Collie and Cat alarm clocks

Ever since his brother died, Heathcliff has been allowed free run of the house at night instead of being locked in the kitchen.
One consequence is that if I don't get up when my alarm goes, Heathcliff comes over and either meows very loudly or puts his cold nose on the inside of my wrist which shocks me into action. He doesn't sleep on the bed. We moved his basket up and he does sleep there. He also will sleep on my eldest's bed (if my eldest is away) or even my daughter's bed (again she has to be away).  But once the alarm goes off, he is there on my side of the bed. He totally ignores my sleeping husband and simply goes for the hand who will feed him.

Using this principle, I have been sending the collies upstairs to wake up the children if they are not down at suitable time. They have a habit of ignoring me. I often have to go and open their bedroom doors to allow the collies access... but once they have access, the collies know what to do. Tess is polite and merely noses the sleeping child. Hardy however gets into the swing of the game, leaps on the bed, normally landing on said child's stomach and then proceeds to wash the child's face.
This goes on until said child actually moves. Strangely enough, my eldest only had to have it happen once...my youngest though waits for it. Hardy is far more polite with my daughter and only noses her, rather than jumping on her bed.
The collies are not normally allowed upstairs and know this so they have to be invited. They are intelligent in that way...

My No Sugar campaign is going well. My writing less well but it is getting done. This VIking should be excellent when done.

Head of the Litter Box Santitation Department

Heathcliff in a cake box

My mother sent me a t-shirt Litter Box Sanitation Specialists local 429. There is also a black silhouette of a cat sitting on a litter tray. No guesses who is in charge of poop scooping in this house.
I decided a long time ago that it was far easier to do myself than waste my breath assigning the task to the children. The children are better now and they will empty the trays if they notice. Operative word -- notice.

Heathcliff and Mr Darcy are clean cats and they require clean trays.  Because I like the pine scent, I use the compressed wood pellets. It is just easier to deal with.

We are not going to talk about dog accidents. Both children gained gold stars today as they successfully dealt with one while I was away having my eyes checked. Poor Hardy ate something that disagreed with him (my personal bet is rotten duck egg) and his stomach has been poorly. He is on the mend now and is as bouncy as ever...He is just spending more time in the kitchen and outside as it is easier to clean up...Here's hoping that he learns to stay away from duck eggs...

Puppies reach one year

While we were away in Egypt, the puppies celebrated their birthday. Hardy chewed up his bed. Although I think Tess probably started it. The net result is now Chile the labrador and Hardy are sleeping on old towels while Tess gets the remaining bed. For some reason that bed has never touched.

It is hard to believe that they have grown so fast. They are still adolscents in many ways. Yesterday, they climbed through a hole in the fence and went into the neighbour's garden. Both emerging very muddy and smelly. They had baths which neither enjoyed. But they are now fit to be in the same room as humans!
They have very distinct personalities. Hardy is far more laid back than Tess. Tess is a dog who would wear high heels and generally run the entire show if she possibly could.

Effluent and the dogs

Tess and Hardy have been unwell this week. Off their food. Suffering from upset stomachs. Earlier in the week, it was touch and go if I would take them to the vet's, but they seemed be bouncy enough. And Tess, well Tess is a picky eater. It was a case of watching and waiting to see what was going to happen. Thankfully they have perked up.
We took them for a walk yesterday, retracing the route that we had taken on Sunday, just before Tess threw up. Luckily we decided to keep both dogs on the leads as one of the ditches was full of oil and some brown gunk. It has not rained for weeks and I'd assume that this is run off from the fields rather than fly tipping of chemicals.
Anyway, it was right by a stream where the dogs normally drink.
Sigh. The dogs are recovering but...it will be a long time before I can allow off the lead there again.
And it seems like someone has fly tipped a bunch of builder's rumble, including twisted metal and an old fireplace in another field.
I do not understand why people feel they have the right to despoil the countryside in this way.

