Of sun and food and other things

Now as you may know, I am a true Languedoc dog through and through and as such I know how to deal with strong sunshine on a hot day (unlike my predecessor apparently). I just seek out the nearest bit of good shade close to where the action is and relax. Under a tree is one of my favourites.






I had my own chair in the conservatory but at 19 kg I was getting a bit big for it so mum and dad popped down to Parchemin and bought me my very own armchair for the princely sum of €5! As you can see, I fit this one very nicely, thankyou.







Food is one of my big weaknesses and whilst I am not one to complain about the excellent premium dog food I am currently being served, I sometimes relax in front of the herb garden and dream up gourmet offerings such as Butchers Dog with rosemary and sage crust or Pedigree Chum with a basil and thyme dressing. Well, one can dream, can't one.




Last Sunday it was our local Garrenaud street party, held in a tent in a local field. I was not allowed to go to the lunch as apparently it was felt I would cause too much chaos. I did, however, visit for a short while after lunch, and I think I made my presence felt in that short time! So much so that I was taken home again after 15 minutes. Really must brush up on my social skills. Still, all the kids seem to like me.

I've been unwell

Sorry to have been out of touch but I have not been well. Not to put too fine a point on it, I have had a really bad (the vet said chronic!) case of the trots which resulted in a half kilo weight loss and a very miserable me for a while. However, after four injections and three different medicines I am pleased to report all is now well again in Django world.




That is fortunate as Auntie Mary and Uncle Tim came over on Sunday for the day so I was able to fully participate in the social activities. After lots of eating and more of that bottle stuff, the cover was rolled back from what I now know is the pool, and Auntie Mary went in followed by my dad.

They both tried really hard to persuade me that joining them would be a good idea but I was having none of it.

Mind you, when a big red ball was introduced my resistance began to crumble, but in the end I managed to get my teeth around it without actually going in and preceded to kill it.

I am getting really excited about some new people who are coming to stay in a couple of weeks. Don't know them from Adam but I am told they LOVE dogs!

Of pools & tables & pots & chairs

Lots to tell you today so I will get straight on with it. I finally found out what that big blue hole filled with water underneath my trampoline thingy is really for. Can you believe people actually get in it and swim! Today was the first official day that the pool (that's what it is called apparently) was open and there is a bit of a tradition round here to be the first to swim in what is truely quite cold water. Well Auntie Jo arrived this afternoon with my mate Boudie, took off lots of clothes, and jumped in. And they say us dogs are a bit bonkers at times! As is usually the case with most events involving humans, there was a bottle thing involved, although this time, for some reason, it did not get opened.


Now you remember the other day that I tried this "sitting at the table to eat" thing that humans do, but apparently I got it wrong - you do not sit on the table, you sit on the chairs at the table. So I tried this, but still no food appeared, let alone a nice glass of chilled wine. What has a dog got to do?


I have been studying with interest this gardening thing that seems to be going on at the moment. Apparently you put these plants into some soil in pots and they grow. Well, I have tried emptying out pots to see what is going on, but to no avail, so I thought I would try planting myself and see what happens. I got a clip round the ear, that's what happened.



All of this activity recently has made me a bit tired so I have found a new resting spot - my dads chair. It is very comfortable but not the best of places to choose when dad wants to sit down! Oh well, it's back to the dog basket I suppose.

A swim in the Salz

Big treat yesterday. We went down to Couiza and met up with my great mate Boudie, Then we chased along the bank of the river Salz near where it joins the Aude.

Now as regular readers will know, I am not a great fan of water, but when I saw my mate having such great fun in there I decided, after an initial hesitation, to join him.



It was OK but one dip was enough on this first occasion - maybe more next time.

Boudie and I then found some bits of bamboo and started tearing about with them which somehow resulted in me having a mouth full of blood. Scared the pants off mum but I was fine - only nicked my tongue or something.

Uncle Stephen came to stay for a couple of nights this week. Apparently he had just finalised the sale of his house in Esperaza and needed somewhere to sleep for two nights before returning to Scotland so we offered him a bed. That was great for me as I have always liked him and it gave me the opportunity to test out his lap for comfort.


They also did something very strange which I have still not figured out. Between them they removed my nice big blue trampoline thingy and underneath it there was this really big blue hole full of water. I am not at all sure what that is for and at the moment am giving it a bit of a wide berth. My trampoline has now gone back into place but is not as springy as before. What is happening? Answers on a postcard please.





So there I was the other lunchtime, waiting for my lunch, so I thought that I would do what they do and sit at the table to give them the hint it was a bit overdue. For some reason this did not go down too well! Honestly, they do it and it is OK but I do it and you would think the end of the world had come. Talk about one rule for them and one for me.

Where were all the presents?

I'm not sure if you were aware of it but I was six months old a couple of days ago. Come to think of it, the marked absence of presents, cards, and visitors would indicate you were not aware.



This occassion was marked in two very different ways. Firstly, I received a new toy as a present from mum and dad. They felt that as I had chewed my way through many of my earlier ones, it was time to replace. And very nice it was too, thank you.





The second surprise was not so great - I was given a bath! Look here a moment, only six months on this earth is not enough time to get seriously dirty and smelly, and certainly is way too early for such drastic measures.


Shortly after all this I had my first evening social engagement. Mum and dad went to dinner at Auntie Jo and Uncle Roy's and, whilst I was not allowed to attend the actual dinner (something to do with my social skills not being up to it) I did get involved with everyone after dinner and my mate Boudie and I had great fun with all the diners.

Another hectic week

It has been a busy week since we last spoke. First of all there was the arrival of the new TV. This involved some considerable modification to the piece of furniture upon which it sat. Now, as you know, I am quite partial to a bit of DIY so dad and I got busy and sorted that out, and a very nice job we made of it, even if I say so myself.

Then there was the visit of Auntie Catherine and Uncle Alan. I'm not a shy dog so there was no problem meeting them for the first time. In fact we got along famously and I think they have just become my new best friends. Auntie Catherine was bit allergic to me at first so I did not have enough time to get in the usual quota of licks and cuddles to fully establish the relationship. She also missed out on the photo call some how, but I promise to make up for both on her next visit.

During their visit I got a bit of a tummy bug which caused a couple of disturbed nights for both me and mum and dad. However, my mum nursed me back to health which involved a lot of sleeping and not much eating.

After such a hectic time I feel in need of a bit of rest so if you don't mind I will sign off and go to bed. Speak to you again soon.