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.

Oh forgot to add @TheHungryHungryLandsharks @CoubousAndTourmaIet I finished Quicksilver (going to start Brimstone today, the follow up) and can highly recommend. I’d say it’s an Alchemised (without the medical scenes) and six of crows mash up with some LOTR vibes thrown in. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very graphic spicy scenes but there aren’t loads of them so doesn’t get in the way of the story IMO. Definitely a good one for fantasy readers!

Most people, like the couple yesterday, look but don't touch at the moment, @TheHungryHungryLandsharks unless they're used to being around big dogs. PMD are very people orientated and curious, that's another reason for not letting her off the lead; she'll ignore off lead dogs but head straight for their owners 🙄 But yes, you're right, much better to have a friendly, sociable large dog albeit it that she's still a bit silly at times. She might become more aloof with age - some do, although Rose & Algy didn't, they were always very interested in meeting people.

It's just occurred to me that they were the house/family reared puppies, as is Brie, and I do now wonder if there is some significance in that. The others were all kennel reared puppies - that is, prior to us getting them, they all lived in the house with us obvs. Are house born/reared puppies more sociable or am I talking nonsense again?

Partner starts at 7 and finishes at 3, with no commute now he's full time wfh, so it's not too bad. We just get the walking boots on and head straight out for our main walk.

I loved the gnomes comment @TheHungryHungryLandsharks 😆
I'm resisting the dry robe temptation, just too in love with my Plant Hunter coat to consider anything else.

Thanks for the book recommendation @VanGoSunflowers
I shall order both, despite being peeved that part 3 won't be out for nearly a year! Glad you're enjoying your reading.

@VanGoSunflowers anything involving Gerard Butler (for obvious reasons). The King Kong films are well worth a watch - terrible in a way that made them watchable IYSWIM! We're also going to watch 'A Knight's Tale' later today, which if you have taste you've probably already watched 😁

There was so much coffee and cake involved that I am now on a diet. I always say this, but this time I mean it. I genuinely feel sick when I think about how much I ate!

I'll give it a go then - and try to keep it away from DD1's greedily gaze.
Hope you had a good Christmas!?

@CoubousAndTourmaIet the other alternative was to call them witches - with the hoods up they did look a bit spooky, or would have done if it was dusk!

I imagine house-reared puppies probably are more social, just because they're used to experiencing 'good things' being around humans (more snuggles, food, attention) etc? I imagine kennel reared ones possibly don't get as much...but that could be me talking nonsense!😂

I have to say I think I would struggle not to say hi to Brie if I saw her. Love myself a big fluffy white dog. I hope you enjoy your walk!

I've had four puppies. Three home reared, one kenneled.

Of the home reared - one hated people, especially men, and would attack on sight. One loved people he knew, but wasn't interested in strangers and would swerve out of the way if one tried to stroke him. The third is P, who believes people were put on this planet to fuss her. She's far more interested in greeting people than dogs.
K is kennel reared. She loves people and will greet everyone.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Did you manage to get your Christmas dress done up? I think I've put half a stone on in the last two weeks. For too much chocolate and nice puddings in the house. I had to have profiteroles for breakfast one day so they didn't go out of date.
That's a lovely, long relaxing break. Especially since your DH has just cone home too.

@tizwozliz I used to live in the Midlands. My cousin was trying to arrange a meet up once and made Manchester the half way point. 😂 I think she calculated to the border.

I always love seeing the 'Welcome to Scotland' sign and then realise I still have 6 hours to go.

I'm fine after my fall/pull over. Fortunately I didn't have far to drop. I have never met a deer that can't run faster than my dogs before. 🙈

I've decided I need to do separate walks for a while. N is struggling, so needs 10 minutes max. P is being a little shit and ignoring recall. Don't know if it's because she spends a third of the walks on lead. 🤷‍♀️ K sees P ignoring the whistle, so ignores it too. Plus she needs more exercise than the others and I can concentrate on doing more training with her. I was working on a 'stop at a distance' when it was just the two of us. It was coming along nicely, helped by a pocket full of prawns. 😂

Ah, clearly the home reared/kennel reared thing with ours is just coincidence then @SpanielsGalore .
Three separate walks is hard work, shouldn't think it'll take long for you to drop the Christmas weight if you're doing a minimum three walks a day.

@SpanielsGalore - the bit north of Stirling is still novel for me and scenic which makes it more bearable.

It felt much easier than the drive we do to Denmark which is a similar distance, but that's a motorway slog and comes after an overnight ferry and a 3 hour drive the previous day.

We stopped in Perth on the way up which broke the journey quite nicely. Although it cost more to add the dogs on to the booking than the room cost.

Feel very fortunate that both pups are so good in the car. Even more fortunate that when we stopped for a walk on the journey home and little pup tried to roll on a dead fish she missed 😂

Three walks is hard work, especially with limited daylight. I used to do three when little pup was young, as they'd get one walk together and then one each separately but that was summertime when there's a lot more daylight to play with.

