The social whirl continues

On Thursday I got a chance to put my new found social skills into practice once more as Auntie Jo and Uncle Roy came round to dinner. Now they understand all about the calm assertive approach to us dogs (more Cesar Millan fans), so when that was combined with the new, more mature me, it appears that everyone was most impressed by how well behaved I was. That was until the food arrived of course, although even then I was not as bad as I have been previously. In fact Auntie Jo was so pleased that she actually got down on the floor and played ball with me, which was great fun. All in all a pleasant evening was had by all, including me. I find that I'm beginning to actually enjoy this "being sociable" lark. Roll on Christmas!



Then the very next day I get back from my afternoon walk to find Auntie Jane had brought my best mate Lilly round again. Well we just had to have a good old run around for a while before Uncle Martin arrived to take them home. I tell you what, after all that socialising and running about I was totally shattered.

False alarm on the swine flu

Following on from my last blog I am now pleased to report that I do not appear to have swine flu after all. The sneezing has stopped (must have been dust) and I seem to be behaving better. However, having browsed the internet for a possible cause for my condition, I now think that I may have a vitamin D deficiency. As a result, I am spending as much time as possible relaxing in the sunshine, as I believe this helps with the vitamin D bit.



Mum and dad had a bit of an apero evening (nibbles and bottle stuff) for a few friends on Monday night. Auntie Jane and Uncle Martin came, as did our new friends Auntie Jo and Uncle Stuart. This was my first full blown social occassion of this ilk and, on the hole, I think I behaved reasonably well. Although apparently a bit too active and "participative" in the early stages, I soon settled down and finished up sharing my time around various guest's laps. I even managed a bit of a kip on Uncle Martin's lap! Uncle Stuart and I had a bit of a game with my plastic bottle so he now rates as an OK person.

I think I may have swine flu!

Today my dad popped over to Quillan to have his swine flu vaccination as he comes under the heading of "Fragiles" according to the French health service. Now I have spent quite a bit of time with dad today and I have started to exhibit some strange symptoms. Firstly I am sneezing rather a lot - something that I rarely do. Then there is the fact that I am being rather extra naughty today. For example, this afternoon I chewed through the electric cable that makes our front gates work - they don't any more! I have therefore come to the conclusion that I might be coming down with swine flu so am considering retiring to my bed for the next few days and I would advise my best friends to stay well clear for a while.

Further medical bulletins will be issued as the situation develops.

Happy Birthday to me!

Wow! What a weekend I have just had. I'm absolutely shattered but felt I must just tell you all about it before I crawl into my bed for a well earned kip.



For those of you who are not aware, it was my first birthday on Friday (30th October - make a note in your diary) and that heralded the start of a weekend of celebrations. Unbeknown to me a surprise party had been planned and the first people to arrive were Auntie Mary and Uncle Tim who had come for the whole weekend. Then Uncle Martin appeared with my absolute best mate, Lily, and finally Auntie Jo and Uncle Roy (they are always last to arrive!) with my other great mate, Boudie. Not only was it great to just see them all, but they all came bearing presents for me and even a special doggy birthday card. The adults then settled into their usual food and bottle stuff consumption whilst us dogs did what we do best and just tore around the garden playing. Boudie and his parents had to leave by early evening but everyone else was there 'til late.



The fun continued on Saturday when I met up with Felix, Tasha, and Paris (aka "The Ginger Ones") on my evening walk and we all had a great chase around. Now although she did not come on the walk with us, I felt that, as the wild boar hunters were about in force, Auntie Mary should wear some safety equipment as I do in those situations. She did not seem too impressed but Uncle Tim seemed stangely excited by the sight of his wife wearing a collar and bell. Can't think why.



With her mum away in the UK and dad busy for Sunday morning, Lily came over to stay for a few hours, so there was lots more chasing and rolling about action then. And all of that was preceded by another walk with the Ginger Ones (to be a regular feature over the next week or so as their dog sitter has injured her knee)and all brought to a close by dad and I settling down to watch the last Formula 1 race of the season.



