Home Alone

Our cruel and heartless parents abandoned us at the weekend, leaving us to the tender care of the Angel B and Jim. Where's that RSPCA number?

They were off to France for an over-nighter, to give Dad his birthday meal (they went a bit mad and had it in a very nice restaurant in St Omer, called le Cygne

http://www.restaurantlecygne.fr/

... not cheap, but very very good - more of that later, when I've finished discerning the 7 courses from the smells on Mum and Dad when they came back)

From there they were off to La Chapelle d'Armentieres, the town near Lille which gave Dad's project 2CV to Birchington in North Kent as part of the twinning celebrations 20 years ago. The town wants Dad and his cronies to bring the 2CV back for a carnival to celebrate the 20th anniversary, so they were over to meet the main contact lady and sort out the details.

So... we were left all alone from midday Saturday round to about 3pm on Sunday, but we coped, and we are now extracting maximum sympathy (raw pork ribs and multiple fussings) due to guilt on their part.

All's back to normal here-abouts though - they're back at work, so we're into the 4.30 dog-club routine out on the Rec. Everybody's out there. We meet Misha, and Finzi, Ben and a new choc lab belonging to an Ozzie lady. The dog's called "Ciccio" (Italian for "chubby-cheeks" allegedly) and we meet again that 4 year old Shar-Pei called Monty we've mentioned before.

More soon

Deefski

Deck Beams

Never let it be said that I don't post a goodly variety of pics on this blog. Tonight you have a couple of land-mark stages on the barge - the fittibng of the first cross-ways deck-support beam. A big curved baulk of oak, 23 feet long. The guys have finished the framing now, so we are starting on the covering in phase.

The pic below shows the beam looking towards the bow of the barge, and the other pic, above, is taken from far-right on that pic, looking from outside the barge. from Starboard quarter towards port quarter.

The flowers are a magnificent arrangement supplied by local shop Botanica (in whom we have no vested interest, but who have so impressed Dad that he's happy to provide the link

http://www.botanicaonline.net/

They were actually ordered by Mum for the Pud-Lady, but Mum has nipped off to Portmarnock to see Steak-Lady, and Dad collected them from the very nice ladies in the shop this afternoon. Pud Lady will be only delighted we know.

It's a lovely warm Spring weekend, and we've been out on the Rec where the world and his wife were out walking their dogs - we met so many regulars (Finzi, Misha, Ben) plus a new kid on the block, little 4 month old red terrier "Reg".

Have a great weekend, and all you Mums, have a great Mothers' Day

Deefski

Finzi and the Fences

A few pics for you to enjoy this weekend. Up at the allotments the fencing contractor is now finished and we have resplendent lines of fence either side of the footpath and around the car park. Whether this proves to be a deterrent to the herberts who think it's fun to steal, vandalise, torch sheds and trash crops, remains to be seen. The joys of allotmenting on the urban fringe, we guess.

The black lurcher is Finzi, who we've mentioned before - he's owned by a couple who also have a plot. A very gentle boy, given to finding the most comfortable place to sleep and lying down a lot, he looks very distinguished in his handsome wispy beard.

Finally a nice conjunction last night between the crescent moon and the planet Venus. Dad had to take this for one of Mum's threads. No bad eh?

We are related, it seems, on Mum's side, to posh French people. There's a surprise! Mrs Silverwood, in researching one strand of the family name, has un-earthed in the history archive of the Univ. of Nottingham, a letter written in 1794 by one Chevalier Joseph Marie de Cuttoli de Cothi, a minor aristocrat unseated by the Revolution to the Duke of Portland to try to get a job in the English Military. He's presumably hoping to join the campaign to win back Corsica and thus get back his lands.

At risk of sounding like Abraham de Lacey Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley the Alley Cat we knew this of course, that we'd all descended from nobility. The letters are of course in French and it is Mum (our only fluent French speaker) who is given the job of unravelling the effusive grovelly "You Excellency" and "I most humbly entreat you" stuff and, fair play to her, she struggles only on the pre-revolution French Military ranks. Sounds like our Chevalier was some kind of adjutant or an aide-de-Camp.

Sacre Bleu. Absolument!

Baroness de Deefski

The World and his Wife

It's "Finzi", as in Gerald Finzi - the black greyhound cross (lurcher?) we meet regularly and who belongs to Dad's allotment chum and musician. All you need to know is on....

http://www.geraldfinzi.org/

The World and his wife are out at the Rec this evening - not only Finzi, but we also have an enthusiastic greeting with Judy, the smooth coated Patterdale we met yesterday, a (new) little white Westie called Lottie (4), and almost inevitably Bugsy and Billy. Several more besides, too.

I am wondering if I'll get any Valentine cards. A girl can always hope (although Dad says that the way I'm feisty with all the boys, he'd be amazed if I do....). I hope, too, none of you lads have forgotten your ladies, canine or human. Dad, we know, is safe. He will probably survive through to at least tomorrow night, alive.

We are sad to hear that the Silverwood's old cat Socky has had to be put down. He generally steered clear when ever we visited, although we have met him (and knew to treat him with respect!). Our sympathies go to the Silverwoods. (How are the assorted dogs? How's Chance? How Sam? Dancer?) Do let us know.....

Dad has been to "Pets at Home" (Pets R Us) for dog food, so a chance to buy yet another yellow, hollow centred frisbee (My 4th) and is amazed and delighted that it survives tonight's first Rec throwing session without me chewing any "pinking shears" cuts into it.....

And so, it's the weekend. Have a good one, and I'll talk to you again soon.

Deefski (Young, free and single....)