9th February 2010

Amaryllis about to flower
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

I bought an Amaryllis just before Christmas for £1 because it was already in flower. I didn't expect it to grow another flower stem and new buds. Bargain.

8th February 2010

Hudson & Alice sharing the sofa
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Hudson and Alice share the sofa today. Hudson is being amazingly well behaved considering Alice is in season.

7th February 2010

Smile
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A trip to Towcester today, Gaynor and Jon posed outside the Saracens Head Hotel for my photo of today.

6th February 2010

A Walk in the New Forest
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A lovely walk in the New Forest with Gaynor and Penny. From left to right Alfie, Sid, Murphy, Ruby, Fraggle, Bobby, Kiri, Buca, Norman and Frank.

5th February 2010

Rhubarb
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

I found this stalk of rhubarb sheltering under the dead oak leaves. It's about 5cm tall at the moment. It will be interesting to watch its growth rate.

4th February 2010

Spring Snowdrops
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Spring Snowdrops. More signs of spring, the snowdrops are out in force now. They are amazingly tough to survive the cold winter and look so delicate when they appear

3rd February 2010

Signs of Spring
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Signs of Spring. New buds are emerging on these primulas, a welcome splash of colour in the garden.

2nd February 2010

Red Eye
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Red Eye. A different view of the London Eye today, a little fuzzy but the colours make up for it.

1st February 2010

Spinone Footprints in the Frost
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Spinone Footprints in the Frost. We had a heavy white frost last night and Buca has hot paws!

31st January 2010

Brrrr
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A shetland pony covered in frost, taken on Kingston Common, Ringwood. Having a bit of a bad hair day too!

30th January 2010

Kingston Common Lake
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A very cold but sunny day, taken near the bench on Kingston Common looking across the lake. If you look closely you will see a heron just taking off. I only had a small compact camera with me so the heron isn't very clear unfortunately.

29th January 2010

Buca Alice Bobby
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

L-R Buca, Alice & Bobby relax on the sofa.

28th January 2010

Buca Gets Stuck Again!
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Buca features again .... and gets stuck again. Buca has a thing about narrow gaps.

27th January 2010

Sunrise Over Kingston Common
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A beautiful sunrise this morning over Kingston Common.

26th January 2010

From Blackfriars Bridge
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Worked in London today, a trip out at lunchtime to snap this sign over the railway line at Blackfriars Bridge.

25th January 2010

Norman - Hochopepa Mr Grimsdale
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Norman (Hochopepa Mr Grimsdale) at Manchester Ch show yesterday. Mum is Ethel (Hochopepa Don't Look Ethel) and dad is Little Ben (Michiamo Baradello).

24th January 2010

Jaylynne Phoebe - Italian Spinone
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

I went to Manchester Ch Show unexpectedly today, Marie had broken her wrist and couldn't drive. We had a lovely day out and saw Phoebe, one of Jaffa & Ben's puppies. I haven't seen her since she was a tiny puppy. She had a great result winning 2nd in the Minor Puppy class which qualifies her for Crufts 2011. It was her first Championship Show too.

23rd January 2010

Flooded Fields on Kingston Common
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A beautiful day after the greyness of yesterday. This is the view across the fields from Kingston Common over the river Avon to Avon Castle. There are a few swans in the distance and a couple of cygnets with them.

22nd January 2010

Colour on a Dull Day
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A splash of colour from this red stemmed acer brightens up a really grey day.

21st January 2010

Rose and Rose Hips
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

This rose was given to me by Betty & Ted, and is still in flower despite the bad weather. The bloom is actually frozen. This rose stays in flower pretty much all year round, there are new buds waiting to emerge already. It's a great way to remember Betty and is probably the most photographed plant in my garden.

20th January 2010

Emerging Camellia Flower
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Is this the first sign of Spring. A camellia flower starts to emerge. The only one on the bush. All the others are tightly closed.
The only other flowers in the garden today are a yellow primula which has somehow managed to survive the winter, Betty's rose which is looking a bit bedragled, and I saw the first snowdrops today too.

19th January 2010

St Pauls from Blackfriars Bridge
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

St Pauls taken from Blackfriars Bridge, a crane looks like it is about to take the lid off St Pauls.

18th January 2010

Kingston Common Sunset
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A beautiful sunset on Kingston Common, Ringwood, Hampshire.

17th January 2010

Frozen Over
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A walk on Kingston Common shows that the water is still frozen although the surface is strangely pitted.

