Monday 21 January 2013

My first adventure! and Fun in the snow!

Now I was settled in my new home it was time to have a holiday. The destination was the Lake District, just outside Keswick where they make pencils. Driving to the campsite was spectacular - tall hills, mountains, and tors passed the view I had from the boot. We arrived at Castlerigg campsite and set up are camp in a pod. It's a large wooden kennel for people and animals. It has electricity to power a heater and lights. It's a luxury form of camping for humans that aren't as hardy as us terriers. They had a blow up bed, and I had my cage. The humans didn't know how I would cope in a strange place, but I settled right in and slept much better than they did- which I still find ironic.

We had some wonderful days out in Keswick. They have some amazing attractions - such as the Dog and Gun pub. This pub is very welcoming to dogs. They sell a special assortments of dog biscuits behind the bar. So when humans order food I can have something off the menu too. My humans went one step further and fetched me a sausage from a nearby chip shop. That pub trip was amazing, and when we walked past the pub last year I was so adamant that we where going in again that we eventually did do. And yes, I got my biscuits and sausage again. Such good times!

Not far from the pub is the incredible George Fisher shop. Not only is it multilevel bliss for outdoor human clothing, but also the staff made such a fuss of me they stopped work and came to stroke me. Biscuits would have be good, but stroking was nice.

We didn't go to the pencil factory in the end - not something the humans would have got away with it it had been a Dentistick factory!

On this holiday we also went to St Bees. The humans had had many nice trips to the beach at Robin Hoods Bay and where always fascinated by the famous walk from St Bee's to Robin Hoods Bay. So while in the area we popped into St Bees. Maybe it was the horizontal rain and dense mist, but the place seemed to lack something. We walked up a large hill and got so wet that going in the sea would have achieve the same effect. This dampened the human spirits. There was not large coffee shop chain present so we had some substitute in a squat rectangular building that didn't seem to have an adequate number of paint layers. So we left there somewhat deflated, cold, wet, and without proper sustenance.

I slept in my cage the first night, but then as I was so relaxed I was allowed out of the cage, so I made myself comfortable on the humans air-bed and sleeping bags. I really think sleeping bags are the way to go for terrier comfort on holiday. So now I have my own which I love. The Humans liked having me close, and I like to borrow there surplus body heat. Actually I felt very safe and happy!

There was a day trip to Grassmere that is worth mentioning. Its a lovely place where incredible gingerbread is sold. But thats not the source of interest of this day trip. We parked in the a school yard - which operated as a car park out of term time. We then walked down to the lake, where the humans looked at very large maps and nodded and pointed. The where lots of things to smell on this walk around the lake. Lots and lots of things. The 3 hour walk however took a little longer than expected. After 6 hours the humans were getting worried that we wouldn't be back in time to get the car out of the car park. There was still lots to smell though. We had to catch the bus back when we got to the main road, otherwise we would never have made it. The guide book severely underestimated the walking time when accompanied with a terrier. It was a lovely day though!




Next Week... we move to Coniston Water where I'm poorly and get no more sausage and make a visit to a TV vet.....




A snow day Monday 21st January 2013

Well today my humans got an extra day off work and we had some fun in the snow!

We made a new member for the posse!




Went sledging in the garden!


Watch the bins!!


One of my humans in a silly hat!


Played ball!





Let me in I want a biscuit please!



Thank you to @ClaptonTerrier and @maria7scruff for last weeks excellent hat choice!




Watch this space on the 25th for the next hat! *taps nose*


See you next week pals
Love Gimli x

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Monday 14 January 2013

Update 2


When I was searching for a new owner I had a letter of recommendation. It details my life and passes on the critical information needed to fully meet all my needs. For such a complex and demanding Terrier as myself you will perhaps judge this to be an inadequate letter - you could make this assumption from its length alone – as any Dog worth their bone would require several pages of small print. I’m not very happy about this letter as it does not really have the depth needed to communicate my character, needs, or history.I would also like to appeal against the slanderous remark about being nervous around children, because I'm extremely tolerant and good with them. I play very well with children and even let them play with my tennis ball.