@SpanielsGalore I did not manage to get it up and it now does not really go over my stomach without looking very unflattering 😳But it was fine in the end as DDs bought DH and I matching pyjamas, so we spend all day in our matching pyjamas looking like one of those embarrassing couples on social media!

I had to have profiteroles for breakfast one day so they didn't go out of date.

I imagine that was a really difficult time for you, wasn't it? 😂 My heart goes out to you!

Separate walks is difficult to manage isn't it? There's only so many hours in the day to do it all, particularly if they need more than one! Do you really mean a pocket full of prawns? As in the pink things? Don't they make your pocket smell!?

I used to do three walks, because M was almost 5 years older than the girls, so he needed less, and S could run off lead but R couldn't, so I took them singly. It was okay in summer because partner was home by 6 and could walk one, but in winter I had to cram three full walks in before dark. I was only late thirties then, I'd struggle to do it now because R needed a lot of walking compared to B.

@tizwozliz I'm assuming you drove through the Cairngorms, which are particularly beautiful at this time of year. It's certainly a much nicer drive than a motorway. You only have to go ten miles either side of the border for everything to change. I find it quite depressing now, hitting traffic as soon as you are back in England.

I went all the way to Perth for a hot chocolate once. We were heading for Manchester Airport, but all flights were cancelled half way there. So we stopped off for a hot beverage and drove home again. Fun times!

I stop at Gretna Green if I'm breaking the journey up. That cost more for the dogs than the room too. Which is why I didn't feel guilty about them trampling all over the bed.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Thank you. Your thoughts are much appreciated. 😞
I spend half my day in my pyjamas. In fact now I wear a long coat, I could wear them to walk the dogs. Now there's a thought. 😂

I do indeed mean the pink prawns. They were in a bag, so my pocket didn't smell. My fingers did though. Fortunately we didn't meet anyone, so I didn't have to explain where the fishy smell was emanating from. 😳

Fortunately three walks isn't as bad as it sounds. It's probably less in total than you all do, as two of the dogs are restricted. It's just a lot of coming and going.

Seems like everyone loves a white woolly dog in winter @TheHungryHungryLandsharks . This time someone who is used to big dogs (well, GSD) was very hands on with her and coped with her paws on his shoulders. He was shocked that she's a girl though, because she was taller than him. It's good to meet people that aren't daunted by her, it's really what she needs and she was lapping it up.
Quiet walk otherwise, three distant dogs, two horses with riders, that was it.

Supposedly two more dry days before rain/sleet and potentially snow, although I'll believe it when I see it.

@SpanielsGalore I am probably going to sound about 90...but Joules had a dressing gown in this year (just ahead of Christmas) that is unbelievably warm and snug. I get up, change into dog walking clothes, dog walk, come home, shower, put on pyjamas and my dressing gown, eat and laze about, change into clean dog walking clothes, dog walk, bath, dressing gown and pyjamas 😁There is something incredibly enjoyable about mooching around in your pyjamas and dressing gown. Not sure I could wear either dog walking though - not enough pockets!

I've never considered pink prawns as a high value dog food...and not sure I would run the risk of fishy fingers, but if it works it works. And spaniels seem to be far harder to train on recall than retrievers from what i've seen/heard.

Possibly less 'walking' but busier I imagine given as you say there's lots of coming and going!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I have noticed the same - mine get far more attention in winter, and I think part of it is the thicker coat. I know what you mean about it being what they need, but also them lapping it up. I do find once they get past about 7/8 months and they really 'look' like adults (size wise) people are less interested by and large.

Today has been quite successful...lots of healthy things have been consumed, like strawberries. The less successful part was the strawberries were the 'decoration' on the chocolate mouse. But small steps are still steps, right!? 😂

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I've got a full length, zip up dressing gown that I spend far too much time in. Sometimes on cold days, I'll wear it over my clothes.
I used to be a dress up person in a previous life. Now it's pyjamas or dog walking clothes. I did manage to find a skirt and top that fitted for Christmas day though.

The prawns were a surprising hit. I realised as I was about to leave the house that I hadn't got any treats, so grabbed some prawns out of the freezer. K in particular loved them.

I don't think I've eaten anything healthy today. Unless baked beans count.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Are you looking forward to going able to use Brie's new coat?

Three walks done. K and I got a bit carried away and were out for nearly two hours. It was a combination of sea front, fields and woods. It was dark towards the end, so K had to go on lead for the last ten minutes as I kept losing her. The smells are so much more interesting at dusk. So P and N had to make do with on lead walks round the village. It won't have done either of them any harm, as they've both been over doing it. N is also overdue her acupuncture treatment and it's showing.

Talking of being 90 - I fancy a foot spa thingy. Has anyone got one? Are they any good? After three hours of walking, I could do with soothing my aching granny feet.

@VanGoSunflowers

”Loads of nice dog walks, reading and relaxing in store for me this week! Yay!”

Sounds like bliss, although you may need to wrap up very warm for the dog walks. The dressing gown mentioned above may be useful for the post walk reading and hot chocolate @TheHungryHungryLandsharks (off to google as I’m on the hunt for a new dressing gown).

