PHEW!

Time for a sit down, I think.
What a long day it's been. But pretty productive I'm pleased to say. I now have two GLEAMING ovens - I decided I couldn't leave it any longer, just in case my Mum peeped in when she comes up on Saturday. I got this amazing stuff, not cheap, but very effective. You put all the racks and even the glass doors into a bag, fill it with this toxic liquid, swoosh it around a bit then leave it for a while and, hey presto, everything is spotless. Magic!
Started some food prep for the weekend, nothing major, but enough to make things easier tomorrow.
Rang Mum this afternoon. It's the fourth anniversary of Dad's death today and I wanted her to know that I'm thinking about her (and him) especially today. I vividly remember getting the phone call at 8pm and setting off to be with my Mum and the rest of my family in Yorkshire straight away. The weather was appalling - just like it's been for the past few days - and the drive seemed to go on forever. I still miss my dad, and often find myself having quiet little conversations with him even now. One thing's for certain - he would have absolutely loved Lily and Rose.

TICKETS ARRIVED...

... for Billy Elliot on Broadway! We're going on the Sunday evening, having arrived in NY on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it, although it'll be interesting to see if it's been Americanised at all. When Charles and I saw it in London during the summer we were amazed at how authentic the dialect was, although the vocabulary WAS pretty strong! Some of the Americans in the audience seemed a bit upset at the strong language, so perhaps it will have been toned down to suit their tastes!
James hasn't seen it yet, so we hope he'll enjoy it as much as we did.
You know, I should be getting REALLY excited about the whole trip, but over it all I have a dreadful feeling of GUILT because I'm leaving my girls for the best part of a week. Oh I know they will be fine with Paul and Annie, but I still think they might be a little bit upset by our absence! Okay - maybe I'm being a bit soft about this. Maybe I'm secretly hoping THEY LOVE ME SO MUCH THAT THEY NEVER WANT TO BE WITHOUT ME! But really I want them to be well balanced little dogs who can cope with a temporary change without getting too anxious. (Unlike ME who is already anxious to the point of feeling physically ill!)

WET, WET, WET!

AGAIN!
Still, at least we're not suffering the snow they've got in Scotland. In fact, if all this rain HAD been snow, we would have been up to our necks by now. (Well, those of us who are only 5ft 2ins tall would!)
I have managed to get the girls out for a reasonable walk (they didn't bark at the festival mac today), although they weren't too keen when we got to the lane as it has turned into something resembling a raging torrent. Now they're having a quick kip, although this probably wont last long as they're likely to be disturbed by loads of deliveries today. (Tesco, Amazon, Next and M and S - mostly food and birthday presents)
I'm trying to decide whether to clean the ovens BEFORE the weekend or leave it until nearer to the time that Paul comes - cos there's no way he's going to come and use manky ovens - especially as he is a SERIOUS cook. So, what to do? If I do it TOO soon, I may have to do it again before next week. On the other hand, if I get it done NOW and then use loads of foil I may not need to! Crikey - who would have though cleaning the oven could cause such consternation?
Anyway, I'll not make a decision yet. Coffee beckons...

THE FESTIVAL RAINMAC...

... has just made an appearance, much to the great distress, or maybe amusement, of the pups. Seriously I think they thought their Mum had turned into a gigantic, walking bin-liner and this caused them to turn into the pups from hell again as they competed with each other to see who could make the most noise to frighten this scary thing away!
I wouldn't care - I only put it on to go to the bin - that's how bad the rain is. The pups have their rainjackets on so they don't get soaked to the skin when they go out for a wee, but they really must have their legs crossed by now because they have flatly refused to go out for hours now. They think they want to and then I open the door and they practically get washed away by the deluge before they even set foot off the step.

GREAT RESULT...

... last night and brilliant team effort. I was nearly in tears when Enrique scored! Well done lads - only wish I had been there to soak up the atmosphere!
(My turn on Easter Monday!!)
I must confess to having a dreadful thought when the match had begun. The pups were not wearing their Toon tops. Aaaaaargh! We've kind of come to consider these as a bit of a good luck omen, but I'd popped them into the wash after our very muddy walk (the Toon tops, not the pups) earlier in the afternoon and had completely forgotten about them.
Apparently James had a similar worry when he, his dad and two mates rocked up at the Chinese where they usually enjoy their pre-match meal, only to find that there were no tables. He was convinced this was bad karma!!

Now then, I have to confess to having a lie in this morning. Charles got up at 7.00 and the pups were still asleep - and I eventually surfaced just before 7.45! Luxury!!
The girls have had two shortish walks already this morning, one with Charles before he went to work and another with me as we dodged the rain and managed to time it for a window of relative dryness.
They are now snoring gently...

AND NOW, TO BE HONEST...

... I am beside myself with nerves!
We've GOT to win tonight.
Come on Toon!!!

On the subject of the pups, they are also beside themselves...
... with boredom!
Now I know where the expression 'hangdog' comes from. You should see my two - they're gazing forlornly out of the window, willing the rain to stop!
Every now and again they kind of slump on the floor with a frustrated (and somewhat exagerrated to my mind!) sigh!
(Doesn't 'exagerrated' look weird when you type it? I've tried it with double r and single g, double g and single r, double r and double g, then gave up and looked it up and found BOTH the first two!
Right - forty five minutes to go before kick off. How on earth am I going to fill it?

STARTING TO GET...

... just a wee bit nervous about the football tonight!
Not that I'm going - James has my ticket and is going with his dad.
No, I'm reduced to biting my nails in front of the telly again. Does anyone else find it more nerve-wracking watching it on telly than when you're actually at the match? Or is that just me?
IF the result goes the right way, there should be an unbelievable atmosphere. I'm quite envious actually.

VERY FRUSTRATING MORNING

Not only is it WET, but we are waiting for Colin the boiler man to come and service the boiler, so we haven't been out for a walk yet and we're getting a little impatient! Truth be told though the pups have given up waiting and have collapsed into a sleepy stupor on their mat, looking pretty dejected and sorry for themselves!
Once he gets here, we can go out, even though we will undoubtedly end up getting soaked to the skin.
While we've been waiting around I've done the Tesco Big Shop online ready for the weekend. It sounds as though we'll have between ten and thirteen to cater for on Saturday, so I want to get organised pretty smartish. There'll be a couple of baking days at the end of the week no doubt!
(Charles made the suggestion that we actually go to Costco and BUY STUFF READY MADE to save me having to do it! He doesn't realise that a) THAT'S CHEATING and b) I LIKE DOING IT MYSELF! Mind you, I will send him to Costco to get some basic supplies in, just to keep him happy!)

DID I FOOLISHLY SAY...

.... Summer was just around the corner?
What WAS I thinking?
Have you seen the weather forecast?
Right - I'm going out with the dogs before we get snowed in!!