I should say that I did go to watch the lights being lit on Hadrian's Wall last Saturday night. (The week has been fraught) It was okayish. Lots of cars and people. We watched from the New Altson crossroads as it gives a panoramic view. I did not get the same sense of timelessness that I had gotten when the Warden Beacon was lit for the 50th anniversary of VE day. This was just there. An art installation rather than a connection with the past.
I much prefer the wall when people are not about. I used to the children up to play on the ruins when they were little. And a wild day is much the best.

Kittens do extreme ironing

The kittens are in a climbing stage. Anything and everything. The ironing board is a particular favourite. They leap from the ironing board to the sofa and from there on to the curtains which they climb. Heathcliff was discovered swinging from the curtain. He was taken down more to his disgust.

The ironing board had been left propped up against a wall, ready to go downstairs. (There remains a question as to why my husband when he is finished doing his ironing can not take the board down stairs but that is a topic for another day) The kittens decided that it was just the right thing to practice climbing on. So they jump on the board and climbed to the top. The board slightly swayed. The kittens hung on. With visions of broken windows, lamps and furniture, I rescued them and removed the board to a safe place. The kittens were last seen trying to climb the cane begonia in the bathroom.

If these cats went outside, they would be the sort who climbed trees and forgot for while how to come down...

Hardy decided to visit ditches on his walk. Some were deeper than he thought but he felt it was his duty to explore them all. Tess, being a good girl, gave the ditches and her brother a disgusted look, staying well clear despite all Hardy's attempts to interest her in the game. Hardy became blacker and blacker, until he went into the last hole where his face became mud brown. Muddy water dripped everywhere but his tail wagged furiously.

Back home, he did not go off the lead but proceeded immediately to the bath. A bottle of puppy shampoo, four towels, and one soaked me, he emerged...a clean dog.

My husband threatens the same walk this evening...Thankfully there are no skunks in England.

Hardy Houdini

Hardy has taken to escaping from the garden. It is most annoying as he has been doing this even when I am out gardening or doing the hen and duck houses out. First I know about it, I see Hardy walking along the wrong side of the fence. He is on a public foot path BUT...

This is not good as some day he is going to get out on to the road and get knocked down. He occasionally lures Tess out with him, but after the Farmer's Wife incident where Tess ended up chained in the farmer's yard and Hardy escaped, she is a little wary.

Yesterday as my youngest and I cut brambles on the far side of the dene, Hardy suddenly went walk about. My youngest leaped over the fence and unceremoniously dumped Hardy back on to the right side. Hardy looked most put out by this.

Then Tess decided to demonstrate the hole in the water gate.

My youngest rolled a large stone down the bank. Instead of landing where he intended it to land, the stone picked up speed, bounced into the air, flew over the water gate and landed half way up the bank on the other side. My youngest was sent to retrieve it. This time he managed to carry it to the hole and fix it.

Hopefully Hardy's career as an escapologist is now ended.

His career of sleeping on the sofa has also ended and he is not allowed, but does try...as the photo proves.

Kittens and puppies

The kittens are growing rapidly. I will get my youngest to put his pictures on the computer as the stupid computer still does not want to recognise my camera.

Tess has decided that she is the kittens' mother and keeps trying to clean them, much to Heathcliff's disgust. Heathcliff however has decided his place is in front of the living room fire and the dogs are suppose to move when he enters the room. In the end, it ended in a compromise when all of them lying down together.

The kittens also staged a break out and were discovered legging it down the hallway to my dh's study. They then had to be lured from under the sofa and removed. Because of their small size and ability to get into tight corners, I prefer to keep them confined!

Hardy has discovered that he loves cat food and if any is left down, he has taken upon himself to finish it.

It remains cold here and so I am planning on taking my big Christmas present -- new hiking boots -- for another long walk. The hiking boots are wonderfully warm and support my ankles. I wore my last pair out...

