Fat camp.

Izzzy Wizzy Wizole Wumps... or Izabel for short.  10 years young this coming August, so technically 9 and a bit.  Heavy - that is those big sturdy Welsh bones - very fluffy and desperately in need of a good groom; which is this afternoon's big job!

Iz in the snow 2014.

Gorgeous, isn't she?  I might be a bit biased as she is my baby, the first.. .and last.... puppy we will ever own.  Having always had rescue dogs (and cats before Iz and since) Iz was the puppy we choose to live with us and our now departed Suki (Lurcher X).  Having never had a puppy, we, as a family, decided we would give it a go, she was hard work but worth it.  Obviously the family all wanted to help out with walking, grooming, picking up the poo, training and all the  jobs that go with being responsible dog owners.  It was them telling me how helpful they would be that convinced me to have a third dog.  Their good intentions barely lasted the week but by then my maternal instincts had kicked in and I was super protective of my fluffy bundle of mischief and despite her reluctance to be less than the stubborn lead tugging creature she still remains we enrolled in obedience classes. It wasn't long before she made the trainer use the F word due to her refusal to come back preferring instead to wander over to the nursing home residents (the group ran in the grounds of a beautiful old nursing home) introduce herself and get fed cake! 

It was not her finest moment but in later classes we could console a young girl whose Spaniel was being particularly naughty and the girl was in tears, after telling her she wasn't doing too bad the trainer was yet to swear at her dog in exasperation she cheered up no end.

And so life has pretty much been run her way ever since.  We tried the halti to stop the lead pulling, she threw herself on the floor and I dragged her down the drive on her side until she relented for a second - and a piece of sausage - and got to her paws.  She was not to remain standing the second the sausage hit the stomach she threw herself back down on the lane.  

We don't use a halti.

Christmas Day 2015 up Skirrig Fawr with Jacqui (my friend), Defi on the left, Basil on the right and Dils at the back.

We have always had big dogs.  Our first dog together, the husband and I, was Ricky a big black and gold German Shepherd with 'issues'.  He really set the precedence for having animals that needed a forever home and I learn't very quickly that dealing with animals that have not had the best start in life was hard work but very rewarding.

Ricky lived to be 15 years old and was with us for 14 of those years.  In all that time I was very careful to balance his daily diet with his weight and exercise.  Big dogs, especially Shepherds, have problems with their back legs and carrying too much weight shortens their activity and life.  We found the right balance with Ricky and he was still wandering around, albeit slowly, on his own steam the day he died.

Time for a snooze whilst I work in the glass studio.  January 2016.

 Suki, our beautiful 'old lady dogs' as I called her was a barrel!  A Heinz 57 mix of just about every breed but narrowed down by the rescue home as Lurcher X.  She was lovely was Suki, biddable happy little soul that sadly left us too young at 13 with cancer.  It was Suki that welcomed Iz as a puppy, although welcomed was pushing it, it took a good 3 months for Suki to forgive us for introducing such a bundle of energy into her sedate life and accept Iz as a friend, once the bond was forged they spent 4 or 5 years playing together in the garden and taking long walks, made longer by Izabel's insistence on not coming back!

January 2016, buddies in mud!  Izabel left, Defi right.

If Suki taught Iz one thing it was to be lazy, not that Suki was lazy she was an active little thing in her day charging about like a loon and jumping into my husbands arms at the end of the day when he walked in through the door and of course she grew up with two kids who were under 10 in those days and so much fun in the garden was shared as well as crayon eating: Suki did like to munch on a good crayon and our garden was often bright and sparkly from red, purple, green.. glitter poos!

Iz excelled in one lesson at dog training.  Down, stay.  She would lie down and go to sleep. She would probably be there now if I hadn't woke her up with sausages and brought her home!

She loved agility, she ran the see saw like a professional in the agility ring, the tunnel was zipped through at the speed of light - once we figured out how to stop her lying down in the middle of it for a quick snooze, the other dogs crashing like a cartoon into the back of her and causing congestion round the circuit!  The long jump, she flew through the air her soft feathers floating like angel wings on a cloud.  She was brilliant.....