CATCHING UP

Right, where were we?
I think the last real post was written before Charles and I went to Gosforth to join Christina and Ifaquar for dinner last night.
We left the pups in the capable hands of James and set off bearing gifts of flowers and champagne.
To say we had a lovely evening is something of an understatement. We were wined and dined and entertained with lively conversation. Ifaquar was keen for us to sample some of the best Indian food in the North East, which we did although he kept apologising for not having prepared it himself - but it mattered not one bit because the company was great, the food was delicious and we had agreed last week that he would introduce us to this exquisite fare - so there was absolutely no need for him to apologise. We loved it!
I have to say that Christina looks and sounds really happy - and actually so does Ifaquar.
Aaaaaaah!
We didn't get home too late because we knew that James may want to go out for a while. The pups had been to sleep but woke briefly when we got in, just long enough to check that we were back where we belonged and then they were in the Land of Nod again.
The changing of the hour caught the girls out this morning and we had something resembling a lie in for the first time in - well for the first time since we brought them home!
Today has been a day of walks, having a quick shopping trip in Alnwick, seeing James for a couple of hours (he's not feeling wonderful today - but that has nothing to do with anything self-inflicted, because he didn't actually go out at all last night.
The girls have been lovely all day and are currently curled up with their dad enjoying their nightly telly time. Meanwhile I have started to write up some useful hints and tips for Paul who is coming to care for them while we are away. The notes start with - How to distinguish one from the other! I've produced copious notes already and I've only covered 1)Personal details, 2) Peeing and pooping and 3) Food!
Oh well, There's the best part of a fortnight to finish it, by which time it will have reached gargantuan proportions and Paul will probably take one look at it and think, 'Can't be bothered with that' and he'll no doubt just make it up as he goes along!

I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN...

... the blog! Honest!!
Just had a busy couple of days.
Will catch up later...

GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS...

... morning!
It's absolutely beautiful - clear blue skies and not a breath of wind.
Grate morning for a walk!
I have to say I'm enjoying the walks more and more. I'm even beginning to feel some benefit myself. Who needs the gym when you can get toned up for free!!
Charles is going to stay with the pups later this morning while I go to Morpeth (SAKs and shopping) and he's going to give them both a really good brush and comb.
Later James is coming round and he's going to stay with the girls while Charles and I go to dinner with Christina and Ifaquar in Gosforth.
Don't forget to put your clocks forward tonight. How great will it be tomorrow when the evening is light until about 8pm! Love it. Summer's just around the corner!

JUST BACK...

... from a very muddy walk down the lane.
The girls were really good ON the walk, BUT when we got back had another of their spats, initiated by Lily again.
I honestly don't know what triggers these incidents. For a time they seemed to be diminishing, but during the last few days have increased again. They're over and done with in seconds BUT I really don't want them to escalate any further.
I can't think what I'm doing wrong. The pups have plenty of exercise, lots of toys to keep them from getting bored. They obey most commands and we challenge inappropriate behaviour instantly. They are sleeping and eating well and are affectionate with us and with each other most of the time. We make sure they are both treated the same and are given affection equally. So I'm at a loss to know the cause behind the fighting.
Maybe I will need advice from an expert. Come on Dannymatt - I need your input here.

VERY UPSET LAST NIGHT

I don't really want to have to record this, because I was really upset yesterday. But there's no point only recording the positive progress, when the negatives are just as important , if less palatable.
The pups had gone to bed and were, I thought, settled for the night. I looked in on them a little while later to discover that Lily was in fact still awake and was worrying at her paw again. She'd done this a while ago and we'd had it checked by the vet who could find nothing amiss. We regularly check it too and there's no evidence of anything sore or irritating - but she was giving it a real chew last night.
I must have taken her by surprise and disturbed her because she flared up at the sleeping Rose (who hadn't even been aware of my presence) and then when I chastised her she growled AT ME. I was so taken aback that I confess to giving her a smack on the bottom. Not hard, but firm enough for her to be shocked and for me to feel AWFUL.
Admittedly she immediately became calm and submissive, but I hated to think that a) she would growl at me and b) that after all the positive training I've done with them I resorted in the end to a smack.
It made me feel a real failure - which I know is probably an over-reaction, but is nevertheless the way I felt. Of course I immediately started researching 'Growling...' on t'internet and everything I read said this is a major issue and must be stopped immediately or professional help may be needed...or words to that effect.
Now I feel as if we've got a delinquent pup and yet this time yesterday I was congratulating myself on how well behaved and settled they were.
This dog ownership lark is not without it's trials and tribulations, is it?

DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER...

... but way back in September I wrote about the saying 'As mad as a box of frogs' and told you the story of the box of frogs that we had in our garden when we'd filled in the pond which all fifteen frogs managed to hop out of causing great consternation all round...
... well I don't think they got very far, cos I've just been outside in the back garden and the noise from the bullfrogs is DEAFENING!
By the way did I tell you about the time I tumble dried a frog? No?
In fact to tell the truth I may well have washed it as well. It was back in the days when we had the washer and drier in the top end of the garage. (This was a real pain, because in the winter the pipes would freeze and the washer would be out of use until the thaw came - and that would burst the pipes and then we'd have a flood...)
Anyway, that's not what I was telling you. It was years ago, and I'd done a load of washing, bunged it all in the drier and was lifting it all out ready to iron, when something hard fell out of the pile onto the kitchen floor. IT WAS A HOT, ROCK HARD, DEAD BUT VERY CLEAN, FROG. I seem to remember a lot of screaming (Don't know why really, but I suppose it was the shock of a dead frog falling out of the washing) and then, once I'd recovered myself, having to throw a glass tumbler over it to stop the mad tomcat that we had in those days from snatching it away and gorging himself on des grenouilles!
Still not as funny as the pork chops that my Mum tumbled dried along with my brothers shirts, but that's another story...

NOT A VERY NICE MORNING

Pouring with rain - although the weather forecaster states that we will merely be having 'showers.' Hmmm, that's not what it looks like here.
The pups have had to dive outside for a quick pee and run back in to be towel dried - not much fun at all.
We probably won't clock up FOUR walks today girls. I'm sorry!
I was just thinking, DANNYMATT - how would you fancy bringing your girls up here one day and we could take them all out together. Your two could be good role models for mine. What do you think?
I was watching The Dog Whisperer last night (I have to have my daily fix!) and interestingly the programme featured two pug sisters who would suddenly flare up at each other and break into vicious fighting. Our two do still have their moments, usually following some sudden excitement when they turn on each other, often with Lily as the instigator. Cesar's technique was to simply grab the offending dog and to lie it smartly on it's back where he held it until it submitted to his authority. It occurred to me that this is not something we have done with Lily recently. Once we used the same technique when she was a baby and thought she would try growling at us - she never did it again! So the very next time they go for each other, the culprit is going to be flattened!

