Stu goes on Retreat

Try as we did, last Saturday I came to the decision to rehome the fabulous Stu. It was turning out that he was a doodler, still not a particularly good one, but very, very keen. He could doodle standing up, sitting down, lying on his back having a belly rub, daytime, nighttime, dawn, dusk and never for less than at least a couple of dozen doodles. We ran out of options for keeping him quiet and his hormones were getting the better of him too. He was picking on the girls, Macy included, and my little run is not big enough to give them all room to safely escape each other.

He still loved a cuddle and is young enough to find his place in a new coop; I found the perfect place too, a rescue that will keep him forever and has both a flock of roos and of hens. They seemed delighted to have him and I trust them to keep him well and happy.

So, Saturday morning we went on a road trip. It was pouring with rain and the traffic was awful so Stu and I did what all good road trips do, chewed the fat and sang. Well, he doodled (and doodled and doodled) and I sang loudly (and somewhat out of key) over the top. It was a good goodbye.

I can't say I'm not appreciating the more relaxed atmosphere, the girls certainly are not pining (fickle ladies, all of them) but I do wish we had had the means to keep Stu, he is a great character and I was rather fond of his doodles, despite the noise and frequency. At least we know we saved him from being "surplus to requirements" and have found him a good place to live out his days.

Happy doodles Chicken Stu x

Three very special dogs

I volunteer a few hours a week at a dog rescue, it is great experience for my course and even better for my soul.  The kindness, commitment and dedication of the people that run it is inspiring; I love the time that I spend there and some of the dogs become very special.  I took a couple of photos today of three wonderful little souls, a snapshot of life at a dog rescue.

Little Taz, he's 14 and in need of a foster who will give him lots love and care.  He's booked in for a good groom and haircut but I rather love his shaggy dog look and I think he enjoyed his impromptu bath today.

Angel.  One noisy little girl who will do anything for a bellyrub!

And Asia.  A stunning, young girl with the most amazing ears!  She reminds me a great deal of my Megs and this photo just melts my heart.

If you ever have space in your heart and your life for a dog, there would be no better bet than a rescue.  I'm lucky to see for myself the trust that they place in their rescuers and the love that they have to give when they find their new family.  They really are very special dogs.

Fabric for the Space Mermaid costume

I found Aladdin's Cave yesterday; a shop in a little village about 30 minutes away from me that stocks the best selection of sewing and crafting goods that I have seen in years... it will be dangerous, it's already dangerous, I don't have enough hours in the day for the ideas that it's given me!

As it was, I found a great selection of fabrics for the skirt of my mermaid costume, plus embroidery flosses, beads, pre-drilled decorative shells and the most amazing recycled, ribboned sari, that I just couldn't resist.  I've matched the skirt to the wig colour (far left).

The replacement foot for my sewing still has not arrived but I am working on the patterns for the pannier hips and skirt.  I feel like I'm finally over the hump on this project and actually have an idea of where it is going!

Wales, Wordy Wednesday 7th August 2013

As I missed three Wednesdays over the course of the year, I have decided to extend the run; plus it is the perfect chance to share my favourite photographs from the annual trip to Wales with the lovely boyf's work.  This year our whole pack went; the 12 yr old, Megs and Finn.  It could have been utterly fraught from the start; Megs is usually an atrocious traveller and seven hours of dobe-whining could have been the beginning and the end of the weekend, Finn gets car sick and the 12 yr old gets bored, very bored.  As it was, Megs was impeccable. the 12 yr old a dream and Finn, bless him, was only sick once in each direction. Wales itself was as beautiful as ever and, with the dogs and Finn on his first ever expedition, we didn't do the usual big, mad scramble but found a very picturesque river/hill/valley/lake walk instead... all 10km, 1400ft and 6 hours of it! 

Our little gang of happy walkers (the boyf, his Uncle and Aunt, the 12 yr old and a couple of friends) were perfect company for the day but, for me, the dogs were the highlight.  I often compare our two mutts to toddlers and do, quite honestly, think of them in much that way in terms of their needs for care and discipline and in their capabilities to learn and be naughty! I love to watch them in new situations like this; seeing them explore, watching their reactions and growing sense of achievement... I was a proud Mum on Saturday.  Megs always makes me smile, she is so exuberant and into every little thing, and as for my little Finn, he was a joy to watch.  He's not been well with his breathing, so it was a concern that he would even make it all the way around without help, and he has never walked in an environment like this before.  At the start, we had to show him where to walk and the joys of cool river in which to paddle in were utterly lost on him.  By the end, he was climbing rocks, taking a dip in the lake and, the following morning, I woke up to two bright eyes, ears that stood to attention and a little face that said "so, what's the plan for today, huh?"... it was a shame that all I could offer was a ride home in the car!  

Here are my favourite pictures of a wonderful day.

We started off with Gelert, the noble hound after whom the village is named.

The Aberglaslyn Pass.

Megs loves, loves, loves the river; here she was figuring her way down a 12ft bank back to it.

Remnants of the old copper mines that scatter the valley.

The view from the top.

Finn enjoying the breeze.

and a paddle in the lake.

Sleepy, happy pup!