...right up to when the trainer tried to tell her how to do things properly, that is, not her way.  After weeks of her refusing to jump, get up, move at all.. we got busted down from the top group to the toy terrier group.  I was humiliated.  When the class ended and it was fun time, she was back on form and top of the group.  Tell her what to do......

We left agility soon after.

Iz @2012

Then there was Gordy.  The day he arrived Iz lay down in front of him and he climbed onto her back for comfort.  She looked at me, I looked at the husband, we all looked at Gordy and Iz went back to sleep.  When Gordy is having a bad day, when the dribble is flowing like a leaky faucet it is always Iz that he climbs onto for comfort.  He gets a bit hot does Gord and Iz will raise her head get eye contact which means 'please remove him' before getting off the sofa.  She is a great step mum to Gordy, she doesn't play with him like Defi does but she does the important work of caring, when he is not his normal self.

Iz and Gordy December 2015

So Monday February 1st 2016 dawned on an unusually dry day here in Hereford and the husband and I set off for a visit to the vet with Iz.  Nothing serious just annual check up and boosters with a quick stand on the doggy scales to check that weight.

41.8kgs!!!!

Now I knew she had gained a pound or two but 10kgs in 1 year!! I couldn't believe it.  Iz was fat!  The vet started talking to me about Fat Club for Dogs held monthly at the surgery, that made me choke a bit but the husband nearly passed out when the vet told him about this special new food for over weight dogs which of course in vet language means a small mortgage to feed your dog each month!  

I was mortified, I had an over weight pet.  I have never had an over weight pet before I had always been so careful, obviously with Iz not careful enough.  I am sure she was nearly in tears too as the vet discussed how she was at risk of diabetis, heart problems... death!  

Other than the ENORMOUS weight gain, Iz is as healthy as can be and now on a strict diet and exercise program.

I did get home and Google (I love Google he knows everything, he is like a husband to whom you are not married!) the dog food I am currently feeding my dogs having changed to this particular brand approx 9 months ago, the last food, excellent stuff, made the dogs poo orange and I was being a bit posh and snobby over having dog poo in the garden that you can see from space.  So Google told me that this brand of dog food is most likely one of the worst kind for additives and 'doggy sugars'.  I did start reading about calorific value and it did get all scientific and clever so I turned Google off and advised the husband person that we are going back to glow in the dark poo and the brand that creates that.

We also take the ball down to the fields again.  In a week I have lost a pound and a half because Izabel thinks the game is leaving the bloody thing behind us and waiting for me to fetch it!

January's Spring Clean.

 Blowing the dust of my blog is just one of the areas I have been Spring cleaning in my life since we stepped into 2016. The kids are still refusing to leave home and now even talk about the high cost of rent and how they have an easier time at home with servants... that would be me then, chief washer upper, clothes picker upper, clothes washer, hoover pusher, but not shopper or cook as those skills still elude me.  One of my new ideas for this brand new year, is to learn to cook, last year (2015) I actually conquered the intricacies of cooking an omelette and to date I have cooked at least three, one of which my son actually said was good.  He was starving at the time, been at work for 12 hours and was chilled to the bone and just wanting food, but I will take my cooking compliments where I can get them.

Last week I got stuck into clearing the wardrobe, ten years of piling 'stuff' in a walk in triple doored cupboard of a wardrobe, in a modern house it would be called the small bedroom.  I love this space and have used it to store an air-con unit my husband insisted on getting back in 2008 (or so) which was probably only used that one summer and since been stored due to lack of summer heat.  On top of the air con unit is Aslan, a massive handmade (6ft with tail) lion that was made for me when I was a child and I refuse to throw away so Aslan has been carted from one side to the country to another and stuffed in a variety of wardrobes and under beds.

Charley at 17

Charley approx 1 year old.

