presents & other bribes

Heh, just kidding!

Before you get too excited, these puppies have been spoken for for quite a long time - in fact, they have been spoken for several times over.  So I'm afraid that no amount of bribery will work.  On this litter, anyway.  There is always, of course, the next litter.  I'm just saying.

Today I was thrilled to get one of these from Kate & Jerome as a present for wetting the babies' heads.  Now, I'm not much of a drinker, really. (If you discount the odd medicinal g&t, that is.  Ok, I've been known to consume the occasional bottle or 2 of pear cider as well.)  But I'm not one for Bailey's or beer and I've even gone off wine a bit.  So, what's so great about this stuff?  Well, it's Lakka - Lapponia Cloudberry Liqueur, made in Finland.  Lapponia - get it?  As in Lapphund, Lapland, etc.

Even that's not what's so great about this stuff, though, and the best thing is that Kate & Jerome will have had no idea when they picked it out.  Have you ever had a cloudberry?  Thought not.  They grow in the wilderness of the northern hemisphere, but I've never seen one or heard of one in the UK (maybe Scotland?)  Where I come from we call those berries 'bakeapples'.  Don't ask me why, I have no idea whatsoever.  They have nothing at all in common with apples, but believe me when I tell you they are the single yummiest little fruit that ever grew wild.  We eat them right off the bush, make them into jam, put them in scones, on ice cream.  Some people even make wine or sherry with them.  They're gorgeous in everyway, even their colour.

For many years I really thought that they didn't even exist outside of Newfoundland & Labrador, since they didn't have the profile of, say, a raspberry or blueberry (both of which also grow wild there).  So, imagine my surprise when I went to Finland a few years ago and on a visit to the Lumiturpa kennel was served bakeapple jam with our afternoon tea.  I was thrilled & delighted.  Perhaps rather more than was strictly necessary for a fruit.

I'm off to the shops for ice cream.  What do you mean it's breakfast time?  Your point?

Puppies... oh, yeah.  Pics later and maybe even a little video if you're very, very lucky.