I'M STILL...

.... coughing like a good 'un - especially during the night. I have certainly taken over from Charles in that! Just as he appears to be getting over it and is able to sleep though the night, I'm the one who is up at all hours guzzling the Benylin!

GET IN!

1 - 0 to the Toon!
Not the most convincing scoreline, but a very useful 3 points nevertheless and in spite of all the furore surrounding Andy Carroll yesterday.
Apparently we are now guaranteed at least a play off place regardless of what happens in the rest of the fixtures. Not that we're satisfied with that - I'm sure everyone would be disappointed if we didn't finish top now.
Talking about being disappointed - the pups and I are very disappointed with the weather this morning. It's raining so heavily that we're having to delay our walk!! In fact the girls are looking a bit despondent at the moment - both lying down, with sad little faces, resigned to a day in the house with just a short walk between showers no doubt.

INGRAM VALLEY

Took the girls up there today. They loved it!
Lots of open space to run around in and a very tempting river as well. Didn't let them in the river though. I don't know how they'd cope with that and didn't fancy discovering that they couldn't swim and got carried away by the current!
They loved the relative freedom, even though they were still on long leads and charged around, bounding about having the time of their lives.
Can't wait to get back there - probably at the weekend.

AND THE NEWS THIS MORNING IS...

... that two of the NUFC squad have come to blows - probably from what I'm reading on the Newcastle Mad board, over a girl - leaving Taylor with a broken jaw and Andy Carroll with stitches in his hand.
Well done boys, who knows what impact your lack of control may have on the team?
Oh and we've got a match tonight, haven't we Andy? I wonder if YOU'LL be on the bus to Doncaster.

EXHAUSTED PUPS!

This is a good thing!
They're both so tired after their long afternoon walk that they can barely move now (Mind you, they DID shift pretty smartish when I mentioned that it was time for tea!)
I LIKE this walking business. Admittedly it's easier when Charles is with me as it is very helpful and reassuring to have an extra pair of hands for behaviour control - but the whole getting out in the fresh air and actually feeling as if I've had a bit of a workout is great. I'm beginning to get addicted to it (just as well, because you'll be doing it for quite a while, I hear you say!) and look forward to it almost as much as the pups do!!
I have to say that they ARE walking better now on the lead. At the beginning of a walk they both go a little crazy, but they soon settle down and can walk without tugging too much. Rose, however, walks twice as far as Lily because she constantly crosses from side to side. They're much better about meeting other dogs as well. Admittedly they will have a bit of a growl when they see one heading towards them, but they usually pass by without creating a fuss - so that is a big step forward.
My cold has also taken a big step forward today and I now feel pretty awful. I'm being a bit of a wuss I know, but I would really like to be tucked up in bed with a warm drink and a good book right now!

GLOOMY MORNING

Dark, grey and damp - not the sort of day I was hoping for as I fully intended to get some serious gardening done today. I had a quick tidy up yesterday, just cutting back dead stuff and getting Charles to lop the buddleia into some sort of shape again. He must think that Spring is definitely on the way because the tree fern was unwrapped after it's winter hibernation and all last years fronds were chopped off. I love watching it during the next few weeks as it's baby fiddleheads start to emerge. It's certainly one of the more dramatic plants in our garden.
So, probably need to change the plan for today as I'm not going out there when it's so miserable, especially as I am still feeling pretty yukky with this bug.
I'm going to need to begin writing a list of helpful hints and tips for Paul the Puppysitter. Actually we'll need to produce two lists - one just about the pups and another for general household stuff as he'll be here for the best part of a week and will need to know how everything works and all the little foibles he may encounter eg Don't stay in the main shower for more than ten minutes because the fuse will blow and sometimes the loo keeps on flushing and you have to do weird things inside the tank to get it to stop - just stuff like that!
So maybe that could be one of my jobs for today!

HOPEFULLY...

... we've exhausted the pups with two good walks today.
Certainly the humans are pretty tired right now! (We had that typical Sunday afternoon scenario, with Charles and James insisting on having the Man Utd match on and then both of them falling asleep though the entire thing, although James swears he saw the goals. Yeah, right! I, on the other hand, didn't go to sleep and watched the entire match!)
We're having an Indian tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to taste it through my cold which is progressing very nicely thank you. I've got a throat that feels like broken glass and spent half the night coughing - so Charles has done a sound job of passing it on.
We were just saying, well two things actually...
1) How nice it will be next week when the clocks go forward and
2) Three weeks today we'll be watching Billy Elliott on Broadway - can't wait!

BEACH OR PARK?

Trying to decide where to take the girls for a good leg stretch this morning.
The beach was favourite up until a little while ago when it looked as if it's getting quite overcast over there.
The park in Morpeth is a real contender, not least because we can go for hot chocolate when we've had a good walk.
I'd like to take the girls up to Ingram Valley, but think we should wait until the weather is a bit more settled for that. Has anyone been to College valley, which is very close to Ingram? I only ask because I understand that you have to have a pass to be admitted and I don't know how you go about that. Anyone know?
James is coming up for lunch today. Well it's Sunday so it's pretty much tradition. I don't imagine we'll see much of Christina as presumably she's all loved up with her new man!!
Charles is busy grooming the pups. He's just finished Rose and has taken off so much coat we could probably use it to knit a jumper. He is really good about brushing them and does it nearly every day, but sometimes they really get the works and that is what they've had this morning. Rose has such a soft, thick coat that it's really difficult to keep her tangle-free. When we take them to be done professionally we'll have to ask for advice about the best way of doing this. By comparison, Lily with her more wiry coat, is dead easy to groom and hardly loses any hair in the process.
Right, I've just taken the apple pies out of the oven, so that's pudding sorted out. I'll just go and organise the main course and then it'll be time to head out with the girls.

THE EQUIVALENT OF...

... watching Dr Who from behind the settee!
That's what it was like watching the NUFC/Bristol City match this evening.

HOW FUNNY...

... was James Corden last night?
Obviously we couldn't watch TV while we had our guests, but we recorded Sports relief and had a real laugh at the Smithy sketches - hilarious.
Everything went well last night, I'm glad to say. The pups were quite bemused by all the activity, but just watched from a distance and were as good as gold. They had a late night, which resulted in a more lazy start to the day today, not stirring until 7am, which was very welcome!
Christina's new man was very appreciative of the food - and certainly managed to tuck it away - I like a man who likes his food!!
I've woken up this morning with the beginnings of a sore throat and cold. THANK YOU VERY MUCH CHARLES.
We're just trying to decide how best to fill the day before the match this afternoon. The thing is, it's not particularly pleasant outside today, so we're a bit limited in our choice of activity, however, I'm sure we'll find something to do.
(James has just rung and will meet up with us in Morpeth if we want to go down there - that means he's hoping for breakfast somewhere!!!)

