so I'd better make a start on catching up.

I'm just in time for Skywatch Friday and, since we've seen quite a bit of the sun this past week, it's a good place to start.

Alex and Lewis, my niece and nephew, leaping off the dunes down at the beach. This was taken earlier today and they were making the most of their last hour or so in Hopeman before they headed off back to England.

Just one of a number of beautiful sunsets that we've enjoyed this week. This was taken last Friday at about 9pm. It was a wonderful night to be out, so calm and still.


To see a whole collection of fabulous skies from all around the world, click here.

Sky high

Jumping off the harbour wall, Adam is momentarily part of the sky

There are hundreds more skies to be seen over on Skywatch Friday.

Catching up

I'm quite behind with posts as things have been pretty busy here. It's going to get even busier with a family gathering coming up, more of which later.

Our run of blue skies came to an end with heavy showers today, but the following photos were taken when it seemed that summer was upon us. My lighthouse photo of last week featured a mass of gorse bushes and, for those that aren't familiar with it, here are a couple of closer views.


Although it is bright, colourful, long-flowering and smells delicious (rather like coconut), it is very invasive, takes over large areas and can be difficult to keep under control. Many of our favourite pathways along the coastline have disappeared under the gorse and there is no way you can push through it because it defends itself with some very nasty spikes! You can see them in the close up below.

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A new cycle path has been built beside us, it's not very long at the moment as it is being done in stages but it can be joined up with a country route to make a nice circular ride. I took Jana out with the bike, planning it so that the strong wind was behind us on the more exposed section! She was off lead for half of the time and trotting next to the bike for the rest. Good exercise for her and me.

The nice new cycle path

I've always liked this tunnel of trees


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Last Sunday Jenny and I, plus Jana, Brint and Keira, tackled Bennachie, a well known Aberdeenshire hill. It's very distinctive with its four peaks, the most interesting being Mither Tap, a knobbly granite point which was once part of an Iron Age fort. It can be seen on the far left of the photo below.

Bennachie (photo taken from Wikipedia)

Although not the highest of hills, it was steep enough in places to get me huffing and puffing and wondering what on earth I was doing there! The view from the top was well worth all the effort though. It is actually a broad, heather covered ridge with the peaks well spread out. Mither Tap is the one that seems to be the most popular with walkers but Oxen Craig is the actual summit and we wanted to take them both in.

Mither Tap appears out of the trees on the lower slopes

Jenny poses (reluctantly) with the dogs on Mither Tap

We stopped for lunch at the top and the dogs weren't left out. Jana and Keira wait for their biscuits

PLEASE can I have it?

Looking out over green Aberdeenshire

There was a championship show going on in Edinburgh and we were able to keep up to date with how friends were getting on via the wonders of modern technology! Jenny's daughter Ria was relaying results from the computer at home to Jenny's mobile phone.

Jenny gets the latest news

Looking across to the summit peak, Oxen Craig (L)

Coming down from Mither Tap

Interesting pancake-like rocks on the last climb

Oxen Craig, the very top, looking back at Mither Tap

The view north

Mono time

The old pack horse bridge at Carrbridge

If you'd like to take part in Monochrome Weekly go and visit Aileni's blog.

Skywatch Friday

Covesea lighthouse surrounded by a sea of gorse

This is how our sky has been all this week, a beautiful clear blue and looking very much like the height of summer. Not quite summer temperatures though, due to strong winds, but here's hoping it's a sign of good months ahead.

Visit Skywatch Friday to see many more skies from all around the world.

Monochrome Weekly

I'm posting another castle for what was Monochrome Monday but is now known as Monochrome Weekly. Head over there if you'd like to join in or just to have a look at more black and white shots.

This is perhaps not the classic shot of Eileen Donan Castle but it's where I was at the time.

Skywatch Friday

Late afternoon calm at Findhorn

To see more wonderful skies from around the world go to Skywatch Friday.

Mission Impossible, Desmond's comeback and sunny Roseisle

Jana is in season at the moment and is quite delighted to suddenly find herself so popular with our boys, normally they want nothing to do with her! Her first season passed with virtually no interest from Louis and Desmond so I assumed that they were sensible enough to realise that she was way out of their league (and reach) and that there was simply no point in giving her the eye (or anything else for that matter).

It appears that this season things have changed. Maybe the last one was just a practice run and, now that she is slightly more mature, it's time for the real thing. All I know is that Louis is quite certain that this union is possible and is more than willing to give his all. Seeing as I'm not about to go down the 'designer dog' route (what would those pups look like?!), Jana will be kept out of the boys' way.

The photos below show that Louis thinks this mission is definitely NOT impossible!

"What do you mean, she's too big?!"

"I'm willing to try!"

We were at a show at the weekend, the first one in ages. It was a toy group open show so only the paps were entered and it was Desmond's first since he broke his leg. He is totally sound on it now and you would never think that there had been a problem.

Pansy was third in her class and Rosa took second in hers, being beaten by a lovely little bitch who went on to best of breed. Desmond was in sparkling form, helped by the fact that he was keen to impress some of the ladies in the ring with him, and he won his class! I almost forgot that I'd entered him in a second class and nearly missed it. I rushed in at the last minute, expecting Des to be beaten by some of the more mature dogs there but no, he won that class too!
He was in the running for best dog after that but his interest had waned by then and he looked decidedly fed up, it might have helped if there had been a nice female pap next to him but it was all dogs.

It was great to see him so perky, I hope he's the same for our next show at the end of the month. We just need a shortish class and lots of female company to keep up his interest.

The prize winners

Below are some photos from our recent Roseisle walk with Jenny, Ria and a bunch of dogs. It was windy but nice and sunny and there was loads of space because the tide was right out.

Jana enjoyed running through the water after the shepherds but, unlike them, she didn't venture deeper than chest level.

Almost the whole beach to ourselves!

Brint, Sadie and Keira waiting for the stick.

Brint has a good shake. (Click to enlarge and see the interesting water effect)

We walked back through the forest and Pansy finds some logs to pose on........

..........as does Jasper (Poser Pug).

Keira looks very pleased with her find.

Jana scales the heights.

Mono Maniacs

My friend Jenny's three shepherds on our recent walk.

More to follow but in colour.

To join in the mono theme, go here

Skywatch Friday and True Colours Thursday

I'm combining two memes in today's post, although both fit in with Skywatch.



I'm a bit late for True Colours, it's rainbow this week and I didn't think I had anything suitable to post but then I remembered this shot. It was taken a couple of summers ago when we camped at Shiel Bridge. We weren't alone, at least a million midges kept us company. As we stood admiring the view out over the Five Sisters of Kintail, we watched the rain cloud sweeping up the loch, bringing the rainbow(s) with it. And probably a million more midges.

To see more rainbows, go on over to Blue's blog.




We're now into May so it's quite fitting that this sunset was taken in that month, albeit a few years ago now. It's taken from our back garden, looking over the houses to a glimpse of the sea. I haven't altered the image, this is just how it looked.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more glorious skies.