16th January 2010

The First Michiamo Puppy
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

No photo opportunities today so rewinding back 6 years when the first Michiamo puppy was born. Mum is Fraggle (Kenmillen Fara del Michiamo) and dad is Rocco (Goldfly Dollie Fooled Again at Cobbets). Her puppy name was Stella - yes after the lager! We kept her and the puppy known as Tex from the litter. She became known as Kiri (Michiamo Candolini). Tex became Buca (Michiamo Zambuca). Our KC names had a Liqueur theme.

15th January 2010

Bluetit Feeding
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

We've been keeping the bird feeders well stocked during the cold weather and see lots of blue tits come and feed on the peanuts.

14th January 2010

Coconut Kernel
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Split open a coconut today and the kernel stayed in one piece.

13th January 2010

Photo Mosaic
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Little Ben at 5 weeks old, as a photo mosaic.

12th January 2010

London Eye
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Worked in London today and snapped this scene when walking back to Temple tube station.

11th January 2010

Wordle is Wonderful
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Photo opportunites were a bit limited today so I thought a word cloud example showing the names of our spinoni would be a good alternative. This was created at http://www.wordle.net/.

10th January 2010

Foxes on Ice
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Foxes on Ice! The lake is frozen solid and all the ducks have gone elsewhere. Today while talking on the phone, I saw two foxes walk across it.
The went into the field on the other side and were searching for food. I watched them for a while and then something spooked them and they ran off.

9th January 2010

Riva's Anniversary
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Today we bend the rules a little and use a picture taken 1 year ago, on the day that we had to say goodbye to Riva. It was a lovely sunny day and she decided to have a snooze in the sunshine on a bed of dried oak leaves.

8th January 2010

Buca Gets Stuck
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Buca provides today's photo. He follows his sister into a fenced off area of the garden but can't get out again. Being Buca he screams for help. The noise was awful, I'm sure the neighbours thought he was being tortured. This is fairly typical behaviour for him. He has a bit of a spatial awareness problem and won't go through a gap if he thinks it is too narrow.

Today the utility room flooded as the washing machine outlet pipe froze.

7th January 2010

Bobby's Icicle
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

It's so cold today that even Bobby's beard has frozen. A beautfiul sunny day but not warm enough to melt the frozen snow that is left on the grass.
I ventured out today, the puddles at the end of the track have built up ice walls around the edges making them seem deeper than they really are. The local roads were all fine, but we haven't had much snow here. Due to be colder tonight and tomorrow.

6th January 2010

Molly & Buca
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

Buca is staying away with his friends for a few days. He slept in till 8.50am ... typical. He has had more snow than us so he sent today's picture of himself and Molly enjoying themselves in the garden. We had very little snow today, no more than a centimetre. It has settled a little but not much to photograph so I tried a panoramic stitch which turned out ok but more practise needed!

Thai curry tonight following Nigel's visit to the oriental food shop.

5th January 2010

IMG_0614_05.01.10
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

It's very cold this morning, the temperature reached -10C overnight at Hurn. Today's picture is the sun rising over Kingston Common. Heavy snow is forecast for this evening. 30cm or more. Camera batteries are charged and ready.

4th January 2010

IMG_0612_04.01.10
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

A thrush visits the garden looking for food before the snow arrives. It is about 6 feet from the patio windows and Alice is going nuts.
The RSPCA and a fire engine are called out to Canford Magna Golf Club to rescue a deer that is stuck in the middle of a frozen lake. A missed photo opportunity - Nigel didn't think to take one! A real life Bambi on ice.

3rd January 2010

IMG_0064_03.01.10
Originally uploaded by spinoneuk

We are going to try and take a photo every day for 365 days, our own Project 365.

This is our first one of Buca and Hudson wrapping up ready for the snow that is forecast this week.

Hudson Announces

I am pleased to announce that my new hip has satisfactorily passed the "Worktop Surfing Test". I managed to steal a boiled egg which had been safely stowed at the back of the worktop.

Happy Birthday

Today is my 8^th birthday and I would like to send birthday wishes to my sister Molly and brother Rio.

One Week On

It's now been a week since I got my new hip and soon there will be no stopping me. I find if I'm made to walk slowly then I use my bad leg more, when I speed up it's easier to hop. But all in all I think I'm doing pretty well. 5 more weeks to go till I can have a bit of exercise but I must admit that being waited on hand and foot is not a bad alternative.

In another week or so I can have my stitches out but I don't really notice they are there to be honest. They are healing quite well and look better since I removed my dressing and let the air get to them. Once they are out, we have to decide about the underwater treadmill that the vet has recommended. We used to go swimming 3 times a week to help build up the muscle but I quickly learned how to only use my front legs to swim. I think that's why they are suggesting a water treadmill. Well we will see what happens there.