DON'T IMAGINE FOR ONE MINUTE...

... that I've been tardy this morning!
Cos I haven't! Anything but!
I wanted to crack on with as much meal prep as I can feasibly do in advance... so, the cheese souffles are ready to be popped back into the oven with the cream sauce, the leg of lamb just needs to be browned before going into the (very large) tin with the veg and the bottle of wine once I've managed to prise said item away from Charles. The trio of desserts are all done and just need to be plated up and there's an extra dessert in the shape of a raspberry meringue roulade which used up the egg-whites left over after making creme brulees.
The house has been cleaned and the pups are well groomed, so we're just about ready! Only need to wait about nine hours now!!

WELL, TO BE HONEST...

... we may have won the match last night, but SJP was like a MORGUE!
I've never known it so quiet - it was quite spooky.
However, we won and could have done so by a much greater tally, in fact Nolan's 'goal' was ruled off side so late that it was announced as a goal anyway! (It didn't stand, obviously!)
I wonder if NUFC supporters are so afraid that we'll go ahead and mess up, even at this late stage in the season, that they can't bring themselves to get over-enthusiatic when things are going well.
Apart from the total lack of atmosphere, James and I had a really good evening, starting with our traditional meal at the Spice Cube. (from which I am still recovering, just in case you're interested!)
The pups were brilliantly behaved for Charles and only stirred briefly when James and I returned home.
I don't think they'd realised that Jim was staying overnight, because their eyes nearly popped out of their heads this morning and they were all over him like a nasty rash!!
Right - busy day today. I'm starting the prep for tomorrow's evening meal. Christina is bringing her new gentleman friend round for the first time. (Lamb to the slaughter, I wonder? We are having five hour lamb actually!)
The menu I think will be - twice baked cheese souffles, lamb with ratatouille puffs and for pud, a trio of chocolate desserts (white choc brulee, brownie and dark choc mousse). That's what I'm planning at the moment anyway, so today I can get the souffles, brownie, mousse and brulee started and do the pastry for the ratatouille. Got to go shopping first though!
In the midst of all this food stuff I want to get the pups back to the dog park again as they enjoyed themselves so much yesterday.(As did I also!!)

JUST TAKEN THE PUPS...

.. to the Dog park in the village.
I don't know why we've not done this before.
Essentially of course it's just a big field - but it IS secure and does have a seat in there for exhausted owners.
It's great because I can put the girls on their extended leads and jog up and down and round and round with them. Good for them and good for ME too.
I COULD try letting them off their leads, but not until I know they will come back when they're called and I can try this using the long leash first so that I feel a bit more confident.
At least in the Dog Park they can't go too far if they decide to take off.
Can't wait to go again can we girls?!

HOW CRAZY IS THIS?

Charles went to the docs on Monday, having coughed pretty much incessantly for the best part of a week.
He WAS prescribed antibiotics BUT the GP asked him NOT to take them until WEDNESDAY IF HE'S NOT FEELING ANY IMPROVEMENT BY THEN!
Hmmmm! I can see a fundamental flaw in this plan!
The upshot is, of course, that he DOESN'T feel (or indeed sound) any better and has taken the first of his antibiotics this morning. He could however have been well on the mend by now if he'd started on Monday, I would have thought... in my humble opinion like!

THE PUPS WERE UP AT...

... 6am again this morning, which is a vast improvement on 5.30, but still a tad on the early side if you ask me. I only hope Paul (he's coming to look after them while we're on our jollies in NY) doesn't read this blog because the thought of such an early start when he's supposed to be relaxing and enjoying his holiday might just scare him off!

STARTING...

... to come out of the migraine now. It's taken most of the day to start feeling reasonably normal.
I haven't had a migraine for ages. I think the last one was in June on the morning of my retirement party.
I'm guessing it was probably triggered off by the bright sunlight this morning - migraines are always light related in my case.
Anyway, lets hope there isn't a repeat for a while.
I'm just sitting at the breakfast room window watching the pups who are having a bit of a boxing match and a good old tussle over one of their tugs. They've had a really good day today, being on their best behaviour, even when they had their walk down Villa Lane. They are such lovely company these days!

NOT POSTED MUCH THIS MORNING BECAUSE...

... am just getting over nasty migraine. Struck down at about 10.00 and took to bed to try and sleep it off. Just left with rung-out, hungover feeling, which is always grossly unfair when I haven't even had a drink!
Will wait a while until legs less shaky, then get the pups out for a walk.

'WESTIELIFE'...

... I LOVE IT DANNYMATT!
Or, if we were being really ambitious we could do a production of 'Westie Side Story' or even 'Hair'!

JUST TRIED...

... to get the pups booked in for a cut and blow dry, only to discover they can't have an appointment until 17th April, by which time I'll no doubt be plaiting their coats and giving them both Alice bands to keep their fringes out of their eyes!

CHARLES ISN'T VERY WELL.

In fact he's been quite poorly for the best part of a week now and doesn't seem to be getting much better. He has a dreadful cough and can hardly speak a sentence without having a coughing fit.
I hope he can get an appointment at the surgery this morning, because it sounds to me as if he has a chest infection, although the likelihood of getting any antibiotics out of our GPs is somewhat slim to say the least.

I FEEL GROSS THIS MORNING.

And that is solely attributable to the two very nice but very large meals I consumed yesterday.
I fact I feel a bit like a giant slug if I'm honest.
I've told Charles that I will be seriously cutting down on food intake for the next few days because I HATE feeling like this.
Crikey - if I'm feeling this bad now, what will I be like in NY? James and I have agreed that if we have breakfast we shouldn't need anything else to eat until the evening, although if I remember rightly the breakfasts would probably keep a normal person going for the best part of a week, so maybe we should just have a breakfast on our first morning and then nothing until the evening before we leave!
Unfortunately however, Charles has already started checking out all the possible eating places around our hotel, so I've a feeling HE won't be agreeing to the above plan!

POOR DAVID...

... Beckham.
I feel really sorry for him. He must be devastated by this injury.
Hope he gets well soon, even if it IS too late for the World Cup.

WHAT A LOVELY DAY!

James has been up for Mother's Day lunch - which he brought with him!
What a lovely idea. Thank you James. It was a real treat.
Later on I'm having ANOTHER meal with Christina at the Tree House in Alnwick gardens. It's ages since I've been there, so I'm really looking forward to it, although I'm beating myself up about downing TWO meals in one day.
I haven't even reaped the benefit of walking off lunch and getting a bit of exercise with the pups, because just as we decided to take them out the heavens opened, and as I'd just had my hair done yesterday (so I don't let Christina down this evening you understand) I opted out and Charles took them on his own (And NO I couldn't have worn a cap, because then I'd have ended up with 'cap hair' and that would have defeated the object of getting it done yesterday.)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY...

