bunn

• Went to the opening of a new tiny games cafe in town. A nice space and lovely people, I hope they make a success of it, there are SO many empty shops. The name 'Stormborn Games' along with the red lightning on black is a bold branding choice, but perhaps Warhammer teens will consider it pleasingly edgy. 


• Went for a swim in the glorious sunshine off our little beach- the first this year with no gloves. Thought that was a mistake to start with, but my hands adjusted OK though I'm pretty sure the water can't have been more than 8 degrees, it makes a huge difference to have no wind and the sun shining. Bit weird for April in Wales, but I'm resolved to enjoy it.


• Still struggling with very annoying eczema. It started with a bunch of horsefly bites last year, and just will. not. quit. Currently covering myself practically hourly in oat based lotions after another run of steroids and trying very hard not to scratch.  I did take several months off swimming, thinking that was making it worse, or at least an infection risk - but if anything the cold salty water seems to make my skin happier, so I might as well enjoy the swims. 


• Theo Hound finished his scentwork course on Saturday morning.
  He is pretty good at finding the things we've been working on finding (we started with Kong dog toys, and worked from whole toys, to finding chunks of Kong in a magnetic tin, to tiny slivers of Kong in a vial.) I am less skilled at directing and rewarding him than he is at finding things.
  
  There were only two dogs left at the end of the course (mystified by dropping out of a course you've paid for up front, which conflicts with ALL my instincts, but hey.) The other dog that stuck it to the end was Bertie the cockerpoo. They spent a reasonably amount of the last two sessions play-chasing, wrestling and growling loudly, and both very much enjoying it.



• Went down to visit my mother in Devon, where we visited Rosemoor RHS garden to see the spring flowers (mostly seas of daffodils but also a mysterious, beautiful pale blue fluffy squill for which we could find no ID, and therefore suspect someone at Rosemoor has decided is Undesirable), and went to Wembury beach, where the sun shone and we had a delightful picnic. The steps down to the beach were steeper and more irregular than I remembered, but Mum made it down them - fortunately there is a level walk back up from the beach into the village, so we did that rather than try to clamber back up the steps then I left her by the road admiring the view while I walked back to collect the car. Saw my first Peacock butterfly of the year on the way. 


• I have more or less decided that adopting more dogs when I'm travelling so regularly to Devon wouldn't be the wisest move. Theo is great in the car, can be left for a few hours, and can go pretty much anywhere - pubs, cafes, motorway services, around Pudding my Mum's cat - but it's not reasonable to expect that from another rescue dog, at least not immediately. I am still in a number of dog rescue Facebook groups, so I keep seeing so many hopeful appeals for home for delightful dogs: the pandemic adoption wave is over, and homes are once again hard to find. But you can't adopt ALL the dogs...
  
  None the less, I keep looking mournfully at the local greyhound rescues. I would love to have another ex-racer around and I think Theo would enjoy the company too. Maybe in the autumn...

 

• I'm reading my way through the Laundry Files books by Charles Stross - British technospy fiction spiced with horrifying tentacular Things From The Beyond.  They are pacy, fun and don't take themselves seriously. I'm surprised that I'm enjoying reading so many words in present tense: normally I have a definite preference for past tense for novels. But here it works. Had never previously come across the phrase 'hairy eyeball' and don't like it. :-D 

He found it very exciting, and also exhausting.  There were two other puppies in his class, a Labrador and a Springer spaniel, plus one older dog who was attending because he pulled on the lead.  We met more puppies coming for the second hourly class as we left, too, so that was very exciting for her. 

The Springer, a month younger than Theo, was very obviously fearful, and barked defensively at all the other dogs and the trainer's small child who was with her (due to lack of babysitter. Just over 1 year old, and very dog-friendly!).  But he warmed up over the course of the class and by the end he and Theo were playbowing at one another. Theo did very well.   I had forgotten just how often you need to reward when you are starting out training — I've got out of the habit with Rosie, who will rarely take any food rewards.  Theo does not have that problem.  But I rather fear that any food rewards will be considered less of a draw than hunting, when he is a little older.  He already finds squirrels quite unbearably exciting, and has caught no less than three mice in the garden!   

He's got the hang of asking to go out when he needs to, and sleeping through the night in his crate now, so I am no longer sleeping on the sofa and popping out with him for hourly pee breaks, which is a relief.