Wordless Wednesday - Beryl's Birthday Collar:-)

Ho Hum + Saturday Blog Hop

It's been something of a ho hum week.  Nothing has happened to blog about ... unless you want to read about Beryl almost waking me up just before 1 am a couple of nights ago because she HAD to go outside.  I say almost waking me up as I don't think I really did wake up even though I managed to get her outside in time and myself back to bed.  I wondered what on earth the weird noise was, I knew it wasn't Frankie so murkily worked out it must be Beryl.  She's never made a peep in her crate before (except for the time I rudely forgot to put the second duvet in one night and she indignantly moaned about that for a while before deciding it wasn't worth it and going to sleep).  So it's good to know she will yodel if she needs taking out during the night:-)  Frankie was funny, he hopped into her crate to keep her bed warm while she was doing 35 circles on the lawn:-)  But I think he had an ulterior motive ... he would have been worried she might race up to 'our' bed and I'd be too soft to put her back into her crate, lol!  But she jumped back in and settled down.

Anyway, this afternoon Fatima and I took our kids and a couple of the GAP Greyhounds for a walk down the park and a run in the velodrome.  I didn't take many photos as it started to drizzle but here's 1 of each of them ....

The handsome Snuffles

This guy is a big chap and such a cuddle monster:-)  He just wants someone to love.  He had a great time getting out and about.

The lovely Shannon

She is a little slip of a girl, bit of a madam but lots of personality and charm.   And so pretty!

And this is just a cute photo I took of my kids a few days ago:-)

Beryl putting on the brakes!

This is the kids supervising me vacuum yesterday.  I'm a bit surprised they didn't run away, it doesn't happen very often, lol!

We'd better make sure you don't miss anything!

And finally - a series of photos I took this afternoon of Beryl watching over Frankie (literally) while he munched on a biscuit.  This wouldn't have been possible a few months ago:-)

Uh oh, this could be tricky?

Oooo, dare I?

I luff ya Sis xox (flattery might help)

Nom, nom, nom

Enough with the eating, lets play?

OK little bro, you asked for it:-)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  It's raining again here!

Now it's time for the Saturday Blog Hop ... off you go to Life With Dogs for the instructions:-)

Wordless Wednesday - Greyhound Abuse!

Beryl and her bitch, Frankie!

So, what DID happen last night?

About 10-30 last night Frankie kicked up a real stink.  It was very windy and I thought he'd heard some strange banging or cats fighting that I'd missed. He carried on barking for a while and tore through the house trying to look out windows.  It was raining so I didn't let him outside and eventually he calmed down.  When I took him and Beryl outside for their before bed pee they both raced around the back yard to clear it of imaginary cats as they usually do.  But when I eventually left the house this morning the first thing I saw was my side gate was wide open!!!!!   I don't lock it as it opens inwards and is quite heavy and needs new hingey things as to open it you have to lift it up to miss the concrete path and lift it higher to get over the lawn if you want it wider.  

Excuse the kids!!

I think Frankie heard someone sliding the gate over the concrete path and they had time to lift it over the lawn a bit before they took off.  The wind was howling towards the gate and would have been keeping it shut if it was a solid gate.  So that was pretty scary stuff, thinking we nearly had an intruder and if it wasn't for Frankie scaring him off who knows what would have happened.  What was also scary was that the kids have free access to the backyard through the dog door and could have gone for a wander down the street!!!  But thankfully nothing happened to any of us and Frankie is our HERO:-)

Next time I'll ambush 'em

Aww shucks Mum, it was all in a nights work!

He had a real good sniff around the gateway, there were definitely some strange smells there!

We did manage a walk late afternoon between heavy showers of rain.  We all got rugged up ...

And headed off to the park where we had a great time as there was no-one else there and it didn't rain until we were nearly back to the car:-)

A stylish khaki raincoat modelled by the gorgeous Princess 'Dingo Ears' Beryl

Forgive the white stripe here, I can't get rid it without re-doing the whole blog post!!

A fashionably slouchy coat cut for ease of movement:-)

I wuff you, Mum .... gotta treat for your Princess?

And here's Frankie, trying to keep his coat dry, lol!  Didn't work.

The Twins

No, it's not Bully and Nelson, it's our very own Skip and Speed:-)  We met these lovely lads today when Sonja and Irene from our local GAP kennels brought them along to join Fatima and I and our kids for a run at the velodrome this afternoon.  These guys are young brothers, about 2 years old, and they have never been apart.  Now they are in GAP together and we're all hoping they can soon find their forever home together as well.  They are virtually joined at the hip as you will see in the videos:-)  Skip has got the bit of white on his face and a white chest, Speed is just about all black.



