Visitors

This is me waiting to goose someone

s

This is me on a sofa I am not supposed to be on

We have just had a special visitor come to see us all the way from England. People are always coming over here to Australia from England because we have all the good weather and they have all the rubbish weather.

Here we are enjoying the good weather in Australia.

Anyway this lady was Zoe and I liked her. I especially liked goosing her with my nose because no matter how many times I did it, she was never expecting it! Goosing is a new hobby of mine. I am just the right height for it, and when your nose is long like mine it's just too tempting. The best is to wait until the victim has come out of the bathroom when they are half asleep then you sneak up and give a quick poke.  So much fun!  Also I liked going in her room and taking her things away when she was not looking.

Zoe in Sydney

NZ wine is the best but we will drink anything

Another lady came for one of the days and she was Julia. Zoe, Julia and Sarah have not seen each other all together in the same place for 15 years, since they went to University. That is a very long time ago, because they are very old. They were very excited to see each other and of course when ladies are excited they are screechy. Syd and I put up with it and didn't say much, as it's only once every 15 years they get together. But I could tell his ears were hurting a bit, like mine.

is it time to go home yet?

Sophisticated ladies

Apparently this is dancing

Here they are doing what old ladies like to do when they get together. No not knitting. Drinking. And dancing!! I am glad I didn't have to go, look how patient Syd is being.....

One beady eye on the door waiting for old people to come home

They stayed out very late, and I stayed at home and looked after the house. I don't like it when people get silly. I am not a party dog. I often slink off to my bed at the first sign of any festivities, like loud music, corks popping or ladies voices getting screechy and I don't come back till everyone has calmed down. Zoe has gone home now, but more visitors are coming soon. I think it's the old people. Visitors are OK but they sit about talking about jetlag too much and how much sleep they have had or haven't had.  Yawn.  Listening to that sends me right off to sleep.  

Greece



The S's had another holiday without Fozzie this year. I didn't care at all though because I had my own, much better holiday.......at Ringo's house! It was such a good holiday I didn't want to go home at the end. I had to eventually as the S's were getting lonely without me. Anyway more about that later. First I have to show you where the S's went.

Good to see there are some dogs in Greece



A Greek Feline

 Greece is a place with a lot of boats and food. All the photos I have seen of Greece have got food in them. That is fine, I am a big fan of food, but also there are some photos with CATS in them. Why anyone would go on holiday to the same place that CATS like to go on holiday, well I really don't know. Anyway the S's went off to Greece all grumpy and came back in a good mood. They said that Greece is relaxing - all that eating probably makes you relaxed; I know when I have finished a bone I always have to have a big sleep.

A lazy Greek Feline

If you interested to know, then there are several types of Fozzie sleep. There is 'collapsed in a heap sleep' like after walks and bones.

I don't mind sharing my chair with Syd

There is 'watchful waiting' when you have your head on your paws but really you are concentrating hard and listening for cats and postmen.  And also there is 'obstacle course style' which is where you stretch out as long as you can be, either in the hallway or in front of the door so that if you do nod off, no one can get past without you noticing.



This is Doga (it is yoga for dogs)



There is no chair or sofa that I am not allowed to sit on



Greek food and of course wine

Anyway back to Greece - here is some food and here is the S's enjoying themselves.



As you can see, in Greece the S's met those VIPs again, sorry no, I mean OAPs.  The OAPs were going on another boat leaving from Athens.  They seem to do a lot of that. Apparently old people get a special pass so they can go on as many buses or cruise ships as they like. Unlike dogs who are not allowed on buses or ferries here in Sydney; unless their owners are disabled. I think the S's definitely meet that criteria. I did once get in a bus but he man said I had to get out. And I have been on a travelator which is a moving sort of a floor that won't let you go backwards, I did not like it at all. Nor did I like going in a lift; humans really do weird stuff don't  they!?





So here are the S's on their dog free holiday with the cats and the old people. Looks rubbish to me.

The other thing they do in Greece (after eating)  is dancing. Syd LOVES dancing. But he is not allowed to do it because of his knees. I don't really understand dancing, I would rather chase felines to get my exercise but anyway that's just me. Here is Syd thinking about doing dancing.

Will my knees hurt if I do dancing?

Farmacy

One reason why we have been so busy this year is because of this. I was very confused about this to be honest.  I thought a Farmacy was where you had a lot of animals like non-fake sheep and hens, and when Syd said we were getting a Farmacy I was very excited. I thought he was going to be a Farmer and I was planning on being one of those dogs that chases, no, rounds up, sheep. But no, it seems that is a Farm and a Farmacy are not the same. A Farmacy is much less interesting for dogs, but that is what we have.

Here is Syd in his Farmer's outfit. He puts this on and people have to listen to his advice (apart from Sarah). He has worked very hard in this white jacket. We have never seen him work this hard. Every Saturday he had to go there and organize all the medicines and toilet paper. Once I went to help but I got fed up after about 10 minutes and went to sleep under the counter. Sarah has helped a bit by making a cake. Why that was helpful I am not sure. But I did help to eat it.

