 Dasher's Italian Greyhound blog 2018 This is the continued story of Italian Greyhound Dasher started in July 2009 - see old blogs. The latest "happenings" will be put on at the top at frequent intervals, so the story unfolds from the bottom and up! He lives with his nephew Solo. I have videos of Lure Coursing and other doggy things on YouTube under my name: sighthounddotnet Email me or go back at any time to my sighthound.net start page. Happy reading! - Janet (Photo: Italians Dasher nearly 9 years and Solo 5 years.) |
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PS New blog started for 2019 - click here! Tuesday the 25th of December Photos from yesterday:  .  .  .  . .  Above: The tradition in Denmark is, that the youngest family member should have the job of giving out the presents from under the tree, one at a time. Very often the youngest child is far too young to read the labels, so I have thought up this whizz idea to tackle the problem every year. I set up in rows and print out all our portraits and any small child can then SEE who is to RECEIVE the present and carry it happily over to them. The receiving person can read aloud who the giver is, so we all can follow and understand! This works a treat! Oldest son is always in charge of correctly labeling every present - and we had a record number this year! Below: Solo dribbling over grandchild's outsize "Kinder egg". He did indeed manage to steal a large piece of the chocolate later on, but is fine today, thank goodness. As I thought/hoped, not much actual cocoa bean in this item! 
Monday the 24th of December I come out into the kitchen early this morning and can SMELL my first "Christmas present"!!! Neatly rolled up in the mat, was a... guess what... an "easily bagged" poo. All I say is: "oh dear!" and I can see on Solo's body language, that it is him - again. Who else? An excellent solution to his "emergency", as the mat is easily washed and I have a spare one for in the meantime.  Happy Christmas to all readers! Friday the 21st of December Monday the 17th of December My family to lunch yesterday and here are two shots: Gregor always carries Dasher around so he can see and sniff all the delicious food that he is not having any of!  Then how to Google something on your iPad with a dog on your lap: No problem! 
Friday the 14th of December Brrrrr.... the first snow today! It melted straight after! 
Saturday the 1st of December Thursday the 29th of November One can see it's getting colder now by the type of shoes that Solo steals!  "My" Sparrow hawk was back again today. It cannot understand where the flock of birds has disappeared each time it lands! One minute, plenty of "delicious food", next minute - all vanished! This is taken through my none-too-clean office window. 
Thuesday the 27th of November Hard frost every night now - so they need their warmest clothes, a trousersuit from Togs for Dogs!  Below: "killing" a stuffed duck toy in the kitchen!  .
Sunday the 25th of November Friday the 9th of November 2018 Saturday the 3rd of November The dogs on our extra long walk over the fields.  Anyone for a game of naughts and crosses in the sky?  Tuesday the 30th of October Solo also knows the time and just a few minutes before 12, he came to me today and jumped up and said: "What about it, then?" clearly thinking of his lunch! 
Sunday the 28th of October Yesterday son and daughter-in-law visited and the dogs were in raptures over all the extra petting!  . 
They know precisely what time it is. From 12.00 on, they will run around the house 7 times and then have their lunch. (I eat mine afterwards.) Here is Dasher, who has suddenly jumped up at me to say it's twelve o' clock Mum!!! It was just 9 minutes past, so I call that pretty good doggy precision!  A poppy - usually flowering in June, suddenly pops it's head up in a flowerbed! A friend tells me she has violets - a spring flower - suddenly in flower again! 
Friday the 26th of October The water meter needs reading at the end of this month. I looked at the weather and chose yesterday, as the weather's getting rainy and very cold. This because I have to go down on my knees and lift off two very heavy flag stones, clean out all the leaves, rubbish, hedge cuttings and wood lice that had collected since last year's reading. Then I struggle to lift up a huge plastic, heavy and thick stuck-fast black "lid", straining my arms to the utmost. Then the water meter is so far down and so limed up, that I cannot read it. So I take a photo of it! I can enlarge that up on the computer! Did all this, put everything back nicely and was still on my knees when "my" Robin comes on inspection! He'd been supervising from the safety of the hedge, but on seeing I had stopped rumaging around, he dares to come closer.  Below, all finished and nice again - and he's looking for bugs! 