Buca's sister Kiri came to visit me today and we had a gentle stroll around the garden. I like that better than having my leg exercised for me, it was good to get some fresh air and just sit in the garden catching those scents as they drifted past me. Mr & Mrs Swan are still here so we said hello to them too. I don't think they will be laying any eggs this year as it's quite late now but it's still nice to have them around.

As you can see from today's picture, I have been spending a bit more time on my luxury bed which is in the pen. It is soo comfy that I didn't really mind being in there and it was easy peasy to get out because she left me a little gap to nudge open.

I've also been perfecting my Hudson Shuffle, quite a useful strategy for moving in on a plate of food without anyone noticing. Any other spinone want to try it out, sit a reasonable distance from your target and then inch your front legs forward very casually. Shuffle your bottom forward so that it looks like you are just getting comfortable to the unsuspecting owner of the said food. Then repeat as often as necessary to get within striking distance. If you are clever, you can get close enough to "hoover" the food off the plate and into your mouth. Magic!

My mum says I should have been called Dyson not Hudson.

Bucas' Strange Experience

I'm just borrowing my blog back to tell you about a very strange experience yesterday. We are testing out the camping air beds for the weekend to make sure that they don't go down. So I was having a snooze on a double decker bed, very comfy by the way, and decided to stand up and give myself a shake. Well talk about scared. The ground underneath me was wobbling like a jelly and I couldn't balance.

I managed to crawl off the beds like Bambi on Ice and retired to the safety of the sofa. Don't try that at home.

Buca Bambi

Does My Bum Look Big In This

It's been a quiet day today, getting into a bit of a routine now that I'm home. Today's picture shows that my skin is much to big for me and needs filling out. I'm hoping that now I have a new hip, my mum won't need to keep me so lean and I can have a bit more to eat. Like any other spinone I love my food but at the moment can't get anywhere to steal extra rations. She's watching me like a hawk and has even set up a web cam so that even when her back is turned she can see what I'm up to.

Roll on Sunday I say, Nigel will be looking after me then and he's a bit of a softer touch when it comes to treats.

I've been a good boy today and haven't bothered my stitches. So I reckon I can get away with not having to wear one of those stupid collars. I think I'd be a bit of a liability anyway with one of those cos my balance isn't too good yet.

We heard from Frank's mum today and he has had 13 scans to try and find out what is the matter with him. I think he was able to go home today but so far they haven't found anything else to explain why he is so poorly. Another spinone, Jinny, had to go in for some tests today so I hope she will be ok. These last few weeks have not been full of good news for my spinone mates so tonight we are going to send white lights out to all poorly spins and wish them to get well soon.

Hudson the Spinonesnorus zzzzzzzzzzzzz

End of Day 2

Well I am just about to go to bed at the end of my 2nd day home. I think I am doing ok so far, walking is a bit tricky still as I have to rely on my other back leg which is not so good, but I have a rather fetching sheepskin sling to wear under my tummy which helps a bit. Trouble is my mum can't keep up with me in the garden and tells me to sloooow down.

The picture shows my leg before I managed to get the dressing off. I counted and I have 15 staples holding it all together. They can come out in a week or so. I've had a lot of my hair shaved off which is quite sad really, I never had much hair to begin with and it's taken me 8 years to grow it. Now I've got to start all over again. I feel a bit like a poodle with a pom pom on the end of my tail. Well it would be a pom pom if there was a bit more of it. Now if Buca had the same trim he really would look like a poodle.

I'm a good boy taking all my tablets. I have to have them twice a day which means I have dinner twice a day. And I don't go short on treats either so life's pretty good for a recovering spinone at the moment.

I know that I have a few poorly spinone friends so wish them all the best, especially Frank who lives with Buca's brother. He was checking into my luxury accommodation the day after I left and was probably going to need an MRI scan. He is in a bad way and I'm keeping all my paws crossed that they can sort him out.

Off to get some zzzz now so I'll catch up again tomorrow.

Hudson (aged 7 years, 11 months and 362 days)

Hudson's Home

Well yesterday I came home, with my brand new hip. I had to be lifted in and out of the car but once home I can get around ok. Not that I'm allowed to. Huh. I have this 4ft square pen made of puppy panels that is supposed to keep me contained so that I can rest. Well it didn't take me long to make other arrangements.

