Category Archives: Puppy tales

Feeling Sheepish!

I’m sorry, it’s been ages hasn’t it? There seems to have been quite a flurry of activity here and every time I’ve sat down to write, another distraction has taken me away again. And now I’m off on holiday for a week, and I didn’t want to go without saying ‘Byeee!’

I did manage a rush round the garden yesterday with the camera and my little assistant. The sun popped out for the day, I have to say he’s popped backed in again today!

The crocuses are still going strong…

even though they have to take a bit of a battering…

It’s really hard to get a good picture of a low-down dog in full sniffer mode…

Higgins went off on his hols this morning. He was collected by the lovely Sharon of Barking Mad and it took quite a while to check off all his luggage for the week, and to pass on all special instructions so his routine carries on as usual. Talk about a surrogate child, only another besotted dog owner will hear how I held out the toy box so he could choose the ones he wants to take with him and not think I am completely POTTY! He’s off to stay with two whippets, I don’t know who will be more tired at the end of the week!

I too, will be tired as I am attempting to ski for the first time for years! It might be that I spend the week reading with a hot chocolate or glass of Gluhwein in hand, I’ll let you know!

In between the packing Ihave done a spot more needlefelting. I had some suggestions after my last post, so may I introduce the sheep?

These three hang on the wall in the bedroom, waiting to lull you off to sleep.

And this one, well I tried her on the lawn to keep the grass down…

…but she was more interestd in eating the flowers!

Oh dear, is that the time? I really must dash off and finish the packing. I’m sure I have more thermals somewhere. Think of me next week, looking for my snow legs, and all being well I’ll be back very soon! I’ll leave you with a picture of my Mum’s birthday flowers, just because they are gorgeous! Byeeeee! x

P.S. For the cat lovers. Just to reassure you Henry has his own staff to keep him happy for the week too, no favouritism round here, and he get to stay at home with his!

All of a Twitter!

Is anyone else Tweeting? I was a very reluctant tweeter and stood by bleating instead as another member of the family set me up in order to follow Higgins on Twitter (I know, it’s mad, and now you know that madness runs in the family! And Higgins is hopeless at Tweeting, he’s too busy barking…)

And now I’m still in two minds. For all its good points – the networking, the information, it’s SUCH a distraction. I keep wandering off at a tangent, looking at other blogs, recipes, photographs and websites. I know it’s a really good way of finding a network of other people doing what I do, and as I tentatively start to offer my wares for sale I know that it’s a good thing but there’s just TOO MUCH INFORMATION! That’s the trouble with a butterfly brain, I keep fluttering off to the next pretty flower!

But I have been doing some actual, as opposed to virtual, fluttering in the garden. It’s been one of those days when you know that even if Spring hasn’t actually sprung yet, it’s going to do it very soon. I planted some pots to put by the studio door a couple of weeks ago and they are looking good…

…if a little windswept! As Higgins will tell you!

And in the front garden there are all sorts of little patches of loveliness…

Woops, there’s my little shadow again…

…probably worrying I’m about to find his secret bones stash. (He has this unfortunate habit which I’ve only just found out about. He sometimes has a little hide bone which always seemed to disappear remarkable quickly. I found out why when I cleared out the raised vegetable beds. As I was heaving out the old dead stuff Higgins leapt in to rescue…uurgh..what’s THAT…? Have you ever seen one of those dried hide bones when they’ve been rehydrated by a few weeks in the mud? They turn into a long, unravelled jellyish wobbly bit of blubber and look especially revolting when being dragged away by a frantic little dog who is convinced I’m going to snatch it away to eat myself. I don’t think so!)

But mostly, I’ve been needlefelting. My little Bluebirds have flown away, two of them all the way to Sweden. But another little creature has turned up on Planet Penny. It’s the Gardening Mouse! He scuttles around under the trees on Planet Penny arranging the wild flowers. would you like to meet him?

Although I’m very fond of him I must be business like, so if you need a little Gardening Mouse to help you, he can be found here.

So I’d better get back to work. Thank you for all the encouraging comments you’ve been leaving, it’s so lovely when you take time to stop by and say hello. I couldn’t do this without you!

A Little Flock of Happiness

I was SO excited the other day when I switched on my computer and PING! there was an email from Folksy to tell me that my little Bluebird was SOLD! I suppose it’s a symptom of working at home, mostly alone, that it’s easy to get into the wrong mindset , and have very little faith that someone, somewhere will like what you make. So PING! I was very happy, and packed my little Bluebird up…

…and sent him winging his way to his new home, where I hear he is singing cheerfully! And now I have an order for another one, so I am singing cheerfully too!

In the meantime I started on a slightly different Bluebird idea, and ran headlong into design difficulties. This time I wanted to have two birds and a little garland of hearts held in their beaks, which can hang on the wall. I made the birds, I made the hearts…but I was quite sure that I couldn’t use wool to join them together. So I tried this idea…then that idea..then I had to go out. Then it was too late and it was time to go to bed. And then – I joined them all together with a wool cord and it was perfect!!!

So here they are. The left hand bird…

…and the right hand bird…

..and all the little hearts.

It’s in the Folksy shop right now, verging on the almost-too-late for Valentine’s Day but actually I think it would look lovely over the cot in a nursery or little girls room. (Hmmm…or even in my sitting room…! )

Talking about sittingrooms, this is what Higgins likes to to do when offered a bit of carpet to lie on…

He’s not invited often!