And this is the boys tearing around with their new friends:-)  Watch out for Speed doing the 'high' long jump early in the video, it's spectacular!  Oh, and Cilla isn't really black, she's an unusual black brindle. 



I think the lads will be sleeping soundly tonight!  (They sleep cuddled up to each other!)  They've never done anything like this before:-)

Now for something completely different! And the Blog Hop

Yesterday was a very wild Spring day with a big thunderstorm, strong winds and lots of rain. It cleared up for a couple of hours in the afternoon so I took the kids down to the park. Beryl did a few laps on the playing field that was more like a rice paddy and I took some video of our lovely river that isn't so lovely right now!



We've had more rain overnight so I wonder what the river and park will be like when we go down there after lunch ... if we get there, more dark clouds brewing!

And we'll get on the Saturday Blog Hop while I'm here:-)  Here's what you have to do (shamelessly copied and pasted from Life With Dogs!)

* Link up your pet blog name and URL using the Linky Tool below. You only need to add your link once to be seen on all the Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop Linky Tools for that week. Note that if your blog is not pet related your link will be removed.
* Grab the “Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop” button at the upper left of this blog and include it in your Saturday Blog hop post so that your readers will know what is going on. *Note – posting is optional. Feel free to just link and follow.
* Follow your co-hosts listed in the first 3 slots of the Linky Tool.
* Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like
* Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from the blog hop.
* Follow back when you get a new follower through the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop
Enjoy!

Can The Kiwi Cuzzies Help?

I don't know if the Pedigree Blog Hop is only open to USA blogs but Beryl and Frankie said I should post about it anyway as Frankie was a rescue dog and they would like to help out other shelter dogs if possible:-)

So here's the deal ....(and for really good details of what to do head over to Boulder Dog, which I wish I'd read before I did my post!!)

For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive through September 19^th, PEDIGREE® will donate a bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It’s simple: Write a post, help a dog.

Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, September 19,  the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers will host a Blog Hop, to help raise awareness for the “Write a post, help a dog” effort.


OK, that has only taken about 5 minutes, your turn now:-) 

Wordless Wednesday

The Saturday Blog Hop

I'm a bit slow this weekend but better late than never.  Blog Hop time:-)  To find the rules and explanation go to any of the co-hosts Life With Dogs, Confessions of the Plume or Two Little Cavaliers.  And enjoy wandering around the wonderful pet blogs out there:-)

The Battle for Timona Park!

Today began relatively uneventfully.  Beryl decided the sprinkler that had been in the same place in the veggie garden of weeds for at least 2 years needed a change of scenery ....

  She carried it into the house and onto their mattress and spent a few contented minutes munching on it:-)

  She is easily amused:-)

After lunch we went to Timona Park and met up with Auntie Fatima and the cousins, Louie and Lucy and Cilla, the foster dog.  We wandered down to the velodrome where Cilla could have a run off leash.

Beryl and Cilla

Lucy, Beryl, Cilla

Whew, that was a good pipe opener!

It was quite warm so they didn't run around as much as usual.  Time to go back to the park.  The river is flooded so we can't go down there, our lovely 'river beach' is underwater and will have disappeared when the river finally goes down:-(  If it ever does as it's raining AGAIN!

But, never fear, Lucy has a puddle in the park which she loves!

Go Lucy!!

And back the other way!

And right in the middle!  Big splash for a little dog:-)

Nearly everyone joins in

And they keep going

And going

Starting to flag a bit but Frankie urges the girls on

You can do it girls!!

But finally the girls needed a rest.  Beryl was tired and dirty

But Lucy was real tired!

After her usual power nap Lucy was ready to do battle with Frankie for the park, although he didn't know it at first ....

Lucy sneaking up on Frankie!

Let the battle begin!

Oh no, not the hock, arggghh!

Frankie's turn

Beryl went to help but she quickly gives up when ...

Louie arrives to help his little sister

Oh no, reinforcements!!!

Does this look fair?  Poor Frankie!

No friends were hurt during this battle and as always it was a draw:-)  Back home to recover and prepare for the next battle. But the war will never be won!

A tiny ball of very tired, dirty Greyhound Princess!

Too tired to get comfortable - that right front leg looks weird!