Weekends, new poll, and tagged

Mistress is upsetting my weekend routine. The weekend before she was too poorly to go back to Spain so we all spent a nice weekend together.

She wasn't much better this weekend but she decided to struggle back. But it was raining cats and dogs on Saturday so master told her to wait until Sunday. She packed her bag and off she went.

I thought she was going to stay with us all weekend again and I was quite worried when she started packing. I wondered if she was going for good. Us pups worry about things like that because we often get thrown out when people split up.

Master went for pizza on Sunday night so we could have our weekend treat together. I wasn't sure where he had gone so when I heard him coming back up the street I jumped up on my sofa to look out of the window for him, but he had pulled the curtains so I couldn't see.

Curtains pulled back so I can see nicely


In my excitement to pull the curtains back, I pulled them right down on the floor. I think master was a bit surprised when he walked in to see the curtains in a heap on the floor. He put them back. Just as well. Mistress would not have been pleased to see her carefully made curtains screwed up in a heap when she returned.

Master took the day off work on Monday 'cos he was poorly and mistress came back in the evening. We all discussed how disrupting it was when she changed her routine. She said she was disrupted too and promised to try and go back to the normal Go Saturday, Come Back Sunday routine.

A dog has to let people know when he is out of sorts, don't you think?

Mistress has changed the appearance of her blog. Personally I think it looks a bit tabloidy. She claims it looks clear and clean. What does she mean? My blog doesn't look dirty, does it? I like the colour because it matches some of my fur.

But I wonder if I should have a change? Mistress seems to think it's often good to change one's image and I notice a few of my pals have changed theirs since I started blogging. What do you think - should I change my blog? Fix my new poll mistress.

Now I have been tagged by Eddie at Eddie N Peaches N Bella's Dog House.

Here are the rules for Tag 7:
* Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog
* Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
* Tag 7 random people at the end of your post & include links to their blogs
* Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1 I never do kisses. I will stick my nose in M&Ms faces, but there are NO kisses from Pippadog. But I love to do tickly toes.

2 I am an excellent timekeeper. Although I like to get master up before 6am, if he ignores me the first time, I make sure I walk in spot on 6am. Sometimes I let him have a lie-in at weekends. Not all the time though or he might get used to it.

3 And I am a great weather-forecaster too. I ALWAYS know when it is going to rain - and I tell master we need to go out before it rains. My pal River suggested I should get a job as a weather reporter, but I don't think I could manage doing that as well as DWB News Editor.

4 I go quite beserk in the morning for buttered toast. I run around and yelp if master is too slow to put it on, and as soon as he puts the bread in Pippa's Toaster, I go and lie down next to it and wait for the ticky noise to finish. Then I jump over the chair to twirl round next to master and share the toasties half and half.

5 I like horses and donkeys and goats and well, all stock animals really. I like to do rubby noses with the horses and donkeys at the big finca opposite my Spanish house.

6 I found master and mistress on the hillside outside our village in Spain. They had two other dogs with them and I tried to follow them home, but the goats got in the way when we got to the stream (they were coming up the river bed) so I panicked and ran back up the hillside.

7 Ethel was my first girlfriend.

And speaking of which, or who, she complained that I hadn't blogged about her recently. As you all know I am a peaceable dog and always do what my girlfriends tell me (I have learned this one from master), so because she has got owies at the moment, I am going to make an exception and dream about Ethel again today. Even though I have other girlfriends on my list that I have not dreamed about yet. But you are poorly, and you were my very first girlfriend, and I love you lots. Paws crossed you are better very soon.

Tickly toes with master

Master, award, girlfriends

EDITED TO ADD: if you haven't voted for awesome blog of the month please go and put your pawprint on the poll. Two of my best pals (well five actually) are nominated, Freda and Army of Four and I would so like to see them do well, but they need a bit of help right now.

Thanks to everydog who has sent their sympathies to me about having a poorly mistress. It is kind of you to think about me but apart from her coughing and sneezing it has not been too much of a bother and that was balanced out by the extra pizza.

Mistress has shared her cold with master. Not much of it, just enough. She still has most of it. But the other day he stamped in from work, and said:

"I knew it."

"Knew what darling?"

"I knew I would get your cold. I have a Terrible Sore Throat."

He sat down to take his boots off and mistress quickly got him a cold can of beer as she knew this would be very good for the Terrible Sore Throat.

"There's not enough food in that pan, put some beans in," he ordered.

Mistress did as she was told and then got him another can of cold beer thinking if he was drinking he wouldn't be snapping.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Wake me up when tea is ready. I don't want much tea by the way." He stomped off into the thermarest-on-the-floor room.

Mistress took him a tiny bowl of tea, ate loads herself, and went to bed.