Black and white time again

Fishing boats at Mallaig

To see more monos, or even join in, head over to Aileni's blog

Nala Paws It Forward

There was excitement in our house today when A Paw It Forward parcel arrived from Nala (with a bit of help from her mum, Amber) all the way over in America! Jana and the paps couldn't wait to investigate, as you'll see from the photos below, some of which are a little blurry I'm afraid but that was down to the flurry of activity!

Jana's keen to get unwrapping

There was a lot of interest in what was inside!

There was this great hedgehog toy, complete with furry, squeaky eggs which you stuff inside and which the dogs have a fun time trying to remove..........

..........I've never seen anything like it before and the dogs loved it!

There was also some very tasty salmon treats, the perfect size for training

There was a lovely card and photo of Nala and also some scrummy blackberry tea cookies for LSH and me......I can't show you those because they were so nice that we ate them all!

Louis has the hedgehog whilst Rosa gets one of the eggs

Pansy thinks the eggs are just as good as her green ball

I hate to say it but the hedgehog is looking a little alarmed

Jana couldn't wait to have a play........

...........and she managed to get one of the eggs out!

I think she has a taste of those salmon treats

Hebe checks to see if anything got left in the parcel

Mmmmmm! Yummy salmon!

Jana practises her catching skills with the treats. Click on the photos to see in more detail

Sucked in cheeks just before her mouth opens. It looks like she has no teeth!

Caught it!!
Although she is quite good at catching them, I had to take many photos to get this sequence. Jana wasn't complaining as it meant she got more of the treats!
The dogs really enjoyed them, if I can't find them in this country then maybe I'll have to look into getting a supply sent over!


Thanks very much Nala and Amber for the lovely gifts, they've gone down a storm!


Would you like to join in for Paw It Forward? Here are the rules. "The exchange focuses on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and 'paw it forward' in their own way. This is how it works...we are going to agree to send something fun, inspiring or uplifting to the first 3 blog owners who post a comment on this entry. In turn you will then post about this on your blog, link to us, then send something to the first three people who sign up to play along through your blog. There are no cost restraints, BUT don't go crazy! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found. No biggie, just a gift that will make the person smile. Maybe something unique from where you live? And, remember that kindness doesn't have to involve money; there are untold ways to help others every single day, everywhere you go - just look around." SO PAW IT FORWARD...


If you are one of the first three to comment and would like to take part then send me an email with your address. My profile contains a link to my email.

Skywatch Friday

I love these wispy type of clouds, which I think are commonly known as 'mare's tails'.

To see fabulous skies from all over the world, go to Skywatch Friday.

A couple of castles for Mono Maniacs

Duffus Castle has appeared on my blog before, it's a favourite place of ours. Although it's an ancient ruin, built in 1151, this doesn't detract from its appeal and I think it has great photographic possibilities.

A bit further away from here, on the edge of Loch Ness, is Castle Urquhart. Another in ruins but equally interesting. The best view of it is from the actual loch.....but since I haven't got one from that angle, you'll have to make do with this one!
To see more monochromes click here

Easter, four generations and fourteen dogs

At last I've managed to catch up with Easter. I did try yesterday but Blogger was not being very co-operative so I gave up. Prepare yourselves for a mammoth post as there are quite a few photos! I was quite ruthless and plenty ended up on the cutting-room floor, this still left me with loads but I like them all, and it's my blog, so post them I have. I warn you now, there is much running of dogs........with a handful of humans mixed in for good measure.

Ian, Lynne and grandson Euan came to stay for a few days and brought the collies, Sam, Jura and Kyloh, along with them. My sister Paula, her husband Julian, Alex and Lewis, my niece and nephew, plus Jake the puppy vizsla, came up too but they all stayed at my mum's house. It's just as well we have the two houses as it makes family visits a lot less cramped. When we all got together there were four generations of my family and fourteen dogs between us!

The weather was wonderful almost every day the visitors were here and we had some lovely walks together. Euan is now toddling but not all the time, hands and knees are still his preferred method of moving about. He did manage to walk from one side of the sitting-room to the other a few times and he was also tackling bends occasionally. The paps and Jana have never really had much to do with children but it hasn't taken them long to discover just how great toddlers are.......especially at meal times! Euan thought it was great fun to share his toast with them. He had a pack of paps sat around him and he had their complete attention! Dog handler in the making.

Now for the photos (remember you can click on them for a larger view).

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Toffee in sprint mode

A run in Roseisle woods.
Jura, Ky and Sam take the lead with Jake close behind

My mum's little Lia sorts out Jake

The three collies after a dip in a very dirty and smelly ditch

Seeing as we only have a shower, Euan makes do with a splash in the kitchen sink

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We visited the whale and dolphin centre at Spey Bay one day. The dolphins are often spotted at the mouth of the river and ospreys can be seen fishing there too. We weren't lucky enough to see anything though, maybe next time.

Euan goes off on a mission

This statue was the only osprey that we saw

Euan strides out

Alex, the horse lover, practises her jumps........

.......as does Lynne, the dog agility fan. Marks out of ten for style, please.

From Spey Bay to Lossie forest for more dog running

The four generations, plus some of the dogs

Diving Sam. Going..........

..........going..........

........gone!



Whilst we were taking photos of the dogs in the water, Paula felt something moving under her feet. When she looked down, this is what she was standing on.......

......a wood ants' nest!!! Her shrieks were quite impressive.

Checking for any stray ants!

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Another day, another walk

Alex and Lewis go mountain climbing

Gypsy appears to be looking dreamily into Desmond's eyes

Coming at ya!

Alex has the ball and Lia, who is even more obsessed than Pansy, wants it!

I actually managed to catch Des in quite a good pose

Jana had some great games with Jake

Jana generally ran rings around 10 month old Jake but this time it was his turn to tease with the ball

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On Easter Monday Ian met up with his friend Stuart and they went jumping off the harbour, just like they used to do in the school summer holidays.

Euan with Nannie at the harbour

Ian and Stuart taking a big leap

Going off the outer wall

Euan gets a swing from Nannie and Paula

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Ian and Lynne discovered a great soft play centre nearby. It was pretty quiet and Euan had it to himself for a while. LSH and I took the motorbike out for a run there.

LSH and Euan lean into a corner on a mini Blackbird

On the bouncy castle

Then down its slide

Looks like Ian is having a great time!

Euan has a giggle pulling his grandah's beard

Getting in a bit of toddling

Euan was quite intrigued by the rabbits

Who needs toys when you have a water bowl?

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Jake and Jana got to go for a long walk together on the last day of the holiday

They had fun checking out the rock pools

Looking back along the coast to Hopeman harbour. It was another beautiful day but a little hazy out to sea

Fulmars nest along this stretch of coast. I love to watch them fly, they are so graceful

Jana wasn't all that keen on having to sit right beside Jake..........

..........but she loves him really - just look at that grin!