Sunday the 20th of October 2018 - and the tenth blog! "No Mum, I didn't steal it, it just jumped up into my teeth by itself!" 
Saturday the 20th of October I was cutting the top of the back hedge all day yesterday and not making any noise as I used the garden secateurs. It grows very poorly at this spot and needs the "personal touch". A little Robin, who probably is on his way south as they rarely stay all winter in Denmark, but stop off here and there during migration south, found me and was loving all the insects I disturbed. He came quite near me and I decided to pretend I couldn’t see him, (rather than say “hallo” and make silly, friendly noises), so he got very bold. I managed to get some photos. Here he is at my feet (I'm standing on a milk crate, the perfect height for reaching up and trimming my hedge top!)  Then today, now on my hands and knees and clearing up the mess, plus weeding and making the “path” behind the flower beds and up to the hedge all neat and tidy - he and I were really on friendly terms and he often came so near I could have reached out and touched him! I just love it when wild animals are NOT scared by me. I wouldn’t hurt a fly, (well, I DO kill flies!!!), but wild life cannot know I'm harmless! Here he is right next to me with a little bug in his beak!  - and this is part of the path I am clearing. (The dogs love to run fast up and down here behind the flowerbeds.) 
Saturday the 13th of October Bit of excitement this morning. The dogs were due to do their morning run 7 times around the house – and they run like crazy, but Solo wouldn't leave the plum tree. So I go and look and there is a thin, nervous-looking pigeon! Maybe it thought it was trapped in the centre of all the branches. Solo was doing flying leaps and SO frustrated, he wanted to kill it! I told it I thought it should fly away, but it was very reluctant! So I had to rattle a few branches, (praying it COULD fly), and off it flapped into the next garden, and we could continue the game. Goodness knows what it was thinking of...  .  .  Four ladybirds having a meeting on some stones! A friend reckons they were discussing next years spots!!!!  Can YOU see the funny with this acer - looks like a Dalek with pink eyes on stalks!!! (I planted a petunia there in the spring!) Monday the 8th of October 2018 - and the tenth blog! Went to Copenhagen yesterday to my oldest grandchild's birthday party and the dogs enjoyed the trip too.  Sitting waiting for the bus -aren't they good?  . Left: "Isn't it coming soon?" Right: On the floor of the train between my legs.  . Dasher having a cuddle. Right, always hoping he can get some of our food.  . Dasher's just kissed a grandchild! Right: Solo hoping for some peanuts to be dropped.  . Left, Solo on grandchild. He loves sitting on laps. Right, Dasher looking longily at the cakes...  Above, they rounded the day off by finding a little junior hedgehog in the garden when we got home in the evening. I'm so pleased, as I haven't seen any for a couple of years. Saturday the 6th of October Look who suddenly landed on top of the bird table and scared the birds for miles around!!! I was lucky to see this happen. 
Friday the 5th of October 2018 Dasher suddenly decided to eat a whole apple today! Usually it's only strawberries and plums on the menu. (The strawberries are starting all over!)  . Autumn appears to have arrived! A very messy time of the year!  Tuesday the 2nd of October Caught in the act this early morning! He's wagging his tail, knowing I don't approve.  Friday the 28th of September Taking a last sunbathe while the weather permits - autumn is coming on FAST right now!  We've had some high winds that have "swept" the clouds into long streaks, while the rounded and chubby cumulus clouds bumble around at a lower level. 
Thursday the 20th of September Manday the 10th of September Fauna gets her dream come true: Mum comes and picks her up again, together with a "carer"!!! She is thrilled. Recognised the sound of the car immediately and she went wild at seeing them again!  . Dasher and Solo of course also greet them, to as they have looked after them a couple of times.  Below: Fauna can't get into the bathroom the way she is used to with me!! 
 Above, I am weeding in the kitchen garden while she supervises from a rug I laid down for her! That's my rucola or wild rocket gone mad - and living up to it's name after the drought!  Above, on a walk, she was straining at the lead to get to a pigeon relaxing in the middle of the path! OF COURSE, the minute I got the camera out, it flew off! Below: They are each eating a plum! 
