chestnuts are tricky things

We had a lovely Autumnal walk this morning over the woods with our friend Anita, I'm getting quiet friendly with her now maybe its because we are both blonde.

The woods and roads are covered in chestnuts and their spiky shells. Franklin doesn't like walking where there are chestnut shells as they spike his feet but he does like eating them. This has rubbed off on me as I'm rather partial to a chestnut but would prefer it peeled first.

Ali and Freya collected lots of chestnuts to make soup for Bonfire night when we were on a walk the other day it was a bit of a pain really as I had to hang around by the chestnut tee but there was so many smells I needed to investigate it meant Ali didn't end up with  as many as she had hoped for.

As she hasn't made any soup yet the chestnuts are waiting to be eaten what she doesn't know is Franklin and I have been sneaking a chestnut or two from the pile of them although she did find out today when she caught me with one in my mouth which stayed there for longer than I thought it might. I walked from inside and out with it in my mouth for quiet a long half hour until Ali saw it and wondered why I wasn't eating it. it was impaled in my canine tooth that's why stuck there so I couldn't eat it if I tried.

Thankfully once it was pulled off my mouth felt much better, i did bite it a bit but I'm now thinking i may of gone of chestnuts a bit.

The great dog bake off

It was Fizz she's hiding under the chair

Ive been a bit busy the past few days. After Franklin got busted here I have thought about baking.  Ali promised to make some doggy biscuits but has been a bit busy with a poly tunnel so I took things into my small paws. First I got caught with the butter in my mouth, it was a slippery fight but Ali won and the butter landed on the floor minus about 50gramms (yes she did think could she get away with putting it back in the dish but there was a few too many hairs so it went in the bin).  The butter dish is now up high.

Then yesterday while we were left for a couple of hours I managed to find the hidden flour sac under the work bench, it was quiet hard pulling it out but i managed it notice the footprints left on the blanket they are just like the ones on the mat that doesn't fit under the door so is waiting for a home. Oh and it took ages to get that flour out of my beard, Now when are we going to get those biscuits.

A chilly morning walk

Its turned a bit chilly here in the Aveyron with the first morning of frost which made for a very noisy walk for me as there were so many smells. We took Ali's friend Anita in the car to the walk we made with Jamie the other day.

This time in Ali's car where Franklin fights for front seat I thought maybe I should try this as well as it might cure my car sickness and hey what it did - no throwing up. We did think about asking Anita if she would mind sitting in the back with Tyser but that wouldn't really be polite so we squashed Anita instead with Franklin whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Tyser was in big trouble for running off and not returning, we had to go back a bit to see if he was waiting for us but he wasn't. We continued along the path and through a field where we caught sight of him running along. he came back for a short while before nipping off again. This time Ali said we were not waiting and he would have to find us. Of course she couldn't leave him so we boringly waited while he meandered through the woods popping out onto the road.

By the time we walked back the mist was clearing and the sunshine appearing. I managed to get front seat lap on Anita on the way back although I don't think she was impressed with my bedraggled looks and wet dog smell. She was lucky I didn't throw up on her, maybe I'm getting use to this car travel.

Rule no 3 -I must not go walking on my own

Me,not looking my best tonight

Ali was in big trouble on our evening walk. We went up the top of the road and along the field. This isn't Franklin's preferred walk so he stopped and said 'no', which he does quiet a lot these days, usually being coaxed into walking again with a treat but he really said 'no' tonight.

Franklin and his no stance

 So Ali gave his lead a tug and you can guess what happened his collar came off. As I was ahead on the end of my lead I was pulled  back to sort him out but I don't like going back once I have gone forward so I said 'no' too and Ali pulled my lead as she needed to get to Franklin. Well you may of guessed what happened next my harness came over my head and hey presto I was free. Now Ali had a dilemma does she go for the dog that has so many issues (me) or for the blind, diabetic dodgy legged old boy (Franklin). She went for Franklin figuring the odds were against him more and have been AWOL a couple of times and came back. Figuring I also have 99% scent hound in me I should be able to get back on my own so long as I don't cross the road.

Well I stood still for a few seconds then thought hey what's that smell and well I was off. At least heading in the right direction along the line of woods. By the time Ali, Franklin and good boy Tyser, who does what his told (most of the time) had got to the top of the slope I was not to be seen. They carried on along the way thinking I might smell them I hadn't got as far as them at that point as I was taking in all the smells so I didn't see the deer at the top. It did run off once seen leaving its scent. Ali saw me, called me and thought amazingly I was going to run to her, oh she was so wrong I past them and followed that deer. Off I went howling away with Tyser now following Into the woods between our fields and the one we were walking along. Ali thought this was OK as she could walk along the top and I could follow her scent as she could hear me in the woods. I caught up with them at one point then left again pretty quickly before I could be caught.