The two of them enjoying an evening romp on the beach

Skywatch Friday

Two shots of a Moray Firth sunset taken earlier this week.

Click here if you'd like to see more skies from all around the world.

True Colours

We had visitors (two-legged and four-legged) over Easter and I haven't had a chance to do any posts. I'll catch up with the dogs and family photos shortly but, in the meantime, it's True Colours Thursday and this week's colour is lime. This is definitely not a colour I have much of in the house so all my photos are of the lovely, fresh new growth on our bushes.

Take a trip to Blue's blog to join in.

Skywatch Friday

These photos were taken at Duffus Castle. The runway at RAF Lossiemouth is in line with the castle and the tornado aircraft often pass by quite close.


To see more skies from around the world, click here.

Colours and lambs

It's black and white for this week's True Colours Thursday.

I didn't have to look far for the first one!

Gypsy, Pansy and Teasel - the black and white girls

The black and white crossword in our daily paper

My lovely Beswick black and white pony. I've had it at least 35 years and it has come through many house moves without even a chip

My camera, mainly black but with a little bit of white

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One of my work colleagues has a small flock of pedigree Blue-faced Leicester sheep and they are in the middle of lambing just now. I paid them a visit, hoping to get some nice spring-lambs-in-the-sunshine photos but, although the lambs co-operated, the weather did not! I'll have to go again.

This little chap was just 3 days old. He has ears to rival the papillons'.

Rachel with two of the mums. They're a very friendly breed.......

.........with a distinctive Roman nose, large blue ears and a very curly fleece.

He was very chatty

If you look closely you'll see that he's been caught mid pee here! It went on for ages so I had no problems getting a still shot.

Twins

The (wagging) End

Monochrome Monday

My contribution to this week's Monochrome Monday, Sam and Kyloh, two of our dogs-in-law.

A black and white shot of black and white dogs (not strictly accurate because Ky is actually blue merle). Does monochrome work better with B&W subjects?

For more Mono Maniacs visit Aileni's blog.

Heading for the hills

We met up with Morag, Jenny and Ria on Saturday for an uphill walk. We are planning to do Ben Rinnes, which is the highest point in the local area, but need a bit of practice at lower level first. I, for one, am not as fit as I'd like to be. I'd rather not be huffing and puffing my way up Ben Rinnes.

Ben Aigan was our destination but we encountered a diversion and ended up doing a slightly different top. The weather was not great, big change from the day before, and this affected our view from the top. Mostly we saw trees.

I did take photos but not many, not ideal weather for it. We only had seven dogs with us this time, unlike our Cullen Bin walk. The hill is popular with mountain bikers and we saw a few but otherwise had the place to ourselves.

Despite the weather, it was a good walk and a much needed work out for the legs.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we ended up at a tearoom. Cake?! As if.

Jana had a bit of excitement when a grouse was flushed at the top

There was lots of talking

Arran was very proud of his stick

A bit of a view at the top

Heading back to the car

Morag's new pup, Gigha. She's too small to join us on walks just now but she enjoyed checking out the pine cones and twigs in the car park

Ria's hot chocolate.......with The Works!

Ok, so we did have cake, but it surely couldn't be bad for us......it had raw carrot with it!

Skywatch Friday, a birthday, big hair and the beach

Last night's sunset taken from the harbour.

This is my contribution to this week's Skywatch Friday. To see more skies from around the world go here.

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Now for a mix of photos from this week






MY ball!


Jana wonders if I saw the squirrel too

Still looking for that squirrel

Guess who has the ball?!


Adam came home from uni on Tuesday, just in time for my birthday! It was my best present, even if it was just a short stay.

Note the big hair, it hadn't been cut since last September, I think. My clippers had to psyche themselves up before taking on those curls but they got through it, albeit with a few coughs and splutters! The new look Adam appears later.

Jana pretending to be a real gundog

Anything you can do.........

I can do too!

We've had some beautiful weather this week, this was taken at Brodie Castle where we took my mum for a summery stroll in the grounds.

Some of the bird life on the lake there

It was another gorgeous day today and we went to Findhorn. In the background is Burghead Bay and Roseisle Forest.

Adam competes with Jana again!

Pansy, like the other paps, is not really keen on water but she was prepared to brave it for HER ball. Maybe we'll get her swimming?!

The mouth of Findhorn Bay

True Colours Thursday

It's scarlet for this week's True Colours. To see more of this meme go to Blue's blog.

I didn't think that I owned anything scarlet but then I came across these:

A scarlet dress, bought for a Hogmanay party but never worn. (Modelled here by Adam!)

The cute little bag with scarlet spots, bought to go with the dress

Scarlet comb

A different perspective

Louis and Jana - not showing their 'best sides'.

Feel free to provide your own captions (as clean as possible please)

Monochrome Monday

Instead of the usual colour, here's a black and white photo for a change. I thought I'd join in with Monochrome Monday. Aileni is the host of this meme, visit his blog to see more monos.....probably far more interesting than mine!

This photo of Aberdeen Angus cattle was taken at our local farm shop on a very cold afternoon a few months ago.

Saturday sunshine and stormy seas

The sun came out today but we still had the cold northerly wind, which made for a very rough sea and spectacular waves crashing over the harbour wall. Despite the finger-numbing wind, Jana and I had a lovely walk on the beach.

The relative calm inside the harbour..........

........and the swell outside

Snow fell on the hills last night

Jana sitting, but not for long, because there are birds along the shoreline......

.........some redshanks..........

.......with a few turnstones mixed in

Looks like a bubble bath for these two

Taking to the air..........

..........wonder why?.........

........maybe they've seen the 'on point' vizsla?

The ones that got away!

We weren't the only ones on the beach today

This black lab was definitely a water lover

A jolly collie came past with mind set firmly on its ball

Six paps went out on the second shift

They got to go racing in the field by the woods

The reds take the lead

A passing snow cloud pauses briefly over Hopeman

The following two were taken on my third walk of the day

Pansy got to go out on her own with her ball for an early evening run on the beach. The tide had gone out so there was much more sand.

The wind hadn't let up though so still plenty of white water out there

The Berry Eaters and the 200th post!

All thoughts of Spring have swiftly disappeared as our weather goes from bad to worse. Cold northerly winds have brought rain, rain and more rain plus some sleet and hail showers thrown in for good measure. There's even talk of more snow falling.

As a reminder of warmer days, I am posting some photos which were taken a week ago.



I was thrilled to hear and see a flock of about 16 waxwings in a tree opposite my house. These birds are occasional visitors to Britain, coming over from Scandinavia looking for food when conditions are harsh over there. They are particularly keen on berries. It's been a number of years since I last saw any so I rushed to photograph them before they flew away but I needn't have worried because they hung around a couple of days and I was able to shoot them as they stripped a neighbour's cotoneaster bush of its berries.

They are very distinctive birds and quite easy to photograph because they allow you to get fairly close to them.

This is my 200th post! How quickly it's come around.