The wip is coming along slowly but steadily.

Bad Hardy and the Shouting Coat

Hardy now has a harness from Ruffwear as he kept getting bald spots on his nose from the halti. Plus my husband liked the look of the harness. It is designed with mountain rescue dogs in mind. I suspect we will be getting the boots so that Hardy can go hiking in the Lake District as the flint scree can play havoc with paws.

Hardy does pull less and is now easier to spot in the dusk. But the red colour certainly shouts.

As the children adored Dorothy Edwards My Naughty Little Sister when they were young, Hardy has been rechristened Bad Hardy. The Naughty Little Sister's identity is obvious.

Both dogs would be delighted to eat up any and all trifle. At Thanksgiving, it was a close run thing with the clam dip.

I shall not go on about Hardy's current obssession with rearranging the dog beds. He is never content with how I put them and he tugs them into other spots.

My revisions will be in on Monday.

Hardy and the halti

Because Hardy and Tess have been pulling so much and I now have repetitive strain injury, I have resorted to a halti -- or head collar. Years ago I used one on Chile our Labrador and despite going back to an ordinary collar and lead, Chile still does not pull.
You do have to take the dog in and get the collar to fit properly btw. Because although they give some guidance, it depends on the dog and you might a halti one size smaller.

When you put on a halti, you instantly have more control as where the head goes, the body must follow. The dogs also can not apply as much tug. So you are not putting all your might into getting them to do what you want.

Once he realised that he could not pull, Hardy took to leaping in the air and trying to fly. But I pushed the lead down as he was starting one of his midair twists and he rather flopped (instead of flying). Since then, he has been walking to a near perfect heel and I only have to shake the lead slightlyto remind him.
Tess is beginning to get used to it and is walking better. And the walks are becoming much more enjoyable even after just a few days.
At first dogs do try to get the halti off, but they do learn very quickly how much more pleasant it is.
I understand some people use a gentle leader which basically acts the same way. The halti works for me though.

Throats and spayed dogs

My voice remains a distant memory. My throat aches. The doctor informs me that Laryngitis is in 98% case viral and so it is a matter of time rather than antibiotics. I have started gargling salt water, drinking honey and lemon, spraying my throat with chlorosceptic when the coughing gets too bad, sucking on boiled sweets. If it goes gets worse, I can go back...

Tess was spayed yesterday. She is six months old and I most definitely did not want puppies. Plus spaying early (before the first season) is supposed to provide some measure against breast cancer in female dogs. It will mean she does not have to go through PMT and nor will there be a mess to clean up. Neither will I have to beat farm dogs off with a stick when we are out on walks. Equally, I did not want an incestous relationship as the chance for inherited defects rockets.

With Hardy, he will be done about a year old. Males are slightly later developers and there is no medical benefit to be being done early. Thus I want to wait until he is mature and his personality has had a chance to develop. But it is important that he gets done as well. I have no wish to breed and lots of other bahavioral problems can get solved...

My main problem now is keeing an active collie quiet. She needs to be on the lead. Tess is also wearing a cone as she has a tendency to try and lick her wound. Apparently smearing it in vaseline will discourage other dogs from licking as littermates in particular will groom eachother.

I am also blogging at Totebags today about the hard work required to become talented.

And finally a picture of all three of the dogs together last Sunday in the sun room. Just because.

Border collie mayhem

Tess and Hardy decided the sun room was far too neat and tidy and so they decided to knock over a few chile plants and spread some dirt about. Border collies do not like chiles!

Then they found my old pink fluffy slippers and decided to add pink fluff to the mixture.

Now that I have recovered from the flu, it will be back to the walking regime as the pair clearly have far too much time on their paws.

Hitting home

The weekend newspapers were all full of reports about A levels etc. After ignoring the impending date for the results (this Thursday), I find myself sucked into worry. It was far easier when I was going through it myself rather than worrying as a parent. At least then I knew how much I had studied and whether or not I had answered the questions correctly. There were things I could control.