So rather than taking three dogs out she walked one. Tyser found them as they headed down into the woods but I preferred to stay in the amazing scent filled woods at the other end of them. Then Ali thought I had found the pigs as I made such a noise, Now they have a electric fence around them and I have been zapped once thank you very much and made a big noise that time so Ali only prayed I didn't freak the pigs out or end up being zapped again in bolting into their enclosures.

Once the others were walked back Ali came to look for me in the top field, I did really good hiding so she wondered back down the field passing the sows and poly tunnel where I was running along the road to home. She was really pleased when she called me to come. I thought I better oblige this time and ran to her. Apparently work needs to be done on my recall.

A Sunday afternoon walk

Yesterday afternoon before we had tea (so I hopefully wouldn't be sick in the car ) we went for a walk near where the cattle are by the fields that are being rented. This was fabemazing as all dogs know new smells are amazing. Apparently it is really good for us to go to different places as although walking is good for us so to is using our senses and boy did we use ours.

The only draw back was we had to go five minutes down the road in the Land Rover. But what was really good was I didn't throw up, i did get a very wet beard from salivating a lot, which is part of being scared but Ali was so pleased she didn't have to clear up after me.

We walked down the track with Jamie, the first time since I have been here he came for a walk with us showing the way as this is the route he takes to check on the cattle each day, not meeting a sole we made a circle back to the car. Oh the smells were great, of course it took lots of sniffing time up to see who had passed. At one point I smelt the scent of what Ali thinks was a deer as these do seem to send me of on a barking lets go fast run which broke the sleepy Sunday silence around us.

We will definitely be going back on that walk, no cars for Tyser to walk towards, flat ground for Franklin to walk on and no people for me to meet.

Blackie

This is Blackie, he lives on the plateau road up the top from us. We pass his house quiet a lot and often see him, or rather his mistress and his lead when we go for a walk over the woods. His a rescue Labrador cross (if he was a full Labrador I bet he wouldn't go AWOL on walks) at around 2 years old he is very bouncy where his legs and brain don't seem to coordinate and often ends up on top of either Franklin, Ali or Freya and if I'm not hiding me. Which i am now OK about as I have got use to him and his not at all barky or aggressive. he just is very friendly. He does however ignore Tyser, I think he has learnt that he is a grumpy old man.

So coming towards the end of our woods walk this morning as we past through the difficult to get through with two leads and a dangling pack a mac for Ali barbed wire fence as we reached the bottom of our field who should come bounding up on his own but Blackie. So he came to our house and inside where he got really hissed at by Fizz (he was non phased by this act) and continued to sniff everything until Ali sent him outside so I thought I better sniff him out, seeing as he was on out turf now. Then as no one had leads on he started to jump all over Franklin and as Franklin has a very poorly leg it was time to take him home. He had a lift back just in time for his mistress to emerge from the top of the woods. I think she was grateful to see him maybe not as much as Franklin was to see him leave.

Guests

This weekend Ali had her cousin and her husband visiting from England, staying in the gite the last time they saw each other was eighteen years ago at her wedding. Now I'm not good with strangers and had to show this by doing lots of barking at them which did stop them in their tracks but Ali told them to ignore me and not look at me. So I was ignored and finally went to my bed inside as they sat outside drinking tea, this was OK as there was a door between us but that evening they came inside. Again I showed my concerns by barking as my pack mates lapped up attention. Once again I was ignored so it was up to me to be brave and venture in to where the nibbles were and guests.

I sat by Ali being a good girl and quiet and hey by the end of the evening I even checked out these two humans giving them the once over sniff AND decided they were no threat so laid on the floor in front of them. Being not allowed out as they left I kept quiet.

Of course I had forgotten them by the next day so had to do the barky rushing around the thing that I am getting good at (but have been told has to stop). I had to go to my bed to calm down as this is unacceptable behaviour as before I was scared so just run inside to hide but now being a bit bolder Ali has got to get the books out to read up on why and how this behaviour can be stopped.

I did get use to them as they had a meal with us Friday evening and watched the rugby last night while I slept on Alis lap maybe it just means more visitors coming for me to suss them out.