... to all others out there.
I WAS hoping that now I am the 'mother' of Lily and Rose, they might just let me have a lie in an breakfast in bed this morning.
But I don't think my girls have even heard of this tradition!

JUST BACK...

... from a rather muddy Villa Lane, with two absolutely filthy, mud-encrusted pups.
They've had a great walk though and to be honest, so have we as it's such a beautiful, WARM sunny morning.
I've been following my new Guru, Cesar's, tips for walking the dogs on the lead, and he's absolutely right - if I am relaxed and keep a loose lead, the pups will respond accordingly, reducing the degree to which they pull in order to maintain that comfortable feeling. This is new to me - I HAD been keeping the lead pretty taut with the result that the pups were constantly straining against it. So, thank you Cesar, you've helped us to have a wonderful walk today!

SATURDAY MORNING

And James is here, having come up to stay over night after taking his Ole Mum to Marabini's for a very nice meal last night.
(The only problem is that I now just feel as if I've turned into a gigantic garlic clove - not pleasant at all.)
He's still in bed of course, whereas we are NOT. Our little darlings were up at 5.45 - which is something of an improvement on previous mornings, but not a lot. They are however, very happy little things today, so it's actually a real pleasure to be around them. (They probably wouldn't say the same about me though, because of the garlic!)
Not sure what's going on today apart from James and I going to Saks at midday. It's looking as if it may be a reasonable day weatherwise, so hopefully we'll get the girls out for a good long walk and maybe I'll get a chance to do some tidying up in the garden too.
Just had a thought. Why is it that when you've had a huge meal one day and finish it thinking you'll never eat again, you wake up ravenous the next morning? I'd give my right arm for a full English just now - and I'm not normally a breakfast person at all.
The pups are already dressed in their Toon tops ready for today's fixture against the Smoggies. James isn't convinced we'll win today and is resigned to settling for a draw. I say - COME ON LADS YOU CAN DO IT - THERE'S GEORDIE PRIDE AT STAKE HERE!

THE PUPS ARE...

... absolutely fine, by the way - just in case you thought I was ignoring them due to the parcel saga.
Still up at the crack of sparrows, but contentedly so!
They were back to their now usual delightful little selves yesterday with no stressing about the dog next door. They really are lovely company these days and I'm beginning to dread the day in about four weeks time when we go off to the Big Apple and have to leave them behind. In fact, I probably won't be able to get excited about it until we've actually done the dreaded deed of leaving them and are on our way to the airport. It helps that Paul is coming to stay n the house to look after them - but not a lot! (Paul reminds me of the Dog Whisperer - I hope he is as calm and assertive when he's taking care of my two little cherubs!)

AND, AS IF BY MAGIC...

... the missing parcel appears!
Brought to the correct door by a very shame-faced DHL man - but as he was NOT the driver who left it AT THE WRONG PLACE YESTERDAY, he probably wasn't nearly as shame-faced as THAT man should have been.
Anyway, lots of apologies have been made by the staff of DHL and I am now almost best friends with Lesley in the Gateshead office, who seems to be a very nice girl and has certainly very efficiently sorted out this whole debacle.
Now I shall happily go and fill my wrinkles in and Charles can enjoy a shave!
Life doesn't get much better than this!

AND OBVIOUSLY...

... I have ended up having to do the phoning!
Admittedly it isn't 9am yet, but I started at 8 o'clock and have been passed from pillar to post ever since.
Allegedly the driver thinks he MIGHT have left the parcel at number 27 and left a card informing me he did this. Well, first off I WAS IN ALL DAY, secondly THERE WAS NO CARD and thirdly this would be miles away from our house and G Lowes certainly hasn't come rushing round with my goods.
So now I'm waiting while the driver, who can't actually remember accurately WHERE he took the parcel, to go and pick it up and then hopefully to deliver it to me. Lets just hope the G Lowes hasn't been trying out my wrinkle filling super-serum, or messing around with Charles' shaving gel, or spraying themselves with my perfume while going out shopping using the free shopping tote that came with the order BECAUSE I'D SPENT SO MUCH MONEY!
FURTHER UPDATES TO FOLLOW...

WELL! I'M GOING TO HAVE FUN...

... this morning!
Although the idiots at DHL Gateshead are probably NOT going to have quite such a good time.
Let me explain.
On Wednesday I ordered a load of stuff from Boots online. This was due to sheer laziness on my part as I could have popped to Morpeth for the items, but instead I decided that it would be easier to have everything delivered THE NEXT DAY ie YESTERDAY.
(To be fair, I probably wouldn't have done it at all, but Charles was wanting some special shaving gel stuff, so I thought I could get some stuff for me at the same time.)
Anyway, to cut a long story short, having waited in ALL DAY, no delivery arrived at all.
I waited until evening, because apparently it can take until 9pm and then decided to track the progress of my goods, FOLLOWING THE LINK FROM BOOTS.COM TO DHL.
How surprised was I to discover that said goods had in fact been delivered at 12.33 and that a certain G Lowes had very kindly signed for them.
WHO IS G LOWES? WHERE DOES HE/SHE LIVE? WHY WERE THEY SIGNING FOR MY GOODS? WHY WERE DHL DELIVERING MY GOODS TO ANOTHER ADDRESS?
So, as you can imagine, I was (and still am) somewhat less than happy, and ended up sending furious emails to both Boots and DHL, with the expectation that I would be contacted first thing in the morning (ie TODAY) with news about my goods and how these are going to be restored to me.
So, I am waiting with baited breath for the telephone to ring and can't wait to hear the excuses. I'll give them until 9.05. and if they haven't called I WILL BE RINGING THEM!
WATCH THIS SPACE!!

THE HELICOPTERS ARE BACK!

What IS going on?
That's two days running.
They're just circling round and round above Fram.
Why?
(I know I asked that question yesterday, so I'm not looking for answers. Well I AM actually, but not from blog readers!)