With Aslan and other stuffed toys I can't part with including my kids first teddies from when they were small, is shoes, camping equipment, a plastic skeleton for Halloween, the carved wooden elephant chair with the rattan seat my husband inherited from his Grandmother when she died, thought to be worth something but its one of those 'pick one up from eBay for £50 on a good day pieces of furniture....  old canvas' from my painting days amongst the discarded dog hairs that are embarrassingly large balls of hairy dust and the big box of photos and things that I have kept from the early 1990's when my kids were born.  The first paintings, old school reports and lots of photos of my daughter (and son!) which show her off to be the ugly bug she was as a baby.  Charley, my daughter, was helping me sort through the wardrobe, she was instrumental in getting me to throw away most of my clothes that were outdated, threadbare, washed out and seriously tired.  She moaned at me a lot that day for not wearing the lovely collection of clothes she has brought for me over the last 12 months, her being the shopper of the family.  We laughed at her in the photos, covered in chocolate, sat in the washing basket, or my favourite of her in the garden trug looking miserable and fed up - she still hates being outdoors in the fresh air doing jobs around the garden and at 20 can honestly say she has never cut the grass!  That saying, ugly baby beautiful child, is right from an ugly bug she did turn out ok.

Some one cute and dribbly just laughed and laughed... and kept out of the way of any clearing out. 

 Gordy plays a huge part in my life as does Teeko, Izabel and Defi, both the latter having been in the wars this week, Iz has a black eye from a fight down at the river (which she didn't start) and Defi managed to catch his nail on one of his front paws the following day and has been limping, when you stand near the treat box,  when he thinks he might get some sympathy.

Teeko has been snoozing on top of the fish tank letting the heat warm his old bones.

So this blog is going to about them and me, what we get up too, the trials and tribulations of living with an older cat, a cat with special needs, one dog with separation anxiety and the other that loves to roll in ..... stuff!

Until next time from Dust, Dribble and Dog hairs, long may the hoover suck! 

Clown hound.

I was watching Air Bud the Disney film with the Golden Retriever that sold us on having a Golden and getting our Iz, what they don't tell you on the film is that Golden's are not as well trained as Buddy the dog in the film is, it takes a lot of work to get this stubborn loveable hound that well trained; they are however wonderful family dogs that love games and are very happy waggy tailed creatures that will raise a smile from 'almost' everyone that meets them - read my last post for more details on the odd person who can't raise a smile!

 

 Back when we had just our Suki, our lovely Heinz 57 variety mix mongrel from the rescue centre, Ricky our beautiful German Shepherd having passed away, my kids were younger then and we sat one rainy summer afternoon and watched Air Bud and the love affair for Golden Retrievers was born.

 

 

In the film, Buddy is a Clown hound for a mean clown and he meets a little boy that has lost his dad and between them they heal each other and find a new forever loving home.  Its a classic Disney tale designed to tug at the heart strings - it works we live with two mud wallowing waggy tailed Golden's now - and make you weep with tears of saddness then those of joy.....

...not a brilliant combination when you are at the torch, long hot flame stretching before you and melted glass on the rod waiting to become the arms and legs of the next creation.  But it did inspire my Clown hound.

 

You can find my glass creations in my Etsy shop waiting to be adopted.

www.Izzybeads.Etsy.com

 



The Trout Trainers

You know the type; the Sunday morning, dog trainers with their clean wellys and posh body warmers from a named and labelled brand.  They stand there in a circle with their over weight pooches talking amongst themselves about how dogs should behave and throwing dirty looks over to the rest of us walkers in scruffy clothes, our dogs running with each other, chasing balls, rolling in cow pats and wet grass, barking in delight and having a great time, their muscles lean and toned, whilst we, those in scruffs, laugh and walk, whistling and calling our much loved pets and generally enjoying the weather; whether it be sun shine or rain or deep snow with icicles hanging from branches and glowing from within whilst we walk in thick jumpers and hats, obviously on those days the Trout Trainers are not out and about, they only do fine weather.

Trout Trainers?