So you can see why I now need a good rest to recover! Oh, and I forgot to mention, I have managed to get the remaining beer mat stock down to 489.

Hoorah! My trampoline is back.

You may remember that in the early part of this year when I was but a babe, I discovered that the winter cover for the swimming pool made a great trampoline and gave me hours of fun. All that stopped in May when the pool was opened up, but I did at least gain a 42,000 litre drinking bowl in its place.




As winter now approaches the pool has today been put to bed and my lovely blue trampoline is back. As usual I gave my dad a hand in the closing down and in pulling over the winter cover.






Well, you have to to your bit, don't you. I am sure it was greatly appreciated, unlike my first attempts at nibbling the edge of the cover once it was in place. That did NOT go down too well.

Brian de Pays de Galles visit

Mum and dad's friend Brian from Wales came to visit for a few days this week. Now I had not met him before but we got on famously despite me drawing blood on him within five minutes of his arrival - an accident of course, caused by my youthful enthusiasm! He is a real dog person and understands us canines so he has been promoted to my new best friend.


I have recently acquired a taste for the coasters used under cups and glasses in this household and to date have totally destroyed the twelve attractive ones we owned. Thankfully Brian is on the committee for his local rugby club so was able to bring with him 500 beer mats to replace the other coasters. Whilst not as tasty as the cork ones, I have managed to snaffle some of these and currently we have 496 left!


I have attached a photo of me taken by Brian in what I think is a rather distinguished pose on top of a pile of rocks. Signed copies are available on request.

Orange for danger!

Now you may or may not be aware that the wild boar hunting season, which reopened in September, is now in full swing. Each Wednesday and weekend groups of shotgun and rifle toting locals, each with a load of dogs, can be found lurking amongst the vines, in the hedgerows, and down in the forests. What you also may not be aware of is that the majority of these heavily armed hunters are generally in their 50’s or 60’s so with not the best of sight and hearing (especially after all those gunshots), and have usually spent the previous hour in the local bar breakfasting on red wine.


I hasten to add that we do NOT take part in any hunting, but with these facts in mind, dad and I have decided that discretion is the better part of valour and that we should take great care to ensure that we are both very visible and easily heard during our morning walks on those days. Lots of fluorescent orange and jingling bells are therefore the order of the day so, after a trip to the local rural supplies shop, we have equipped ourselves accordingly, as you can see from the photo. I’m sure that I would never be mistaken for one of those ugly boars but I am not going to take the chance.

The only good thing to come out of this is that I have made friends with one of the hunt dogs – a lovely lady called Aude - who comes from the same place as me and my (doggy) mum and who probably knows her as they are of similar ages. When we meet we usually have a bit of a chase around, much to the dismay of Aude’s owner!

A trip to the seaside

I know I’ve been a bit quiet recently as there has not really been that much going on. However, that all changed on Thursday.

Mum and dad took me for my first trip to the seaside – Port Vendres to be precise – as apparently my dad is off there shortly for a little holiday and mum needed to check out the route. To ensure my comfort a new chunk of foam has been installed in the back of the car which makes seeing out much easier and is ever so comfy for crashing out on.



I actually managed the two hour journey there without being travel sick – a record for me, and my thanks go out to Rescue Remedy for helping with this. Once we had arrived we had a bit of a walk round the harbour where I encountered boats for the first time. Not sure if I like the idea of these but I will reserve judgement until I have actually been on one. These harbour places are great fun ‘cause there are some bizarre smells and loads of birds wandering around just asking to be chased.

Then it was off to a restaurant for lunch. Now you may remember me talking about a film called “ Marley and me “ in which there is a scene (which those of you have seen it will recall) where Marley is tied to the restaurant table and then flies off after another dog taking the table with him. Well I rather brilliantly re-enacted this scene using a low flying pigeon as the item to be chased and causing my dad to be covered in beer and my mum to cut her hand on the resulting broken glass. After that for some strange reason, I was tied up to a nearby bench for the duration of the meal.



