I spot Linda

Every day is a new adventure for me. Today, David and I went for a runaround near home. Linda had gone off to visit a garden and vineyard with friends. They were all from her women’s group, so I wasn’t invited.

David and I were playing with a big stick in a field when I looked up and there was Linda driving past in her car. I waved the stick around — she saw me and drove up to join us. This just shows you how good my powers of observation are and why I’m such a good guard dog.

Linda had my friends Doreen and Jessie with her in the car. I really didn’t know who to lick first! I was so excited to see them all. Being able to throw the stick for me was a lovely end to their day. I would have been happy for them to fetch the stick too, but they muttered something about lunch and wine, so I think they were too tired to run around.

Anyway, David had to go and do some shopping and Linda had to take Jessie home. We all decided that Doreen would enjoy being driven home by me and David. I was happy to make sure she arrived safely and it gave us a chance to chat about my blog.

I love the postman

Most dogs aren’t very fond of postmen (or post ladies), but I love ours. Why?

Because he brings me presents.

Just the other day he brought me a nice little package from my two very favourite great nieces, Francesca and Elisa. The package had some VERY nice titbits in it plus two great drawings. Here they are:

The one above is from Francesca; she uses me as a pillow and I love her too! I think she looks very nice in the picture.

This one is from Elisa. I’m proud to say that I was her first big dog friend! I look rather fetching in red, don’t you think?

I think they’re great and I can’t wait until they come to visit me again.

 Then yesterday the postman brought me a postcard from Paris, no less.

It’s from my good friend (and ghost writer) Doreen and her husband Gavin. 

Doreen said that the dog reminded her of me. (I’d love  to go meet all the sophisticated lady poodles in Paris.)

She said the statue reminded her of David. (He’s American.)

And then she went to Marks & Spencer’s, which reminded her of Linda.

I think those were very kind thoughts and I’ll give Doreen extra licks next time I see her.

T

Getting the postcards and letters are great, but I must admit that the post I most look forward to is that from my cousin Victoria. They always have something delicious to eat in them. Yummy. Yummy. She knows the way to a dog’s heart!

Not that I’m mercenary mind you; it's just that an active dog like me gets awfully hungry and treats just hit the spot.

I get hot

We’re suffering from something called a Canny Cool at the moment. As far as I can work out, it’s the French word for a heat wave. This means I have to get up early to go for my walk before 7am as otherwise it’s too hot. Linda and David are wilting a bit in the heat, but they can always jump in the pool. We all end up seeking out the coolest places in the house and taking lots of naps. That’s not a hardship for me, but I think Linda and David should get more exercise and run around a bit. After all, they don’t have to wear a fur coat when it’s 40 degrees C. I’ve also had a report that my arch enemy, Kandy the Cat, has spent the whole day asleep under a bush.

Of course, if it were raining or cold, everyone would be complaining. I sometimes think you can’t please the humans.

I’m sorry the O Limp Picks have finished as I really enjoyed them. My favourite event was the “pass the bone” contest where four humans took turns passing a bone to each other. I don't know who was chasing them, but it looked like fun. What a noisy lot the humans were at the end, though! I didn't like that very much; it seemed to go on forever.

I seem to be getting quite a few friends on this LinkedIn thing. Nobody has asked me for advice yet though. But I have had another request for help. I’ve been told about another abandoned dog. This one is called Freddie.  My friend Anne found him, but she can’t keep him as she already has two dogs. So if anyone knows of a good home for him, I would be very pleased to arrange for you to meet him. He’s only about three or four years old and very friendly and well behaved. Let me know if you can help. Here's his photo.

I go for coffee

Don’t tell anyone, but I went to Linda’s coffee morning today. It’s really only for ladies and, as you know, I’m a macho dog. But they were all happy to see me and I welcomed everyone when they arrived. I don’t do kissing when I meet people, which is the tradition over here; I gave everyone a friendly wag of the tail instead. My special friends got a lick. Even some French people I didn’t know stopped to say hello to me.

It’s very exciting for me to go to a town — there’s so much to see and smell. I get sniffs of cats, food and people, which are different to what I’m used to in the country. I’m also aware that I have to protect Linda as there are so many humans around. Although it was nice seeing lots of friends, it was very hot and it all got a bit boring after a while, so I went to sleep under the table. Just how much noise can a group of women make? A lot, I can tell you.

I heard them talking about my starring role in Pyramus and Frisbee. I don’t know why some of the ladies started laughing, because it was very dramatic at the time  — you remember I played a fierce lion. I also provided some props as I gave them my own Frisbee to use. No one had thought to bring one along, despite it being central to the play.

They talked too about having lessons in making jewelry. I’m going to suggest that they make a fashionable collar for me to wear when we go out to dinner somewhere smart.

I have visitors

I was very busy keeping all the humans under control last week, which isn’t too difficult if you feed them lots of wine. That keeps them quiet, at least for a while, then they start getting noisy.

I was very happy because my cousin Victoria had come to see me and brought me some new toys to play with. But — and don’t tell her this —  I had the best time with a plastic water bottle. These make a very satisfying noise when you crunch them. Whenever I wanted a quieter time, though, I got out my Eyore doll and gently groomed it.

I had some pretty good food — some very nice steak from the Spanish place in nearby Albias was the best. I enjoy black dog biscuits too; they're my favourite of all the colours.

The walks were good. Even though it was a very hot week, I had two great hunts a day.

I gave Victoria lots of cuddles to show her that I was pleased she had come to see me.  I made sure Linda didn’t feel left out, so popped in to see her during the night sometimes. But one day I could hear there was a party going on in the village, so I woke Linda up at 2am and asked if we could go. She obviously didn’t want to and wasn’t very happy when I slipped out the door and she had to chase me in her nightdress.

I’ve mentioned I’m on Linkedin, so come and connect with me. They sent me something the other day, ‘Five ways to look like a leader’, which I found very strange as I thought I already did. They can’t have seen my photo. 

The photos show me with Victoria and the presents she brought me. I don't have a photo of the plastic bottle.

I'm very sociable

As you all know, I’m a very sociable dog. I’m also delighted that I’ve been able to give out help and advice through my blog. After a lot of pressure from my followers, I am now on Linkedin (www.linkedin.com). I’ve been told it’s a site for professionals, so it’s ideal for me. I’m not looking for a job, you understand (especially if it involves those irritating truffles), although if a movie role came up, I might consider it. I’m strictly freelance at the moment.

If you join me on Linkedin, I can keep in touch with you all there too and share my expertise. If you want my assistance, just ask