Well, they all look like they have been slapped in the face with a wet fish, their scowling faces set in a downward tilt from years of looking down their noses at us mear pet owners.

The group that frequents the river walk on a Sunday morning has become smaller, hopefully those other members realizing that you can't train an over weight puppy who only wants to run and jump and play not learn to sit at heel and have the joy of life replaced by some sour faced old hag telling him that life is about learning and all fun is cancelled.

There was a time I would put my dogs on leads to walk past, but now I don't, call me rebellious but I can't stand to see dogs, over weight and joyless; my dogs might not be the most obedient of the year but we have rules, I like them to play nicely, be friendly and have waggy tails, they know that the first rule of the house is make sure they get the best spot on the sofa before any one else, take up as much room on the bed and when 'she in charge' aka me, looks like she is going to blow a gasket because we are not listening, run to heel, sit, look up with butter wouldn't melt adoring brown eyes and the smallest tail tip wag will guarantee complete success in winning her over.

So I let mine run forward and join the over weight black Labrador puppy, he could only have been 12 months old, this morning.  Defi always does the introductions perfectly, I am very proud of his manners.  He goes as close as possible, without encroaching on space, and lies down, his tail swishing from side to side in the leaves, the Lab puppy, joyous in the fact another hound is there and offering to chase, bounds over, leaving the Trout Trainers scowling in disgust at his lack of obedience and their failure to lasso him with his lead in time, and within seconds the two dogs are charging round and round the group threatening to knock them all down, whilst I call over, friendly like, 'don't they love to play, shame he is a bit like a bull in a china shop'.  I like to throw that out there as it makes the Trout Trainers all band together in fear of getting their immaculate attire the slightest bit hairy or muddy, as I walk past with Iz trotting faithfully behind me, her smile wide on her face as her ball is between her teeth, her flowing coat and toned tummy belying  the fact she is now 8 years old and not the 3 or 4 year old she looks.  Sadly the quick charge with Defi and the puppy was short lived as they failed to get far enough away before the youngster was lasso'ed and fun was curtailed.  I call Defi and walk away knowing that the looks directed at my back from the Trout Trainers are shooting to kill, whilst the puppy, his tongue pink and panting looks at Defi's retreating tail with a smile on his little pudgy face.

But I get the last laugh.  I walk down the lanes with two happy, contented, walked, toned, well behaved Golden Retriever pet dogs, whilst they have to over take me in their cars with the dog that has figured out that you can defy the authorities and have a bit of fun!

You can train dogs that young, I certainly started training Iz as soon as she came to live with us at 8 weeks, all the other dogs as soon as they arrive (they have all been re-homes or rescues except for Iz) but you have to let the dog have fun first and burn off some energy, then they will sit, walk to heel and whatever else you ask them to do.  Fun and training together make happy, well adjusted, friendly dogs that have some manners at least.

Until next Sunday then.

When life throws a curve ball.

lampwork flowers on eBay

 

Summer has been with us for the last few weeks,

glorious sunshine and almost cloudless skies.

I don't have Sunflowers this year

except in glass but I do have

some gorgeous Poppies that have burst open.

 Its been a funny few months.  So much has stayed the same but so much has changed.  I am still creating my beads although the genre I create in has changed to flowers, the glass animals seem to have left me for the moment.  I am not worried about my animal muse leaving me altogether as it is still there just in a different art form.




Sunflowers and Sweetpeas



available on eBay

 I have been following my writing muse this year and attending a workshop in Brecon every Tuesday evening.  Its been brilliant.  The drive from Hereford to Brecon is about an hour but its a lovely drive through leafy country roads. 

