Dogservations Made In Hailey Park

Over a period of time I have been taking 'my babes' to Hailey Park ... same place, same walk and same length of time ... in order to get Clover more confident when she is outdoors.

On our excursions I have noticed one or two things, not just about Cover, but about all of our pooches.

Clover is an easily excitable girl and will begin a playful bounce around the park as soon as she realises that Sym is ready to chase his ball. It starts simply with her legs nice and straight and she gradually, after a second or two of tip-toeing, begins to bounce! Then she will tear after Sym in the following fashion:

1.	Front legs in 'gallop' mode
2.	Back legs splayed (claws too) as if braking
3.	Tail gyrating clockwise like a propeller
4.	Tongue out as far as is possible

It looks funny, but it's obvious that she is now enjoying her outings and maybe it's time to introduce her to new area's (she coped well with Barry Island).

Sym has a mean streak when it comes to Clover and Sox ... he waits for them to sniff a clump of grass and then tries to pee on their heads.

In accordance with his collie nature he ...

1	does everything at break-neck speeds
2	will not stop for water, mud or ice
3	eat's his tennis balls
4	jumps in the river where it's at it's dirtiest
5	loves meeting other dogs
6	loves putting other dogs in their place
7	will not tolerate another dog pinching his ball

Sox on the other hand, as I have told you many times already, just ignores us and does her own thing unless I get the cheese bag out then she comes at the gallop (a dainty gallop as befits her lady-like status).

How she knows that the cheese bag has left my pocket is and absolute mystery. She is quite often over two hundred yards away when I pull it out (cheese bag again), but she still seems to know. She's an old girl and her hearing and sight isn't what it used to be.

A few days ago (on Monday I think) we were in the park on the waste (conservation?) area and all was well ... until Clover got a whiff of something in the grass that made her tail disappear between her legs and she started to shake.

I had a look but I couldn't see anything there that would worry her.  Just grass, grass and more grass!
She ignored all my efforts to comfort her and refused to move from that spot.

Sym, being a nosey bugger, barged his way past her and also had a look.  Within a few seconds of quite literally sticking his nose in, he'd decided that the best course of action was to pee over the spot and then get back to some serious ball chasing.

The change in Clover was immediate!

She stopped shaking, her tail began to wag and she took off after Sym in a clingy "my hero" sort of way.

For some reason she adores Sym.  She'll follow him everywhere, except into the river, and tries so hard to keep up with him so, I suppose, Sym peeing on that spot was, to Clover at least, the doggy equivalent of Detective John McClane rescuing his wife from the hands of evil terrorists in the Nakatomi Plaza.

Anyway ...

... the rest of the walk was uneventful except that there was a pair of heron's perched on a log in the river drying their wings and I had no camera ... again!

Fast Food

Doggy Harry!

The End Of The World

I have to be honest with you all.

I was busy!

"But you are always busy!" screamed my reader (after some vigorous prompting).

Yes, but this time I was busier than usual and I think I might have missed then end of the world.

"Never mind!" said my reader in condescending tones.  "Another one will be along in a minute!"

Yeah, but this is, like, the third 'end of the world' I've missed.  How many more are there?

'Only one you need to worry about!'

Reader?  Was that you?

"      !" said my reader, to the sound of running feet disappeared into the distance.
---

It's true though that I always miss important events.  I think the last one, which I witnessed along with almost the entire world, was that guy who said "One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind" or some such.
So it wouldn't surprise me in the least if I missed Armageddon.

Just on the off-chance that I did miss it ... where am I now?

Was I one of the  'beamed-up' good guy's or am I roasting in the fires of hell?

If I start to char around the edges, I guess I'll know!

My Boy Sym Update

On cat patrol

This is  my boy Sym.  

You may remember that I told you that he was diagnosed with Lymphoma some time ago.  Well, after a a course of aggressive drugs to combat his condition,  it was recently announced y his oncologist that he is in full remission.  His treatment still continues and will run it's course until mid August.  According to the specialist he has responded in a very positive way to the drugs and is in very good health,all things considered.

Letting me know what he thinks of his new haircut

As you can see from the pictures, he no longer has his trademark Border Collie coat.   His love of dirty river banks and brambles made the removal of most of his fur a necessity.  It also gave me the chance to dig out some well hidden thorn that he'd managed to collect.  He looks impressed, doesn't he? He looks,with the exception of his tail, like the puppy we brought home with us all those years ago ... with an oversized 'big dog' head.

His medication and treatment, being so aggressive, has weakened his joints somewhat so yesterday was the first time in quite a while that he was allowed to participate in his favourite activity: chasing his ball.

