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Saturday 24 December 2011

Winnie's sixth and final carol

Well, me and the LOTH have enjoyed (mostly) working on our alternative Christmas songs....thank you for putting up with them so graciously.

We thought we'd finish off with one that's got a few more serious sentiments - but we wanted to wish you and all your families a very very merry Christmas - and to say that we haven't forgotten our absent friends.


I'm going to enjoy the festivities for a few days but I'll see you again soon.

(To the tune of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas)

Have yourself a very merry Christmas
As 2011 ends.
This year I have made some very special friends.

Have yourself a warm and cosy Christmas
With loved ones near and far
Love brings us close however far apart we are.

Lots of pets went to Rainbow Bridge
We still miss them all, and how.
But they know that we loved them, so
We must let them go for now.

One day we will all be back together
I believe that's true
Until then, I'm sending all my love to you
And have yourself a lovely peaceful Christmas Day.


Friday 23 December 2011

Winnie's fifth Christmas Carol

The LOTH is very happy because her freelance work is all finished now for Christmas, so today's alternative song is a team effort.

Requested by Houndstooth - and based on an original idea from the Boy Of The House - I bring you our version of Do You Hear What I Hear?



Said the greyhound to the waiting LOTH
Do you smell what I smell?
Down here on the ground, dearest LOTH
Do you smell what I smell?
A scent, a scent
I’ll call it ‘eau de dog’
I can’t walk past, run or jog
I can’t walk past, run or jog



Said the LOTH to the greyhound standing there
Do you fear what I fear?
(Do you fear what I fear?)
We won’t get home today, Winnie dear
Do you fear what I fear?
(Do you fear what I fear?)
Let’s move
Let's move
At least get to the shops
This isn't a 'walk', it’s a series of stops.
This isn’t a 'walk', it’s a series of stops 


Thursday 22 December 2011

Winnie's fourth Christmas carol

Today's festive song reflects on one of my most embarrassing moments of 2011.

It wasn't wise and it certainly wasn't clever and I hope the Lady Of The House never has a similarly silly idea again.

I didn't have to cross the desert - but I did have to cross the parade ring at the Sutton Greyhound Show.

Off we go, to the tune of We Three Kings (of Orient are...)




Me, one dog, from Burton-on-Trent.
I've got the hump. I wish that she'd spent
a bit more money
It isn't funny
My feelings I have to vent.

I am not a camel!
Not a goat!
Not a donkey in a coat.
Fancy dress!
It's just a mess!
Don't sit there and laugh and gloat.


I could've worn pink. I wish that I had
Looking at HER it made me so sad.
Tutu and hat
I could've worn that
This camel idea's so bad.

I am NOT a camel!
NOT a beast!
When will this dishonour cease?
I am a Queen
I think it's mean
Will somebody call the police!

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Winnie's third Christmas carol


Yesterday's Christmas song by the LOTH may have given you the wrong impression of me, dear new readers.

Like most of my breed I love a good sleep - for LONG periods of the day - with a few naps inbetween.

So here, by popular request, is my version of Silent Night.


I like to sleep. Lovely nice sleep
Sleep so calm. Sleep so deep.
My beds are comfy all over the house.
I curl up and I'm quiet as a mouse.
Sleep from 10 until three-ee
Slee-eep from 10 until three.



I like to sleep. Lovely nice sleep.
You won't hear me make a peep.
I fluff my blankets and doggy duvet
I make a nest and then I snooze away.
Sleep from five until ten-en.
Slee-eep from five until ten.



Tuesday 20 December 2011

Winnie's second Christmas carol

What? Who? Me?


Actually, that headline is ALL WRONG! Today's carol with new words is ALL the work of the Lady Of The House. Feel free to tell her it's rubbish.

(Sing to the tune of While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night)

Oh, Winnie get some socks tonight
You've dug another crater
The house is full of grass and mud
I'll have to clean up later.


Long greyhound toes trap so much dirt
You've brought in half the garden
You never seem to look ashamed
Or say "I beg your pardon".

If Santa brought some Greyhound boots
The floors would stay much cleaner
And when I saw you digging
I would be a little keener.

 

I wonder if you want to get
To sunny warm Australia?
I don't think you can dig that far
I think you're doomed to failure.

