Happy Birthday Orin

Sunday was Orin's 4th birthday and we did as usual celebrate with pilchard cake but didn't take any photo's reasons explained further down. Orin has been here a year now and is so much braver and more confident, he's just so darn handsome.

 Orin is spending a lot of time close to Indy, still not sure if it's best buddy or I'm watching you pal but there have been no incidents so paws crossed.

Indy continues to be totally adorable, so chilled and is just entering that oh boy am I happy or what, it's lovely when the penny drops and they realise they will be walked and fed regularly and life can be good. He is however perhaps because he was living on the streets a bin raider, several times he's been in the bin but yesterday he got his head stuck in the bin lid and Eric took it off him and told him off but didn't take a photo, grrr now wouldn't that have made a great scrap page LOL. So we now call him Indiana Jones raider of the kitchen bin!

 so have to scrap this photo LOL.

 always together

 So the reason behind no photo's of Orins birthday is ............................................

Rocky a 5 year old blue greyhound.........................

 Dawn's daughter Tanya works a a vet nurse at our vets and rang Saturday asking if we were still looking for a greyhound, I explained Indy (OK so his name is officially Zucco) had arrived last Saturday so NO! she had a chap called Scott in the surgery desperately trying to find a home for his greyhound as home and job circumstances had changed and he has no one to look after Rocky. So I held out all Saturday but Sunday we caved and rang Scott and said bring Rocky over. Rocky spent the day with us, bit nerve racking as he's only recently retired from racing and is still very keen and alert and is still intact. Scott has owned Rocky since a puppy and raced him (bad bad man we have of course re educated him) and had a super retirement home lined up for him that fell through at the last minute. Rocky will be arriving here tomorrow as a foster dog whilst we all try to work at finding him a lovely permanent home, no I can't keep him 9 is too many even for us. Scott is arranging for his boy bits to be removed so guess we'll be taking him to vets next week.

Scott also said he's not small dog friendly, guess no one told Gangley LOL.

It's  going to be a difficult weekend I suspect as we will need our wits about us but hey ho what could we do the man was quite literally in tears. Yes I know we are stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but we have made it clear that Rocky remains his dog his responsibility and will expect him to contribute towards his food bills whilst he stays with us, we're hoping he may take him home some weekends to reinforce that it is his dog but not convinced that will happen. Poor chap has text us everyday this week saying thank you LOL.

All other hounds are well and hoping the sun may come back as it's been flippin freezing cold here this week.

Approx 33 inches to the shoulder!

Mojo and Zucco have been to the vets, Zucco had jabs and weighed in at 37 kilos, so needs to put on a few. Have just tried to measure him and I'd say he's approx 32 or 33 inches to the shoulder.

Mojo is doing well and vet said given he has such a serious heart condition he can't quite believe how well the old boy is doing, course we haven't told Mojo he's sick so he carries on running around the meadow making out he's a spring chicken and not an 11 old duffer with a dickie ticker!

Zucco and Orin are beginning to buddy up.

 Princess Gangley has discovered he makes a good cushion!

 and Zucco doing what he does best chilling out!

 A few more layouts from the weekend, this is Elmo's birthday and was a kit designed by Vanessa for Papermaze crop, had to make quite a few changes but it's looking okay now.

 Another one from Vanessa and used an old photo of my gran and her Mother and me, this is for my heritage album.

My favourite of the weekend, my daughter when she was 4 years old, again designed by Vanessa, got in a right mess making the flowers but love how it looks.

 Another photo of my Gran with me and my sister, gorgeous page designed by Janina for Bramford crop.

A few more photo's of some of the pack yesterday when the sun shone, unlike today where so far it's rained and hailed and is freezing cold!

I'm back

Well that weekend sure went quickly LOL.

Had a wonderful time scrapping and chilling. Weather went from freezing cold and non stop rain to warm and sunny.

Caravan was very posh and once we did a bit of re arranging worked just fine LOL. I had a bedroom one end with en suite and Dawn had a choice of two bedrooms and bathroom the other end with the living accommodation in the middle.

I actually did 5 layouts but have only completely finished this one need to add a few bits to the others. this is a photo of Vikki my daughter, the layout was designed by Lou who works at papermaze.