I did cheat quite a bit by throwing the ball more or less to him rather than off into space for him to chase, but he didn't seem to mind too much.

His appetite after treatment is a 'hit and miss' affair.   Normally he will eat anything that's put in front of him but  following a Vincristine treatment, his appetite seems to disappear and he may be sick once or twice.  This week however, he seems to have had a different reaction.  He has had real trouble 'going', if you know what I mean.

This morning, at 5.30am as I came down the stairs, I was greeted by a sight (smell first, sight second) that could only mean that the afore mentioned 'cork' had become dislodged. A sheepish and very sorry looking Sym peered around the corner of the hallway door.  For once his tail didn't way when he saw me.  He was waiting to see what would happen.

I did my best to ignore the mess, went through to the kitchen and opened the back door.  Out trooped Sox in her usual "gottapeegottapeegottapee" rush followed by Clover with an "it wasn't me"look in her face.  Sym hung back with his head down and ears back just looking at me.

I put on a happy voice for him and called him over and gave him some fuss and a big hug.  His began turning like a propeller, his ears popped up and he licked my face before racing out of the back door to join his sisters.

I will spare you the details of the clean-up operation ... it suffices to say that all is once again of an acceptable colour!

A Random Thought At 5.30 AM

It's 06.00 of the am ...

"The amazing thing about amazing people is just how amazing they are"

The above statement was made by a young woman on TV as part of her explanation as to why she hangs around theatre's, hotels and various other places waiting for her idol ... Lady Gaga!

She added " ... and she's amazing ...".

Maybe I'm too old to be able to appreciate Lady Dodo and her talents (that is what I'm assured she has) but I don't really think her music is that startling.  It's somewhat reminiscent of 80's + 90's dance music if you listen carefully.

What is remarkable about Lady Yoyo is her appearance ... her fashion sense, if you like ... which is designed to get her noticed and to get people talking.

Well, it certainly worked because people are taking the piss out of her throughout this Merry Old England of ours.

Lady Tata isn't my cup of tea ... she's just another Britney in even weirder clothes ... but she is probably going to be around for a while {sigh}.

I can't wait for the day she runs out of shock-costume ideas and has to re-invent herself.

I think I'll just retire to the music room and listen to my Sinatra records until she leaves the building.

The Meaning Of Thingy-ma-bob ... Wossname ...

Normal service has been resumed and I would like to thank you all for your patience!

I have spent a lot of my free time (such of it there was) putting together a collection 

of pictures and giving them captions. I once had over 120 of them and was

thinking about maybe having them published.

Now I only have about 60 due to an unfortunate copying error which 

sadly wasn't noticed until my hard disk had been de-fragmented and cleaned.

You could describe that as a 'major bummer', although I have admit

that I thing 'F*&@ing catastrophe' is a far more accurate description.

What does the tittle have to do with this post?

Nothing at all.

That was the title of a post I submitted to my blog via Window's Live Writer

a few days ago, but for some reason it never saw the light of day.

I would re-post it now, but the draught copy is on a different PC and I don't have 

access to it at the moment.

I have been experiencing turbulence (not flatulence) at work recently.

One of my colleagues downed tools and walked off the job without giving notice.

This left us (me mostly) with a lot of extra calls to cover. 

This has left me with a general feeling of tiredness, of being unappreciated and of being 

a stranger in my own home.

I have only had two days off in the last eight weeks and I find myself

wishing that I was not one of those people who has trouble saying 'No' when it 

means I have to let someone down.

It's a hard wossname ... thingy-ma-bob ...

Haircut? The Simpson's Are To Blame!

So ... where was I?

Oh yes!

My haircut.

It's short ... very short ... and shows the world the degree to which my baldness has spread.  I had intended to post a picture or two so that you too could jeer/sympathise at/with my condition, but shame has gotten the better of me and I chickened out!

Sorry to all those ladies out there kink for bald guy's.  I know you will be disappointed.

So it was cut ... but it took a while as the queue was of old people with less hair than I have that only really go to the barber for a chat.

I know what you are thinking;  If I'm losing my hair, why go to the barbers at all?

It's because of the damned Simpson's ... that's why!

In particular Crusty The Clown!

That bastard ('scuse my directness here) has been a pain in my life ever since his first appearance on the show.

His hair sticks out at the side of his head.

See?

Now so does mine!

Rampant growth above and behind my ears but nothing on top!

It's a hard life!

Now I always know when I need a haircut, even if I don't think it's too long, because people say ...

"Hear comes Crusty!"