Day 46 - After a few days in wellies and woollies hosing out the radiators in the rain the sun came out and we had a picnic on the beach. It was warm enough for sandals though I am glad I brought a pair of leggings with me as it got a bit chilly.
Our lunch was tasty but it was a distressing hour watching an old black lab limping along the sand. We just assumed he was with a family who were paddling; but then they left. Watching his attempts to reach a couple and their two dogs raised our hopes that he was heading for his people. They spent a bit of time with him but it was clear from their looks around the beach that he wasn't theirs either. Our couscous munching was interspersed with discussion on what we should do, who should we contact about this poor dog. We never reached a conclusion as the dog followed the couple off the beach and we lost sight of them. They did stop to talk to a few people and we assumed they were inquiring about the dog. So we'll never know what action they took but really hope the dog is ok.
I've been back home in Northern Ireland for just over a week and am having a splendid time catching up with my lovely family and friends, including the two beasts pictured above who are probably faring better than me after a weekend ploughing through the waves up at Benone. My right shoulder is aching after throwing Shadow's beloved ball, just check out his focus! I do feel hugely fortunate to have a family I adore and I don't just mean the dogs! As I'll be going back to school in September I am having quite a few holidays this summer and have a happy amount of photographs building up! Next week I'll be back to work making up new designs, re-stocking my Folksy shops and investigating my new photographs.
I look like our dog.
Wee puppy Marley, rescued by the fabulous people at the Dogs Trust, is getting huger by the day and the jokes and the giggles over my parents now having a ginger dog to match their ginger daughter continue. The rescued pets group over on redbubble had a photo challenge around the theme of pets who resemble their owners. Now, whilst not officially Marley's owner I thought my family would have a chuckle at my entry, seems the voters did too as it won the challenge! If you look closely you can even see Marley's 'glasses', they aren't as striking as when he was tiny but they are definitely still there.
Marley is currently causing havoc at home after having his necessary boy operation he has now managed to chew through his stitches whilst still at the vets, destroy his lampshade-style collar to chew through them again at home, gone back to the vets to be stapled (sorry to any male readers wincing at this point) and is defying the laws of sedation by running around like the loon that he is!
Yesterday we had to say goodbye to wee Jilly, the most beautiful little Welsh dog I have ever known. Fostered by my sister Lynne while she was studying in Bangor, North Wales, Jilly came home for a visit to see how she got on with our other dogs and stayed!
Thank you Lynne for bringing us Jilly, how we'll miss this wee face.
Happy New Year!
All the very best to you all for 2009!
I'm looking forward to silver fossils, blow torch and pmc experiments, circles and hearts, getting out with the camera, moving house, ribbon, silver wire and a knitting nancy (found that while 'tidying' my stuff in my parents' roofspace!), reading my new books, meeting Rosetta and celebrating with R by booking Florence in a month's time - and that's just the first few weeks of the year!
And just how cute is Marley?! The latest addition to the family, rescued by the lovely people at the Dogs Trust, he is only ten weeks old and is settling in really well with his new doggy family Shadow and Jilly. Not to mention the humans who are all doting on him! One more week to go and he'll be finished his jabs and will be able to venture into the big wide world outside the garden and I'll miss it as I'll be back in England! Though I am positive there will be photos of his adventures winging there way over the interweb and I might just post some here.
Once again Happy New Year!