 

I promised myself this year I would write again.  I have written on and off throughout all my life, long winded journal entries, sad and lonely effigies that have been my therapy when life isn't quite going as planned.  This year I made a quiet promise to myself to try and be more upbeat with my words, thinking the blog was the way to go, I put in more effort and started to enjoy detailing some of my more memorable sagas, like the trip to the supermarket and bra shopping with my daughter.  The workshop was a surprise.  Someone I have met through a craft fair at the Community Farm Open day who is a published writer and on FB put up a notice that she was running this workshop through Take pArt Community Arts Workshop in Brecon.  I at first said it was too far for me but Adele convinced me that it wasn't and so I went.  Anyone that can pronounce the name of the Industrial Estate its on is a better woman than I!  Ffrwdgrech Industrial Estate for any that wish to try!

 

Its a small group but we are doing great things, not least finding out about Maen Llia (pronounced Mine Clear or thereabouts).  In a small twist of fate I have managed to land myself the very important position of writing a monthly column for a magazine.  When the first one is published I will let you know.

 



Tiger Lily flowers.  SOLD.

 

As well as writing and getting out in the sunshine I have been volunteering at the Community Farm at Warham which is just across the farm yard from me.  Once a week I go and get involved with craft themes, beads and jewellery and at the moment big papier mache pig and chicken which are works in progress and they will be for Hereford in Bloom next month.

 

So life threw a curve ball.  Whereas this time last year I was here, alone with an elderly cat, Claude and two mad Golden's Iz and Defi just making beads quietly in my shed, now I am writing, looking after my sweet Gordy and mopping up dribble, charging down to the river with Iz and Defi in the sunshine, being over at the farm and looking forward to creating a fabulous column in the magazine where my animal muse is featuring heavily and creating beautiful gardens in glass.

 

How happy can one girl get?

 

Laney x

Its a misnomer.....

I love my dogs, I really do but Golden? Retriever?  its a total misnomer: for a start Defi doesn't 'retrieve' he steals...socks, tea towels, Izabel's toys, most of the quilt during the night and, with the exception of the quilt, he runs like the wind so you can't catch him.  He doesn't retrieve.

 

As for Golden.  What a fib.

 

I did post this picture the other day of my lanes nothing has changed other than they are actually worse now.  The rain is lashing it down as I type, the fields just can't take anymore water and so are running onto the lane and gushing down them in torrents.

 

 

 

But still my dogs want to go out!  I took this yesterday as we did have a bit of a respite from the howling wind and driving rain but as you can see Defi isn't bothered by a bit of damp!

Izabel can't resist a good puddle....

 



Neither Iz nor Defi can pass up a chance of stick fighting whilst charging through the mud....

This I have never seen before.  The water is coming down the lane in the distance, through the hard standing car park and running like a river through this track, its flows all the way down the big hill and to the river at the bottom of the next field. 

 

I was talking to another dog walker a lovely chap who has lived here all his life - when he wasn't

a Captain of a boat - he says he hasn't seen it this bad since 1963...that was before I was born!

 



 This picture shows the river bank on the opposite side to where we walk in the morning and is the very prestigious golf course, it now has its own stream.  A few days before I took this photo (Monday) the river had burst its bank and the land was flooded all the way back to the line of trees you can see in the middle distance.  We are expecting the river to peak again today and tomorrows forecast of how the River Wye is going to be is not something anyone is looking forward too.

 

 

 

 But still my dogs love it!  I took this once we got home, just before the hose came out and we had the hours fun of hosing off and rubbing dry.  Who needs a gym membership!

They look pretty clean but the camera lies, underneath they are black, see Golden?  no way!

But every cloud has a silver lining, and these beautiful snowdrops are nodding gently...although today they are nodding violently in the wind and relentless rain.

 



Taken with the mobile phone



I have been playing with my phone, its a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.  I have always had the oldest phone in the house, my last one was at least 8 yrs old, so when it broke I got the new one.  I am not good with change and it has taken me a few months just to get used to making a phone call, texting and adding a contact, but I rather like the bigger screen and reading the internet searching all those fab things you can when waiting for your daughter to finish work....I always thought after the ballet lessons ended when she was 13 that my days of hanging around in the car where over, nope back to waiting around for her to finish work now that she is nearly 18!