True Colours Beige

When I first saw that beige was this week's choice for True Colours Thursday I thought I'd have trouble finding anything of interest to photograph. However, a walk down to the beach this morning revealed that beige doesn't always have to be boring.

Visit our host Blue's blog if you'd like to take part in this meme.

The beige beach of course!

A beige pebble

Surely touches of beige in these shells?

More beige beach

The froth that the rough sea was producing today. It looked more beige than the photo shows, especially when the sun was on it.

That beige sand again

Jasper Pug - a very laid back friend

This is our friend Jasper, a little extrovert, but also a very cool dude. As with most pugs, his two aims in life are eating and sleeping.

If he could do both at the same time he'd be in Heaven!

In relaxed mode.

Where did Spring go?!

It was all change as far as the weather was concerned today. Gale force winds brought rain, hail and the temperature dropped down to 3 degrees.

Those poor Spring flowers are taking a bashing.

Hail storm approaching Lossiemouth beach.

392 in dog years

This was the right part of the country to be in today, it seems the Highlands recorded the highest temperature of the day with 19 degrees in Altnaharra. We managed 16 degrees - pretty good for this time of year.

Long-Suffering Husband celebrated a birthday today. He says he doesn't feel a day over 70. He certainly doesn't look it........that's probably because he was actually 56.

Better make the most of these dog walks while the knees hold out!

Pansy keeps her eye on the ball.

It's hot work chasing a ball on a day like today..........

Pansy's tongue went into overdrive..........

........and now it's out of control! (Click on the photo to enlarge)

LSH looks lost in thought whilst practising his teapot impression.

True Colours Thursday

Green is the theme for True Colours this week. Blue is the host of this meme, visit her blog if you'd like to join in.

The green hill that Duffus Castle sits on


New green shoots (definitely Springtime!)

The green eglu (des res for hens)

Green compost bin. It doesn't look very green in this photo but there are supposed to be forty shades, aren't there?

Pansy's favourite green ball......slightly worse for wear

Green weeds......plenty of them in my garden!

Two wheeled and four legged zoomies

LSH poses in front of the old fishing cottages of Seatown, the viaduct and beach at Cullen.

A sure sign of Spring must be me accompanying LSH on the Blackbird for my first pillion ride of the year. Although not sunny, the weather today was warm enough for me to perch on the back and zoom along at speed without turning a similar shade of blue to the bike.

We headed along the coast to Cullen, home town of Morag and boys, where we had lunch at a cafe (toasties and lattes......we know how to live!) before whizzing back home.

Dog zoomies followed.

Jana is not impressed with having to stay on lead until her stitches are removed. Desmond, on the other hand, is grinning all over his face.......


.............now he's allowed a bit more freedom!

Des aiming to pull Pansy's tail.........not a good move!

Free running at last!

True Colours Violet and Jana's plastic headgear

Finding violet for this week's True Colours Thursday was quite hard, not helped by the fact that I think it's quite similar to a few other colours. However, I'm pretty sure these crocuses from my garden fit the bill nicely.

Blue is the host of this meme, visit her blog if you'd like to join in.


There are also some lilac crocuses in the garden and they were looking lovely in yesterday's really mild weather.

Jana, I'm sure, could stake a claim on being the most accident prone dog in the world. Feel free to correct me if you know otherwise.......we can share the pain of endless vet bills!

In only 17 months she has managed the following:

• Nicked the end of her incredibly whippy tail resulting in blood-splattered walls. A plastic tube was taped over the end to protect it and it took weeks to heal. It was fine for months but I wasn't surprised to see it bleeding a little last week, she lashes it about so hard (you don't want it hitting your legs!) that this could be an ongoing problem.
• Took three small chunks out of the lower part of one hind leg. She was doing an impression of a bucking bronco whilst wearing a small wooden table as a saddle. Now before you go and report me for cruelty, I will add that she wasn't supposed to be wearing the table, it was her choice to try and squeeze under it and she was most surprised to find it on her back when she reversed out!
• Had a couple of grooves put into her nose after she put it a bit too close to a dog who was of the opinion that she shouldn't be doing that.
• Swelled up alarmingly in the neck area, most likely due to a foreign body.
• Has had numerous superficial scratches, none requiring vet intervention and a liability of bouncing about in rough terrain.

Now for the latest and the reason she has to wear the lampshade. I discovered a smallish lump on her chest on Sunday and, although it didn't seem to be causing her any bother, my vet suspected another foreign body. Removal before it had the chance to migrate was decided upon.

She had the op yesterday and the lump turned out to be reactive tissue with some very small black bits in it. I suspect gorse could be the culprit as I've had that jabbed into my hand before and the tips broke off and got left behind in the skin. Ideally, we should perhaps avoid the gorse bushes but that could be difficult, it grows nearly everywhere here, and besides, it's often where those tempting rabbits are!

Maybe protection is the answer. Anyone out there who can supply me with vizsla sized body armour?

Jana hates being a vizsla lamp.

Mud, glorious mud and Crufts finishes

Jana's dad on the lookout.

This was taken when I went down to his kennels to collect puppy Jana. He's a very handsome dog and looked so good in the final line-up for Crufts Best In Show, as did the papillon, but they didn't get any further, unfortunately. Best In Show was a Sealyham terrier and Reserve a Standard Poodle. Maybe next year!

I must add that I don't own Jana's dad......wish I did!!

******************************************************

It wasn't so much Crufts as 'Scruffts' for our show dogs after a very wet and muddy walk on Saturday. We met up with Jenny, Ria, and Morag and we had ten dogs between us. The rain started just as we set out and didn't really stop, turning an already muddy path on the way out into a mini river in places on the way back! The dogs didn't seem to mind, although Teasel did pull a bit of a face when we set out in the rain.

Our walk took us to a derelict house, which must have been impressive in its day. Such a shame it has been allowed to rot. The grounds contained lovely trees and large patches of snowdrops too. I bet it's lovely on a sunny day.

We finished up at our friend Lesley's house, in front of a roaring fire (jeans steaming off nicely) and with some lovely home-made soup and cake.

Pretty clean at this point.

Approaching the house.


It must have been a grand place at one time.


Jasper has a mad moment in the dead leaves.


Pansy's underneath has now turned a fetching shade of mud brown!


Look out! Hurtling pug coming through!


There were lots of snowdrops in the grounds.


Washing off the mud at the end of the walk......for those that are willing to enter the water, that is. The paps are nowhere to be seen and Jana would only dip her toes in!

Quick update on Crufts

What are the chances of having both your breeds appearing in the line-up for Best In Show at Crufts I wonder? It's happened this year for us because the papillon won the Toy group on Friday, then last night, amid great excitement here, I watched Jana's father take the Gundog group!

I'll be watching later and cheering them both on.

We should have been there.

Rosa, Gypsy, Louis, Pansy and Desmond...........

..........and Jana - all Crufts qualified.