I'd miss you if you went to Oz
I hope that you're not going
The good thing is that thanks to you
The lawn does not need mowing.



("That's because we have no lawn any more, really" - the LOTH)

Yes, yes. We get it. Fine.

Changing the subject, we have had a few requests for "Silent Night" so we are going to work on that next. 

Actually, I WILL. Because the LOTH is clearly not in the proper Christmas spirit.

Monday 19 December 2011

Winnie's first Christmas carol

As we have walked through our local village and looked at all the Christmas lights and decorations in recent days, it's inspired me and the Lady Of The House to write some new words to traditional Christmas carols which we thought we'd share with you between now and the big day on Sunday.

They are all carols we sing a lot in the UK. Hopefully you'll know them abroad as well.

Here's our first effort (sung to the tune of Good King Wenceslas)

Winnie Greyhound last walked out on a Monday morning
When the frost lay round about, and she'd not stopped yawning.
A winter sun was shining down
It was bright but freezing.
The LOTH took this nice pic of me when she had stopped snee-ee-zing.


Maybe I won't give up the day job JUST yet.

Sunday 18 December 2011

Bloggers with big hearts

I am so sorry to everyone if you think I have been ignoring you recently.

I've not had chance to visit any blogs for AGES because of the Lady Of The House working really hard on the computer on boring stuff she calls work.

But today I've been catching up a bit, and I discovered that I'd been given THREE awards while I wasn't looking.

Both What Remains Now, and Graceful Greyhounds gave me the lovely Liebster Blog Award, while Chancy the Gardener gave me the Kreativ Blogger Award.
I am very pleased and proud and I do hope that you don't think I was ungrateful for not mentioning it before.

The Liebster Blog award is given to help promote young and growing blogs. To accept the award properly I have to pick my five favourite blogs - with less than 200 followers and pass it on to them.What a lovely idea!

In return for the Kreativ Blogger award I am supposed to tell you 10 things about myself that you wouldn’t know and pass the award on to six other bloggers.

Hopefully it's not cheating TOO much if I just pick five blogs with less than 200 followers (and one with more!!) If any of the blogs I nominate have already had one of these awards, please feel free to accept the other one.

Flora, Fauna, & Food - is a new blog I've only recently started following. 'Garden Girl' explores the world through nature and food and also shares lots about her three wonderful dogs (and her two cats).

Finn's dog blog  - is a blog I've followed for a while because two-year-old bulldog Finn just has the handsomest face ever (and I love him - but please don't tell him I would be embarrassed).

Grey hares on my sofa - is a lovely blog about re-homing, fostering and adopting retired racing greyhounds (like me).

The Circus Dog - is another bulldog blog. This one tells the adventures of Lola, and American Bulldog.

Kind Hearts - is one of my all-time favourite blogs that I followed soon after I started blogging. In north east England Grumpy Bobby and Dippy Pip watch foster dogs come and go and the blog is always full of love and laughter. Grumpy Bobby is my Boy Of The House's favourite dog in the world (after me of course) and he loves watching the videos they often post.

My sixth choice - which has MORE than 200 followers - is Homer the Golden Retriever, international jet setter and another very very handsome boy who makes my heart flutter a little.

Ten things about me then......Hmmm. You may well know some of these, but here goes....

1. I can dig for England (in fact I may well be digging for Australia at the rate the hole in the back lawn is developing)
2. I love Cheese and Marmite biscuits made by the Bespoke Dog Bakery (who do NOT pay me for my endorsement of their products!)
3. I like to dig in my loose blankets and make a warm and cosy nest for myself.
4. I bark at cats, would love to chase a squirrel (if I ever got off my lead) but if I see a wild rabbit I just stare at it silently.
5. I get so excited when the Man Of The House or the Lady Of The House comes in the front door that I put my paws up on their chests.
6. I love car rides, and if we walk past a car with its boot up I often try and jump in.
7. I have an unusually long nose and an overbite that gives me character.
9. I was humiliated this summer by being entered into a greyhound fancy dress competition as a camel and came 5th (out of 5).
10. I have a scar on my nose from an operation where the vet removed an abscess by going in through the top of my snout (that was before I came here).
                                   