In the middle of the night master woke up shivering. (Perhaps he should have eaten more tea. I would have done.)

"Take the sleeping bag darling," said mistress half-asleep not noticing that master had already snatched the sleeping bag. He carefully unzipped it so they could share it like an eiderdown and five minutes later tucked it all round himself and was happily snoring away leaving mistress shivering.

I decided to wake him up earlier than normal in the morning as I knew it was going to rain. I always do this as then we don't get wet. I find it a sensible course of action to go out sooner when it is going to rain.

They were playing The Game. The one where they lie there like statues so I know they can't possibly be asleep. Anyway I played The Game too and pretended I thought they were asleep and bounded back onto my sofa.

Ten minutes later I decided we really should go out early to avoid the rain so I walked all over them. Master got up - and decided to have a shower. Apart from anything else the water was cold because no-one (ie mistress) had put the heater on. Well, master I don't know why you are bothering to have a cold shower because if you hang around so long you will get one outside anyway, I thought to myself.

Out we went. It wasn't raining. Half-way round the block it started. It wasn't drizzle, it was proper heavy rain. I was not pleased. I refused to do my stuff, I'm not squatting in the rain. Huh.

We got home and master was soaked. "Well, that wasn't very clever Pippa," he said.

I knew that. Any dog could work that out. At this point he had now managed two cold showers, one of them with his clothes on. He put the heater on and decided to have a hot one. If he had got up when I went in, gone out straightaway, none of that would have happened.

Or was he referring to my refusal to co-operate? No, I don't think so. Anyway he decided to go to work (having sworn that he was too poorly the night before) which was just as well as I didn't want to be dragged round in the rain again. Oh, and he ate some more of the bean stuff for breakfast as he was starving. Obviously.



Yummy - I have got another award. My girlfriends adorable Guinness and Cheyenne have given me this one. "The Community Blog Award celebrates people (I think this is meant to read dogs) who reach out and make the blogger community a better one. It also underlines the importance of a blog's readership community, one of the most rewarding parts about blogging. It's the people (dogs) that come back to comment, adding to the conversation, making you feel like someone (somedog) is listening and interested."

Thank you very much sweetheart girlfriends. And they have tagged me too for the "161 meme: Open the current book you're reading to page 161 and post to your blog the 6th line," as well as posting that same line as a comment in the sender's blog.

Mistress is reading La tía Tula, by Miguel de Unamuno, a Spanish modern classic published in 1921. She tends to read a few chapters on the bus as then people don't harass her in English. (hehe mistress isn't totally stupid).



But wait, the last page is 141. Well, that will have to do.
"¡Quien tiene que perdoname eres tú, hermana..!"

Right, the other book she is reading at the moment is a history book about Gibraltar, a biography of General Sir George Don, Lieutenant Governor of Gibraltar for 17 years. Better luck here, this book goes up to 165 pages.



"Elibank, Lady 7"
Ooops. It's the index. Sorry Guinness and Cheyenne - you know what mistress is like. Can't even rely on her to provide a proper meme. By the way, she doesn't normally fold books like that but she thought the back cover was pretty too.

Well she's reading at least a couple of other books in Spain so when she goes back she can post something sensible next time. One is Proust, Remembrance of Things Past (In Search of Lost Time) - she's actually reading this one in English, and the other is Les Liaisons Dangereuses - and yes she is reading that in French which is why she hasn't got very far. She bought it last time she had a long French train journey ahead of her. Not long enough to finish the book though. Both of those have far more than 161 pages, so Guinness and Cheyenne, I could be barking something romantic to you in French.

Now, I am going to give the Community Blog Award to Gus and Louie, Rockstar and Mati, Helios, and Sophie La Flirtador. And Sophs can also do the book tag please because perhaps she might be reading in French.

And this brings me onto my last point. Sophie, being a very clever and beautiful girlfriend, noticed that I forgot to dream about a girlfriend in my last post. I noticed too, but it had been posted and I had already got some comments so I decided to leave it and treat myself to two girlfriends this time.

As well as being clever and beautiful Sophie is obviously telepathic - because I had decided to dream about her. Honest Sophie. And she has given me a new word too. Sophie says I tuck my paws. We call it foldy paws, but tuck sounds so elegant like Sophie - I like that.

And the second half of my double dream treat is Penny. Another gorgeously classy clever elegant dog. Swoooon. I am already asleep in dreamland. Zzzzz

Award, poorly mistress, and biccies

Hello everydog. Look my friends Jazz and Dixie have given me a nice award. Thanks Jazz and Dixie. I know lots of you have already got it, but I would like to give it to Freda, Jackson, Marvin, Simba, Blogs from The Dogs, and the Kapp Pack. I've added a few pals in case some of you have already got it but I might have missed reading about it.