The journey home was really hot and despite my best endeavours I failed to make it as incident free as the outward journey, finally succumbing to travel sickness in the last ten minutes. Still, not bad for a dog who, only a month or so ago could hardly go round the block in the car without a problem. Mind you, I was so tired when I got home that I actually fell asleep standing up, although I cannot recall any of that!

Oh, and I forgot to mention, as of Wednesday my international travel passport became valid so I can now travel around Europe with gay abandon.

Lily and I ride the train

Saturday saw our neighbouring village, Antugnac, celebrating the start of the grape harvest. Naturally we all walked up there to join in the festivities including Aunty Mary and Uncle Tim who came over especially for the occassion.


On the walk we met up with the procession of very important looking people in funny outfits off to bless the vines or something. I was not interested in this much so dad took me to my mate Lily's house where we both had a doze whilst the humans went off to do lots of that bottle stuff and eat baby pigs! And all of that took place in a winery. Dad reckons it came close to his view of heaven.















After the lunch Lily and I were retrieved and taken to join the remaining celebrations and socialise a bit.


Then came the best bit. As part of the fun they had this little train that was doing tours of the vineyards and Lily and I got to ride on it.



I've never been on a train before, not even a toy one like this. It was great fun and I especially liked sticking my head out and watching the world go by.

Frog (dog) meets a tadpole!

So there we were the other afternoon relaxing on a nice day when who should arrive but my old mate Uncle Billy with his lovely lady Tad(pole) - it's her nickname apparently, but I did not go into that!


Well Auntie Tad and I hit it off straight away and she is now my new best friend. It may be something to do with the fact at she is a dog person - she had her own dog called Hovis. Now the fact that she named her dog after a loaf of bread probably tells you something about Auntie Tad. That's right, really lovely but ever so slightly wacky. I thought she was great and can't wait for her to visit again, which she promised would be very soon.

One dog vendage

You may have heard me refer from time to time about this "bottle stuff" that mum and dad and their friends keep consuming. Apparently this is made from grapes.


Now I have recently discovered that I am rather partial to grapes, and as I live in the largest grape producing area of France, this is rather fortuitous. So I got to thinking, why don't I get into this "bottle stuff" myself, only I will do it the economically and ecologically friendly way without any processing or packaging but instead go straight to the source. This has the added advantage that one does not keep falling over with this stuff as mum and dad do with theirs.

With that in mind I have decided to start on my one dog vendage - grape harvest for those of you who don't speak the lingo. Yes, I know that the vendage does not officially start for a week or two yet but I thought that if I got in early I could get all the good stuff.


Over the last few weeks I have been checking on the progress of the local grapes and I now declare that they are up to my standard, so henceforth over the next six weeks or so I will be harvesting like mad. As a result, my blogs during this period may become a bit rambling or even slurred but I am sure you will understand.

I will report back on the quality of this years vendage shortly. In the meantime - CHEERS!

Boudie's stormy visit

We have just had an enjoyable,if a little bizzare, visit from my mate Boudie and his mum and dad. So there we all were on Tuesday afternoon, enjoying a spot of sunbathing and swimming (not me, but I did manage a paddle in the shallow end) before partaking of some food and (the people) some more of that bottle stuff. I even managed to get my nose into the peanut bowl before once again being severely rebuked! Guess I am going to have to give up the peanuts.


The sky was blue, the temperature was about 34C, and it was a really pleasant afternoon. Then, fairly rapidly, some dark clouds began to form over Quillan and started to head our way. It soon began to spit with rain. "No worries" they all cried - it will soon pass over (isn't that some form of religious festival?). "We are OK under this large umbrella".

Well, to cut long story short, it did not pass over, but developed into a major storm with torrential rain and hail and when the wind started driving it horizontally everyone (including us dogs under the table) decided to make a run for the house. We all made it, thoroughly soaked, battered by hailstones, and with everyone (except us dogs) clutching some item of food or drink from the table.

The house, which had all its doors and windows left open because of the heat, was somewhat awash and I actually saw mum's pink flip flops drift past in the conservatory.

The afternoon's event was forced to continue in the rain soaked house whilst us dogs were relegated to the conservatory - something to do with very muddy paws I think.