A tip to anyone else in the same predicament. Keep banging the sides gently and you will soon be let out. I found the dripping tap approach quite successful. They can't tell you off because you aren't being really naughty but the soft persistent noise drives them nuts.

Well once we had that sorted, I settled down for a sleep and everyone was happy then.

Hudson Spinone

Hudson Spinone Sunday Update

The vet has just called, he is doing well and is using his leg more and more. He is a "nice patient" and hopefully will be able to come home tomorrow if his progress continues like it is. They had been taking him outside through the fire escape as it's only a 3 rug shortcut, but today he has a length of rubber matting laid down specially for him from his kennel to the door.

We still have a long way to go when he gets home, 4 weeks before he can do any kind of exercise, no sofas or stairs but in 3 months time he should be back to normal (or Hudson Plus no doubt!).

Hudson's New Hip

Buca is going to let me use his blog for a while so I can write about my hip replacement operation. I'm checking in tonight to a 5-star establishment and tomorrow I get myself a new hip.

I'm not looking forward to it but they say that in 3 months time I'll be back to normal activities and "much more"! It's the "much more" that I'm most looking forward to. My five-year mission is to explore strange new worlds (things I can't reach to steal); to seek out new life and new civilizations (mainly down bunny holes); to boldly go where no Hudson has gone before (those places inaccessible to humans).

I don't know how long I have to stay in for but I'm sure my mum will miss me and want me home very soon.

My Mate Jacob

My mate Jacob the Bracco is still missing, it's been over 4 weeks now and despite extensive searching and publicity, he's still not home. Although I've never met Jacob in the flesh, I feel a certain kinship with him. He was born, literally, as I was found after 2 days being awol with Molly Spinone. My mum called his mum Kim to tell her that I'd been found just as Jacob was being born. His first puppy name was Buca, after me! Jacob, if you are tuned in to my wavelenth, please come home mate. I know it's great fun out there on your big adventure but it's much better being back with your family. You will be spoilt rotten I promise, and be able to get away with anything ... for a while at least.

Jacob Bracco Italiano Missing

Three year old Jacob disappeared on a walk with his family on the 21st January 2009 from the Saffron Waldon area of Essex (CB11 near the M11). Please look out for him he may be well away from home by now. Should you have any information please email me as soon as possible linda.mayne@lineone.net When he went missing Jacob was wearing a beige snake skin effect collar with tags, he is microchipped.
Thank you

The Nest is Built

Well exciting stuff today, the swan was sitting on what I now know to be her nest.  I hope that we can follow the swan story through and maybe get some cygnets at the end of it.  That would be fab.  They are quite close to the end of the garden and don’t seem to bother at all when we go and look (from a safe distance).  Needless to say, the more agile dogs are now banned from going out into the garden on their own!

A Swan Story

We have had a pair of swans around for a few weeks now and yesterday there was some frantic activity at the end of the garden.  Lots of pulling up of leaves and twigs that were growing in the lake.  She didn’t seem too bothered that I was there taking a picture.  Dad was nowhere to be seen.

Hudson and Camels

We all know that camels can go through the eye of a needle to enter heaven but did you know that a Spinone can too. Not to enter heaven but to enter the forbidden bit of the garden that is deep in mud ... and where the rabbits escape to when they are chased out of the garden. Well I suppose that is their idea of heaven.

Hudson (he wasn't the only culprit) is a big dog, he had trouble getting his head back through the gap, let alone his body. It was barely the width of a cd at the bottom and there was no give as it was nailed to the fence either side. Those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting Hudson will know that he is not the most agile of dogs as he has hip dysplasia so how he managed it I don't know. It's also on a steep downward slope so he must have crawled through on his belly to the lure of what was beyond.

Oh and Nigel now has a big hole in his golf jumper and a cut on his hand trying to get him out.

Linda

It's Spring

Well we have had some nice weather recently so I thought I’d spend a bit of time in the garden.  Soon bored with mooching around I found somewhere comfortable to sit and watch planet earth go by.  I had to ask for it to be anchored though as I didn’t like it when it started swinging.

 

We've arrived

All settled for a long day
from mum's mobile

Cally our first spinone

This is a pic of Cally (hopefully), I am getting good with this blogging lark. Can even send pictures now so Crufts will be fun!

From my mum's mobile

Buca Goes Mobile

I can't believe it's over a year since I last posted. Well now I have worked out how to publish to my blog from my mum's mobile phone. Took a bit of working out but I managed it in the end. Mum gave up. She wants me to post the Crufts results onto my blog so we'll see how that works. Bye for now.