So now for Zucco!

Saturday morning he left the kennels in stoke and was driven down to Donnington and handed over to Jackie who then drove him down to Cambridge to meet up with Eric who them of course brought him home. Poor chap was exhausted Eric says (how would I know I was off having a good time oops). He spent the whole weekend shadowing Eric but didn't grump at any of the dogs and was well behaved. Alfie who is supposed to be top dog and is a saluki greyhound cross and gone all saluki and washed his paws of the whole thing LOL but Orin who can still be frightened has sort of taken charge. We are watching the two of them closely as past experience has taught us usually at some point two males will have a set to to sort out the pecking order. Eric walked Zucco (for want of a better name) with Gangley all weekend to show him she was part of the pack and not a snack! To be honest it's all going rather to well at the moment which is making me a bit twitchy! He can be left with the pack with no problems as Monday Eric had to leave early and Dawn and I didn't back until about 2 hours later. Paws crossed he continues to be good but I'm sure as he starts to feel more comfortable we'll see more than just this chilled out hound who just can't get enough of Eric.

so I am only 5 feet tall but it gives you an idea of just how big he is.

 Was trying to get a shot of them lined up for a walk this morning fat chance hey.

this one shows how long he is, he likes Orin rather a lot.

So on the plus side he seems to be house trained and is quite chilled out on the negative side the name Zucco means nothing to him you could call him anything. I assumed that he was handed in with that name not so me thinks. He was living with a homeless man (so I'm told) who decided it was unfair on the dog and handed him over to the pound who contacted greyhound gap. He looks just like Mojo even down to only having part of a tail but 3 times the size LOL.

Early days  but so far so good, 8 dogs is definitely pushing it! But I really did miss them all and got a lovely welcome home except from Belle who was obviously not pleased that Mum went off and has been a bit aloof with me.

More to follow

1 more sleep and ......................................

Tomorrow Dawn and I head off for our weekend, think the boys must know as I got a huge cuddle last night or maybe they sense something is a foot ??????Not looking my best hey LOL.

yup incoming oops! now how did that happen, all being well this rather large fella should be here when I get back on Monday. Transport run being put together and Eric will collect him Saturday for the last leg to us. He's called Zucco and is 7 years old,  he is apparently HUGE!

Just hope he lets me in the house when I come home as Mr T will have left for work.A

More details to follow ...........

4 more sleeps!

 So I am a tad excited to be going away on Friday with Dawn for our yearly scrap, chat and chill weekend. Craft stuff is packed, tool bag has been checked and refilled, pills and potions packed just last minute clothes and bits and bobs that I'll do Thursday!

Had a lovely time a crop on Saturday, I had done this half of the double layout at Bramford crop

and Saturday did the other page,.

and put together, okay usual bad photographs I know.


 

The title and background stuff has been done digitally and the papers printed out and used as a normal paper layout, difference being I only printed exactly what I would use as I had designed it on the PC. Sneaky hey. What's known as a hybrid layout.

So hopefully when I blog again I'll have lots of layouts done at the weekend to show you, a few I've done a bit of prep on mainly the journalling but the rest just have photo's. That's the beauty of saving the crop kits don't have to take too much stuff with us as it's all in the kits minus a photo and title. Dawn and I quite enjoy improvising on holiday  it's a challenge when you don't have everything with you and usually turns out okay.

Hounds are all well and happy I'm pleased to say.

sue x

So we finally seem to have ditched winter. I decided last month to take a photo of the willow tree on the first of every month for a year to be able to record the changes. I have a real phobia about tree (thanks Mum) but love this tree for some odd reason and together with the magnolia tree are both looking beautiful.

 The hounds have been making the most of the sun

 and last weekend got some cuddles from Harvey, grandson number 2

 and Mr T has been playing with his Christmas present (power washer) and ladder (birthday present) spent most of the weekend up on the roof cleaning the tiles and still has 2/3rds to go LOL.

Been making and selling quite a lot of cards and preparing some kit layouts for my long weekend away with Dawn on the 17th, one is getting a tad excited.

Had a super day at crop last Saturday which was NSD and done one page of a double layout hoping to finish the other side tomorrow.

Hounds are all well happy and behaving!

Suex