Django's domestic duties

I know how much my mum loves ironing (not!) so the other day, when I saw the ironing board and iron being got out in readiness for another mammoth session, I thought I would offer some assistance.

Now I would be no good at actually wielding the iron but I thought that at least I could help by keeping an eye on the pile of ironing waiting to be done, and releasing the odd bit to mum whenever she needed it. I felt that this would contribute greatly to speeding up the whole process and making life easier for her, but for some reason she did not see it that way.

Well, one can only try to help, and if it is not appreciated, then one can always have a nap.

Three new friends and a barbeque

The social whirl of Montazels continues apace! After two unexpected (but very welcome) visits from my mate Lily within the space of a week, on Wednesday three new people turned up for what was to be a fun afternoon.


Aunty Jan, her son Josh, and his friend Jonno were on holiday in the next village to us so they came over for a bit of a swim, a barbeque, and some more of that bottle stuff. Now although we had not met before, we all got on like a house on fire. Aunty Jan is really sweet and she plays guitar too, which I think is really clever. I've never heard anyone play before so it was really interesting.


Josh and Jonno were great fun and I spent lots of time chasing them around when they were in he pool. I still have not summoned up the courage to jump in yet but I don't mind getting splashed.



At one stage I even managed to get a quick Frog Dog snog in with Josh!



There was a great barbeque at which I managed to hoover up a couple of crisps and a bit of sausage and even got my nose in the peanut bowl at one stage, although I did get told off for that!

Unfortunately they are off back to the UK soon so I won't see them again 'til next time.

An afternoon with Marley and me

What else do you do on a rainy Sunday afternoon but watch a film? So there we were, mum, dad, and me, watching this film called "Marley and me". Now I apologise for those of you have not yet seen this film but it is all about the supposedly naughtiest dog in the world.


From what I saw I would dispute this as I have had my moments too, and from the regular comments from mum and dad such as "been there, done that" and the occassional fit of the giggles I would assume that a sense of deja vu was prevailing amongst certain sectors of the audience. Personally I could not see it but then I am a dog and his behaviour seemed perfectly normal to me.

I did relate to him closely on the visit to the vet to have certain vital bits of anatomy removed as I have been there myself recently but fortunately the sad ending was well beyond my comprehension as I hopefully have many years to go before anything like that. It was a real four hanky job for those around me and I guess some of that was to do with my predecessor's demise. Still, a good time was had by all, even if there was no large bag of Maltesers to go round. We can all heartily recommend it.

Outing to Bouisse + Serpent

Here I am again, fresh from a really busy weekend. Auntie Mary and Uncle Tim came over for the weekend and it was really exciting to see them again. The main reason for their visit was so that we could all go to the Club Braque Français dog show and field trials at the place where I was born - the village of Bouisse.

Saturday was the day for the show and I met loads more of "me" type dogs including a couple of my brothers who I have not seen for months. It was all very informal and not at all stuffy. Afterwards we had a picnic in the park before heading back home where the humans had a swim and more of that bottle stuff. I just kipped as I have not yet really got to grips with travelling in cars and was a bit sick on the way to Bouisse.


Sunday was the day of the field trials which we totally missed, much to mum's annoyance, as we could not find the field. Still, they all had a long and (apparently) scrummy lunch whilst I did a bit more kipping as once again I had been sick on the way up. I really must get the hang of this travelling lark if I am going to enjoy the trip to the UK at Xmas.

Oh, and before I go, one more bit of interesting news. We have a viper in the garden somewhere and it has been seen basking on the pool deck a couple of times. For some reason everyone is a bit pleased I have not yet seen it? It appears that if we give chase they just turn round and bite you, and that being bitten by one of these is not too good for a dog.

Must go now. Got to chase mum and the mower around the garden. Goodness knows where dad is!

The god kids were here!

Hello again one and all. Sorry it has been a long time since the last posting but life has been a bit hectic recently. First of all I had a bit of an eye infection but some drops from the chemist soon sorted that out. Then, the really good news - I am now over the 20 kilo mark - and for some obscure reason mum and dad are really happy about this. Still, whatever makes them happy is good by me!