Below, now that it rains regularly, it has woken up a lot of seeds that have lain dormant in the drought and they are growing fast. Here in a tiny crack between the stones, there's a baby lavender vying with a pansy!  Saturday the 8th of September Finally, Solo gets permission to share the bed with her - or she's too tired to bother!  We have the most delicious plums - and many this year. Dasher and Solo love to eat them. Now they have taught Fauna to enjoy them!  Left, devotedly sitting at my feet while I eat. Right, she loves to meet people and children, and here she is wondering what some car tyres in a garden are doing. A dog? A human? She sticks her head through the fence and studies them for a while!  . Here the car tyres she is staring at:  . Right: Keeping an eye on me from her bed! Below, Dasher and Solo check if someone is coming, while she runs to me.  Mucking about on the cage again, and you can see how she presses her neck down on Solo. They have played together a lot today in the garden and have a "thing" going between them! Solo is her "animated toy". Dasher's given up and sits watching. 
Friday the 7th of September Torsday the 30th of August 2018 - and the tenth blog! I couldn't take the long walk over the fields a while back as the farmer was raking over the soil with a tractor and making SUCH a cloud of dust, I turned back. Two days after that, I come again and now he is spraying with Round-up - I don't want to breath that in either. Then yesterday, after a week and several showers of rain, I went and saw all the yellow and dead stubble, if only one could manage without all the poison. Also innocent animals eat there, not knowing it is poisonous.  Below: Solo is sitting looking up at plums he cannot reach - and I have cleared up the windfalls! 
Friday the 25th of August The moon over our opposite neighbour's garden.  Wednesday the 23th of August  A new toy, a furry duck! But whereas it was a big success when I had one before for my Whippets a few years back, the Italian sized mouth is too small to make it quack - which is part of the fun! Shame. Solo's tail is wagging so fast it's just a blurr!  Monday the 13th of August Spotted these two pigeons again on a walk today! They love these flat lampposts!  A extra pretty sky the day before the rain came! The dark grey cloud on the right seems to have 2 legs with feet dangling and going off to the right!  Below: Shortly after the picture above!  Below, we got 23 mm of rain over the course of 24 hours! SO badly needed.  I bought this fluffy "pig" on the web, it was cheap but I coudn't see the size and thought it was MUCH smaller - but it's much too big for Dasher and Solo! Their mouths are too small to make it grunt either! (It has a lovely grunt!!!) Perfect for Whippets, but not little Italian Greyhounds!  I bought a new doormat today. Just put it in place and chucked the old one out. (Pieces are falling off so I can't carry it through the house to the garbage.) Just as I would photo Dasher sitting on it, Solo sat on the old, folded one! Typical Italians - they won't sit on the ground unless they have to!!! They were waiting for me to let them in.  Solo plucks his own plums!  Below: 6 year old Grandchild finds a Whippet bed perfect for relaxing in after lunch! 
Friday the 10th of August The high winds today are ripping down the apples and plums. Here Solo is about to eat a plum he's found. He still has his harness on from the walk!  The extreme dryness is causing large cracks to open up everywhere and I have read that plumbers are kept busy repairing broken water pipes as the earth receeds and shrinks, the pipes are put under a strain and break. This hole is VERY deep -I tried to fíll it with water, but it never filled up, the water just disappeared! 
This is a map showing a large part of Denmark and all the red bus stops/rutes! No wonder I can travel around just anywhere - there are plenty of trains too, not shown here. The green to the right is Sweden and below, Germany. Of course they have busses too, but this is just the Danish ones! The black is the sea. Saturday the 4th of August Friday the 25th of July Look at the temperature, this heatwave and drought is never ending. In the house it is 29 degrees.  . YET, Solo still sleeps under his blanket after dinner!  Earlier on, he grabbed a toilet roll I was just about to throw out! Here doing feeble growls knowing he's lost the game already! 
A few days earlier - the barley has been reaped. Wednesday the 25th of July Blurry photo, but I was just photographing Solo with my shoe again, when Dasher gets in and tries to sit beside him. Here he is trying in vain to scrape the offending shoe out of the way! 