DANNYMATT AND RICHARD

Thank you for making me feel less lonely!
You will notice that I'm not replying on the comment thread. This is because I STILL appear to have a problem with publishing my comments. I don't know why this should be, but will get my technical assistant (Charles) to have a look at it when he gets a minute.
The other thing that I'm not able to do any more is to edit my posts directly from the blog which I used to be able to do, so something strange is going on.
Anyway - I am well aware of the first AND second signs of madness and should point out that if there was indeed a third sign I would probably fulfil all the criteria for that as well. I DO try to appease myself by telling myself (!) that I'm talking to the pups really, but do I actually need to be telling them what's on the shopping list, where we're going to go, what I'm going to do next, what I'm doing after that...? Probably NOT is the answer.
Do I CARE that craziness is confirmed and the funny farm is just round the bend? Not a jot!
As for the helicopters - you could be right. They could be spy-copters, scoping the land for signs of Westie abuse. (I DIDN'T REALLY MEAN I WOULD BATTER THEM WITH BRICKS WHEN THEY WAKE UP SO EARLY, HONEST SIR)
I think I was feeling a bit down yesterday. It just seemed as though all the hard work I'd done on stopping the barking went to pot after the incident with next door's dogs. For the first time in a good while I knew I wasn't calm and assertive which is what Cesar Millan says I need to be in order to be an effective pack leader. Well, we had two little white pack leaders yesterday and I was well and truly left outside the cave in the cold.
So, we begin again today! Fortunately the jitters that the pups had yesterday appear to have been forgotten (by them) and they are once more being responsive to my commands, and hopefully we'll have a better day today.
Clearly, now that I'm not taking my bat home any more, I'll let you know later!!

YESTERDAY...

... wasn't one of our better days - at least not after the incident with the dogs over the fence. (Next door's dogs - not OUR dogs)
The shock of the incident left the pups absolutely manic. They could NOT settle to anything afterwards and continued their low level grumbling and whining all evening. Every little noise set them off again as they paced the house as if checking for intruders. They really seemed terribly spooked and insecure. I think they are probably affected so badly because they can't actually SEE the other dogs and can only HEAR the frantic scrabbling from next door.
Anyway they eventually settled down and slept through till their now usual 5.30. Short of getting up and whacking them over their heads with a big brick, I'm not sure how we get them out of this habit, but it IS beginning to become a little tiresome - literally!
We're just getting ready to go for our first walk of the day. It's another lovely morning - we're starting to get quite used to this settled weather. At least we've had a break from soggy doggies for a while!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU...

... TRUSTY DANNYMATT AND RICHARD!
(I'm still getting my head round that third paragraph Dannymatt!)
Well the rest of the world can go take a hike, all's right with MY world if I know you two are around!!

JUST WONDERING...

... why there have been two helicopters circling the sky above Longfram for the past two hours.

OH AND JUST IN CASE ANYONE IS IN THE LEAST BIT INTERESTED...

... the pups have had a good day thank you very much, until the two labradors next door decided to scare them to death by doing a pretty good imitation of mad dogs attempting to jump over a six foot fence.
Lily and Rose are now jibbering wrecks and consequently so am I.

AM I TALKING TO MYSELF?

I'm beginning to feel extremely lonely on here.
In fact if it weren't for the fact that it'll be nice to look back at the blog when the pups are all grown up I really wouldn't be bothering.
Okay, so the blog has had over 8000 hits - BUT NO ONE EVER COMMENTS apart from Dannymatt and Richard.
WHY NOT?
IF YOU ARE READING IT WHAT'S SO DIFFICULT ABOUT ADDING A COMMENT?
Where are all the dog owners who could share their wealth of knowledge?
I AM FED UP OF TALKING TO MYSELF!

GOOD WALK...

... this morning.
It's such a lovely day - a bit chilly, but sunny and bright. The pups walked pretty well really. Rose still pulls quite a bit at first, despite all the strategies we use to prevent this, but once the initial excitement is out of the way she calms down and is able to walk on a loose lead.
Charles was commenting on their different walking styles. Lily is totally focused on where she's going, whereas Rose is constantly looking around and would go off and sniff every blade of grass if she was given the chance. But this is just what their personalities are like. Lily is calm, unruffled and relatively quiet. Rose, on the other hand, is much more skittish and easily excited. If Lily was left to her own devices she would lie around all day, or snuggle up on any available lap for as long as possible. Rose has to be on the go all the time. She wakes at the slightest noise and seems to feel as if she has to be the guard dog, protecting her 'little' sister constantly.
I have to say that during the last three weeks we have noticed an enormous change in their behaviour generally. Both pups are much more inclined to respond to commands quickly and the incidents of sibling fighting are greatly reduced from the previous daily battles. They are delightful company (most of the time) and considerably easier to manage.
This may be an age thing, or it could be the result of their operations or the use of consistent training - or indeed a combination of all three. But whatever it is, it is very welcome!

WAS WOKEN AT 2 AM...

... by one of the pups, Rose I think, barking. When I staggered through to their room I discovered that one of them - Lily I'm guessing - had been sick and had regurgitated a bit of one of the plastic puppy toys that I had relegated to the bin the day before yesterday having noticed that it had been chewed so much that chunks were missing from it.
If I seem a bit vague about which pup did what it's only because by the time I got to them they were both sitting up ready to greet me and I'm basing my supposition on the fact that the little pool of vomit was in the same place that Lily was in when they went to sleep!
Anyway, both girls popped outside for a wee, then immediately settled down again, leaving me wide awake and struggling to get back to sleep. I feel as if I've only dozed since then, partly because I wanted to be alert to further vomiting, so when they woke again at 5.30 I can't say I was too happy to be getting up for the day.
You'll be pleased to know, as I am, that both pups seem fine this morning.

NOT MUCH...

... TO REPORT TODAY.
Although I have whizzed into Morpeth (to get a birthday card for Hannah and a Mother's day card - for my Mum) with the pups and to my great delight have found that all the potholes that I was whinging about last week have miraculously been filled in. Mind you, it looks to be a bit of a Heath Robinson patch up job, so I'd probably give it a month or so, before cars start disappearing into the depths of the earth again.
To be honest, we haven't done much today. We had yet another early start - but in fairness Charles got up first today. We had a very pleasant early morning walk into the village, then it's been the usual mix of feeding, sleeping and playing (the pups, not me!)
I caught up with my sister on the phone earlier. She sounds a LITTLE better, but nowhere near ready to go back to school.
The pups have had plenty of time in the back garden today, so they've had a pretty good workout chasing each other around. When Charles gets back we'll take them out again and get them really tired. The only problem with that is that they then go to bed at about 8 o'clock which is rather early when we're trying to get them to sleep longer in the morning.

EARLY START AGAIN!

What IS going on girls?
You never used to get up at 5.30!
Dad thinks it's because the birds are waking you up.
Well, I HAVE NEWS...
... in a few months time those same birds will be up at about 4am and there is no way we are starting our day then - SO YOU HAD BETTER GET USED TO THEM PRETTY DAMN QUICK!

A BIT OF A PANIC!