If you read it then do so with the knowledge that everything turned out very well and I am now happy. It has been a struggle at times though, especially with my skin troubles - as this was simply not documented. It mentions nothing about me needing medication, steroids or copious trips to the vet.

It’s important to read with an open mind and form judgements about why and how things were put on paper and set in motion. If people form sensible opinions on these matters It may save other brave dogs from enduring this. I often wonder if a lack of emotion in the letter is because my previous owners had a limited emotional range or a lack of penmanship skills – or both or combination thereof. Maybe it was too emotionally difficult to express themselves, so they opted for a denial and banality.

Anyhow, get a nice cup of Earl Gray and have a read.

(you may need to click on the picture to enlarge)





Well done to @borderpup for suggesting a jesters hat. Here I am wearing one.





Keep your suggestions of headwear coming in! My latest hat venture is one inspired from the Victorian futurist Steampunk genre.




Take care for now pals

Love Gimli x

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday 7 January 2013

Dog blog introduction!

Hi welcome to my blog. Here I will be sharing my current undertakings, thoughts and musings. About hats, food, my past, and more hats and the odd scarf!

I want to start off by introducing myself wearing some different hats. I do like hats and i am hoping to wear lots by the end of the year.




My cartoon alter ego is also helping me out with my hat wearing ruminations.


I will also be hoping to make some guides for some of the trickier things in life.




Like all good films and books (two other of my passions in life) I will start at the beginning!




It all began in May 2010 and I had very little in the way of processions just an old rubber chicken that I still have to this day. I lived on a farm for 3 weeks after my second home broke down (don't know why!) I was sort of in-between homes and resting up with a few other dogs in some kennels beside an old farmhouse. The accommodation was not to be recommended – cold hard floors and sub-standard kibble. But it was here that I met my new owners, who took me out for a test walk. Of course I behaved very well and turned on all the charm as they seemed keen and stable people. Outdoor shoes looked appropriate for dog ownership and their lack of dog walking skills meant they will be easy for me to train.

So fate had been cruel and kind. I had endured the past, but now looked forward to the future with my new owners. Leaving the farm with its heady smells of rape seed and horse poop - I jumped into the boot of the car and we set off. I love travelling in cars - very relaxing, so I was pleased it was a long trip. Further away the better, if im going to have a new life I might as well go somewhere far away. I had time to savour the freshly prepared cage and bedding, and felt lulled by chatter about me. The humans seemed excited and nervous, I’d probably be able to settle them by keeping my head on this nice bedding and relaxing into it.

On arriving my new home I was shown to my sleeping quarters. My own room under the stairs. Not like Harry potter – all furnished nice with a new bed and cage. Nice and safe.
When my new owners had their mealtimes I went to the cage, and had my food afterwards. I had seen the Creaser Milan DVD lying around and knew they where going for the pack leader status. As they get to know each other I’m sure we will build up trust and I’ll be eating my food with them – then eating their food! As a border terrier I am good manipulating humans. My new owners seem nice, so I’m sure they will give me all a I need, and all I want!

They took me for a walk and gave me the same horrible supplied kibble. Now I’d got a nice home with my own garden I would make a stand on the food and not eat it. My new owners seamed nice, and concerned for my wellbeing by using pheromone diffusers and suchlike to help me relax from the shock of moving. Actually it wasn’t such a shock – more of a relief after the concrete floor and cold nights. The other dogs barked and made it hard to get a good night’s rest. Back to the food – so the refusal to eat spurned a game of buy and try. Food did improve – and eventually you will see what I ended up with.

I went to a vets and they put a chip inside me – not an oven chip or freshly cooked wedge of potato in goose fat – but a micro chip. I guess at looking at things long term I felt happy that this showed long term commitment to keeping me. While edible chips are tasty they are just transient trans fat comfort. I also developed an itch. This is nothing new – but my new owners where a bit suppressed about it. The vet explained it was atopica – a unhelpfully generic term of my skin problems. If I could talk I would have advised to get the insurance sorted out before mentioning this to the vet. As skin can be costly and I didn’t want to be a burden on them. I will be explaining about my skin in more detail in later blogs.

Well that's it furs for my first tasty dog blog - watch this space!!

Thanks for taking time to read me bloggy! BOL!

See you soon pals!

Gimli x

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