Beyond Adolescence - part 2

[SpanielsGalore]

No point banning coffee, as it didn't work last time. 🙄
Haven't had any cake updates from a while. @VanGoSunflowers Have you stopped baking already? You still had 8 cakes to go to make it economical.

Yup, I've outed everyone very conveniently here 😬Sorry, folks x

Too much of my life was spent dreaming up characters as a creative writing exercise, so lists is my thing.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Did you use the @ list to make sure you didn't miss anyone out? 😂

Not really dog related, but I wanted to say I am having (hopefully) a lovely relaxing day today.
No doctors or hospital appointments. (J is having a stent fitted today if all goes to plan.)
No decorating. (Finished lining the walls yesterday, so need to leave it to dry out before I can paint.)

I have walked the dogs down the sea front and am now having a sausage baguette for brunch. I will take K to the woods around 3pm for a longer walk.
I do need to go to Tesco, as I never made it there last Friday and have been living out of the freezer all week. But even that will be relaxing after spending 7 hours wallpapering yesterday.

Hope everyone else is having a good day too. 🥰

I typed it first, then, I confess, I did check the @ list in case I'd forgotten someone.

Was going to ask if you'd heard how J is doing, I hope everything goes well for him.

Sounds as if you're progressing nicely with the decorating and have definitely earned a break.

We're having a bit of a tidy and we've bought a wooden pole and a velvet curtain for our front door, because the blingy flashing Christmas lights across the road are intrusive. We're a bit old hippy/cottage core, so I fancied a dark red velvet. I think some new sofa covers and cushions are next on the list.

We'll be down in the woods at 3pm also, albeit around 350 miles south of where you are.

Have a lovely afternoon, everyone x

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I have red velvet curtains in my dining room and blush (pale pink) ones in my living room. I say velvet. They might be velour for all I know.

Used to have crushed velvet ones many moons ago. Is that still a thing?

I need to buy throws for the sofas. P has ripped them both with her digging. Unfortunately, the carpet that has suffered the same fate will have to be replaced. Bloody dog! She's so not worth it. 🙄 😂

These are probably velour too @SpanielsGalore
We had sage green crushed velvet curtains and a green velvet sofa when I was a kid. The curtains were very heavy, but I don't imagine this door curtain will be.

The cats have been hard on our sofas and the current throws are covered in tiny snags. Brie isn't too bad with them but she is a terrible carpet digger. We've also had to chuck out the hearthrug because she chewed two big holes in it, so a new rug is another thing to go on the list.

After which, we'll probably get another puppy and have to start again 🙄

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Satan is quite the little communicator. She pokes me, and any of her slaves, with her paw whenever she wants anything. And she peeps around doors and corners if she's displeased but doesn't want to touch you. It's all rather odd and tbh it is very 'mother' like. 😀

Ohhh I am so pleased it's not just me who dislikes David Tennant! I LOVED Matt Smith as the doctor, and Christopher Eccleston, but honestly I've found all the recent ones pretty terrible other than that...

I'm not sure I'd describe Eris as a tom-boy or a girly-girl. She's just a pain in my arse tbh. 😂

@Silverbirchleaf just to reassure you, Satan is very much loved and not actually called Satan by anyone but me. But the dog is evil incarnate. She's never met a man, woman, child, dog, cow, pigeon (you get the idea) that she wouldn't try and wrangle into submission. Human's sole purpose on this earth is, she believes, to serve her and worship her. If, for whatever reason such as sleeping or eating or just being busy, humans are not worshiping at the alter of Satan, then they must be whipped into shape.

@SpanielsGalore Justin Hartley is a bit too...smooth(?) for me. I prefer it when they look a bit rugged. I think once I've completed Chicago Fire I might give Buffy a watch again. DH was quite the Buffy fan years ago (for obvious reasons...) so perhaps I'll finally have someone to watch TV with.

Will keep my fingers crossed all goes well for J!! Are we going to get a photo of your kitchen when it's all done!?

Silverbirchleaf - black lab, known imaginatively as Dog.

Thank you for the Who’ s Who.

Sorry, it was very remiss of me not to put you on there for the benefit of others and I do apologise.

We're very gundog breed orientated here, aren't we?

Funny you should say that about Dr Who @TheHungryHungryLandsharks Christopher Eccleston was the only one I liked and I was really peeved that he didn't do another series. Most of the time it was DP following it and me either reading or knitting, but with CE I did actually get into watching it.

I don't know any of these people you talk about but I favour rugged too. Outdoorsy, long haired, not clean cut. Typical northern European metal types with a Viking look is my thing.

My god! Satan really does sound like my mother, which is a slightly terrifying thought.