Like everyone who follows lots of dog blogs I have been shocked and saddened by news of the devastating fire that destroyed the home of the Houston Pittie Pack and killed five of their seven dogs - including the amazing Shelby, a severely abused dog found in a car park covered in puncture wounds and sores. One theory is that she had been used a live bait for fighting dogs. Bloggers around the world followed Shelby's fight to live and recover from the summer of 2010 onwards.She made it - but has now been cruelly cheated out of her happy-ever-after along with fellow rescue dogs Guero, Coco Chanel, Tiger and Lucky.

Sandra Gonzalez lost everything, but was able to escape with her mother, son and two of their dogs. Bloggers have been raising funds since the tragedy on December 16 through a Chip In fund. You can see a link to it below. Although the initial modest total has been reached, anything you can spare this holiday season will help this devastated family.


Wednesday 7 December 2011

From Winnie to Winnie

Today I want to say a special hello to a beautiful girl with a beautiful name!

Pictured below is ANOTHER Winnie the greyhound who came to live with her forever family in Tennessee one year ago today.

She is obviously a very kind and accommodating greyhound as she is seen here with one of her cats called Annabelle. She also lives with a black cat called Nori.

"Cats really are not all that bad," she says.

Takes all sorts.


Winnie from Tennessee follows me on Facebook

Her mum sent me a lovely surprise parcel yesterday. When we opened it look what was inside.


What a beautiful suncatcher. We are now working on finding just the perfect place in the house to show it off.

Tennessee Winnie's mum made one for her - and then realised it looked like me too! So she made me one!! I am so thrilled. Thank you so very, very much! We will always treasure it.

Saturday 3 December 2011

Santa's Little Elf-er

Here is my friend Bo, wishing you all a very merry Christmas.


Bo is certainly going to have a very happy Christmas thanks to Emma from Impawtant Pups. You may remember that we blogged about Bo during Mayzie's Rescue Me Week.

He was rescued by Emma from a dog pound where he was on death row because of his incredibly bad skin condition and the fact that no-one wanted him.

Emma brought him back to Burton-on-Trent and has done a great job of nursing him back to health in a couple of months. He's also  been welcomed into the family by her own dogs Chanel, the boxer, and Cesar, the Bull Mastiff (Gosh! He's big and he has a really DEEP bark).


When Bo is a little bit better he'll be looking for his own forever home with other dogs. He loves the company of other dogs and wouldn't want to be on his own.

His skin is SO much better than it was. Here he is a few weeks ago cuddling up to Chanel.


Most of his coat has grown back now, but because he used to wear pyjamas to cover the special cream he needed, he's quite happy to still wear clothes, like his new elf outfit for Christmas.

Looks like he wasn't too sure about the hat at first though.


I love Bo VERY MUCH! And I hope he finds the family that's just the perfect fit for him in 2012. He is such a loving boy. I just thought you might like to hear how he's doing these days. If I wasn't so committed to being an only dog we would love to give him a home. But I'm afraid I am set in my ways now and it's not to be.


Today I am again joining the Saturday Pet Blog Hop hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.

If you'd like to join in and make new pet blogger friends, please follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste this week's new Linky code into the html editor of your own blog. The list will automatically update on everyone's blogs as new sites add themselves over this weekend and we can all hop from blog to blog and find out everybody's news.

Thanks again to our three hosts for putting on the hop!

If you follow a new blog after finding them in the blog hop - please let them know that you found them on the Saturday Pet Blog Hop

Monday 28 November 2011

It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas

It's Tasty Tuesday time again - and I have to share with you these pictures of me investigating something very very tasty that the People Of The House brought back from a Christmas Food and Craft Fair at the weekend.

It was held at the beautiful Kedleston Hall in Derby and our friends Emma - from Impawtant Pups Rescue - and Vicki and Sarah from The Bespoke Dog Bakery were there along with lots more stall holders and craftspeople and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Christmas shoppers. I am very pleased the POTH left me at home as I'd have hated being hemmed in by all the crowds. The Lady Of The House said they had to queue to get into some rooms and when you finally got in you sometimes couldn't move because everyone was wedged so tightly!!

Anyway, they brought back one bag of goodies that smelled PARTICULARLY lovely. I wanted to investigate, but the LOTH whisked it away to photograph first.


I knew it was around here somewhere....... but where??


Ah-ha!!! There it is!!


