pondside, seaside

Apologies for being away so long. I have lots of excuses that I won't bore you with, but I also have lots of photos to keep me blogging. Just so long as I can find the time, that is.

Devon has been enjoying cold weather the likes of which I haven't seen since I visited home in mid-winter and it was -15 degrees. Well, ok, it's not actually that cold here, but we're all really struggling to keep warm in houses and clothing simply not designed to withstand weeks of sub-zero temperatures. It's very pretty though. And we haven't had any snow in my area, for which I am grateful.

As for the Lapphunds, well, they're positively thrilled by the crunch underfoot every day when they shoot out the door. Oh, how they wish it would snow! Keskiyo spends a great deal of his time in the garden now. (And, before you ask, no I bloody well have not done any work out there. I'm waiting for spring.) Here he is at his favorite perch pond-side with a proprietary paw holding his tennis ball.















He gets dragged in from time to time for unneighbourly barking out the front gate, but the garden is his room of choice these days. He occasionally comes to the door asking for someone to come out and play. Neka is normally very well behaved in the garden too so would normally be allowed out, but since having the puppies she hasn't got over her habit of cleaning up after everyone and everything. She has discovered the cats' favorite poo site and zooms straight over to tuck in. So she's banned for the time being. As for Maija, she's not allowed in the garden unsupervised until she learns some manners around the plants.

So, he's mainly out there on his own, happily amusing himself. He is particularly charmed by his new-found ability to walk around, sit and lie on the pond. And, occasionally eat it when he manages to break off a piece.

















The usual caveats regarding the quality of my photos apply. On this occasion the problems are caused by having to grab a quick snap through the open kitchen window. Everytime you appear in the garden in person, Keskiyo immediately stops whatever he's doing and comes hurtling over for a game. This, of course, is not conducive to good picture taking.

We did have a great photo opportunity last weekend, though. I hosted my first SFLS walk. This is a momentous occasion because it heralds the first time there have been enough Finnish Lapphunds in the south west to warrant a specially organised walk all the way down here so far away from everyone else. A couple of people had to cancel so we were a few Lappies down on expected numbers. However, we had a reasonable turnout with 7 Lapphunds, one Anniebear Akita and about 14 people. In the end, they were all related to Neka, being either her housemates or offspring.

I thought it appropriate to choose a beach for our walk since we have so many great ones in this neck of the woods and we had a terrific time at Bigbury-on-Sea. This is a gorgeous spot anytime of year, and remarkably uncrowded on the freezing day we set out for our walk. It will now forever be known by me as Bigburrrrry. Have a look for yourself on the webcam here.

Thanks to Jo for getting lots of great photos. Here is a selection of Lappies running flat out, which is a particularly good reason for going to the beach.

Inko


Tarkka


Maija


Brothers Koda & Torvi

And here are a few photos illustrating why it's always a good idea to let a bunch of Finnish Lapphunds get together. Look at how much fun they're having playing together!














Yes, that's me bundled up like the Michelin man, wearing so many layers I can hardly walk. And, yes, in that photo further up, that is a bunch of people in the water. Surfers - a group of people possibly even more bonkers in the pursuit of their hobby than dog folk.