Happy birthday Lulu!

Happy 2nd birthday to my doggy baby!

 Luly Loo is my constant companion, and protector and all round snuggle pal...

Lulu is the first dog I have ever owned as an adult. We always had dogs when I was younger. I made the decision years ago that if I ever had a dog of my own it would undoubtedly be a Jack Russell... A Parson Jack Russell. I wanted an HMV dog.

The day came 2 years ago when my mum got a little Jack called Betsy. It was puppy love at first sight. I immediately started hatching a plan to get one. Husband wasn't over keen and said 'lets not be hasty' Aww but I want one NOW!'  Off to Kent a week later we went to collect the last baby girl of the litter. Here is a pic of me holding her in the car on the way home.

 'I'm not having the dog in bed with me' said I, the day before we collected her. The day we brought her home....Well,' just ONE night then, as she's so tiny and she needs a little reassurance'..... You can guess where she still sleeps :) Jack's have a natural burrowing instinct and like to be UNDER everything. She nudges the quilt under where my head is and goes all the way to the bottom of the bed and stays put until I get up. She's a great foot warmer.

Betsy is just 1 week older than Lulu. They are the best of pals. When I go away  they get to spend a whole week together chasing each other like lunatics, and barking in unison at the cat across the road. Lulu is very naughty and and ousts Betsy from her spot on the sofa.

Here they are together... Partners in crime.

I must say I was a  'little' naive to the needs of such a breed. Lulu has endless energy and needs daily runs in a big open space. She never tires, and is ball CRAZY. She is such a character,  she cocks her head when I talk to her, and understands EVERYTHING I say, we have to spell out lots of words, but she's got wise to that too! She barks far too much for my liking, woe betide anyone that looks remotely like a Postie.

Ready to bark....

She is great with my daughter, and adores my son Henry, she goes super soppy whenever he visits, and decides she likes to be carried around. She poses for Henry. All the best pics of her were taken by him like this one..
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 It's hard to be cross with her for long. She has become a big part of our family life and always likes to be in the thick of things and we can't imagine life without her. She is partial to slurping tea out of people's mugs and enjoys crunching on ice cubes.  She's a real mummy's girl, she still lays on lap the minute I settle down on the sofa just like she did when she was tiny.. bit heavy now though :)

              She loves nothing more than snuggling under a blanket. She has claimed them all!

Chicken legs

Lulu is a super confident girl, and very obedient, ( except for rolling in fox poo) She always comes when called, and sits nicely to have her lead put back on when it's home time. She likes to explore, chase squirrels, and dash in and out of streams, and her favourite place is the beach, she loves the water, and is at her happiest digging holes in the sand and  running and chasing her doggy pals.

 I  recently started giving her a raw food diet as recommended by many canine experts.  I make  it myself from all of cuts of meats, lean, minced, including offal from the butcher. I make 3 weeks worth up at a time. 70% meat , 20% raw vegetables and fruits,  10% grain such as  Quinoa or brown rice. Can't say it's a pleasant job handling all that raw meat, chopping up organs... urrggh. Gloves are a must. She has fish and a couple of eggs twice  a week. So no dry food or carb laden rubbish in her diet anymore, and she is super healthy and fit.  * I would now like to add that I will be trying the Natural instinct diet as recommended by somebody earlier today as priced up is the same as buying myself, and will save all that prep *

 Well.... I think I have gushed about her enough don't you?

Here are just a few more pics.... Ok LOADS more pics of her from her weenydom until now.

3 weeks old... Awwwww

Mid air!

'If I catch you ONE more time chewing my stair lights'!! That's the 3rd set I bought. Naughty girl!

Top plan of beach walk and extra belly rubs today for the birthday girl.

Here's to many more years of adventures and snuggles with our baby :) XXXX

Early Autumn days

Having just returned from  our summer holiday in Cornwall, it seems Autumn is teasingly hanging in the air. I am not complaining.