Crufts is happening at the moment and, for the first time in years, we aren't there! It was Toy day today and the paps should have been strutting their stuff but I wasn't on the ball in January and missed the entry date. Gundogs are on tomorrow and Jana would have been taking to the famous green carpet for the first time.

Thank goodness for the internet, it's kept me up to date with what's been happening and, since the papillon won the group this evening, I'll be glued to the screen on Sunday night in the hope that it wins Best in Show. Jana's father is competing tomorrow so everything will be crossed for him to do well.

Lesson learned. I won't miss the entry next year!

True colours - yellow

True Colours Thursday is Blue's meme and it's yellow this week.

We don't seem to have a lot of yellow in this house but there is the very loud (especially when you're on the phone) Sheila, the evil budgie.

If you find it hard to believe that a cute little budgie could be evil then just check out the look in her eye........and the swearing beak!

The Best Of The Rest doesn't do rabbits

I took Jana, Louis and Pansy to our dog club's show match at the weekend. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with such events, a match works on a knockout system, two dogs up against each other and the one the judge thinks is best goes on to the next round. Eventually it whittles down to the last three or four, whereupon Best in Match is chosen.

There was a class for the veterans and Louis was third in it. Jana managed to get through two rounds but was knocked out in the final one. Pansy had been knocked out (by Morag's Logie) in the first round, which meant she then went up against all the others in the same position to compete for 'Best Of The Rest'. As you will have seen by the splendid rosette above, she won!

On Sunday we walked in a favourite rabbity place. Noses were going like mad as everyone went into hunting mode. Everyone that is apart from Pansy, who cares not a jot for rabbits, or any other type of wildlife, and probably wouldn't be interested even if it jumped out in front of her blowing raspberries. Don't get me wrong, she loves a chase, but for her, the ball is everything.

" Did someone mention rabbits"?

There's one in here..........

..........and over there!

"Stuff the rabbits - just THROW THE BALL !!"

Jana found something unsavoury to roll in. It was black, oily and smelly. Most likely a mink calling card.

"I might not be able to catch the wildlife but at least I can smell like it"

Mavis makes an entrance

Mavis, one of the rescued hens, used to be very timid but is now developing a very bold personality. Previously she would hang back behind the others but now she's one of the first to try and mug us for grapes!

On Saturday she decided that if the grapes weren't coming to her then she would go to the grapes. The gate at the kitchen door had been put up to stop our previous two hens from sauntering into the house at will. They had been found wandering down the hall and checking out the dining-room and I'm sure would have been quite happy to sit on the couch and watch TV with us.

The gate may have worked for all other hens (not to mention dogs) but Mavis is obviously made of sterner stuff.

Mavis tries out Jana's unwanted (chicken flavour!!) breakfast.

True Colours Thursday

This week's colour is brown and this one was easy for us.

Blue is the host of this meme, visit her blog if you'd like to play along.

Maud, Hilda and Doris - the BROWN hens

BROWN eggs

Great excitement here this morning because, as you can see from the above photo, we collected four eggs instead of the usual three. This means that one of our rescued hens has started laying at last. Both Mildred and Mavis have been working on re-growing feathers for the last few months and are now looking in great condition, so much so that it's hard to tell them apart from the other three.

The rescues...........

........before..........

.........and after!

The middle egg is a double yolker that one poor hen had to squeeze out last week. She must have wondered if it was ever going to come out!!

The girls will do anything for a grape!

Hiding from the birds

We visited the hide in Roseisle forest today and there was plenty of bird activity on the feeders. There was no sign of a squirrel while we were sitting there but, as we went to leave the hide, one was sitting just outside the door! Maybe he was doing a spot of people watching.

Is Jana comparing notes with Bill Oddie on how to spot your bird?

A keen-eyed Teasel

The coal tit on the right just seems to be hanging in the air.

There are some impressive trees near the hide. You can just make out the nice bluey colour of the new growth.

Ex-trees.

A birthday, a black eye and a collie eye

Time certainly is whizzing by. It was grandson Euan's first birthday yesterday but it really doesn't feel like a whole year has passed since he arrived on the scene!

February 2008

February 2009

We took some of the dogs and went down for an overnight stay with Ian and Lynne and then Euan had a party for some of his little pals and family. You may have noticed that he is sporting a black eye, a favourite fashion statement for many a toddler, after a bruising encounter with a chair. It was even more impressive last week!

Lynne gets papped.

Louis tries to help assemble the new sit and ride.........

........there's a squeaky in that horn and he's trying his hardest to get it!

Have rucksack.........

.......will go hiking.

The fab Humpty Dumpty birthday cake, cleverly made by Euan's other granny.

Never mind stacking.....this is what cups are for!

Two of our dogs in law, Sam and Tara.

Sam watches the ball and Tara, a real sheepdog at heart, watches Sam

Still watching.......even under the hedge!

Poised and ready to round up

True Colours Thursday

I haven't taken part in a meme before but have been tempted by this one. It is hosted by BLUE
visit her blog if you'd like to play along. This week's colour is blue.

The BLUE Blackbird and Louis demonstrating what a 'pap pillion' looks like.

BLUE sky.

What I live in - BLUE jeans.

You try taking photos of your own legs....it's not easy, I nearly fell over!

The rabbit hunters

Louis and Jana are on a mission........

.........to catch those rabbits!

Incoming!

Charging through the gorse bushes is not good for Louis's coat.....nor is it good for my fingers when I have to pick out all the prickly stuff!

The hills across the firth still have a little snow on them

Below are some of the birds in my mum's garden. The goldfinches are particularly lovely but I couldn't get as near as I wanted to and the shots are a bit blurry. I'll try and rig up some sort of hide. The starlings were much braver and it was lovely to see just how colourful their plumage is up close.

No post would be complete without a running Jana.

Head banging

Will Jana ever learn to hold the toy by the less painful end?

Louis is not impressed

Give a dog a bad name

Where did this come from?!

When I woke up to see this in our garden on Thursday morning - the day the pups were due to leave - I decided I had definitely jinxed them with my choice of KC registered names.

Bearing in mind their entry into this world involved a very icy drive through to the vets in the early hours, I had chosen a cold theme for names. Gennasus Well Chilled and Gennasus Chilled Out are now their official names but, seeing as heavy snow fell on both the days that they were meant to be going, maybe this was a bad move! We only have two options when it comes to roads going down south and both of them were badly affected by the unexpected snow.

Any thoughts I had of pups having to stay on longer were soon dispelled.......it takes more than wintry weather to put off new owners who can't wait to get their pups! Conditions did improve later in the day and little puppies were on their way. I'm glad to say that they have now settled in their new homes and don't appear to be missing me at all!

In future, I'll try and plan puppies for the summer........and call them Hot Stuff or Ray Of Sunshine.

We found some snow!

We went a few miles inland for a walk today and found some snow still lying. Most people have had enough of it now but for us it was a novelty and the dogs loved it.

