Sunday, 24 May 2009

Life is NEVER humdrum when you own a Vizsla

After a very hard week in the office.....
Lasse and Andrea came to pick us up and took us on a long drive to visit Olive.
Olive has two houses and we went to the one in the country near here.It wasn't just a visit though because a teacher was there and we all had to work extremely hard and jump up and down on this trampoline. When we got home things had changed and the boats on our canal were sparkling like this one.It all proved too much for a trainee townie clicker gundog boy.

Wednesday, 22 April 2009

First Swim of the Year, Back to School and a Sleepover

Is it my imagination but are our dogs better behaved when the sun is shining? Do you think their spirits are lifted and they get more cheerful as we do? Well Hamish certainly seems to be in a better mood this week and today he decided it was time for his first swim in the canal for 2009. It was totally his idea but it did take him some time to finally take the plunge and a small crowd had gathered to cheer him along.
You may already know, but Hamish is back at school at the moment with the helping hand of renowned Clicker Gundog trainer Helen Philips. The first lesson we had to learn was to calm everything down and work on Hamish's ability to focus on me and therefore the job in hand. With a bit of imagination I have incorporated a 'trick' borrowed from Anna and Ziggi to help him relax.Ruby has been back at school with us too but last weekend they got to have some fun when she came over to stay. Actually Hamish stayed at Ruby's on Friday and Ruby came to stay with us on Saturday so they had a whole weekend together.They get on so very well together and were as good as gold....the reform school is obviously doing them good.Hamish is having to get used to being in his crate all over again. It's our first small step towards getting him over his Separation Anxiety and the first time we've had the crate up since he was 10months old. As you can see Ruby is trying to help him out.

Monday, 13 April 2009

A very Snoozy Easter weekend in Fawsley Hall

What happens when you've been working too hard and take some time off to relax.....? You sleep and sleep and feel more tired than ever. Well that's what we did this weekend at Fawsley Hall, another dog 'friendly' hotel in Northamptonshire. I say 'friendly' because they weren't nearly as enthusiastic about Hamish as they had been in Stapleford Park, but that would have been very hard to beat, after all there he had his own check-in, bed and dog biscuits on his pillow at night too. In Fawsley Hall the dogs are ONLY allowed in the bedrooms but not in any of the public places - that's not dog friendly to our standards that's barely dog 'tolerant'. But this isn't Trip Advisor so I won't go on.Close to the hotel were Badby Woods, which are home to the most concentrated population of bluebells I have ever, ever seen. Unfortunately we were a few weeks too early. A local lady in the Windmill pub in Badby told us 'Bluebell Sunday' is traditionally the first Sunday in May. That would be a beautiful sight to behold and might just bring out the odd fairy or two.
The surrounding countryside was really marvelous but there were many lambs in the fields so we had to be extremely cautious. Still there was the occasional opportunity to explore off the leash.
The bed was super comfy and absolutely HUGE!
Didn't have much luck with the weather though, not a glimpse of the sun unfortunately.
The woods were H's favourite and plenty muddy too.
They say a dog should sleep 17hrs a day...well the humans weren't far behind on this occasion.

Monday, 2 February 2009

Snow Party!

"No need to come to work today, all public transport is suspended" Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! We got ready as quick as we could and rushed out into the park. Hamish dragged me all the way along the street in excitement and then ran around like a loony wondering why he couldn't find the snowballs we threw for him.
We met so many friends it was busier than a summers day.
I AM the caped crusader, really I AM.
There were some very strange brilliant white people we hadn't met before but they weren't much fun....so Hamish pee'd on all of them.He tried making conversation but didn't get very far.I think this guy has seen better days. Heading for a meltdown I think....hehe!

Friday, 23 January 2009

Our Heavenly Perfect Wonderful New Year in Devon - The Longest Photoblog ever

Our blog is an unapologetic documentation of our fantastic adventures with our wonderful boy Hamish McKhan...as you know. It is also a great way to let family up north get a glimpse into our world and keep track of what we are getting up to. It is especially fun for my wee nephews - Hello Aidan and Kyle - who love Hamish to bits, but many friends tell me often that their kids always ask to see what Hamish has been doing on the computer (not that he uses the computer but you know what I mean). Why am I justifying myself you may ask...? Well because this time I've posted the most photos ever and it might just take up a bit more time than usual to visit Hamish here. I tried the slide show method but I've been told it's not appreciated in blogworld so there's a discreet link to one at the very end.

This our view from a certain point on the canal which we pass on the way to Ross's work. If we blow the whistle our friends come to the window to say good morning. And what a beautiful morning it was too. Hello Vigo!
Hamish had a few too many at Christmas so he wasn't at his best when we had to leave for Devon.
We soon got him on his feet with his swanky new harness (on a long term loan from Lasse and Andrea). The canal was thawing out after being completely frozen over.This is the proof that Vizslak can be calm in public. Not always the hooligans that they are made out to be - only sometimes.
A breath of sea air does wonders for a wooly head.
And what better than a game of fetch to get you back on track.Soon we've forgotton that we ever lived in the city and want to emigrate to sunny Devon.There's a big wrestling ring just outside our cottage.
The beach is a playboy's paradise too.
All in all, great place to fall in love really.
Who could resist these wee faces...........?
This beautiful graveyard was just at the bottom of our garden.
No, we didn't fly to Greece for the day - this is still DEVON.
Lots of climbing to be done.
Some days were a wee bit blowy up on top of those cliffs.
Suddenly Hamish was almost on point on a cliff edge and wouldn't recall. My heart was in my mouth as he's not the most sure footed of dogs. He sniffed and sniffed and we wondered what he could smell. Then as we walked on we found out that down below there were strange things in the water...(see here) and scroll down, once you get there, for the answer. It was such a treat.
Then we even met a ginger horse.
This one has to be an entry for our much talked about calendar.
Well behaved again in the lovely cottage (ok so perhaps it was only while I held a treat above the camera).
In the dingly dell.
This is the cottage we nearly stayed in but will definitely go at another time. We peeked through the windows and it's amazing inside too.
Crazy moves on the way to Agatha Cristie's house in Greenway but it was closed and they wouldn't let us look around when we got there.
Always impatient even after 6 miles walking.
Not the north of Scotland in the Autumn, but still amazingly beautiful.
Hmmmmmmm, I think we could be happy here on the river dart.
Hamish looks right at home. This country was made for Vizslak, and they match the colour tones too.
In training to beat all those smug greyhound types in our park.
Hamish of Arabia perhaps...!
Nosey parker, he doens't miss a trick.
Hamish gets impatient with the photographer as he doesn't like the group being split and runs back to tell me to get a move on.
This is thirsty work.
Sun, sea and sand...and forests too - WOW. What more could we ask for...eh a dancing bear perhaps!
Did you know they have little red dancing bears in the woods in Devon?
A landscape to put you in the frame of mind to write your memoirs.
Please let us come back one day.....of course we will, it's too good not to.
The walks are second to none along the SW Coastal path and great for our loved ones furry or not. What a joy to relax on the sofa, log fire burning and food on the stove. Very sweet dreams indeed.
and if that still wasn't enough you can click here to see even more.