Bloody well pouring again here and horribly gloomy, so looks like our woodland walk will be off.

Apology accepted.

and yes to Gundogs.

BRING ME THE HEAD OF MRS SANTA

In fairness to his nobness he's been pretty good about the tree - every now and then he helps himself, like plucking a plum, but the breakable baubles are right at the top, and I have a LOT of decorations. If I don't quite finish the tree in time for Christmas I can give him a nosebag.

PS @TheHungryHungryLandsharks I can't remember if I've posted this before, but every time I see it I think of you

Hello all, just checking in. I have been half lurking but have missed a lot of stuff.

I think the last time I posted I’d said about how V was going a bit insane on short on-lead walks at the request of his physio and was being destructive, reactive and generally a bit of a dick. I am very pleased that his behaviour has improved a lot and he’s been an angel the past couple of weeks. He is such a sweet boy (although he does still have his moments, like dragging me out of bed for a walk at 3am last night because he needed a poo…).

We saw the physio again a couple of times since my last post, and she said she thinks his patella luxation has gotten worse. I can feel the joint click out and back into place all the time 🤢 As a result his whole back end/hips have been stiff and I think that was making his behaviour/anxiousness worse too. We saw physio again this week and she said he has improved tenfold, which must be why he’s being an angel again. He’s starting hydrotherapy in January too which will help. We’ve finally had the sign off for off-lead time again but I’ve been putting it off because of the pissing rain and the fact I think he’s going to go wild since he’s been on-lead only since the start of October!! I’m going to have to get the longline out I think.

I genuinely think we are coming out of the other side of the teenage stage now. I’ve put the cushions back on the sofa and he’s not bothered with them at all (at one point he had chewed all the corners of them and humped them to death), we’ve got the Christmas tree up and he just goes over and boops a bauble with his nose occasionally, and I’ve even reintroduced a nice squishy soft bed for him and there’s not even a whiff of wanting to destroy it in the air!!! I actually can’t believe it. This is the boy who would destroy a bed in 30 seconds flat and even bit a massive chunk out of the hard plastic one I bought.

I said to DH the other day that he has suddenly started listening to my negative marker word and will stop what he’s doing straight away, whereas for the past 16 months I’d use it and he would just carry on being mental doing whatever bad thing he’s doing. So it’s finally sinking in after all this time!!

He is far from perfect and is still pretty nuts and anxious - plus we’ve not done any ‘proper’ training for weeks and weeks, so there’s a lot of work to do with him. But he is doing well right now. He turned 18 months old a couple of weeks ago 😃 He looks tiny here!

Such a gorgeous face.

That's a really lovely update @YorkshireFelix and it's great to hear how much his behaviour has improved recently. Things do seem to click in and get easier at around the 18 months mark and I'm glad to see this happening for you with Vinny.

The luxation must be a worry and I hope the hydrotherapy will be helpful for him and that you will regain confidence to let him off lead a bit.

He has such a sweet face ❤

@CoubousAndTourmaIet i was annoyed when he didn’t as well - but apparently he didn’t want to be one of those actors who was only ever known for one role (at least that’s what I read!). I’ve attached a photo of a younger Satan creeping!

@Bupster I think all of mine might be the latter - idiotic disasters!! But I love them anyway!!

Is it bad I’m slightly surprised he’s good about the tree? I had half expected him to be gazing at it trying to work out how best to send it flying 😀

@YorkshireFelix so glad Vinny is doing better!!! Definitely sounds like all the dogs here are coming through the worst of that teenage stage! I hope you don’t mind me asking - but how are you? I know before you said you were struggling a bit, in part due to V being a bit challenging! I hope that you’re feeling better ❤

DDs, Pen and the Winky Sucker have gone to Norfolk. So it’s just me and three babies left until tomorrow when I join them! So excited for a holiday!!

We wouldn't even dare to have a tree but that's nothing to do with the dogs and everything to do with having 6 Maine Coons for many years😬

So, not going to comment on the weather this morning, but since the arrival of the doggy raincoat is imminent, it'll likely be our first dry weekend in ages 🙄

Ugh! I am so bad at advising/supporting puppy people 😞 I shall not elaborate on that, suffice to say you'll know what I mean. I am soooo biased towards the giants 😭

Wasn't sure if you were going away today @TheHungryHungryLandsharks and wanted to say that I hope you have a wonderful Yuletide. I would say Satan is cute, had I not likened her to my mother yesterday 🤔

Note to self, not every paragraph needs its own emoji. Can't you tell I'm an old person from an age before computers and phones?

