Dust Collectors

At risk of being seen as dust collectors, Dad has enjoyed being able to bring over to the new house his esoteric collection of 2CV models etc. This sat around the bay window in Faversham and was probably the bane of anyone's life who ever tried to dust in there (hey Angel B?). Well it all made the journey via BGL to the new house and is now being broken out again and has earned its place lined up along the book shelf-cum-mantle shelf in the spare bedroom. Some of these models are mini works of art. In France, where the 2CV is obviously an icon you can find all through the flea markets and tat shops, little 2CV models made from old tin cans, usually with the original design of the tin left on, so your 2CV will carry Schweppes soft drink logos or Coca Cola. One of our favourites is made from the tin which used to contain cockroach killer (Anti-Cafard). It always amused Mum, Dad and Diamond that the French go in for whole shops proudly geared to rat traps, vermin control, cockroach sprays and so on. None of your hidden-in-a-back-shelf delicacy for these French traders - great big logos in the front window with huge pictures of cockroaches, rats, mice, fleas etc and in-your-face gung-ho pictures of dead ones, weapons to kills them and so on. The "Anti-Cafard" shop in the 18th Arrondisement (Montmartre) was always a must-see landmark in their tours of Paris. So, finding an actual Anti-Cafard 2CV model was a treasured find! Also a picture of me finding out what the sink in the Utility Room is there for. I'm told this is because I rolled in some Charolais poo, but I can't see that's a good justification, can you? Mad Deefs

Shampoos all round

Major dog-wrangling last night when all three Silverwood dogs get shampoo'd to within an inch of their lives and then towelled dry before being allowed the run of the house for the evening while we all watched X Factor and X Factor USA on TV (That was a new one on Dad - never watched it before!). Here we have pics of all three enjoying the experience, especially Lily (middle pic) who looks like she has got a taste of the shampoo by mistake.

The Silverwoods have a brilliant set up for such dog-wrangling where the kitchen sink mixer-tap pulls out into a hose long enough to use as a shower on the dogs, so you can do them at standing-up height. Back in Faversham we two were always showered in the bottom of the shower with Dad kneeling down outside and reaching in to grab us.

The evening was entertaining. Max and Coco are of that age and stage where they are both trying to be alpha-male so occasional fisticuffs develop. I am, as ever, a bit precious about protecting Dad's lap from boarders so there's occasional grumblings and snarliness. Lily is young enough and silly enough to romp around through all this, regardless and oblivious to the 'politics' of the grown-up dogs. Haggis tends to try to lie there asleep and occasionally gets bounced on by assorted dogs, so he wakes up with a gruff. The humans just mooch around trying to manage all this.

We all survived. We even went for a walk - Dad, Em-J and J-M plus 5 dogs!

Deefs

Le Petit Marseillais

Windy and spitting rain. Both Mum and Dad have "missions" today, so the alarm goes off at 8 am and we're up and running, being walked at speed to get it out of our systems. Just a sop to the human consciences, because they're going to abandon us all day.

Still, better not complain, as there is talk of us needing another shampooing, and they have run out of the stuff with the westie on the front. It might end up being "Le Petit Marsaillais" aux extraits naturels d'orange et de capucine. Scary. Mind you, Dad used it tonight and doesn't smell too much like a tart's boudoir. "Capucine" as any fule no, is "nasturtium" in English

So... off went Dad in his overalls to work with his cronies on Mademoiselle, their project 2CV, and off went slimmed down Mum on that most pleasurable of trips, the shopping for "next-size-down" clothes.

Good weekend
Deefer

Even older than Megan

I have no idea what order these 4 pics will come out on the blog - have to "publish" and then go back in and edit if I've said anything that doesn't fit with the pics!

Anyway, dad has day off work today so, other that when he is, yet again, trying to capture a good deer photo in Challock Forest, we have his undivided attention. We get a lovely walk round the fields and the boatyard. Housed there now is the old Sailing barge "Cambria" - poor old girl is in rather grim condition. More on her soon, but suffice to say now she was the last barge still in trade round these parts, eventually being pensionned off in the 60's, and is now in dry-dock at our boatyard pending (we hope) restoration. She's even older than Megan!

Out on that walk, I managed to find some ripe fox poo to roll in. The pic with my head in the shade shows well the amount I managed to get on my rump and right shoulder. Megan was looking on with murder in her heart, remebering, as she did, the mention of shampoo and "minging" at the weekend, and thinking we'd got away with it.

Well, my attempt to improve the doggie fragrance put the tin hat on that, and Dad wrangled us all through the shower, one after the other. Hence my pic of me looking all white and fluffy, completely devoid of fox poo (and street-cred!). The final pic, of all three of us, is just the three of us basking in the warm october sunshine at the back door, all damp from the shower. Megan is at front (out on the step), I'm centre and Haggis is at the back.

Deefer - West Highland WHITE terrier!! :-))

For more info in Cambria, try http://www.thamesbarge.org.uk/barges/charter/cambriadetails.html#done

Haircut, Hastings and Shampoo

What a big day! We started off (at my 07:00 request) with a walk all around the Abbey Fields and the Iron Wharf. Dad likes to see the Thames Sailing Barges, although a lot of them at this time of year are in drydock, being fixed, or are under "poly-tunnels" of plastic, with their masts and rigging all lowered. We like this walk in the wet, as it's not too muddy, but we still manage to get dirty "skirts" through the puddly bits

Then it was time for a haircut. Megan and Haggis got a proper buzz-over (No 5) their necks, backs, flanks and bums, plus a scissor trim round their faces. Dad admits he's no expert, but they come out looking OK, and every time he does it he saves £35 or so per dog. There were HEAPS of cut hair everywhere. Then it was my turn, but Dad only gave me a light scissor cut to trim off my whispy, voluminous "hareem pants", round off my ears into the family uniform "teddy bear" shape, and tidy my bum, then buzzed the trimmers near to me without cutting any hair, to get me used to the idea. Then we all got a treat

The buzz-cut removes all the beige-grubby outer fur, leaving us stark white above the "tide-line", and only serves to accentuate how dirty were our skirts after the puddle-bashing. A shampoo-ing was threatening, but first we had to go to Hastings to visit Grandma and Grandad. Every Saturday for 50 years or so (probably longer!), I am told, Grandma has cooked steak and kidney pud, so Mum and Dad generally arrange visits for the Saturday! The only Saturdays they miss are Christmas (in which case the pud is on the 26th), or if they are away. They were great, although I had to have a gruff and bark at Grandad's wheelie-walker thingy. Scary. The garden is great, too - all old, long-established and wild. Even has a 70 foot, 40 year old gnarly old willow tree.

The shampoo came to all of us when we got back home. Dad lit a real fire, so we'd be able to dry out quickly, then dad took us one by one (me first) into the shower, while Mum was on towel duty on the landing. Now, you can see from the photo, we are all gleaming white, fragrant and fluffy

Soon change that!

Deefer