Country Business

Well at Christmas and afterwards we went to the country a lot. We go all the time now for the weekends. This is our routine. We go in the car and I sleep until we are nearly there but I always wake up at the end of our road when we are 3.5 km from our house and I go 'on duty'. When you are 'on duty' you switch your eyes onto 'beady' (not beardy, though Syd and I are both quite beardy) mode and you do a low sort of noise in your throat, and you stare very hard out of the windows. You are looking for creatures. If you see a creature then the noise in your throat goes very loud and high and squealy and your legs go a bit like Scooby Doo's legs when he has seen a ghost and he is running on the spot, and you do this until you can't see the creature any more, because it ran away or Syd drove past it.

 These are the creatures I mean. There are Roos, there are Echidnas and there are WOMBATS who only come at night so I don't have a photo of them.

 They all live near our house and they go in MY garden when I am not there. That makes me so mad, hence the squealing and beadiness. Once the S's let you out of the car, whilst they are unpacking you run round as fast as you can and you sniff very hard where all the creatures have been and you bark a lot, just to let them know that you are back and that it is NOT ALLOWED for them to come in your garden. It is not really very restful for me in the country actually. As well as being on duty, I have to bark at Tractor, swim for sticks and also have a lot of baths. I have reported previously on how I am not at all keen on baths, but no one seems to have been paying attention.

We have 24 ducks living on our pond now. I have counted them. When I am not barking at wombats, or Tractor, I am barking at ducks. It is a full time job. The neighbours have also got creatures. Look at this. One day I stared all day at this and it never moved. You know why? It's a 'fake sheep'. Seriously. Those neighbours also have none-fake hens. I stare at them too. Sarah says we are getting our own non-fake hens and I am quite excited about that, though I am playing it cool because if the S's think I am too excited at the prospect of eating hens, no sorry I meant to say; eating eggs, they may change their minds.

We made a special veggie patch also which I am not allowed in because I have been seen helping myself to carrots. Gardening is boring, I leave that to Sarah, but digging up food is the good and fun bit. Syd is also not allowed very much in the veggie patch ever since he pulled out the tomato plants as he thought they were weeds. I weed in there once when I was helping myself to a carrot. Yet one more thing on the 'not allowed' list. It is quite long that list.

Sometimes our friends come and stay. Here is Victoria my best

lady friend; when she came we went to the village show. It was very hot but they had cold beer (and water for dogs). They had none-fake sheep too. Look what this man was doing to this poor sheep. Actually it looked like torture but afterwards that sheep told me he was much cooler and happier. Sarah spent ages looking at home made jam (nothing is more boring than that) and was threatening to put her home made things in next year's show. I didn't say anything but I don't think she will be winning many prizes. See for yourself.

she should have stopped at the scarf

I will be regifting this back to Syd for his birthday

Hat. (Syd only wore it in the house, to be polite - then he gave it to ME even though I did not want it).
Jam. (I refused to have it on my toast).
Drink that makes you go silly. (not for dogs)
Carrots! (OK they tasted alright but seriously?)



Apparently this is a carrot




this looks homemade - I would not touch it.



Last Christmas and Ringo and me

So it really has been so long since I wrote that I have to start with LAST Christmas. That is not just a festive song, by Wham! that we have to listen to at this time of year, it is a real thing. So, last Christmas we had VIPs who visited us. They came on their boat. One of them wore socks and sandals AT THE SAME TIME ( I think I may have already mentioned that but it needs to be said again) and the other one really knew when a dog might like a treat. ('Often' is when a dog likes to have a treat.) She can come again, that lady.

OAP Transportation

A nice lady (and Sarah)

Another nice lady (and that silly old person)

A silly old person

Santa - his beard was longer than mine!

We did a lot of typical Australian Christmas things with the VIPs. Syd calls them the OAPs but I think he got that wrong.  We went to Bondi Beach. We ate prawns. We hid from Fireworks (that was just me). We chased rabbits (also just me). We played Christmas games, we ate lots and we did sightseeing. We dressed silly. Some people drank a lot of wine. Anyway it was quite good. But the best part was afterwards in January when Ringo came to stay with me!  Ringo is not one of the Beatles, he is a Hairedale, like me. Oh yes and he's my brother and he is heavy! Well he's heavier than me.  His family let him come for 2 weeks and we had so much fun. We did a lot of naughty things that I won't go into as we made a pact called 'what goes on tour stays on tour' which means you don't tell the S's what you were doing whilst they were out.

mine, no mine

head wrestling

We did a lot of fighting and swimming and sleeping and eating. I even let Ringo sit on my special big chair with me. He was a bit sad at first when his family left but then he realized how much fun it was going to be, and I explained the rules of our house which are that 1. You don't have to listen to Sarah and 2. You do sometimes have to listen to Syd but only when his voice is really getting cross, then Ringo settled in and made himself at home. If I am honest there was one thing I did not like about having a guest and that was sharing my bones. I am fine about sharing chairs, and toys, beds and rugs.....but bones are a different matter. I can't help it, if there are 2 bones I want them both, in case one is better than the other. I mean, how do you know you got the best one unless you take them both and try them first? Ringo is more 'laid back' than me about bones, which Sarah says is probably a good thing. You only have to say the 'b' word near me and I go all quivery in my tail. Anyway I loved having my brother to stay, we make a very handsome pair of chaps even though I say so myself.

Ringo is about to sneak off and I am doing my face on the side which they always like in a photo

A pile of Hairedales

I don't let just anyone sit on my special chair

my favourite man (not Santa)