The added complication this year is that there have been many more applicants and those who do not make the grades required, will not necessarily find a place through the clearing system.

The die is cast and the result is on Thursday. There is nothing practical or useful I can do, except support.

On a cheerier note:

Hardy is doing well with his fetching. He is marginally less obssessive complusive about it than his sister. The amount they both have grown over the last week is staggering.
Puppies do not stay little for long. Nor for that matter do children.

Fun and games with ducks and puppies

We have three duck houses. They are all in the duck pen. The two mother ducks were generally going in the apex house. They had squabbled a bit but no matter. Then they switched to the oldest duck house. Again no real problem.

Last night, the white mother duck and her remaining duckling were undecided and had stayed out. A fact neither my youngest nor I realised until Tess discovered her.

The other grown up ducks were in the pen at this point and we were only trying to get a few of the Drones Club in the middle duck house.

The Mother duck then decided that she was going to go in the middle house which also houses most of the grown up ducks. Cue general mayhem as all the ducks exit that house. All the other houses had to be opened and it became a free for all as the ducks milled about.

Tess and Hardy (who were thankfully on leads) became excited and thought this a wonderful event. Cue more mayhem and cacophony of quacks and barks. And it was a game of once more around the duck house, my friends.

In the end, the white mother duck and her duckling got her way. They passed the night in the middle duck house.

Three fully paid up members of the Drones Club had to be captured individually with the net and placed in the apex house. The puppies could not understand why a netted duck was not there for their amusement.
The entire operation took forty five minutes. NOrmal duck putting away = five minutes!

As Liz F asked, I have included pictures of Tess and this morning's meeting of The Drones Club.

Duckings in a net

One of the ducks had been crafty and had her nest in the greenhouse. This was well and good and possibly a sensible place to have a nest. However, there was some used netting and seven of the ducklings ended up getting stuck in the netting. We saw the mother duck with one duckling and were surprised as she is not a notoriously bad sitter. Luckily my youngest and went discovered the other ducklings. We then moved the ducklings over to the duck pen.
They are currently occupying the apex house. The other mother duck with her one remaining duckling has taken over the oldest duck house and the remaining ducks, deciding not to deal with enraged mothers are all crammed into the middle house.

I was so very proud of Tess and Hardy last night. They have started to help round up the ducks at night. Help is probably debatable as they have a tendency to suddenly dart forward into flock, scattering the ducks. Tess and Hardy think it is a great game. However, last night, they did seem to get the idea. They also started working as a team. Hardy went and sat on the bridge to prevent escape and then Tess went around the back of the pen on the outside. The older ducks (the ducklings and mother ducks having been good little ducks and in bed) decided it was time to playing samba samba aye aye aye we are late night party ducks and go to bed. The puppies then did a celebratory race around the houses.

Today I have to start the first book in my proposed trilogy. I know where I want the books to end up. It is a question of getting them there.

Who has all the shoes?

Is it a female thing? Tess seems to be obsessed with my shoes. In her latest manifestation, she went and collected as many shoes of mine as she possibly could and sat with them on her bed. She did not chew them. She simply sat them with them.

Hardy on the other hand, quite likes to think of himself as human and could not understand why he was not fed at the table outside.

Puppies don't do rain

The pupies tried to convince me this morning that they did not do rain. Tess in particular refused to get out of her warm bed and go outside. They did finally go on their walk and puddles on the floor were avoided. It is so wet that Tess even agreed to be towelled. Hardy is now sitting beside the Aga, rather doing his morning mooch.



It is the RWA Nationals and so Donna Alward has updated the PHS with her doings and I have been avidly reading the Blogging Nationals which has a link to a variety of blogs. One always tries to find various rumours and snippets of news. Ah the joys of living vicariously. It does remind me though that the Big Part of writing is actually sitting down and writing the best story possible. It is the ONLY way to survive in this business.