Poised for the snowball

Teasel gets left behind in the jump for the snowball

Ten weeks old and leaving home

The boys are now ten weeks old and have developed into two quite different characters. The red and white one is very sweet and quite cuddly, the black and white is a little hooligan!! Fun though.

They were supposed to go off to their new homes last Saturday but the wintry weather put paid to any travelling. Plans have been revised and they should now be going on Thursday, as long as the snow that fell today doesn't hang around too long!

It's going to be pretty quiet without them.

As you can see, ears are still a work in progress!

Wind and snow

We haven't been hit with as much snow as many places but there have been a few showers. Our first walk of the day was during a lovely sunny spell but there was a biting wind.

Louis looking windswept and interesting





Not a hair out of place for Jana..........

...........it's just her ears that are out of control!

Her best meercat impression (she's looking for Louis in the long grass)

We spotted an interesting fungus

A stormy Lossiemouth West Beach. Could those be snow clouds?

Definitely snow clouds! The hens tough it out.

Rosa and Pansy revel in it

Just caught the end of the sunset on the second walk

Just call me Tigger

I hope nobody minds yet more shots of Jana bouncing but she was so full of it today and I just love capturing all that energy.

Puppy playtime and no more porridge for Des

The pups are now nine weeks old and getting very good at hurtling round the sitting-room!

Desmond is now a free dog! He is happy to be included with everyone again and especially happy to be able to get on the couch......although I'm very twitchy about him jumping off anything! Exercise is now allowed but on lead and gradual, it will be a while before you'll see photos of him whizzing round a field but at least it looks like he will get to do it again.

(For those of you who don't know......'doing porridge' is a slang term for prison)

White once more

The snow came back today, not too thick just yet but there could be more to come. It was a new experience for the pups and they thought it was wonderful. It wasn't long before they were having a great game of chase with Rosa.

Caledonian Show

Yesterday saw us at our third show in as many weeks. This time it was Caledonian, which is held at Ingliston, Edinburgh, and we shared the journey with Morag and her Eurasier, Logie.

Louis didn't get the chance to go for another Best Veteran because he wasn't entered and he looked more than a little put out as he watched Rosa, Pansy and Jana head out the door!

We were lucky to be able to stay overnight on Friday at the Pyatshaw household and so avoid having to get up at some outlandish hour on Saturday morning, unlike our friends Dughallmor, Seumelga and Karensbrae!

On our way to the show we saw the most beautiful sunrise, the colours were amazing. I wound down the window of Morag's little white van......cue mega blasts of wind......in order to take some photos, and almost froze Morag's fingers to the steering wheel in the process. Considering we were rattling along at 70 mph at the time, the photos haven't turned out too bad.

I was really hoping that the sky would still be colourful by the time we reached the the bridges over the Forth and I wasn't disappointed. The famous rail bridge is quite distinctive and looked lovely against the sky and, even though I was trying to get shots in between the metalwork of the road bridge, I think it has turned out well. Ideally I would have liked to stop and get some proper pictures from the pedestrian's part of the bridge but that was never going to happen......Morag hates crossing that bridge and probably would have fainted if I'd gone anywhere near the edge!

The show was enjoyable, the paps had a Finnish judge and they did quite well under him. Rosa came third in her class and Pansy was placed second after the judge made her move alongside Ruben as he was trying to decide between them. Ruben won but there's no shame in being beaten by a nice dog. Jana also got a second in her breed class, a repeat of last week. A pretty good day really, just a shame the show society don't give out rosettes, a little bit of card isn't quite the same! Morag's Logie was lucky enough to get a rosette though, he won his class to take Best Import.

There was a fairly strong wind which probably helped blow us back home in good time and, unlike Manchester, all went very smoothly.

Roll on next week when we'll be doing it all over again!

The photos don't show just how colourful the sunrise actually was

Forth Rail Bridge

The hall

Jana doing her stuff

Morag's Logie

Logie and Jana let off steam in the showground

Bounces with Beagles

Yesterday Nicky and the Dughallmors took us somewhere new. We went out along the west side of Findhorn Bay and it was a beautiful walk. The tide was really high but the water was flat calm, the sun was shining and there wasn't a breath of wind. I suppose it's technically an estuary and there was plenty of bird life.

The point at where the trees end on the left of the photo below is approximately where the Beags very quietly disappeared! Obviously following some wonderful smells. Luckily they didn't go very far so Nicky didn't have to go scouring the woods for them! Apparently you can get GPS collars.......we agreed that these sound a good idea. All Beagles should come with one!

Some geese took off when they heard us coming, Jana goes to investigate

On the way back with 'spooky' goose noises behind her

The Beagles head out for a swim

Gabbi and Jana think a paddle is enough

Snoop was loving it

Deep enough

Hovering

A perfect Beagle sized hole in the fence - this was just before they all silently vanished!

Jana and Alfie doing semaphore with their ears

Louis at Bon Accord

Louis after being awarded Best Veteran at Bon Accord.

Bon Accord and Euan time

It's been a busy weekend here. Yesterday was Bon Accord Open show, fairly local for us as it is held at Thainstone Auction mart, Inverurie - just over an hour away. It turned out to be a very successful show too.

Rosa won her class, Pansy didn't manage a red but did get placed 4th. Jana was next in the ring and the timings worked out perfectly so that I didn't have to rush from the toy to the gundog ring, something that often seems to happen. There were 6 present in Jana's post graduate vizsla class and I was really pleased when she was placed 2nd! The other dogs all looked so nice that I was sure we'd be getting flung out! She was also in the Any Variety Gundog Yearling class and I was so chuffed when she won it.......and I think there were 9 in it!! What a great day for her.

Not to be outdone, Louis won the Toy Veteran class and this meant we had to stay until the end and compete for Best Veteran in Show. He won this award at Bon Accord last year and a repeat performance seemed unlikely so you can imagine just how pleased I was when he did in fact win!!

Photos below but I'll hopefully add a few more from the show soon.

Rosa wins her class

Best Veteran in Show

Ian, Lynne and Euan were up visiting for the weekend and we had a nice walk today, followed by the obligatory farm shop lunch (mmmmm.....carrot cake) and some fun in the play area for Euan. Jana had a great time racing with Jura and Ky.

Jura was very interested in this icy puddle


Jura running.........


.........then slamming on the brakes. Click on the photo to see just how she is using her back legs.

Is this an agility obstacle Mum?

Ian, Euan and Lynne

The swing - Euan's favourite.

Peek-a-boo

The paps went out all together later in the day.

The race for the ball

Throw it!

Best Veteran yesterday, back to leader of the pack today

Still catching up

Tuesday was a beautiful day, as you can see from the photos below, which were taken on our walks that day. Jana just loves a stubble field......what a pity it will be getting ploughed some time soon.

Now that Gypsy is free from her motherhood responsibilities she was able to join us on walks again. It was the first time she'd been out since they were born and she really enjoyed the freedom.