 

 

So, eventually I figured out the camera and how it works and even uploading it to Flickr and Facebook, go me life in the old girl yet!

 

First up is a photo I took yesterday down at the river, then using the colour settings I had a play, used the frames and Voila modern vintage, pretty cool eh? 

 







Izabel







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second photo is of one of my newest beads that will be coming with me to Stourbridge Bead Fair 2013 this coming Sunday 25th August, and finally a photo of my beautiful Izabel who turned 7 yesterday, I used the soft tone application on the editing software.  Unfortunately the camera is only any good for close up photos but it does do those well, more distant shots and I need to take the big camera which is  a bit difficult with the dogs, balls, poop bags, leads.........

 

 

Laney 

Hubby brought me a new lens for my camera

Sometimes I could swing for the man, other times he comes up trumps!! 

 

My husband has been a misery with this weather, he doesn't do heat, but today my new zoom lens arrived for my camera, and its brilliant so I have completely forgiven him all the grumping he has been doing!! 

 

As you do I went around the garden snapping away, my only problem with it so far is that its quite heavy so a lot of the shots are not quite in focus, but its brilliant from far away I can get the most amazing shots, here are a few of the hundreds I took this afternoon.

 

The Hollyhock

 



 

My daughter and I had a few giggles.....

 

Pretending to sell her brothers car, its not going well....

 

 

The sun was in her eyes in this one with the infamous gap that has caused some issues with her and the dentist over the years, the outcome?  She kept it!

 

Seed heads from the Azaylia with what looks like dog hair!

 

The nose of my gorgeous Izabel

 

 

The very happy and pink tongue of my biggest baby, Defi

 

 

Flowers, no idea what they are they were cuttings from the MIL years ago and are dotted all around the garden, long green spikes with tall stems of yellow flowers

 

Red Hot Poker Flower, nearly there!!

 

 

This one is out of focus, but I love it, Defi turning circles and I am sure he is laughing, he was playing with my daughter

 Pink Roses

 

 

My beautiful Izabel, I have wanted photo's like this for years but my camera never focused that far away and she would move before I got to her



 

Close up of the Hollyhock

Hats off Challenge the reveal.

 Today is the day!!  Thank you to Bobby, from BeadsongJewelry for organizing this challenge. 

 

The idea is to be inspired by hats from Ascot or the Kentucky Derby.  Having never been to America, yet, and only ever seen the hats from Ascot on the telly - but I have driven past the race course in the pouring rain - my piece is actually a bit of a cheat, but don't tell.

 

I doodled and sketched hats for days, and nothing seemed to be right, then I remembered by necklace I had made for my brothers wedding on Valentines Day, this year, and that I had made a hat necklace.

 

So here is my piece for the challenge, I don't think I could have made a better piece, even if I wasn't cheating!

Featuring by beloved Golden Retrievers, Iz and Defi, who else?  Iz is properly dressed for a day at the wedding or a day at the races, in her racing colours of red, black and gold, her hat is a suitably English garden affair.

for more hats inspired pieces please visit the list below, I am sure no one else has cheated quite as much as me!

 

Arlene Dean www.aglassbash.blogspot.com

Bobbie Rafferty www.beadsong.blogspot.com

Charlie www.505indiechic.blogspot.com

Cheryl Dunham www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com

Chris www.furzalsjewellry.blogspot.com

Christine Altmiller www.onekisscreations.blogspot.com

Cindy Wilson www.itsmyseaofdreams.blogspot.com

Cynthia Machata www.antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

Deanna Riles-Cox https://www.facebook.com/deanna.rilescox

Debbie Rasmussen www.kepirasmussen.blogspot.com

Dini Bruinsma https://www.facebook.com/dini.bruinsma

Jasvanti Patel www.jewelrybyjasvant.blogspot.com

Jean Yates www.prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com

Jennifer LaVite www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/

Karin Slaton www.backstorybeads.blogspot.com

Kashmira www.sadafulee.blogspot.com

Laney Mead http://laney-izzybeads.blogspot.com/

Liz E www.beadcontagion.blogspot.com

Lola www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com

Micheladas www.micheladasmusings.blogspot.com

Nan Smith www.wirednan.blogspot.com

Robin Reed www.willowdragon.blogspot.com

Sally Russick www.thestudiosublime.com

Shiraz www.secretsongdesigns.blogspot.com

Susan Nelson Bowie www.susanbowie.wordpress.com

Therese www.theresestreasures59.blogspot.com

Vera www.veradesigns.blogspot.com

 

Laney x

Well that was a bad idea......