Cooler temperatures - very welcome. Rain.  Garden needs it. A few blustery days. An excuse to stay in and crochet;)  Cooler darker evenings.... LOVE. I have even lit candles and had the blankies out. Isn't it just delicious? Autumn is my favourite time of year.

Having said that, it was very warm out today and felt good on my skin again. Maybe summer will stay a little longer... I don't mind.

This weekend being cold and rainy scuppered my plans to go blackberry picking so what to do? Hubby was hinting heavily about wanting to make an apple pie with the apple haul from our tree.

 Sadie picked them all  a few days before whilst battling spiders in her hair!

 So a baking day it was. Hubby peeled the apples and Sadie helped roll the pastry,

I referenced this recipe from here and it was delicious, but added more cinnamon as we like it here. A LOT.

Egg washing

Piling in

The smell was just heavenly when it was baking. I think Yankee candle need to make this one.

                                                          The verdict was delicious!!

Talking of Yankee's I ordered two at the weekend and they arrived this afternoon :)

The first is called Lake sunset and it is just gorgeous, it smells like a holiday, it has a coconutty, musky sweetness, slight hint of patchouli, and is like a late summers eve. It's really hard to describe. I just love it.

The second is Christmas memories. (Sorry for the C word) There was no way I could resist trying this! Oh my goodness it is divine, and gives a really good throw of scent.  Gingerbread baking in the oven, mince pies, cloves and a hint of orange, delicious!  It has been put away out of sight now and will come out on Dec 1st and not before. ;)

                   So back to the bake off for now, Lulu's cosy on my lap under her blankie.

Enjoy the rest of the summer everyone. :)

Cornwall 2014

For any of you that know me, you know how much I love Cornwall and that I go every year.

We set off very early on Saturday the 9th August, car packed to the hilt, with lot's of lovely things to eat, and I had my crochet blanket to be working on. :)

 Lulu had her basket on the back seat, and was quite cosy for the long journey ahead. She did get a bit grumbly on the last leg of the journey, but was a good girl mostly.

We did it in record time, 6 1/2 hours, fastest time to date!

We like to mostly visit St Ives, Perranporth, Holywell Bay, & surrounding areas so we booked a cottage in Truro which was fairly central and would accommodate 5 of us ~ my mum, and step father were also joining us this year. The cottage didn't disappoint. It had lots of character, was very spacious and very well equipped and had a large enclosed garden for the 2 doggies to run freely in, and a nice patio to sit out on. The garden was lovely and quite wild.... .filled with Hydrangeas and ferns, I cut some and put into a vase outside.

We were all a bit worried as there was rain forecast for nearly every day for the coming week, but were extremely lucky in that the rain came either at night or early morning just before we headed out on our daily outings.  The sun shone every day!

Our week mainly consisted of visiting St Ives, where we settled on Balzamar beach cove which is dog friendly all year round. Sadie got to body board in the waves, make sandcastles and made lots of friends.   Lulu had a great time digging in the sand, pinching all the other dogs balls, running in to the water and generally running herself ragged with her canine pals.

I did lots of window shopping in the cobbled back streets. We ate lots of pasties, cream teas, ice creams, and fresh fish and chips. Yummy!

 In the evenings back at the cottage we drank lots of wine and vodka and listened to our favourite music and chatted about our day, and  had lots of laughs. :) The dogs wore each other out play fighting but eventually settled down....

Sadie and Nana

Sadie did some fine beach combing, and was thrilled to find a piece of blue and white pottery and a small piece of green sea glass. She always finds me the loveliest of stones and shells,  she bought some little shell creatures with her pocket money. Such simple pleasures....I can remember this being one of the best parts of my childhood holidays. :)

All the cottages in St Ives are teensy but the owners really know how to present them in a the best way. I love this little front terrace, so inviting....

I want a fishy door knocker!

Lovely pub in Holywell Bay

Cornwall summed up....

All in all a wonderful week.....

 It was with heavy heart packing up to come back to Essex. IF I could live in Cornwall I would do it in a shot,'' sigh''.... Maybe one day.

Until next year, Lovely Cornwall.  We've already booked. :)