Week 45 - 50

07/10/11

Week 45

Wednesday 17th March

Things have been getting back to normal, sleep depravation high because of nocturnal activities, I wish Helen would keep normal hours like the rest of us, how is a boy this handsome going to keep his looks when he has little sleep.

There is much activity again, Helen keeps whispering that mum is coming home, is she right? Did she really not abandon me all these months, well it felt like that, I am only young. Later in the afternoon the doorbell rang, in my normal excitable way I barked until it hurts Helens ears, well she should move quicker. Finally she opens the door and yes, my mum is standing there right in front of my, am I happy, I'm sooo excited that I could wee on the floor, quick note to brain, don't do that apparently I'm too old now.

Week 46

Well it’s good to be back home, to see the garden and go back to my routine. But there are a few downsides to this. I am not getting so spoiled with biscuits, and no longer can I get on a bed for a nap, just have to make do with a settee I suppose.

I have never seen so much washing, it is everywhere. Mum is tired, she calls it jetlag so she wants to go to bed early every night. That’s OK with me, I can always sleep. So life returns to normal.

April 2010

Nothing to report for the first couple of weeks this month, life went on as normal,

I had time with Gill when mum was doing other things, then Gill went off for a few days and we packed the caravan.

Friday 16th April – after all of the preparation finally this afternoon we hitched up the caravan and mum and I headed for Biggleswade. We joined the Bedfordshire Centre at their rally for the weekend. There were new people to speak to and a dog next door so we settled in and all looked promising. After dinner mum went out and I was left for the first time ever in the caravan on my own. She said afterwards that she was really worried about leaving me and thought that she might come home to a wrecked caravan, but she was delighted to find all in order and me yawning.

On Saturday she disappeared again, apparently she was giving some old family caravanning memorabilia to Grenville who is the chairman of the Caravan Club. Most of the things were over 50 years old and they are to go to the new caravan museum at Beaulieu.

Sunday 18th and after our morning walk and a decent breakfast off we go with the caravan on the back. I have my harness on which is attached to the middle seat belt in the back of the car. This gives me quite a lot of room to manoeuvre, but keeps me safe. I stand up for a while and look out of the side windows and then I look over mum’s shoulder and then I settle down for a nap. After a couple of hours we stopped for a comfort break at a motorway service station. Another hour’s driving and we arrived in the New Forest.

new forest rally

It seems we are a bit late arriving, as all of our friends have been here for a week. It’s a great place, we are by a fishing lake and the walks in the forest are wonderful, although the ponies and the wild pigs are a bit frightening. I am on my rope outside the caravan and on guard. It is my job to make sure that the ducks stay away from our caravan. Despite my barking they waddle up the field towards me, it seems they come right up to the caravans several times a day for food.

We stayed here for several days and then one morning we left the caravan behind and headed home in the car. Now this is strange behaviour, normally it follows behind but not today, somebody tell me what is going on please, why are we leaving our portable property and going home.

The next day I spent some time with Helen while mum went to do one of her World War II talks. Gill moved out of our house and into her new flat on Thursday and then on Friday 23rd my bags were packed and I went to Brian at number 2. I am staying until Sunday while Helen, Ed and mum go to Kent for the weekend. They are staying in a hotel and on Saturday going to Neil and Roger’s special day. Just look at that cake, it is a model of the Strand theatre. Where is my slice?

Helen and Mum dressed up and Neil and Roger and their cake

 It is good at Brian’s house. He plays the piano and I curl up on the rug and listen because I really like music. Steve also comes to visit and we go off walking. I tried to be good and was given a good report when mum returned on Sunday. Brian said I could go again at any time.

On Sunday afternoon Gill arrived and we all got in the car. Off we went to the New Forest and back to the caravan. What a relief, I thought we would never see the caravan again.

Monday 26th April – Gill says we are going abroad today. We were packed up and on the move really early this morning. We drove to Southampton docks and then drove on to a ship. We left the car and caravan in the bottom of the ship and scampered up the stairs to the top deck. We had a walk around and then settled down to enjoy the journey. There were one or two other dogs around and a lot of people came and spoke to me. There was one lady with whom we had a long conversation, she was particularly interested in my ancestry.

We sailed down Southampton water and I looked through the railings at the other boats.

Then there was an announcement that all car passengers should rejoin their vehicles, so we queued to get down the stairs, got back in the car and drove off the boat on to dry land.

Here we were, abroad on the Isle of Wight.

Wow, I had survived my first sea journey.

We drove to our campsite, set up the caravan and put up the awning.

– I of W view of the sea,

Tuesday 27th April – we walked along the cliffs today all the way to the Needles. Here I am looking over Alum Bay. Would you believe the lady we saw yesterday when we were on the boat spotted us on this walk and so we stopped for a chat. It was a great walk, we looked in the fort on the end, and right out to sea.

Alum Bay,

We stayed here for a week and had a wonderful time. At the bottom of the field was the beach and just to the right was a wood. Every day we went on the beach, looked for ships and went somewhere interesting.

While we were away we sent out invitations to my birthday party next month. It is an important event – I will be one year old.

I see no ships.

It was May when we got home and nearly my birthday. I had an email from the lady we met on the boat, so I invited her to my party, but she was too far away to come. But a number of people and dogs said they were coming, so I was really excited.

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