I am attempting to write the best story possible (given my current state of understanding of craft etc) with my current work in progress and am nearing the end of the first draft. Once that is done, there is all to play for as I will have the straw to make the bricks. It can be made better.

How to have hyper puppies

Last evening , Tess & Hardy went hyper. They had a mad puppy half hour. Three circuits around the living room, jumping on the furniture etc. My daughter and I immediately took them for a walk to calm them down. I was totally perplexed on how this happened until my daughter confessed that she had thought them so peaceful that she had given them some treats. Obviously the treats gave them extra energy! A bit like children and sweets.

The exercise did calm them down. And hopefully my daughter has learnt a valuable lesson. But to control the hyper activity -- it is exercise, exercise, exercise. I suppose this is good for my writer's bottom.

We went on another long walk this morning. They find the Shetland pony placidly standing in the field very scary and growled. They are walking better on the double lead than yesterday.

Currently they are busy chewing. Or rather Hardy is chewing his raw hide chew and Tess is looking for a place to hide it for later. She then comes back and steals Hardy's as well. Slight update-- they have gone outside as they were getting bored and I need to write.

The work in progress is coming along. Hard work without hyper active puppies should do the job.

Near disaster

Yesterday, on my walk with Tess, we did the reverse Witch's Cottage (so called because the children when young were convinced a witch lived there -- it does have that sort of feel about it. I suspect though it is simply a holiday cottage in a small glen...). Towards the end of the walk, there is a difficult gate to close. I struggled. Tess panicked, wriggled and the next thing I knew she was bolting down the road, leaving me holding her new collar and lead. Luckily, I was able to catch up and reunite her. But it was a scary few seconds. She has gone back to her old collar.
Fpr this morning's walk, I did the two puppies in tandem. We went further (avoiding any tramps across fields and gates). They are now asleep. Eventually all this walking will help with my writer's bottom.
But there is also something uplifting about being out in the early morning with the birds singing, the air fresh and no one except other dog walkers or runners about.

Lots of people, including Donna Alward are at the RWA National conference in Washington DC. SOme day I will make it, but for now, I will live vicariously! Besides I am under the deadline kosh.

TPing the living room

Hardy & Tess were too good and quiet this morning.

Normally there is the patter of tiny paws as they do various checks around the house, have a morning play etc, but this morning silence.

I went and checked.

Tess has learnt how to open doors and opened the bathroom door. Hardy did a snatch and grab on a toilet roll.

The Andrex puppy has nothing on two determined border collies!

A quick hoover around and the evidence was removed. Next time, the toilet paper will be stored in the upstairs bathroom where it is safe...

Playdates for puppies

Tess & Hardy had a playdate yesterday. Daisy the Labrador came over. Daisy is about a year old and has two older Labradors as her pack. She plays well with Chile and came over to help teach Tess & Hardy their manners. This was her second visit. She was a bit rougher with the puppies this time, but still gentle. Chile played a bit and then turned his back and laid down. He did not go off the lawn even though he was free to do so.

Hardy was a fluff bag who gave a whimper every now and then and stuck close to where we were having coffee. Tess decided that she would play big girl dog games and was quite willing to challenge Daisy for various toys. I think she thought Hardy was supposed to be guarding the toys once she obtained them from Daisy, but Hardy was far too busy having his strokes and pats. So then the game would start again with Tess being very willing to play tug with Daisy.

It is fascinating to watch the subtle communication with pats of the paw, and little whines to signal if a game would start.

Both Tess & Hardy are much better on the lead now. I walk them separately (if you can call it walk). Every time one of them starts to go before me, they have to sit. I move forward and then they are allowed to walk on. It seems to be working, although it is a bit stop start. At least they are not getting in the habit of bounding forward and I am not pulling them backwards.

Happy Fourth of July. We are having a barbecue.