Last memories

While walking this pair, it’s not so bad, the Labrador doesn’t pull at all but over the last few days I have been looking at the Alsatian and how he pulls in response to things happening around him. When he pulls, it’s when he feels that he needs to be in charge, to be the pack leader. I have been trying the trick of keeping the leash short and pulling him back while saying “heel”. You are also meant to turn them around and place them slightly behind you, or at least level. It’s very hard work. Even on these relatively quiet very narrow roads that we sometimes go along where they are barely one car’s width wide, there are things that put him into pack leader mode, cars, horses, other dogs. You can lead him away from things so he doesn’t get stressed, hide in a lay by when a car appears and so on. I changed the walk we were doing to avoid walking down a busy road at the end of the walk, and also where the field path is blocked by a useless style. So it’s a better walk for him and me. Google maps doesn’t show many of the paths, I have a good map but I can’t carry it with me. We still walk past a huge Scout Activity centre. Occasionally we smell bonfires, with the smell of Autumn in the air mixed with their smoke.

On the old route the fields were really wet and partially flooded. I soon found my walking boots were not waterproof, these not leather ones  often don’t keep their water proof ness. So I went out and got a new pair of leather ones. I was amazed the staff member did not try and get me to buy a can of the spray stuff they normally try to flog you. The Labrador has a really funny trait, I may have mentioned it before. When she is getting wet, she decides to douse her head in the grass and walks along with her head bent down so it gets a good soaking too. I have no idea why. The Alsation has a slightly less charming trait, if he is trying to mug me for food, he drools terribly. The other day the families nephew was her in the house and he practised piano on the instrument in the living room. Sure enough the Alsatian started howling like a wolf. He does this when the families eldest daughter practices her saxophone.

I decided that after walking these long walks the dogs deserved a treat. So as the Labrador is a bit on the heavy side, I got her small treats and the Alsatian a bigger version. I gave them one each and went and sat down. Imagine my surprise when the Labrador came into the living room with his huge treat. She must have stolen it from him! One of the meals I cooked here, is a sort of fish pasta. Boiled some pasta, made a white sauce with some cheese and fried off some okra ( in the families fridge) leeks ( special offer from local shop) and a bell pepper. Microwaved a salmon fillet and then mixed the whole lot together.

I had my fish and chips on Friday, I ate them in the car, my first meal undisturbed! I pay about twelve pounds for a large cod and chips at home, here it is sixteen. That’s a big price hike, but it was a good meal. One night the Alsation decided when I wanted to go to bed he wanted a game of tug with his almost  destroyed football. So we went to bed with the ball which I finally managed to toss out of the bed later on. We all woke in the middle of the night with the Labrador sneezing again and again. She does this now and then. Even in the gloom you could see the Alsatian was concerned about his adopted sister and then she stopped and all calmed down. He ended up at the bottom of the bed, she lying lengthwise with her head on the pillow. I was behind her and wrapped my arm around her lovely sleek coat. She is like a black bear. One Sunday morning, because the clocks went back, I was expecting to get my wake up call at six, but they hung on until half past, which given dogs don’t understand day light savings is not bad.

For whatever reason I don’t think the Alsatian  really understands how big he is. Rita on Serifos is the same. He also seems to stand on my bare feet a lot and it’s painful. When they are playing they frequently bump into me, teeth showing, I wait an unintentional nip, but so far so good. The lab is quite polite, but the youth of the Alsatian comes through, he barges past me, and will often stand in my way. He isn’t very patient! The dogs are on a new diet now, as their dry food has run out. They are on a fancy looking wet stuff. After eating it, their bowls are licked so much, they look brand new. I did ask their owners if they wanted me to get anything from the shops for when they get back? No but have the weeks supply of  eggs arrived? I checked and a full tray of eggs were there. Another lot are arriving this Thursday. So the dogs had a boiled egg each for breakfast. On Monday it was spitting with rain as we set out. At some point the Labrador must have rolled over in a muddy field where it was safer to let her of the lead. On the way back she did it in the same field where I spotted her doing this strange thing! 

I have been getting on well with the final touches of the new version of the web page, my last addition should be a pop up that when you go to the website, it puts appears to tell you the next day the store opens. I have not written it, ChatGPT is the author.  I just do the binding together  process. One morning, we set off on our walk and I ended up going a different way. We ended up going up a steep grassy hill, at the top we could see Oxford in the distance, unfortunately not the dreaming spires but the main object I could make out was the John Radcliffe hospital. Oh well, I know what’s there. On the way back, where the track is partially flooded both dogs wandered in the deep puddles , perhaps to cool their paws off. At the beginning of this sit, I ended up having to have a nap in the afternoon. Now I can keep going, so my stamina is going in the right direction. I won’t  end up doing nine km every day when I get home, but I hope to do a few more long walks. I am now eating the meals I made last week and froze, there will be a few to take home and pop in the freezer. On the walk we do we  past a cycle which has been locked up for all my time here. I fancy it’s been stolen, but it’s an odd place to leave it. As people do, people are dumping empty bottles and cans in the cycle helmet which is hanging off the bike. 

On a happier note, one of the children who I know from my dog sitting is in Holland playing for the local football team. This time last year my friend with the Harley Davidson mobility scooter was asked to make a flag for them, which is why we went to the local sewing machine place to buy a machine to cut the designs out. The flag is magnificent.

The diary continues to the last full day. It’s the nightmare material for dog sitters. Dog diarrhoea ! I have had my experience with this in the past unfortunately and after the Alsatian left the bed early in the morning, which he has done before, I heard the familiar plop plop noise, I did not need any more information ! The good news is they don’t have carpets, so it was easy to clear up, he looked forlorn, this is not his fault. The change to wet food might have caused this, rice today then. He spent the rest of the night in other parts of the house, and came to see us now and then. It was a bit easier in the bed with just the Labrador! The good news is I have made more progress with the web page and most of it is done, it just needs testing now, but not by me, I just write the specifications for them to test it against. The nightlight was getting a script to send an email from a gmail server, sounds easy but it wasn’t!  

So the last day, the washing machine is busy doing the bed linen for the family, a bit of tidying and packing up. I have enjoyed my time here, seeing an old friend and her new buddy. She was never much to play with other dogs, which she does with him now, and it was good to look after both of them in their new home.