Monday the 23rd of July Solo comes in hot from sunbathing in a dog bed on the patio and crashes into a bed in the kitchen, then nearly falls out of it and goes to sleep like this!!! His head is resting on the floor!  I've found a new grasshopper, same as the one Fauna squashed with her paw! It is called - in my Danish insect book: Krumknivgræshoppe, (you can see the last part is grasshopper in Danish!!!) in Latin: Leptophytes punctatissima, so anyone can look that up! Sitting on my Ghita Nørby rose, which is going to flower again soon. (They eat rose leaves amongst other things!) 
Saturday the 21st of July I am lucky and get a lift to Lure Coursing, quite a long way from where I live. Here I am sitting waiting Dasher's turn in my friend's "Pop-Up" tent. You can see the very tufty grass and the hard, dry soil, all dusty from 3 months with no rain. It was extremely hot, but all dogs managed very well and it was a great day for all.  The bone dry field and a dried up lake.  Dasher as I let him go - see the bulging thighs!  I took 2 easy busses to meet my friend, and here the dogs are, Solo illegally up on a seat in this bus! The driver couldn't see! I pay the price of 2 children, but they officially mustn't sit on the seats!  .  Waiting at the bus stop. Below, our LC judge wants a better view of things! I was scared stiff of him falling off the tiny ledge! In his right hand he has the control to the hare that is whizzing around, (looks like a gun!) and to the left of him you can just see the woman in charge of making sure the machine winds the cord in properly and evenly, as the control is constantly changing the speed. 
Thursday the 19th of July I spot a skinny-looking hare as I wait for the bus to go home! There is a new building site nearby and probably several are now being made homeless. They too are no doubt suffering from the drought as water holes etc. dry up. 
Tuesday the 17th of July I take the long field walk again, and at last they are trimming the wild Mirabella plum trees back so we can get past! It's a bumper year for fruit trees despite draught - and the weight of the fruit is pulling the branches down. They are still green, so would have weighed even more soon!  Below: Looking back.  A giant thistle, (this is ONE plant), can grow quite happily, whilst all else is dead or dying!!! 
Sunday the 15th of July Playing in the garden on the dead grass... so much is starting to die now after 3 months with only 7mm rain in all.  I took the dogs on the long walk over the fields today. Pretty poppies can survive where all else is dying.  Below, the only way they can sunbathe is in half shadow. It's way too hot otherwise. 
Saturday the 14th of July Fauna's family are home and come racng to us to collect her, they miss her so much! Here are some greeting scenes.  .  Earlier on, I mixed a cake, so she laid on the floor at my feet!  . The last photo I took whilst we had cake and coffee... sigh...there's a big hole in my life - and it's quite weird to be able to go in the bathroom without supervision!!! Friday the 13th of July Fauna eats her Chinese cabbage like she's always eaten it! Now behind the dog gate for peace.  Fauna at last gives in and sits in one of my good Whippet-sized beds.  and here she is with "her" Solo. 
Thursday the 12th of July Wednesday the 11th of July Tuesday the 10th of July More pictures in the life of the "Rottedræberen fra Virket" on holiday at Mynder Manor. She follows me devotedly around everywhere, (badly missing her very active family of 5) I am not allowed to go in the toilet unsupervised. The door jams, so she pushes it open and bursts in!  . If I take too long, she lies down patiently! Below mucking about with Solo who is her main "toy" and entertainment. 
This morning I took Fauna to my husband's care home for a visit and she travelled on busses for the very first time! Below, waiting in the bus shelter for the bus. She ignored the nice blanket. Photo from Monday where a young woman helping with rubbish collection squatted down to greet all 3 dogs, but I was too slow, so here she is laughing, having just got up again! (Yes, a dull morning but still no rain.) Friday the 6th of July Solo steals an envelope and races into my office. He enjoys giving mock threatening growls - well knowing he'll end up giving it to me when I speak VERY firmly! (His left eye glows more in flash and is developing a cataract, unfortunately.) 
Tuesday the 3rd of July  Clouds scud past but not a drop of rain falls. Below, note the dead grass....  The barley is ready for harvesting.  Massive cracks in the earth now....it doesn't look good. 
