..and in March too. Six inches of the stuff when I got up this morning and a very hard frost. Roads like the A66 cross-country were closed and there were long delays on the A1 motorway. It is half past two in the afternoon and The Times still hasn't come. My relief carer's chiwawa ran out into it when she opened the back door and she totally disappeared! Now there is a sharp wind blowing but the sky is an unbroken blue and it is beautifully sunny, so that indoors it is quite warm and my central heating has switched itself off. When I got up and opened the blinds I couldn't see out as all the windows were covered in snow and when I opened the front door to collect the milk from the step a large pile of snow fell into the hall. I got the fish slice and a cereal bowl and had it all cleaned up before it even thought of melting. And it doesn't seem to have stopped Mr and Mrs Blackbird courting on the hedge.
What to write about today? Well for a start my son is 65 today and nothing makes you feel old like that kind of statement. It seems like only yesterday him being born.
Crufts is on the TV again. Like I am sure most of you, I do object to the selective breeding of dogs (for example the 'pug-nosed- breeds ) to make them fit in with people's idea of what the breed should look like, at the expense of the health of the breed. (I had a lovely pug - Algy (of Rupert Bear fame)- he was a lovely dog and we loved him dearly and I must say he never had breathing problems and lived to a ripe old age. But my carer this morning when we were talking about it, said
pugs now cost around £1500 each. While pedigree dogs cost this much (and a whole lot more) there are always going to be unscrupulous people who exploit dogs and run puppy farms and such like. .
Money breeds this sort of behaviour, sadly.
But I do love to watch the beautifully turned out dogs - many of whom are obviously dearly loved pets. Last night it was the turn of the gun dogs and the choosing of the one to go into the final on Sunday. The dog chosen (can anyone watching tell me the breed - my hearing is not brilliant and I just couldn't catch the name) was absolutely beautiful and obviously much loved by his two dads.
I expect some of your replies will chastise me for watching it - and you are entitled to do so - but I do so love watching dogs and I do so miss my much adored Tess.
See you tomorrow.
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29 comments:
My oldest daughter turned 71 this January. I am the one that should be 71! It makes me feel so old.
We love watching the Westminster Dog show. I had forgotten about Algy until you mentioned him. Must reread my Rupert Annuals! I think the breathing issues with pugs and the Boston and French Terriers is due to poor breeding practices. The poor things need to have surgery to be able to breathe properly. It is strange how old our children are getting. All the best.
I had a wonderful pug that we named Pug. He was such a fat little clown and he shed something terrible! He was purebred and I paid $100 for him! He was smart as a whip!
Sadly, he went deaf and mostly blind and was having little strokes and I had to make that dreadful decision! Broke my heart!
No one has the right to chastise you for watching what you enjoy!
The winner of the Gundog Group last night was a Lagotto Romagnola. Well, you did ask! It's an Italian Water Dog. A lovely dog and much-loved.
Hope your snow doesn't hang around too long. We had more in the night but it's melting fast now.
I can certainly relate to feeling even older than my real age when I think of my sons' birthdates. The Westminster Dog Show has always been one of my favorites. Glad you do whatever you want to entertain yourself. Thank goodness you have such a good approach to living your life the way you choose to. Fascinating weather of late in your part of the world. Hugs from the base of the mini-mountain in Maine.
Isn't it a delight to have a snow day when you can stay indoors and be cozy warm while viewing the lovely overcoat of snow on the landscape?
I love watching dog shows, too, but all of our dogs were either mutts or lost dogs whose owners couldn't be found. Each of them is missed hugely and fondly remembered.
Hugs!
I sort of knew what you were going to say when you opened the door against the snow.
Here in Sheffield yesterday we had an absolute ton of the stuff dump on us very quickly.
I had to take the car a short distance and without thinking I opened my window to clear it of the snow that had built up . The window lowered but the wall of snow stayed where it was, momentarily, and then almost in slow motion it tipped gracefully into the car, onto me. x
It is an eye opener to look at how dog breeds have been changed over the past fifty or more years.
Probably since they stopped doing the original jobs they were bred for..
Think of the Dachshund...could you imagine that going after a badger? The Bulldogs now not able to breathe properly and needing caesarian section births...
At least some have seen the light, I read that there is a move with Alsatians to return to the normal dog shape and get away from the sloping back and hip dysplasia
I love all the dogs but with four cats have not got one myself. I love the way that they are so adoring of their owners, trotting along beside them and giving a look up as they walk along beside them, so faithful.
No snow here on the South Coast thankfully.
Briony
x
It's good that you don't have to go anywhere in that snow and you can stay safe and cozy in your home.
My baby girl turns 34 on Sunday and that makes me feel old. She is my youngest - 4 boys and then a girl. I will have a party for her on Sunday and some of the family will join us for tacos! Easy to make and the grandkids love them!