Teasel on the right with her 'mad happy' face

Jana enjoying a favourite game of 'let's wind Louis up'

Freedom!

My ball!

Happiness is.......a vizsla in a stubble field

Manchester show

Our eventful weekend.

I went down to Manchester Champ Show with two friends in a motorhome. With the three of us and seven dogs there was a slight lack of space but we coped fine and had a good time. Manchester show is actually held at the county showground at Stafford, which always seems to be damp and squelchy, but being there in a motorhome is one of the best ways to do a show, especially when you are doing two days, as we were.

Rosa and Pansy were on the first day but, although Rosa was short-listed in a large class, it wasn't to be their day as they both went cardless. Jana did manage to get placed the following day but it was a rather unexciting 5th. She was on very good form though and seemed to enjoy her time in the ring, it was good to see her tail well up as she can sometimes look a bit miserable.

Our journey home started off well and all was going to schedule until we were in the Borders and pretty much in the middle of nowhere. This was where the motorhome engine started to make slight noises, followed by a loud roaring and then started belching out smoke! We pulled onto the hard shoulder and got out quickly. Morag was snoozing in the back when this all happened and was woken by shouts of "Get out quick, we're on fire"! The smoke did stop once the engine was turned off and things calmed down a bit. It was all quite dramatic but I'm afraid I have no photos, in the rush to get out I didn't grab my camera........I'm sure a really dedicated blogger would have!! Of course, I could have got Morag to stand in the doorway and pose but I doubt she would have been that keen.

Once things had calmed down, we sat for quite some time waiting for recovery. A mechanic arrived but was unable to fix the motorhome and so we were towed to the nearest services, which were about 10 miles away. The van towing was actually smaller than the motorhome and I did worry that it too might break down as it seemed to struggle, especially on some of the hills. It wasn't a fun experience for Elizabeth trying to steer and break and we nearly had kittens when we were towed out virtually into the path of a huge lorry on a roundabout!

We made it to the services and then had to wait for a recovery lorry to come a long way south to collect us and transport us back home. He arrived at about 2am and we spent the rest of the journey in the cab of the lorry trying to get a bit of sleep. The dogs had to stay in the motorhome but they seemed none the worse for the excitement. At one point I didn't think I would get back home in time for work but did actually make it with about an hour to spare! The journey back from the show should have taken around 8 hours but in the end was nearer 18!!

Certainly a show we won't forget in a hurry.

Just enough room for us all!

Morag winning with Logie

Being towed

Desmond....still doing time

I have a bit of catching up to do, after something of an eventful weekend. I'll start with news of Des.

As you can see, he no longer has to put up with the bulky support dressing, which came off last Thursday. It left a nasty looking pressure sore on his elbow but that is now healing up nicely. Although he has his leg back, he still has to put up with cage rest for another 10 days or so and then it will be a gradual build up of exercise. The new 'go faster' Des doesn't really understand the need to take things steadily and we've a job to stop him hurtling around the garden......he can go pretty fast on three legs! The good news is that he is using the leg ( except when he wants to go quickly and three is easier) which must mean it's well on the mend and not too painful.

Puppies' progress

The pups are now 6 weeks old and doing well. This is such a fun age.

On the move......

Normal service has resumed (almost)

The houses up on the cliffs at Covesea have a great view

Scenting out rabbits. Jana loves this kind of terrain

Jana gets back into bouncing

Our second walk was latish afternoon but not quite as dark as it looks in the photos. The flash came into play and has done something very weird to Rosa's eyes - check out the next photo.....it's quite scary!

The Enemy within

We're back in the land of the living..........just!

For reasons known only to itself, the above pictured flu virus (or one very similar to it) has, for nearly the last fortnight, been doing its utmost to help LSH and I to shuffle off this mortal coil. We have beaten it but it certainly put up a fight. I have never experienced such a nasty virus or one that lasted for as long and am quite happy that it'll never get me again.

This must be one of the few households to come out of the festive season actually having lost weight and also to have spent so little as we didn't go anywhere, do anything or eat anything! For someone who likes eating, has practised it for some time and become quite good at it, I found it very strange to find that taking in any food became a real effort. Our appetites are still a bit poor but that won't last, I'm sure.

2009 arrived with absolutely no ceremony in our hot and sweaty sick bed but at least we have survived to see it.......there were times last week when I wasn't so sure that would happen, believe me!........and so I wish all of you a belated Happy (and Healthy) New Year!!

Come back Sun....all is forgiven!

The freezing fog is still with us, most unusual weather for this area, and to think that we were enjoying temperatures of 11 - 13 degrees just before Christmas! This afternoon my car informed me that it was -5 degrees. Visibility was down to about 30 yards. Hmmmm.......think we've had enough of it now.

Yet more photos of the frost but the hedge in the garden looked so pretty that I hope you enjoy them too.

Global warming? More like the new Ice Age

The freezing fog is still with us and looks like it will remain so for a few days. The frost was even thicker today and all bushes and trees were encrusted with beautiful ice crystals.

Jana had a walk with my sister's Jake and they had a ball. I think she relished the opportunity to dash about and wrestle with an equally matched pal.

The fog about to roll in over Cummingston

The sun broke through the fog for a brief while up on a higher track but it soon disappeared and we ended up with a real pea souper. Jana and Jake had a great time racing and wrestling.

Very frosty tree

Looks just like snow

The big freeze

(The next few posts are catching up with the last few days)

Today was the closest we came to a white Christmas. Yesterday was bright and frosty but it got even colder overnight and today the temperature sat at about minus 3 degrees all day. We were lucky to get a sunny and bright first walk down the beach but the second, just over a mile away, was in freezing fog and made it seem like a different world. The trees were white with a heavy frost and so pretty.

Being agility dogs, Jura and Kyloh were practising ( unasked) at any likely spot.

Agility mad

Euan smiling at the sea

Jura does the table




The bank of fog approaches

Little drummer boy


Jana gets a cuddle from Alex and Lewis

A different world just down the road

The sun trying to break through

White trees

Family time

Ian, Lynne and our grandson Euan came to stay on Boxing Day, all were suffering from a nasty cough and cold bug but we still managed to have a good time. Euan wasn't quite his usual smiley self (and no wonder) but he still retained his usual good humour, he is such a good baby.

My sister Paula, her husband Julian and their children, Alex and Lewis, also arrived on Boxing Day but they are staying at my mum's house......no room at this inn! They have a dog too, a six month old vizsla called Jake who had a whale of a time running through the Roseisle woods with a bunch of our dogs and Lynne and Ian's collies. It was interesting to compare him with Jana and I can see how much she has actually matured. She decided she quite liked him although the mad collies were much more fun to race about with, poor puppy Jake got left behind a bit.

It was a lovely frosty day, perfect for a walk and we finished it off with a visit to the farm shop. The kids enjoyed the play area and our cake went down a treat!

Great day for a family walk in Roseisle

Alex and Lewis skimming stones


Euan at the farm shop play area.......