Sunday the 1st of July You can hardly see, but two of the lamp-posts outside the school each had a pigeon sitting on top. (Note the colour of the sky! Still no rain in sight.)  A good Whippet friend has discovered an enormous field we can hold Lure Coursing in - so we went to suss it out.  . It is perfect - and at last somewhere nearer than 3 hours journey for me!  Above: Sitting in a shaft of sun through the back door, waiting for me to say the magic word: "Walkies!" Wednesday the 27th of June The severe draught continues and my strawberry plants are almost dead, even though I water every evening. The non-stop sun all day just shrivels everything up. Compare with last year on left and the small only half-filled colender right.  .
Friday the 22th of June Dasher is now eating an apple! Not his favourite fruit but if the cherries have dried up, then an apple will have to do! (Put out for the Blackbirds!)  . I have another charry tree in the kitchen garden that gives SO many this year, despite draught!  This is my dessert - and breakfast - and lunch each day! Can't leave them alone!!! Tuesday the 19th of June 2018 - and the tenth blog! The dogs enjoying the sun. They can't stand too much, so the bed has to be carefully placed so they have part shadow!  .  Above, waiting for their quarter Frolic bits after running around the house.  I have another cherry tree in the back garden that is not doing well and drops it's fruit - plus pigeons steal some and knock many down - here is Dasher enjoying a couple.  He's scratching at two that have fallen down and got stuck in a plant. 
Monday the 18th of June Had the family to lunch Saturday and caught this funny photo of my 6 year old grandchild, who gave up the use of his right arm to Solo who wanted it as a pillow, and carried on with the iPad with his left hand!!! (Dasher is going inside, disgusted that there was no room for him in the dog bed.)  We were eating lots of cherries as I have a tree in the kitchen garden full of them, and Solo grabbed a mouthful of the stones from a small bowl. So in middle of the night, his stomach gave up and he suddenly had to "go" - but think, he chose the doormat to mess on and then rolled it up - probably in the vague hopes I'd not notice!!! This is what I saw next morning! I'll spare you a photo of it UNrolled! The mat washed up like new!!!  The pretty patio outside the backdoor right now: 
Friday the 15th of June The barley is doing well despite over 5 weeks of drought. We did get 2 mm of rain last night, but all gone as soon as the sun appeared early this morning!  Tuesday the 12th of June Plucked the first strawberries yesterday. Hardly bigger than peas due to the 5 weeks of non-stop sunny weather - even tho' I water them every evening, they fry to death in the sun all day. See the shadow of Solo hovering by...  . . Above right, my dessert! They might be small but the flavour was fabulous!!!  The dogs love them for dessert as well. I have good plants growing in the flower beds, but again, they are microspopic, as I don't water them here. You can see two berries between their noses. Still Solo managed to have a good scrunch! Freday the 8th of June Tuesday the 5th of June Another view of the distant countryside:  I can just see the sea from here:  The field walk and the Barley gets more and more beautiful, here I am looking back:  .
Monday I had a visit from a friend with 2 whippets and unfortunately, I hardly took any photos!!!  .
Sunday the 3rd of June Traveling with the dogs into Copenhagen. Here on the bus by the door, good as gold:  But the train was unusually cram-packed so standing room only for me. But the dogs were happy! 
 Two got of and two more got on!  Solo after the train journey and his lunch! Taken by my son. Thursday the 31st of May The Barley in the field is growing well despite a drought right now:  Looking back:  Further on:  "My" two pigeons on the gate. They don't care about me!  . Right: Solo takes my shoe again! Friday the 25th of May My wonderful rhododendron, root-bound in a small pot but still doing it's best!:  An earlier picture, which Solo popped up in!  Below: Exhausted after a hot day supervising me doing gardening!  Part of the dog-walk takes me past the school and a man keeps this pretty path cut short to encourage the children to walk here rather than in the road. 
Wednesday the 16th of May The lovely weather continues and now it is lilac time over the whole of Denmark! The perfume is wonderful - and they are so pretty.  A close-up...  And I have a two-colour one in the garden:  The local field is getting even greener...  I wonder what it is...  - a little further on...the little village in the far distance.  Below: The thin line of blue in the distance is the sea!  Had the roof sprayed with algae killer Monday by a professional firm, but SO many plants are suffering around the house from stray drops and spray carried in the wind...it kills EVERYTHING! Even this poor little pansy, that was a long way away... 
