Paper Rock Scissors

Wednesday was Friday this week. Ken and Lee leave for Quebec Thursday so all of the activity that normally occurs on Friday happened Wednesday. Puppy paperwork was completed and Hailey's puppies registration certificates were mailed to their new owners. Filing was done and the office cleaned (prizes were found!). The jam migrated to the shelves in the basement and gardening went full throttle. Ken had a road trip to the village to pick up the tiles to complete the fireplace surround and finish the living room floor - dare we hope? A detour to the fruit stand brought strawberries so that a pie could be made to take to Lee's Dad tomorrow and Eton Mess could grace the Regalridge table (a fine accompaniment to the bar b qued chicken and asparagus). Chantelle will hold the fort for the week end and we will be back to full power by Monday night.

Poe arrived yesterday to great greetings from KC, Max, Grendel and Danu and the 'little white dogs'. He has been with us for years and knows the routine inside-out. The usual fun and games went on all day. KC has decided that a younger brother is not in the cards for him but that he will put in his order for another older sister and Danu will fill the bill nicely. Abigail had a great time running around the big yard last night and Roddi and Ruari managed a run with alacrity. Max, Abby and Trebia were out and then Max and Nemo met and played. Late night romps are new to old Nemo (a Welsh who came back to us as a Senior when his owner passed away) and he is getting a real kick out of being able to run in a fenced field with new dogs.

The Regalridge crew had a great day. It was cloudy and wet much of the day and all was well in the Airedale world. The weather cleared a bit late in the evening and both Chantelle and Lee had a ball game with the Airedales. Ball games include racing for the balls with old Sophie arriving last but putting her paw on it and claiming victory. Piper races by it, Patti generally flips it once, Charlotte runs with the Crew but already has her own toy in her mouth so goes only for the joy of pointing out to the others that she has a better kong/bone/ring than what they are chasing and dear Atlas actually brings it back on the very odd occasion the girls will let him touch the ball. The puppies all had ears put up last night so there are cute little faces looking at you with very quizzical gazes. Time to pack.

Jam, Jam everywhere jam

Guess what. It's still foggy and wet - enough already! Still, when we are trying to get a full week's workload into three days, maybe it's just as well. The strawberries are at their peak this week so jam had to be made for Ken. A flat arrived early in the morning and by the time we left for Allan's for dinner, the jam was bottled and cooling. Of course, there were innumerable phone calls and lots of dog activity interspersed so we weren't lacking in things to do. Ken had one of his favourite runs - to his car dealership to have a light sensor replaced and to the great hardware store to have keys made.

Walkers is an old style hardware store with everything from soup to nuts - a great place to explore and always offers up 'finds'. Chantelle worked in Elmsdale and Lee booked boarding for her at a fast pace for the week end. Dinner with Alan, Linda and Hubert was great - a Swedish chicken dish with fruit and a cream sauce and wild rice, salad and cappuccino mousse were testament to Allan's culinary ability.

The kennel was busy - early days of the week are turn over days. Millie departed amid waving paws and Max arrived followed by the Nangreaves circus. How many dogs, people and pieces of luggage can you fit into a jeep-thing you ask - about 7,356 from the look of that jeep-thing. Max settled in quickly and with his summer haircut hit the big run with Abbie and Trebia. They had a great time. Roddi and Ruari played together and Danu, KC and Grendel put their stamp on an Airedale-only zone.

The house dogs were in and out all day with the coming and going. Patti was focused on Kelsey and roared through the kitchen window as she saw her moving any other dog. The Norwich assisted ably in the jam making routine and Piper watched closely to ensure there were no treats being passed out. Lori's progesterone tests were received and in the midst of everything else, she was bred. We hope there will be Airedale puppies in September.

Everyone is here!

The week is underway and everyone is off and running. Chantelle's new car had its' first road trip to Windsor and all was well. Ken's gardens called and he worked in the fog and mist through the day and into the evening, bringing in a lovely peony to grace the kitchen table. Lee took Lori for her progesterone testing, did the errands and answered the backed up telephone calls while assuring the kitchen dogs that business as usual was the order of the day. May the Norwich is mighty relieved. Of concern was the call from the Public Trustee who advised that Shelagh's resources are diminished to the point that we may need to fund raise to assist in purchasing a wheel chair for her (she requires a custom chair due to her size and her disabilities) and that we have used all of the funds available to us for her speech therapy. Ken and I will support the therapy personally as best we can on a less regular basis so that Shelagh is at least able to maintain what speech she has re-acquired.
Kelsee left in the morning, saying 'see you soon' to her buddy Ruari who liked her best! Perhaps he needs an Australian Terrier sister. Penny Airedale came for a grooming and Millie Wheaten thought she was about the best dog anyone could find in a big yard. They had a wonderful play and shared stories and tricks for future use. KC has met young Atlas and is being reminded of how exuberant a young dog can be (no doubt KC's sister Mira would clap her paws and chant 'Go Atlas Go ' if she were here to see this). Roddi and Ruari are happy with the wet weather and delighted with the Cirneco and Abigail Australian. The yard is full of games and little dogs plotting.
The Regalridge crew are doing well. Patti and Tom collected up all of the toys in the front yard so that mowing could happen. Patti has now taken them to her lair under the trees and the other dogs will have to time their forays into that area to retrieve all of the balls, rubber bones, ring toys and other paraphernalia essential to a good day in the summer at Regalridge. Clementine got a summer haircut after having typed a letter to Chantelle yesterday complaining that Ken was making fun of her. Paula is on a hunger strike - that means she is pregnant and we are delighted, looking forward to Welsh puppies in August.