That's what we had over the weekend, when James was unable to find the passport he's going to need in about five weeks time when we head of to the Big Apple.
He'd last had it in September when he went to Turkey, but hadn't seen it since then.
Now, I know James well enough to know that he is usually so well organised that losing something as important as his passport was most unlike him. However, it appeared (or rather it didn't!) that it was not in his flat and he asked if it could possibly be at our place. Needless to say we've had the place turned pretty much upside down, although I was convinced that it couldn't be here because if I'D put it away it would have gone into the drawer with the other passports.
So we had a fruitless search yesterday, even going through stuff in the loft, and had come to the conclusion that he would probably have to declare it lost and apply for a replacement. In a way this may have been quite fortuitous as he would not have had his Algeria stamps in a new one and he is convinced that he'll get interrogated at JFK because of these.
However, he rang this morning to tell me that he'd gone through a drawer that he'd already searched and had located said passport in a drawer full of CDs and it was actually stuck to the bottom of one of them. Great that he's found it (even though he WILL probably have to go into the little room to be interrogated and strip-searched) although, as he said himself, he cannot imagine putting it into a CD drawer himself.
Hmmm - someone's been up to monkey business methinks!

SHAMPOO FOR WHITE DOGS

This stuff is AMAZING.
I suppose it's the canine equivalent of shampoo for blondes!
We bathed the girls last night - although we had already PLANNED to do this, it was pretty much imperative because the little darlings had only managed to pull a filthy tarpaulin from our neighbours garden through the tiniest gap in the fence and looked like they'd just got off the coal wagon!
Anyway, it was the first time we'd used this special shampoo which goes on blue and makes the pups look pretty scary - like extra-terrestrial dogs! - until it's rubbed in and lathered when it goes white. It didn't seem to create as much lather as the previous shampoo and was really easy to rinse out.
The pups seem to really enjoy the process of bathtime now, even the drying and brushing bit which they used to barely tolerate.
And their coats have come up sparkly white and glistening! They look lovely!

A FIRST TODAY!

We decided to take the girls to the park in Morpeth for a walk by the river - and they had a great time!
Despite the initial unpleasant negotiation of the vomit splattered footbridge (Leave it Lily!) we had a lovely walk, coping with the geese and the ducks, with joggers and toddlers and even the drunken man who was yelling right into the face of his poor labrador.
We walked right along the riverside and then crossed the bridge by the clock tower and walked to the new arcade where the girls sat very politely while we enjoyed mugs of hot (well lukewarm actually) chocolate outside the new coffee place.
THEY WERE BRILLIANT!
They needed the occasional reminder about not pulling and walking close, Lily barked once when we were in the middle of town and it suddenly got very busy and noisy, but apart from that they were fab!!!

6.30am

You may be interested to know that the pups are now curled up together on the leather chair and they are...
... FAST ASLEEP!
Jolly jape that one girls - let's get Mum up at silly o'clock and then we'll have a good old shut eye just when she's got to the point where she couldn't get to sleep again if she tried.
Could be a long day today!

ROSE...

... seems to have got over her little limping session from yesterday.
I still have no idea what caused it, but I noticed it while we were out walking although Charles said he couldn't see anything wrong with her then.
He could though when we got home and she was still doing it. He had a close inspection of the poorly leg, but couldn't see anything amiss, but still she kept on limping.
Anyway, by the time I got back from the hairdressers and HE got back from the game she was absolutely fine and jumping around like a mad thing again.
Speaking of the game, I'm actually quite glad I DIDN'T go yesterday, although I WOULD have liked to see the Spiderman mask! No, I'm glad because if I had been with James I would have ended up being picked up and hugged so many times (well 6 actually!) that I'd have ended up getting thoroughly dizzy, disorientated and having a nose-bleed. James doesn't wave his scarf in the air like all the other fans - he just waves ME!!!

5 o'clock (whisper)

At 5am the pups decided they'd had quite enough sleep thank you very much and so my day began.
I initially tried letting them out for a wee and then getting them to settle again - but this didn't fit in with THEIR ideas at all. No THEY were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and fully expected ME to be as well!
Yawn!

JUST BEEN FOR A WALK...

... AND ROSE HAS COME BACK LIMPING.
It's her front right leg, although on close inspection we can see nothing wrong.
She's not wincing, just very clearly limping. Perhaps after a little rest she might feel a bit better - I hope.

THE GOOD NEWS IS...

...that Lovenkrands and Enrique are both fit and may play today.
The bad news is that Nicky Butt is also fit and may play today!

IT'S SATURDAY...

... and it's RAINING!
TYPICAL!!
Hopefully it'll dry up quickly because we're planning to take Lily and Rose for a jolly good leg stretch this morning.
I didn't post yesterday afternoon, but the girls had a bit of a scare when they were playing out in the back garden. The guy next door was creating a racket in his garden right next to our fence. I don't know what he was up to, but it sounded as if he was crushing a load of cans or something and the pups were terrified!
They completely lost the plot and , when I eventually got them calm enough to come inside, both were trembly and whiny for hours afterwards.
Clearly they were really spooked by whatever it was.
This morning, however, all that is forgotten, and they have been little cherubs since they got up at 6 o'clock!
They seem to really love weekends and having their Dad at home!!
Right, I'm going to get their breakfast organised.
Back later.

WHY HAVE THE MAIN ROADS IN MORPETH...

... all turned into something resembling a lunar landscape!
I took the pups out this morning and found that whichever route I took through Morpeth I was forced to encounter enormous potholes which I either had to swerve to avoid, or if this was not possible, disappear into with the very real danger of not emerging again. The really strange thing is that I think they've just appeared overnight. Perhaps Morpeth is going to subside completely and be swallowed up in a big black underground hole.
I'm sure the blame will be put on the severe weather combined with the heavy trucks that have swarmed all over the town during the building of the Sanderson Arcade - but seriously you take your life in your hands on those roads.

DANNYMATT!!!

I AM trying to post replies to your comments - honest! But as soon as I press to publish my messages disappear.
Anyway - I'll trump your immaculate dishwasher with cleaned out fridges, shelves and salad boxes washed thoroughly and all food replaced in logical, date order!! Your turn...

TGIF

That's what Charles says anyway!
Haven't got major plans for the weekend although I'm off to the hairdressers tomorrow for the appointment I had to postpone last weekend. Unfortunately this means that I will have to miss the NUFC game - again - as the only available time was 2pm.
Instead of me, James is going with his Dad and Christina has agreed to puppy sit for the afternoon.
Hopefully we will have been out for a good long walk before she takes up her duties, so that the pups give her an easy time!

THE COMBINATION OF...

... the beautiful weather and the fact that my niece, Hannah, has just posted the pics of our boating holiday from last year (better late than never, eh Han!) on Facebook, really makes me wish summer was here!

JUST GOT...