Also feel like I’ve put on half a stone as eaten lots of carbs and fried breakfasts whilst visiting parents over the weekend.

No snow forecast here (phew), just freezing weather. The thermals will be making an appearance again.

Wish we'd got onto this subject yesterday because Seasalt had the Hushing dressing gowns on Ebay at a stupid price and I would have given you a heads up @Silverbirchleaf . They were down from £59 to £22! I wear mine over my clothes when it's cold or sit with it draped on my lap while watching tv and it's a lovely snuggly warm thing.

No @SpanielsGalore , I'm not looking forward to Brie wearing her coat, because we're really loving this dry spell at the moment. It's made such a difference to our walks. I know, we will inevitably have heavy rain at some point before long, so it does need road testing properly. All we've done so far was a quick try-on at home.

No foot spa here, I just have a cheap washing up bowl from Lidl as my foot spa. Warm water and a bit of shower gel does me. Our boy cats used to come and paddle while I was having my foot soak, they loved playing in water. Freija is far too snooty for any such thing.

I know what you mean @TheHungryHungryLandsharks , that people are usually keener on puppies, but with Brie it's gone the other way for some reason, and she is getting far more attention now. It's so much easier when it's someone that's used to big dogs, like the man we met today, and they'll give her a proper vigorous cuddle, that's what she loves, but it rarely happens.

Does anyone else prefer it when it starts to get cold enough that the ground goes hard again so there is less mud? 😂

Yes. Absolutely! It makes a massive difference. We're loving our walks at the moment.

@Silverbirchleaf it was this one: https://www.joules.com/style/su543811/980467 - I got it dark blue, but that sold out within about a week. It definitely runs a bit big as well, but it is incredibly snuggly. I love it!

I'm glad that you/Spaniels and I have all been glutenous at Christmas - was feeling a bit guilty as so many people I know seem to stick to their diets over Christmas (what sort of miserable life is that!?)

@SpanielsGalore I'm the same! The only time I wear something 'smart' is when I go into the office, even on Team's meetings I tend to wear scruffy jumpers etc. I just prefer dog walking clothes as they're so much comfier and less restrictive. Also, I don't have to pay a small fortune in dry cleaning if they get drool or fur on them!

I bet K loved being out for so long! I don't have a foot spa, but I would also be very grateful if someone suggested one.

@VanGoSunflowers 100% agree on crisp, cold, walks! They are definitely the best sort of walk - and honestly why I love winter so much. I don't really like walking above about 10degrees, so freezing is perfect.

All of us were up at sunrise - not that it's early at this time of year - this morning to walk the dogs on Holkham Beach. Hen was quite slow and ploddy, but she did manage the full hour as did DWS. We didn't see a single person, even though the car park was heaving - perfect dog walk. It was that perfect dog walk mentioned above as it was also freezing but no rain and sunny. Now waiting for DDs to finish showering so we can head into Holt and nosy around the shops.

DH failed to win the lottery last night, so I am resigning myself to having to go back to work next week...

The physiotherapist says cold, crisp days are better for arthritis than wet and damp, so yes.
Plus there's less mud traipsed back into the house.

This is the robe I have. I love it because it's very long - ankle length for me, and I hate having cold legs.

https://www.seasaltcornwall.com/hushing-fluffy-recycled-polyester-gown

Glad it’s not just me!
We are on a bit of a mindset shift here, as in rather than avoiding crowds and distractions I have started looking for them so I can up the training a bit.
Took Pablo for breakfast this morning expecting carnage. He was a bit nuts when we first got there but nothing terrible… and I forgot the stance he adopts whenever I am eating a sandwich so he spent the entire time like this:

I was very pleased. All in all a bit of a success I think?! I don’t want to be taking him to cafes all of the time or anything, just want to be able to have the option of popping in to one on a long walk or something rather than thinking I can’t because my dog won’t behave 😂

@VanGoSunflowers What a good boy. ⭐️ Did he get rewarded for his patience?

@SpanielsGalore he did, with the toast crusts he was begging for 😂

@VanGoSunflowers That's very polite begging. More a stare into submission. 😂

P is curled up on the sofa next to me. I have sneezed three times this morning and she hasn't stirred. So she's either feeling better or worse. 🤷‍♀️ Your guesses are as good as mine.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet lovely dressing gown. Don’t see the point of a short dressing gown. I like snuggling up into them. Unfortunately only XL left on that link.

@VanGoSunflowers come to Kent. No rain (or hardly any). Hardly any mud around. Hope the paths don’t get icy or I’ll be delegating the walks to other household members.

@VanGoSunflowers He looks perfect just sitting there. We’ve started taking a filled kong with us if we think we’re going to a cafe.

Had mixed success on walk today. Went to park. Son and I was playing fetch with dummy - all going well, good recall etc. Then got drink out for Dog and he thought it was time to go (it wasn’t) and he went into delinquent mode and ran off and wouldn’t recall. Remembered I had a ball in bag, and got that out which did the trick and we got him on track again.