So, the morning started off ok.  Hubby came home around 5.30am, with all the panache of a herd of elephants...with a cold, so there he was snotting and sniffing and stuff, whilst I tried really really hard to not pay attention and still be asleep.  Eventually got up, he had fed the dogs, so Iz stayed in bed and only Defi came down with me, which has benefits as he can be a pain in the bum in the morning, he is such a morning dog and me and Iz just are  not.  It was hammering it down with rain, so I resigned myself to the college run - girlie did ask last night and she has a late start on a Wednesday so at least I avoid the traffic.  I don't mind the college run but it really messes up my morning and the dogs have to wait for their walk and get a bit bouncy.  Then it brightened up.  Girlie got up, it had stopped raining so I assumed she was walking again, but no, her friend had got a lift to their Nan's nearer the college and girlie wanted to take her enormous art folder anyway, so I was still doing the taxi run... but I had a brainwave...unfortunately....I would bundled the dogs into the car and we would carry on from college to the Arboretum, we havent been there in ages, it will make a nice change from sludging through the boggy fields and avoiding the swollen and flooding river.  Great plan.  I have to be sneaky as Defi is not keen on the car and needs to be on his lead in the kitchen and taken to the car, he will jump in and at least these days he doesn't fart the entire time, but....he got wind - no pun intended - and hid!  Of course girlie is no help, she has done her hair  ::) :o meanwhile I am armed with leads, wellies, ball and thrower, and have a mad Iz jumping up and down as she loves the car and really really realllllllllllllly wants to go NOW! I man handled Defi into the lead and bundle him into the car.  Girlie is tapping her foot by the gate.

 

So I negotiate the Wednesday market traffic, which in Hereford is follow the tractor through the city centre, you would have thought they would be the problem wouldn't you? but no its the miserable old biddies with the blue rinses, that can barely see over the steering wheel, can't decide on  which lane is quickest and don't do over 10 miles an hour anyway, it does get a little depressing to watch a tractor accelerate away from you.

 

Drop girlie off at college, continue on, taking the scenic route, to the Arboretum.  First mistake.  Its been a while since I have been, and even longer since I took the scenic route and of course I have forgotten that around here every lane floods! Eventually come to the woods, which turned out to be a nice, if not a slightly longer than expected drive.  Its a bit muddier than I expected.  Get out of car, stand in puddle...in my crocs, can't drive in wellies, hey ho, just the soles muddy, climb into wellie boots, open boot lid and stand well back for the mad hounds to jump out sending mud flying....

Defi charges off towards a lady getting out of her car, already he is covered in mud but thankfully he comes back when called.  I am trying to leave the car park, but Iz has forgotten everything she ever learnt about manners and is trying to jump over my head to get the ball, she is so excited.  I throw the ball.

 

We walk around the woods, its nice, but not quite the same as the river, the river walk feels like an old friend, even if we are wading through boggy fields, the woods feel a bit... lonely.  We do see a few dog walkers, which is nice, but they are all with their dogs on the lead and don't want any interaction from what is now my muddy golden retrievers, so we walk on alone and watch walkers in the distance walk their little dogs on leads and avoid any other persons coming towards them.  We reach the big open field, which is a great place to throw balls...or it was....it is now one big muddy, sludgey puddle, worse than the fields I think, Iz is still most happy to chase balls and skid, throwing mud into the air, my glasses are covered, but my dog is happy.  Defi is content, as always to be rummaging through brambles and sniffing deep down into holes...on his tummy...getting into those really tight spaces that only a 33kg golden WILL go, he is black!