.......and in the coffee shop.....wearing some of his fish pie dinner.

Steaming cattle

The end of a beautiful clear day.

More from Santa

Adam is ready to be the new Dr Who
New boots!!

Euan in between unwrapping presents

Playing Peek-a-boo with Mummy's Christmas socks (doesn't everyone?!)

LSH gets to pilot his own helicopter

Home for Christmas

Like most people, we've had a busy few days and I have catching up to do with photos and posts. Adam came home from uni in Edinburgh a few days ago and here he is enjoying being out of the city and back to open spaces.

Tug o' war - a favourite game and it looks like Louis is winning!

Louis and Teasel become a blurry furry

Adam with Teasel and Jana

Santa Paws and venison ears

"Just what I always wanted!"

Santa didn't forget the dogs. Each one had a venison ear to unwrap and they were all keen to get that paper off. It wasn't long before they were all chewing away, all except Teasel that is.....she just loves to show people the prized possession and parades around your legs saying "Look what I've got!"

Unwrapping

Des thinks prison food just got better

Rosa thinks venison is yummy

Teasel still showing hers off

Three weeks old and getting interesting

Gypsy's pups are now three weeks old and coming on in leaps and bounds......well......on tottery legs actually! They are starting to interact with each other, games are initiated but don't usually get very far as one or both usually fall over! They have learnt how to bark and growl and the red and white has discovered he can wag his tail, his brother is a bit slower there.

Their muzzles and paws have a pinkish tinge, this seems to happen with some of our pups but not all and I think it is to do with white coats and suckling. It usually goes away once they are bigger and less reliant on mum.

Mildred and Mavis escape the pot!

Last week the local paper featured 700 hens looking for new homes (click here). Tthey had spent their first year on a farm as 'free range' layers but, now that their most productive days were past, they were destined to end up as pet food. This is common practice on farms, where profits come first, but these hens are still quite capable of laying well and for some time to come. We decided that we could accommodate two.

Although classed as free range it is more likely they were all kept in a very large barn with a door at one end, which they probably didn't use! Our two seemed to have no concept of outdoors and for the first four days we had to physically put them into the hen house when it got dark. They were quicker at perfecting the art of scratching about and discovering interesting treats in the undergrowth. They've also got into the swing of going to bed at night now.

They look a bit scabby (especially when you see the other three next to them!) but the feathers will come back in, they were also a bit on the thin side but should soon look better. So far, we have kept them separate from Hilda, Doris and Maud but will probably put them all in together soon.

Let's hope they all get on, we don't want feathers flying - Mildred and Mavis can ill afford to lose any more!

Doris and Hilda check out the new girls

Mavis

Slightly moth-eaten looking

Mildred soon learns about grapes

Dashing about with the Dughallmors

We met up with Nicky at Roseisle this morning, in between last minute Christmas stuff, and had a nice walk on what was a very mild day for this time of year. Definitely no white Christmas for us. The sea was dead calm, perfect for dolphin spotting but still they remain elusive.

Jana and the beagles started up a game of tag in the dunes. Jana was 'it' for most of the game.

A black and white person called Pearl joins in with the 'chase the treat' game

Everyone present in this photo, you just can't see all their faces.

Nicky has the best treats

Just Snoop missing



Let's all chase Jana!

Looks like those hounds have caught their prey.......

.....but not for long!



Jana's turn to do the chasing

Who's going to make the first move?

Jana's lips are out of control! Click on the photo for a closer look

Bionic Des

Apologies to anyone who might find such things a bit stomach-churning but here are Desmond's x-rays. The break can clearly be seen beforehand and there is no missing the plate and screws after the repair! He had a dressing change today and the wound was looking very good, it certainly seems to be healing well on the outside anyway. The stitches come out in a week but the support dressing will probably have to stay on for the next four weeks.

It's going to be a long month!

Before

After

Desmond gets home

Desmond's operation went well, my vet felt it was very successful and was happy with the stabilisation achieved with the plate. It was done yesterday afternoon and he had to spend another night hospitalised but we were really pleased to get him home today.

So far he seems fairly comfortable although he is not sure where to put his new bulky leg, it obviously feels very strange. He couldn't wait to get out in our garden to cock his leg, it seems he had been a bit reluctant to go at the vets this morning and so was absolutely bursting by the time he got home. He managed to get into position quite well but, unfortunately, held his bad leg a bit further back than normal and managed to pee all over it and even inside the plastic drip bag which acts as a dressing protector! I removed the bag straight away, before it had time to affect the bandage, and gave it a good wash. Think I may have to help him with his positioning next time.

Looking rather sorry for himself but it's actually just his camera face!

Banged up.........and not amused.

More running dogs

Yesterday's gales petered out during the night and today was bright and sunny. Desmond obviously didn't get to go on this walk but the others had fun.

Merry Christmas All

Here is a card for our readers. Click here to see it.

Almost forgot...

Thanks to everyone who has been asking after Des, it is appreciated. Just keep absolutely everything crossed for him!

Still waiting

An update on Desmond.

He is still hospitalised at the vets as his operation has been delayed until tomorrow. Because his bones are so small, a special, very tiny, plate had to be ordered in and it only arrived late on today. His leg is supported in a temporary splint and he is being kept comfortable with pain killing injections. He is quite settled and has been eating so can't be feeling too bad.

I'll be happy once he's back at home but I'm not sure how he is going to take to at least a month of complete cage rest!

Disaster for Desmond

Des this morning, before the accident

I was all set to post some news and photos of the pups now that they have reached two weeks old but that has been overshadowed by Des having an accident.

The poor soul has broken a leg. We don't know exactly how it happened but the most likely thing is that he has jumped off our bed and landed awkwardly. The type of break fits that kind of injury. The paps jump effortlessly on and off our bed on a regular basis, it just seems to have been bad luck that he landed badly. It is quite a bad break and will need to be plated. This is not the simplest thing to do in such a fine boned dog and there is no guarantee that it will be a success, we will just have to hope that it heals well and that he won't end up losing his leg.

Because we have a large dog in the house along with the little ones, we are always careful to avoid anyone being squashed. If anyone was to get injured we would have thought it more likely to have been as a result of squashing......not jumping off the bed.

It's just as well Jana was out with me in the car when it happened or she would probably have been getting the blame!

So please think of Desmond on Thursday when he gets his operation and keep your fingers crossed that it's a success.

A very grey Sunday

Rosa strikes a pose

Not a lot has been happening here, Christmas preparations have taken up a fair bit of time but the last present has now been wrapped, the tree and decorations brought down from the loft.......just a heap of cards left to write!

The weather was very dull today so the photos from our two walks are not very great. Roll on some more sun and frost.

Jana blends into the bracken

My mum is suffering from a nasty cold at the moment so her two paps, Toffee and Lia, came out to stretch their legs along with our second shift. Lia loves toys and when she got a hold of Pansy's ball she was hanging on to it - even if it was a bit on the big side for her little mouth!

Lia

Toffee