These were delicious Christmas Tarts for dogs. I can tell you that they are made of: gram flour, minced turkey, organic rapeseed oil, dried cranberries, oats, rosemary and egg.

Will you stop messing about now, LOTH, and open the box and let me try one???


So close.....


Well, after all this waiting I wasn't going to be delicate....and before the LOTH could get another picture of me tasting it.... it was just crumbs.




Although they are tiny I am only allowed to have one now and then. The label says they will keep for four weeks in an airtight tin.

Somehow I don't think they will get a chance!


This is my entry to Kol's Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop

To add the Blog Hop code to your own post - click here.

Friday 18 November 2011

There I was - digging this hole.....

Recently, one of my friends on Facebook asked me if I had any tips on how to stop her greyhound digging holes in the garden.

I did not understand this question.

Perhaps she mis-hit the keyboard and she meant how do you START a greyhound digging holes in the garden? Why would anyone want to stop a greyhound having THIS much fun?





I find that when you feel you have dug far enough for one day you should do a few laps of honour.....



And then stand back and admire your paw-work.


The only tip I have come across is that SOME people apparently create a sand pit as a special place for their greyhounds to dig in the garden if they don't think their garden and lawn would really benefit from our novel approach to gardening.

This week, the Lady Of The House is passing on some of my best gardening tips, I believe, while she is in a production of the Tony award-winning musical The Secret Garden with Little Theatre Company. She is very tired and lying on the sofa right now. Three more shows, LOTH!!! Get up and get on with it!!!

Here's the LOTH (all in black) - who plays Mrs Medlock - with Katie Ireland who plays Mary Lennox. Katie is the LOTH's cousin's daughter and we are all very proud of her.


Here's a scene from the happy ending at the end of the show. I don't know if there are any greyhounds in it or not, but if there are it would be a very very happy ending.

Saturday 12 November 2011

Is this a Zombie Catalypse?

We are very excited about the Blogpocalypse 2011 which we heard about first on Kol's Notes.

We'll be keeping an eye on all the grueseome goings-on this weekend (once we have sussed out the difference between their PST and our GMT time zone) and hoping they raise lots of money for Lucky Dog Rescue.

The idea of a Blogpocalypse is all new to me. If it is to you.... there's some more here on the Pawcurious website.

The Blogpocalypse is on a zombie theme and our Boy Of The House is a big fan of Zombie films and Zombie-themed clothes.

But I think we may have a Zombie cat in the family. This week the Lady Of The House's mum and dad went on holiday so I had to put up with the LOTH disappearing regularly to go and look after their 20-year-old cat Mickey in their home. Don't be too sad for me because the Man Of The House took the week off work and we spent some quality time together while the LOTH waited on Mickey paw and paw.

I love Mickey from a distance - but I am not a cat-friendly greyhound in the fur so we can't be together. But she brought back some new pictures of him...... and I am a bit afraid. In fact very afraid.

DON'T LOOK INTO HIS EYES PEOPLE!!!!



Today I am again joining the Saturday Pet Blog Hop hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.

If you'd like to join in and make new pet blogger friends, please follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste this week's new Linky code into the html editor of your own blog. The list will automatically update on everyone's blogs as new sites add themselves over this weekend and we can all hop from blog to blog and find out everybody's news.

Thanks again to our three hosts for putting on the hop!

If you follow a new blog after finding them in the blog hop - please let them know that you found them on the Saturday Pet Blog Hop.

Friday 11 November 2011

Remembrance Day


Lest we forget.......11/11/11


Today is November 11, which is Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day when all the Commonwealth countries remember those in the Armed Forces who have given their lives since World War One. 

Above is a picture of the very lovely war memorial in the village where we live. The Lady Of The House took this picture a couple of months ago when it was more sunny and green than it is now. We also saw the poppies above on one of our walks on the same day,

World War One formally ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 when the Germans signed the Armistice.

But I only found out recently that the reason we have a two-minute silence on Remembrance Day is because the first minute remembers those who died and the second minute is in honour of their families.

The LOTH recently read a new book called The Quick and The Dead which focuses on how life changed forever for the families who lost men in World War One. She found it really interesting. The author is Richard van Emden who has written some incredible books about the First World War including Tommy's Ark which was just about animals and pet mascots who helped boost the soldiers' morale.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.