Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

Struggling with my pet hate, soldering!

[EileenDavid]

Recovering from yet another party and the sun is shining here today with clear blue skies but the sun now doesn't get warm until pm so hopefully pm on the deck with a book and Dave of course. Eileen

[Wendyf]

Eileen, I have been trying to decide if I would prefer to be sitting out in the sun and enjoying reading a book, or if I am quite happy doing what I'm doing today. We are living in a total mess, as the house is in "building site mode", and I have just spent an hour or so cleaning out the hen house and spraying yet again with red mite killer. I had got the numbers down to a few, but another load must have hatched out last night and the beggars are everywhere again!

[Stanley]

Find someone who is registered and get them to buy some creosote for you! Break the rules!
One thing you could try is to shoo the hens out, get hold of some sulphur, put it in a tin on top of a brick and get it burning with a blow-lamp. Shut the door and leave it for an hour. Then ventilate. Not dangerous but the fumes from the sulphur will not do the mites any good. It will bleach the inside of the hut as well!

[EileenDavid]

Wash day today, a trip to the bolangerie for bread a brisk walk and then relaxing again in the fresh air with a book. Bliss Eileen

[Sue]

Today is my oils class at my friends studio. This morning isU3A. Art. This evening I shall be editing our new Creative Writing book , which is almost ready for publishing.

[Marilyn]

Babysitting son's Labrador.
Stomach on legs that is constantly hanging about either the pantry door, the fridge door or the oven door. I was cooking a Salmon and Spinach Quiche when she arrived and nearly had apoplexy when she stuck her entire big black head in the oven when I went to remove it!
Can't move without being shadowed. We have even been in the loo together.
She is spending the night, so her and I are sharing the bed in the guest room.

[Marilyn]

....and she made me smile when I began to cook tea. She went straight to her bag and stuck her head in to check out if her food bowl was in there. Then looked at me as if to say "well I am obviously staying for dinner...get with the program Maz and put some food in my bowl..."

[Stanley]

Jack reminds me it is teatime at 16:25 every day on the dot. He has a regular routine and a very good internal clock.

[EileenDavid]

Dogs are clever are they not? Babies also have built in time clocks. A couple stayed opposite us with a baby couldn't understand that he wouldn't go to sleep at his usual time then they remembered we are an hour ahead of the UK.

Last night our friends arrived back from the UK so we will be seeing them today. Came the marathon journey way from Dover to Calais then a 7 hour dive at this end. Blasted ferry strikes. Eileen

[Sue]

Today we are planting bulbs on mums and dads and family grave. I have enough for flowers up till next August

[Marilyn]

Abby (the dog) has just left after about 32 hours with us.
She has been great fun, but I feel I need a bath after being dribbled on all day. She went home exhausted after two long walks and being on shadow duty all day ( normally she sleeps quite a lot but she obviously didn't want to miss anything). She knows I am always up for a game of 'chase the ball' too, which we have done quite a bit of.
My son strapped her in her car harness tonight and she was absolutely exhausted.
He won't hear a peep out of her tonight.

[Wendyf]

Talking about dogs being clever, have a look at this,little dog who found his way home...

[Stanley]

Nice!

[EileenDavid]

I loved the doggy stories reminded me of the Disney film the Incredible Journey. Today we will be relaxing after yet another party last night. Eileen

[PanBiker]

Talking about dogs being clever, have a look at this,little dog who found his way home...

Before the thread meanders off this little sidetrack I will mention a tale about my dads dog Lassie. Back in the 1950's when I was a lad we had a border collie called Lassie. Mum had got it for dads birthday one year and it went everywhere with him. Dad worked in the building trade and Lassie used to go to work with him and ride on the back of the wagon to the various jobs. Dad was building a bungalow up at Long Preston, the job lasted for a couple of months through summer and each day Lassie would jump on the wagon and once up on the site go to the adjacent farm on the lane and pal up with the working dogs there. She would always come back to the whistle when it was packing up time.

One Friday afternoon when they were winding down and packing up the wagon for the weekend dad gave out the whistle but she was nowhere to be found. He asked at the farm and their dogs were all accounted for in the yard. He had a wander up and down the lane calling for her but to no avail. The lads were anxious to get home so dad decided to go back up on the bus the following morning and continue the search. He was not very happy leaving her behind but she was a fully streetwise dog, never any need for a lead and always sat at the side of the road and looked both ways before crossing. She was out in the country and dad figured that she would find a barn to sleep in and would be ready and waiting for him the next morning. He would come back up on the bus and get her.

Saturday morning dawned and dad was making his way up Wellhouse Road to get the Skipton bus from outside the Con Club. When he got to the level crossing he could see a bloke he knew walking along Station Road towards him with Lassie on a piece of bailing band through her collar. Dad whistled and of course the dog slipped the leash and came running straight to heel, non the worse for wear. The bloke told dad that he had just caught Lassie getting off the Skipton bus, he knew who she belonged to as dad and her were inseparable and well known around the town, he was bringing her home. Dad went to have a word with the driver on the Laycock's bus who told him that when he was waiting in Skipton bus station he noticed the dog get off the Settle to Skipton bus and walk round the perimeter inspecting the other buses on the ranks before choosing his. She looked at him and then jumped on and settled down under the front seat. As soon as the bus arrived outside the Con Club she was up and an off down Station road where the bloke had recognised her and picked her up.

On the Monday dad was told by the Settle bus driver that he had seen the dog waiting along with the other passengers at the bus stop, she got on with them, he thought the dog belonged to one of them so no worries, he had no idea that she was travelling alone.

Lassie had never been on the bus to Skipton and never to Long Preston. She must have figured that the one in Long Preston was going in the right direction and I suppose recognised the Laycocks one as one she had seen around town. Nevertheless a very canny canine. Same dog that jumped off Rainhall viaduct after a rabbit and survived. Only time I ever saw my dad cry was when we had to have her put to sleep at 15 years old.

[Wendyf]

What an amazing story Ian.

[Sue]

Today I am making a patchwork quilt, one of a pair, out of mums and dads bedding.

[Stanley]

Moving quietly towards the finish of 18 month's work on the engines. Very satisfying.......

[Sue]

Doctors, lunch out, pedicure, dental check up and to round it all off, dance exercise class tonight. If I have time a little more work on the creative writing book. I am busy shuffling articles around to give a better mix and better layout. Then it's the final publish by the end of the month.watch out for ON THE WRITE LINES by the creative writing group of U3A Todmorden

[Stanley]

Sue, is that the book we were talking about that day in Tod?
Ian, a great story and it reminds me of the stories of the drover's dogs. When they arrived at their destination, and this could be N Wales to London, the drovers would send their dogs home on their own while they did business. Many accounts of dogs travelling all the way back on their own. And Borders are particularly intelligent, my old dog Fly was almost talking when he died......

[Stanley]

Valve adjusting......

[EileenDavid]

Another party last night as some fella campers are going home now the ferry strike is over. Didn't make any sense going Calais to Dover as they live in Plymouth. Today a bit of shopping and relaxing on the deck with a good book ever the optimist. Eileen

[Sue]

Art then hair do then sort iPad. We are flying to France for a week as we cancelled the feery due to the strike. We had no sooner canceled and booked the flight than the strike was over. Ah well we are with friends and sharing the cost of the hire car so it will work out cheaper in the long run as it is only for a week.

[Stanley]

Considering my options and resting. Engines are finished so I am having mild PND.....