Sønday the 13th of May Solo took my shoe again! (Dasher never does anything "naughty", hence so few photos of him!!!!!!)  The view on the dog walk yesterday and the bridge to the island of Fyn.  My rhododendrons right now!!! 
Saturday the 12th of May I look after the neighbour's sweetest and easiest dog, taking her for 2 walks, feeding and playing with her, as her family were away for the day from before 8am to after 10 pm at night, poor thing. SUCH a pleasure to walk a dog who never pulls! 
Wednesday the 9th of May Something is growing in the field I walk beside into the village! Maybe corn?  The path to nowhere! I can see for 10 km and the sea from this path! 
Tuesday the 8th of May Solo followed me into the bathroom, so I asked him to wait outside - and he did. I was amazed!!!!! 
Friday the 4th of May  The word's sweetest and most loving Italian Greyhound, Dasher, is 9 years old today. Here is a 9 weeks puppy photo by the photographer OBC, who we dropped in on, on the way home from Jylland, and below, a recent one:   The molehill situation this morning: Looks like they got it!!! I shall keep an eye...more below... 
Thursday the 3rd of May Wednesday the 2nd of May  The latest update with the mole hill seen below: They are "dealing" with it!!!!  Taken through the window, the Japanese cherry is SO beautiful right now, despite 2 days of storm winds and rain!  Groan... he's taken my shoe again, and is sitting SO uncomfortably!!! Monday the 30th of April Saturday the 28th of April Friday the 27th of April Solo took my shoe again this morning, but couldn't wait for my reaction, he fell asleep, ha ha ha! 
Wednesday the 25th of April An explosion of blossom today!  This is MY chair - for when my back is broken with gardening!  Below: Never too old to steal a shoe, it seems!  Yesterday: Exciting shoots coming up in the field I walk by on some days - maybe corn...  22 years old this month!!! My little bird, who is half yellow Canary and half Grey Singing Finch was born some time in April 1996! His sister only lived to be 17 and this is the oldest I have ever had a Canary, as several were 17 when their heart failed. He is weak due to a weak heart and slight difficulty breathing, so he rarely sings and can hardly fly, but at least he can SEE - my 17 year olds had all gone blind by this time. This must be a record? Monday the 23rd of April Thursday the 19th of April Tuesday the 17th of April The lawn is so pretty right now, but I shall be doing the first cut of the year in 2 days time!  (It's not as long as it looks here!) Nearly stepped on what I thought was a strange kind of bee, yesterday:  Turns out it is a fly that deliberately camouflages itself as a bee and it's young live off bees: Read on “Wiki”: "They mimic bees to allow them to get close to the bees burrow. When close, the female will flick the eggs into or near the nests of the host insects. The larvae are hypermetamorphic parasitoids, which then feed on the food stored, as well as the young solitary bees or wasps. If the female is unable to flick her eggs near the nest she plants them on flowers visited by the host insects. The developing larvae then make their way to the host nest or attach themselves to the bees or wasps to then be carried to the nest. Although Bombylius major is an excellent pollinator, the larvae limit the population of other pollinators. Saturday the 14th of April Photo below: A big thankyou to Ida and Patrick for expertly starting my two terrors!  I took the dogs to Lure coursing in Slangerup. Nearly 3 hours each way on 3 different busses and one train! I couldn't do it if it wasn't for the very excellent Danish public transport AND a brilliant website they have, where you type in where you want to go and when, and it works out the entire journey, showing pictures and any walking shows a clear diagram with road names etc - wonderful! I do all this so the dogs can have a great day out, They run the 400 metres in under ONE MINUTE!!! But of course the fun ALSO is being together with all the other owners and seeing their dogs fly around - they all LOVE it. See my two rockets running here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQibDjrd0Qs  Above, waiting for their turn but there's a small repair needed, see the machine just above Dasher's head.  Dasher plays with a lovely white Borzoi puppy of only 7 months. She was chewing on him often, but with the greatest of care.  Waiting for a bus on the bench provided, good as gold! Below, inside 2 different busses. They LOVE busses trains, and of course cars, as they know it leads to great fun at the other end!  .
Tuesday the 10th of April Being "crazy dogs" on the sofa again! 