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Ah I can imagine that Maine Coons have very strong views about trees😀

Is it latest 'what breed' thread? Or is it another thread? On the what breed threads always smile as people never give an honest reflection of their favourite breeds and they always go on about the working lines dogs needing ABC whilst show lines will sit there just sleeping.😬If they had Twatdog for a day they'd soon swallow their words about slow lines not being bananas.

Edit: Just to say I saw the comments you meant! Tbh I think you're advice is spot on. Smaller, 'working' dogs are more biddable not necessarily more intelligent. As much as I am nasty about Twatdog and his one braincell, he is incredibly intelligent in terms of what most people consider 'intelligence.' He just chooses to be a nob.

More broadly, I do often think that, actually, there are very few dogs that are suitable for first timers - Cavaliers would have been my go to 10+ years ago, but not now. Poodles, yes. Labs, yes. But otherwise I tend to come up short!

Yep off tomorrow! I'll be leaving super early to avoid the traffic. I still have to work today, although so far I've only had about twenty emails today and most are nonsense.

@YorkshireFelix Sorry to hear V's knee has got worse, but it's good that it has improved with physio. Could you hire a private field for his first off lead blast to take the stress out of worrying about his recall? 🐎

It's good that his behaviour in the house is improving too. I don't want to brag, but I've had a toilet roll on the holder for two days now. 😂

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I think you gave good advice on the puppy thread. It didn't come across as being unsupportive or snarky to me. 💐

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I'm sure I could rough Justin up a bit. 😉

I don't think I dare post photos of my kitchen. I read the thread about what people hate in kitchens and every one of my features was listed. Glossy white cupboards. No handles. Sink on the opposite side to the hob. Carpeted. 😱

Must be very quiet in your house today. Hope your family have a good journey. 🚗

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Meant to say, I am excited for Brie's raincoat to arrive. But I couldn't find a suitable emoji. It was bad enough using a horse for Vinny. 🙈 😂

Hi everyone, I’m so sorry I’ve been off thread for so long. I’m the one who rehomed a springer from a working kennels and had some fab advice from @TheHungryHungryLandsharksand @SpanielsGalorealong the way.
We’re three months in, he is doing really well. 15 months old now. He is pretty chilled at home, thank goodness, but obviously very lively outside. I’ve noticed his confidence growing, he is going a bit further away on his walks and I’ve also clocked a little selective deafness on recall when faced with something very interesting. So that’s something to continue to work on. His loose lead walking is atrocious. I am seeing a gundog trainer who is helping, and I’m trying to sue the time over Christmas to really work on it when I’ve got more time to commit to it.
But overall he is a joy, as cuddly as they come x

And here’s a pic of the boy

Oh and lastly, for paint I recommend Atelier Ellis or Benjamin Moore!

@SpanielsGalore
You'd feel differently if you saw our kitchen. 1970s/80s fake wood, fake marble, no dishwasher or microwave, hideous tiles, carpeted. We also have a carpeted bathroom 😱 and a massive York stone fireplace in the living room. Yup. That bad. Our house is stuck in a time warp just like I am. It's a mumsnetters nightmare, along with our garden, our car, our dog, my clothing, my hair...😩

Clearly we are competing on the emoji score 😉

Brace yourself for photos of Brie modelling her new coat later on today.

Ha I always have to edit myself at the end and remove loads of emojis!!! And also exclamation marks…

Thanks all for your well wishes. I’m going to try and keep up with the thread a bit more but Dec has been crazy busy. It’s my last ever working day at current job today which is weird. Job market still dire for me (graphic design) so I’m trying to land some freelance projects, and have taken on all the marketing for the restaurant so have plenty to keep me busy.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks That is very kind of you to ask how I am! I am ok at the minute actually - dd still not great (she’s been off sick with a bad cold this week so missed the final week of term) and it’s still a big struggle with school. I’m in for a meeting on the first Friday back in Jan to discuss steps moving forward. It’s her birthday on Monday so she’s very excited about that, and Christmas. I was very stressed about everything - school, V’s leg, work, restaurant etc - but I feel a bit more in control at the minute so it’s all good.

Are you away over Christmas with the whole gang?

@CoubousAndTourmaIet it’s actually sunny here today!! I can’t believe it. I bet it’s chucking it down over your way though 🤣 every time I go to the north west it rains.

@SpanielsGalore that is a very good idea re secure field, id not thought of that. I’m going to have a look what we have locally as I’ve never used one before but I know there’s a few knocking about. I think dd would actually join me for some fresh air if we went somewhere like that too.

@cashmerecardigans he is sooooo gorgeous. I was thinking yesterday I would happily have a springer. My MIL has always had both cockers and springers and her current one is lovely. I’m really glad to hear you’re doing so well! Gundog trainer will be good for him. Loose lead walking has been one of the hardest things for us to crack and it’s definitely still a work in progress!!