Hope you have a nice weekend, Pat. Happy Birthday to your Dominic!
So pleased you do not seem to be too inconvenienced by the severe weather.
My son is also 65. It doesn't seem to register even though his two sons are in their 30s.
I love dogs of all kinds and often stop an owner to ask if I can stroke their dog. I used to watch Crufts but eventually stopped when I saw how some judges pull the dogs about when they check on them for bone structure and posture. I am not surprised that on the odd occasion they get bitten!
The first time I saw a son with gray hair, I was on the sofa recovering for three days.
Happy Birthday to your son.
My "Boy" now has a grey beard and sparse salt and pepper hair :( Where do the years go so quickly?
You woke up to a good bit of snow. I bet it is beautiful outside! I hope your son had a good birthday. My oldest recently turned fifty and that was a bit hard to believe for me. I've been away from blogs for a bit but I'm trying to get back at it and it is so nice to see your blog!
Now I thought the six in of snow would send you off on many stories of how you played in the snow when you were young. See, I'm getting you off the old thing. Well, a son of 65 is a milestone.
My oldest turns 58 this july. We're all getting older.
It seems your son shares a birthday with Prince Edward? I think your son is still teaching? It seems you and he have so much in common, Music, especially, I think? Hope the both of you had a happy day.
My eldest's b'day today (11th). I haven't watched Crufts for years. Actually I would probably prefer to watch Scruffs, but I don't think it's broadcast.
Fortunately, down here on Sheppey, despite the bitter cold, we have had three days of constant rain, therefore no snow. It has however, returned the marshes and gardens back to the water-logged, part flooded, condition that they were back in January, which we could of done without.
I never watch Crufts, one because of the awful breeding afflictions put on some of those dogs and two, because I doubt that many of those "working dogs" actually do get to do any "work" such as retrieving game birds, etc.
I've just finished a superb and very moving book that I feel that you would like very much. It's called "Mother's Boy" by Patrick Gale and is the retelling of the life of the famous Cornish poet Charles Causley.
Snow here but my daughter on the train from Manchester (which had no snow) said there was a complete difference in Rochdale, lots of snow, almost a line between them. I must admit I never watch Crufts, except funny little takes. Could be that I hate the use of discipline in training the dogs.
Not a single flake of snow here, but very up and down in terms of temperature - as cold as 5 C today but up to 21 on Monday!
I like dogs, as I like most animals, but I don‘t agree with the ethics behind breeding, to have a dog (or any other animal) race to conform to human ideas of what the animal should look like, at the cost of its health.
I lost interest in dogs in general when funny breed names turned up in the late 1980s/90s. I liked proper dogs.
Lovely cheerful comments - thanks to you all. Kisses all round - I always feel like giving you all a hug!
The pandemic made a lot of people buy dogs. I am sure that Bath's population of dogs doubled in 2 years. Step-Daughter bought a Pomeranian - beloved of Queen Victoria. Apparently New Yorkers have gone mad about 'doodles'.
Happy B-day to your son! Cheers to you and your son - a joint celebration will be fun. I enjoy watching dogs play as much as seeing them at a dog show. As for the latest "designer" dogs, I'm not sure if this is good or bad. Some say, it helps eliminate health problems. I've never owner a designer dog.
I Love watching the dog shows!
My pug is 9 now and doing fine. We bought her for $500 dollars so long ago...I'm getting a pug/frenchie mix from my sister and cost $0.
We also have our Buddy mixed breed rescue...now 13.
hugs
Donna
I love watching the sheep dogs work in this country. They are invaluable and so quick! I watched a television program yesterday about a sheep farmer in Tasmania and the dogs were keeping up with her car as she travelled quickly along the road. They ran incredibly fast in the countryside beside her. The amount of ground sheepdogs cover here in herding is fascinating to watch, particularly from the camera's above-ground perspective. - Pam, Aust.
Tom - there are a lot of dogs like Labradoodles, Cockapoos and suchlike on our estate - not sure what to think of them really - but certainly would not have one of them myself. The line-up of dogs for the 'Best in Show' tonight is interesting (2 more to add today) a nice Border Terrier and an exquisite Irish Wolf Hound which would almost take up the whole of my sitting room.
Susan - I feel the same about designer dogs.
Pam - my farmer always had collies - once even an Old English Sheep Dog (he took himself off one night to die in an outlying barn, which was sad, ) Collies are lovely dogs and so intelligent.
Thank you everyone.
I guess that I've never had a pure breed dog so I would never be able to make an unbiased judgement on them. It is just that what I love is meeting a dog of indeterminate breed and looking at him/her as they study you right back. You get a marvelous opportunity to gauge a dog's heart and mind, as they judge yours. And there is that moment when a dog makes a decision to trust or not. It is an amazing moment when an animal chooses you.
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