... some new curtains for the pups room.
Probably inadvisable, but the previous pair were so heavy they were weighing down the brackets on the curtain pole and we were in danger of having the whole thing collapse - again!
These are very nice pale kingfisher greeny/blue and much lighter weight - so good for Spring/Summer and not likely to pull the pole away from the wall.
Talking of which - it's another gorgeous day today. I bet James wishes he wasn't at work so he could rock around in his shorts and flip-flops again!
Wonder how the trip to Eden Camp is going. Hope they remembered the sick bucket!
(I could NEVER do that you know. All the times I've taken groups of kids out on visits I've fortunately never had to clean up sick. Thank goodness, because it would actually make ME physically ill myself!)
Poor old Charles hasn't got anything with him for lunch as he didn't think he was going when he left the house this morning. I hope someone will share with him! Knowing the kids they'll have been wanting to get into theirs by the time the got to the Angel of the North! I wonder how many times he's been asked that good old favourite - 'Are we nearly there yet?'

HE WASN'T EXPECTING THIS BUT...

... Charles has just rung to say that HE is now on his way to Eden Camp as one of his staff hasn't turned up for school this morning. Must be quite a vicious bug going round as he has so many off this week.
Anyway, I'm sure he'll enjoy his day out!!

MUCH TOO EARLY

Charles had to be at work by 7.30 this morning, so we had a very early start to the day, although according to HIM it was even earlier than I thought because the pups were apparently up and ready to play at 5.15!
I have to say I didn't hear a thing and I am usually so well tuned into them that I can tell if they've so much as sniffed in the night. But obviously I was in too deep a sleep on this occasion.
He needed to be at school so early because a group of kids are off to Eden Camp (the WW2 museum) in North Yorkshire and needed to set off at the crack of dawn as it's such a long trek down there. I bet some of their parents have fund it a struggle to get them to school on time today!

DOG WHISPERER

I'd never come across this guy before, but he was on the One Show last night and sounded really interesting, so I decided to watch one of his training programmes today.
Looks like there's another series to record!
He has such a quiet and calm approach to the dogs he's working with and yet they are in no doubt about who's in charge.
Look out Lily and Rose - your lives may be about to change quite dramatically!
For example - Charles may think it's really cute that they jump all over him when he gets home, but that is about to stop! We're going to go for less enthusiastic greetings from now on.
The girls have had another great day playing outside - in fact they appear to have literally worn themselves to shreds and are spark out in their room now!

THE PUPS HAVE JUST HAD...

... their first proper walk since the operation.
It wasn't a long or particularly strenuous walk, but got them back on their leads again following quite a long break.
Now that the mornings are getting lighter, it's going to be easier for Charles and I to get them out before he goes off to work.
I'm going to ring my sister later this morning,as she's back at the docs today to see how her pneumonia is responding to treatment. Not too well, judging by the way she sounded on Monday I'm afraid. At least she's staying off work for a while until she gets over it, so this is good news.
We also have the Tesco delivery coming this morning and no doubt the Rington's man will be paying his fortnightly visit, so it'll be interesting to see how the pups manage their NO BARKING behaviour.
It was brilliant yesterday when James, Charles and Christina all turned up at the house, we didn't have any barking whatsoever. Previously we would have been practically deafened by their yaps! I honestly cannot believe the impact of the Pet Corrector spray. It has absolutely transformed our girls and we haven't even been using it for a week yet!
Right, I'm off to make a cappuccino - be back later!

APPLE SHORTBREAD

Wow!
I think I may need to write this recipe down!
James and I have just had a little sample. The idea was to make it taste as good as the stuff they used to sell in Central Bean, but without it being difficult to cut neatly. Quite a fine balance then because you want shortbread to be light and crumbly in texture, but it also needed to be firm enough to hold the weight of the apple filling and to be cut into slices without falling apart. Oh, and not soggy like the Central Bean Shortcake
Well - I've done it!
I made an apple puree and drained all the excess juice. Then I made a fairly standard shortbread, using semolina in with the flour to give it a hint of crispness.
I part baked the base layer, then added the filling and top layer. Everything was pressed lightly but firmly into place and the portions marked out before baking.
Result - a really light, crumbly and tangy shortbread, that cuts perfectly even into tiny slices!
I'm really pleased with it!

FLIP-FLOPS...

... shorts and a tee-shirt!
That's what James was wearing when he came to see us this afternoon!
Told you it was a nice day!

THE PUPS...

... are sunbathing on the front step!
They are thoroughly enjoying themselves in this lovely, and very unexpected, weather.
I, on the other hand, am making up a recipe for apple shortbread. Why? Because when Charles and I went for coffee on Sunday morning, I was devastated to discover that Central Bean have stopped selling this wonderful concoction because, 'it's too difficult to slice neatly!"
So, I'm having a go myself! I'll show 'em!

BEAUTIFUL MORNING

Not a cloud in the sky. Brilliant sunshine. Gorgeous!
James has just rung to say he's taken a holiday today, so we'll probably meet up later. I might take the pups down to Morpeth, or on the other hand, he may come up here during the afternoon. (With his laundry I expect!)
Felt sorry for Charles this morning. He's got SIX members of staff off work today and was in a bit of a stressed state before he left for school. (He certainly didn't want to know about Rose's messy bottom!!! Which in fairness, YOU probably don't want to know about either - but it is unfortunately part and parcel of dog ownership, especially when said dog has a very fluffy bum!)
The pups are being lovely this morning. They had a bit of a lie-in, which is always good, and have played happily and companionably together for the last couple of hours.
(By the way - when do they STOP being pups? How old do they have to be to be considered 'grown up'?)

WHY DO MY COMMENTS KEEP DISAPPEARING?

I've tried four time now to reply to Dannymatt's comment about the Happy Heart Slideshow - and each time I try to post, the comment disappears?
What IS going on?

JAMES IS OFF TO...

... the Stereophonics gig at the Arena tonight.
The last time he went to see them he went with his dad who passed out during the last song.
He's going with his mate Tom this time!!
Enjoy it Son!

CAGED ANIMALS

After almost a fortnight of enforced quiet and calm (!) the pups have been allowed into the back garden for a little while this afternoon.
AND THEY WENT CRAZY!
Chasing each other round and round at a zillion miles per hour!!
I've only let them have ten minutes out there, because we did agree with the vet that we would introduce LIGHT exercise gradually. However, I have a feeling that this probably wasn't the sort of light exercise she had in mind, but there you go, it's done now!

AND THE VET SAID...

... that the pups are absolutely fine and should proceed to engage in GENTLE exercise now.
OOOOPS!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE TRULY OCD WHEN...

... you have to scrupulously clean up your e-mail in-box and trash every day without fail.
I can't bear to have random spam and stuff hanging around on there.
I bet no one has cleaner email than I do!

WE'RE GOING TO THE VETS TODAY...

... for the pups check up and hopefully to get them signed off after their operations.
Personally, I'll be very surprised if they are NOT passed as fully fit. The way they're rolling over, running around and jumping about this morning leads me to believe this!