(ETA. They sold the very next day!!!)

The Bluebird of Happiness

Sometimes its awfully tempting to be a complete slob, and NOT do the healthy dog walking thing but just to stay in out of the blustery weather and snuggle up with a book. Especially as the dog in question is equally unenthusiastic and dives under the covers at the sight of the little fleecy coat. But we’ve both got waistlines to worry about and perk up once we’re actually out there…

We were rather hoping to find snowdrops the other day and went off to Sheringham Park on the North Norfolk coast, which is a lovely place for walking, with added bracing sea breezes. There’s a woody area…

…and the spot where I know there will be bluebells in a few months time…

…there is the pasture around the house…

and the promise of masses of rhododendrons before very long.

In fact, a couple of brave and hardy ones were already showing what to expect later in the year…

But it was only at the very end of the walk I spotted what I had been looking for. A lone clump…

So if I can’t find drifts of snowdrops, can I find the mythic Bluebird of Happiness?

Oh yes, it’s at the bottom of my bag of coloured fleece, just waiting for the magic felting needle to conjure him up…

…and here he is, with his little pink felted heart…

just in time for Valentines day!

He’s destined for the Planet Penny Folksy shop so he could be yours!

And finally, the Pink Pooch has departed to be a star on the stage. Higgins found him to be far too much competition and barked long and hard every time he put in an appearance so he had to find theatrical digs elsewhere. He was happy to go though…

So with the competition safely out of the way, (and Henry the Cat safely ensconced in a chair) it’s safe to comandeer the prime spot in front of the fire…

Aaaah, that’s better…

Telling ‘Tails’! – The Dachshund Creed

The Miniature Dachshund Creed

1. If it’s in my mouth, it’s mine!
2. If I like it, it’s mine!
3. If I can take it from you, it’s mine!
4. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine!
5. If it’s mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way!
6. If I’m chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks like mine, it’s mine!
8. If I saw it first, it’s mine!
9. If you are playing with something and put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it’s in the same house I’m in, it’s mine!
11. If it’s broken, it’s yours!

Now, here’s a little reminder of the Higgins appeal…

…the laid back attitude…

…and inquiring mind…

The enquiring mind which led a little nose to poke into the pocket of the jacket I had hung over the back of a chair – well there could have been dog biscuits – and find…my gloves…these fingerless gloves..

Pretty, aren’t they? Well, they were…

Not now, however…

Hmmm…

Then there were the cushions. Cushions which were admired in this picture…

Where the damage to the covers doesn’t show. I had a set of these, very cheap, I couldn’t have made them for the price, but pretty. And right from when he was very young Higgins would first suck, then late chew the corners when no-one was looking. When I thought he’d grown out of this baby habit, I remade the covers. Huh…who was I kidding.

There’s just one left now, it’s Higgins very own cushion.

I expect it will become very boring now, very quickly!

Still I though he could redeem himself by helping with the draw for the 150th Blog Post prize. I thought he could use this hat…remember this hat?

The way he did last year when he drew the winning ticket for That Elusive Line.

But no. When I walked in the door holding the hat in my hand he released the springs in his bottom and BOING! BOING! BOING! all he wanted to do was to chew it to bits. I had all the tickets printed and ready…

and I did try make the tickets more interesting than the pink fluffy felt but it took two of us to corner him to get the hat back.

In the end, once the hat had been forgotten, I invented an extremely exciting (for a dachshund) game with little bits of paper until he suddenly picked one up and ran with it. Result!

So one lucky person is about to absolve Higgins from absolutely all the above charges. (Although I do get the feeling that all you out there are mostly on his side anyway!)

And who is that lucky person? Well, Alice, and your artistic director Raymond,it’s you! Congratulations! It’s lovely to think that a little piece of Norfolk will be winging it’s way to New Zealand.

I do hope you like it x

A New Year Gift…

….to celebrate my 150 Blog Post! I can’t believe it’s come round so quickly…

Anyway, a belated Happy New Year to you all, thank you for visiting. I’m sorry to have been away so long but there have been guests, invited and uninvited. No-one invited flu of the Swinish persuasion, but he came anyway and laid several of our party low, and as I write the smallest one is still very poorly. We’re all sending get well wishes southwards as hard as we can, here in Norfolk.

So, not many photos at the moment, and not enough to join in with Emma’s Splash of Colour today, maybe tomorrow.

Higgins had a lovely time with all the people to cuddle him, he makes an excellent hot water bottle! He wore his hat…

….for at least 20 seconds. Ate his Father Christmas toy so fast I didn’t get a chance to photograph it, called a Christmas truce with Henry…

…and then dragged a cushion under the dining table to sleep off his own Christmas dinner while we ate ours.

Anyway, the giveaway. Are you all decorationed out, or would you like something towards Christmas 2011 to hang on your tree? I have been needlefelting again, this time Christmas baubles and I have made a very special one to share with you, and for one lucky person to win.

The bauble is 5″ from the top wooden bead to the bottom bead,that’s just under 13cm, is made from my hand dyed Merino and Blue-Face Leicester fleece and is completely unique. (‘cos I hate to repeat myself!)

To win it, just leave a comment on this post, all the names will go into the hat and Higgins will decide the lucky winner by eating drawing the winning name. the plan had been to draw it on Twelth Night but because I’m so late, I will let it run until next Monday, the 10th.

Even if you’ve never commented before, please do, it would be lovely to hear from you x