 

We finish our walk, pass a few minutes with a lovely lady, one whose dog is off lead and clean, not for long, Defi tries to engage in play, but the old dog, he is 11 and a half, really doesn't pay any heed to him, meanwhile I am trying to drag Defi off and apologizing for the mucky paw prints all over her lovely yellow labs back!

 

Passing a massive puddle, Defi jumps straight in, and comes out almost clean.  Great plan.  I throw the ball into the massive puddle and encourage Iz to jump in too.  Now I have two, almost clean golden retrievers.  Defi goes back on the lead, not taking any chances, and besides he needs to be back on the lead to get back into the car, meanwhile Iz looks like she is going to roll, so her lead goes on.  Pronto!

 

Back at the car, still nearly clean, I am thinking the walk wasn't so bad after all, and find that someone has let their dog jump up at my car, leaving muddy paw prints over the back door, nice!  Dogs back in the car, I watch the dog towels and blankets turn wet and muddy in a nano second....not as clean as I thought then.  Open up the back door of the car to retrieve my crocs (bright pink and very worn should you need to know!) and change my wellies.  Close the back door, reach forward to open the drivers door and stick my foot into a big sludgey, sloppy pile of mud and it covers the croc.  My foot is muddy, wet and not very pink anymore!

 

Drive home.   Fed up.  Never going to the woods again, will in future stick to the river walk, the boggy fields, the dog walkers with their dogs off leads and wanting to play and be dogs and quite frankly, girlie can bluddy walk to college from now on and I am just waiting for my nose to run and I end up with hubbies cold!.

Autumn in the garden, the giveaway and the beadathon update.

 

What a beautiful afternoon.  So Autumnal, bright and colourful.  This is the view towards my back hedge and beyond, the willow in the foreground is around the chicken coop, still lime green, contrasted against the deep red and russet colours of the massive tree that stands over my glassy studio, you can just see the top of the roof.  Behind the hedge the fields sweep upwards, showing the lemon greens, dark greens and orangey reds of the trees behind.  The sun is out casting an autumnal golden glow over everything so that even my unkept veggie beds look nice!

 

 

Defi is here, in this picture to the right, he is basking in the sunshine, surrounded by the bamboo and now fading rose bushes.  We had the first frost last night, it was only a light frost but enough to start to turn the plants so the leaves are now hanging down, ready to drop in time for winter hibernation.

I thought I would use the sunshine to take photos of my giveaway for October.  The giveaway date is the 31st of October, all you have to do is put your name, a comment and a contact email address, in the comment box on any blog entry this month and I will select a winner at random to send the giveaway to.

 You can choose from any of the four drawings I have photographed here, from top to bottom, there is a graphite drawing of a Weinmaraner - those beautiful dogs with the light eyes, a coloured pencil drawing of our Izabel as a puppy, a coloured pencil drawing of a collie dog and a coloured pencil drawing of a spaniel.

All of these drawings are prints and have been mounted with a single mount and are in cellophane envelopes, the originals have been sold, back in the days when I did pet portraits.  I have been renewing my passion for my pencils, I used to draw so much before glass and got them out again.  My beads are based on my drawings and I have never stopped doodling, just stopped large scale commissions.

Finally.  What a weekend!  What a blast!  What a fabulous, exhausting but wonderful time!  Its was the beadathon.  Months of Jolene organizing us all into 24hours of continuous lampworking, making beads for Beads of Courage children and teenagers living with cancer.  The event was done, not without its hitches and laughter, and we reached our target...WHOO HOO..in fact we surpassed our target of £500.00 how wonderful is that?  All thanks to Jolene, we invaded her studio, we used her tools - and there are a few there that certainly got me wondering what she does on her own ;o) - it was a fantastic time and money and awareness was raised for a wonderful charity and cause.

Don't forget to leave me a comment, I love to read them.

Laney x