I said before that the god children were due to arrive. Well they duely arrived last Tuesday and it was really great to see them. My old mate Grant and I soon renewed our old friendship and his sister Becky turned out to be really lovely and not too scared of me at all. I was right - she is a lot prettier than Grant! That is, except when she has just got up and had a bit of a rough and tumble with me before I clamber onto her lap for a cuddle.

We played lots of games together and each morning I tried to exceed the enthusiasm of the previous morning's welcome as they appeared for breakfast. They also spent a lot of time fooling about in the pool, but as you avid readers will be aware, I don't do pools. Instead I chose to take up residence on one of the sun loungers and watch from a safe distance.

It is quite sad that they have now gone home, but I am consoling myself with the knowledge that Aunty Mary and Uncle Tim are coming over for the weekend. Not only that but we are all going to Bouisse (where I was born) to a show and field trials for us Braque Francais hounds - more about that next time. Who knows, I may even see my real mum and dad when I am there.

That's all for now as I have a lot of sleep to catch up on so I am off to find an empty armchair. Speak to you all again soon.

Old mate & new friend coming soon

Just heard some very exciting news and had to share it with you. In about ten days time mum and dad's god children, Grant and Becky (see photo of them with mum and dad), are coming to stay for a week. Now Grant and I are best mates because, as you may remember, he came over in March this year for a few days and we had a great time together. Becky is his sister and I am sure she is just as nice and quite a bit prettier! Really looking forward to them coming so we can have a bit of fun together.

Surprise guest & more DIY

So there we are, dad and I, heading off into the vineyards on our usual morning walk, and who should join us but that lovely young lady, Paris. No, not Paris Hilton (more's the pity says dad) but my good mate from up the hill, Paris the Hungarian wire haired Vizler, who you may remember was last seen swimming a few lengths in our pool during the party. She joined us for the walk and then, much to my surprise, joined me in our garden by leaping over our outside wall. Even I can't do that! Good fun was had by all but I was seriously knackered at the end of it all.

By the way, as the observant amongst you may notice, I have had my stitches out. Nothing to it really and I did not feel a thing.




Then I had to help dad with some DIY as he was putting in a stone step.Uncle Tim normally comes and helps with such things and as he had left his work shoes here (and they don't fit me) I naturally assumed he would be back. However, apparently he had decided to buzz off on holiday so I had to step in. Still, I think I proved fairly useful.

Matt and his mates make a splash

Matt and his four mates (sorry can't remember names very well) came over to use the pool and a great splashing time was had by all. Now Matt is the sort of half brother to my mate Lily (if you know what I mean) and he was over from the UK for a few days and brought his mates along too. I did not actually go in the pool but I did do a lot of chasing the ball and got thoroughly soaked. Great fun!

The unkindest cut of all!

I woke up this morning full of the joys of spring. Slowly I realised that things were not progressing as a normal day would. Then dad stuck me in the car and took me down to the vets. There I was handed over to Julie (nice girl) and dad left!

For the sake of the squeamish amongst you I will not go into great detail as to what happened next - in fact I do not know all of it as I was asleep for some of the time. Suffice to say that when I finally came to I found myself missing some vital parts of my anatomy, a little sore in the nether regions, and with a neat row of three stitches in a private place.

Now as you know I am not one to complain, but I mean - what have I done to deserve this? I am now sitting at home feeling sorry for myself and contemplating an unmanly future.

Remember I told you that there were two old friends of mum and dads coming to stay? Well they arrived and we got on famously from the off.




In fact I think that Auntie Karen and Uncle Dave are now my new best friends.












Whilst they were here the adults all had a party - you know, all that bottle and food stuff with loud music and lots of loud chatter. Well fortunately my mates Boudie and Paris came too so we had a bit of a party of our own.







That silly Paris even went for a swim in the pool. What is she on? You would not get me in there for all the dog bicuits in Le Clerc!








I also made another freind. Uncle Martin lives in Montazels and I did meet him briefly once before. However, this time we had a bit more time to bond and I have to say I really like him.