Monday the 9th of April Wednesday the 4th of April Monday the 2nd of April I had a wonderful afternoon with my friend's 6 week old Whippet puppies! SO cute and entertaining.  See the little video, which doesn't really do them justice, but you can get some idea... www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMLIwQAJVD0 Friday the 23rd of March I take the hour long walk over the fields, that I haven't done for ages due to the severe cold and bad weather.  The windmills were pretty in all the shades of grey-blue! 
Thursday the 22nd of March Wednesday the 21st of March Gloomy and a few snowflakes today, Wednesday, though.  If looks could kill, that pigeon would be stone dead before this picture was taken! Solo is wishing so badly, that he could spring up there, but even for an Italian, it's too high!!! (Nej, Birgitte, han kigger IKKE på skorstenen!!!) ;-) Monday the 19th of March Snow again....  and then after 3 nightmare days with storm winds and minus degrees... it's sunny and "spring-like" this morning!" 
Monday the 12th of March Thursday the 8th of March Monday the 5th of March Saturday the 3rd of March Mucking about on the sofa! 
Tuesday the 27th of February Monday the 26th of February Sunday the 25th of February Thursday the 22nd of February My cute little Robin, still taken out of a dirty window!!!  Snowdrops in the snow - again. It comes and goes, one day snow, next day snow melted and sunny like spring is on the way! But a nasty cold snap is promised for next week...  Below, waiting for me to say the magic word: "Walkies!"  Oh no....mice again...or is it a rat??? 
Thursday the 15th of February Momma Blackbird never ceases to amaze me. She was sitting in the basket at 7.45 this morning trying find some apple scraps, and I wanted to give all the birds fresh food. She sat there gazing up at me, so I spoke to her and told her she would have to step out so I could put fresh paper in, (she poops the apple out again almost as fast as she eats it!!!!) - and I showed her the apple I held in my hand. She looked at this and I swear she understood. So she jumped up and sat on the edge, as if this would be good enough. We were only a foot away from each other!!! (If only I had a THIRD hand to hold the camera with!) So I told her she still needed to move and waved the apple a bit, so she reluctantly flew down to my feet. I cleaned out and put the fresh apple in and I had hardly stepped back before she flew inside and started eating!!! (There was already a slice taken out for my canary.) Then she endured the pink camera flashing away taking a couple of shots! Out of focus I'm afraid. It is wonderful to be trusted, when all other wild life is so scared, not knowing that I would never harm them. 
Wednesday the 14th of February Monday the 12th of February Very cold and dull today, most of the snow melted straight away. Note the distant windmill! 
Sunday the 11th of February Ugh! A snow storm! Managed to walk the dogs this morning just before it came...  Taken after their lunch-time run around the house!  THIS time I managed to photograph Momma Blackbird sitting waiting patiently for her apple - and me to move away!  She endures the camera held up in front of me, (it's bright pink!) and the flash, it's only 7.30 in the morning and the camera's only about 2-3 feet away. Of course she looks like any other female Blackbird, it's her BEHAVIOUR that tells me it's her!  The above was taken yesterday with camera stuck through the gate! The apple is in front of her out of sight. The male flies off as soon as he hears the door open, the coward!!! Here, I'm less than a yard away. Friday the 9th of February Thursday the 8th of February At last, a shot of momma Blackbird, still going strong on her "apple a day", (I have to buy them now!) and as tame as anything. Sat on the roof of the bird feeder this morning, while I put bread and seeds just underneath inside! I was dying to take a photo, but my hands were full! This photo is through a dirty window. I must get it cleaned... 
Sunday the 4th of February Beautiful sun, but freezing cold and a thin layer of snow!  Time for them to have their warmest trouser suits on! From Togs for Dogs! Saturday the 27th of January Friday the 26th of January Very foggy this morning, so everything is wet... Sunday the 21st of January Wednesday the 17th of January Saturday the 13th of January Horrible cold and windy weather. I took the long walk over the fields. Looking back, I could see "my" bus!  Here one can see the path the farmer leaves for us. 
My geranium, which has bravely flowered by the front door since the summer, couldn't take the 2 days of minus 6 degrees! Friday the 12th of January Thursday the 8th of January Friday the 5th of January Monday the 1st of January 2018 |
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