"This award is presented to a successful blogger, one who can “be the blog” - making it their own, staying with it, interacting with the readers, and just plain having fun."

Hehe, I like that. I am having fun.

And on the subject of interaction, I must write about this kitty again. Do you know what my pal Rocky said? That my K9 friends will make fun of me for asking for a kitty. That's not fair Rocky, I did say I wanted it so I could CHASE it round the flat. I don't think I have become a kittyphile.

It can't be for master and mistress either. They don't want a kitty. They seem to think I am enough of a handful as it is. So in answer to Jazz and Dixie asking what master and mistress thought - well they weren't impressed with the kitty request (although they would like the boat).

River and Jackson asked why I wanted one too. So let's be clear on this one. I am NOT going soft on cats. Oh no. I didn't spend months on the streets with the little terrors trying to steal my scavenged food to suddenly be pals with them. I just thought it would be fun to have one to distract me when mistress is busy typing away. We could bound all round the furniture without touching the floor - you know the game. Enough of silly old cats. Bored with them now. If Santa is still listening I think the boat might be the best bet.

Other news. Mistress is poorly. She spends half her time in bed ie even more than normal, and the rest of the time she is dripping around looking sorry for herself speaking with a wheezy voice (no she doesn't smoke), coughing, sneezing, and generally making silly noises.

She can't even manage to take a picture of me on the sofa. By the time she had picked up her camera I had bounded off the sofa and gone to hide. Quick as a flash me. Well, quicker than her flash.

Hehe - can't see me now


But the good thing is that she was soooo poorly that master forbade her to go back to my finca in Spain at the weekend to feed and water the chickens and the garden. (She always leaves extra food and water for the chucks in case she can't get back for whatever reason). He said she was too sick and she would wear herself out and not eat properly blahk blahk.

Well, I was a bit worried about this because master and I bond nicely at the weekends together. However, there were some good things came out of it. When master went to the shops I was not on my own, I had rubbish mistress with me. And because mistress was home, master didn't bother going to see his mates. So I had all my pack around me for two whole days.

Best of all was that mistress decided she wanted pizza on Friday. So master got two pizzas, and on Saturday morning there was a whole piece for me from master's pizza, and a share of mistress's pizza. She ate the bits with the chillies on and gave me the rest. Normally I only get one piece, so this time I got at least one and half. And a few tasties on Friday night when they were eating theirs. That was a good result.

I have some new dog biscuits too. I like them lots. They do not have chemical preservatives which mistress says is A GOOD THING. I think they are good things too - I keep going into the room to look at my sack in the hopes someone will realise I want some more. Mistress is going to buy me some tasty snacks as well next time she orders them. I think I am getting her trained a bit better these days.

Yummy new biccies


Yawn - boring old photos

Letter to Santa

Look here is another silly paws crossed photo. Master and I are crossing our paws together. First I am the headless wonder dog and now all you get is paw pix, or poor pics?

Today they are crossed for Thrawn at Five Happy Hounds because he had another seizure. He has not had one for a while, so we hope he has come out of this one very fast.




Which brings me onto, my list to Santa, and the competition organised by Five Happy Hounds. I've been scratching my head and having a think about it.



So.......here we go.

Dear Santa

I didn't know there was a Santa Claus or that doggies got presents at Christmas. I found master and mistress in January and I had been on the street over Christmas so there was no Santa there.

When I moved into the house with them we used to get nice toys all year round when Princey was with me because he liked them and always claimed them all, but I am not a consumerdog so I don't really care. I have a ball and a chewie thingie so that will do me. (They were Princey's anyway).

But Santa, do you know what I would really, really like? No, not a toaster, I have one of those and I have written about it lots of times. (You might want to think about giving one to other dogs though, I must say I recommend it).

Anyway I digress. I would like my very own kitty. Yes. I think that would be so good. Then I would be able to chase it round the flat all day until I got bored. We will need some rules of course. Kitty does NOT come on MY sofa, eat my toast, or invade my blog. Kitty will need to be good and not harass me, basically keep out of my face until I want to play. I think this is rather a thoughtful request because I might even not bother trying to chase the ones in the street if I have my own kitty.

I don't want it too small either. Just sort of young and friendly (not nasty and scratchy) and respectful enough to me as Top Dog. Please don't buy one. I would like you to rescue it from somewhere. Perhaps if you got it from the street like me, we could swop stories when I don't feel like playing chase.

Now, what else do I want? A boat would be nice. Then I could be Skipper Pippa, or Pippa the Skipper. I would already have my ship's cat wouldn't I?

I like going driving in my Landy so much that a boat would be very cool. Master and mistress can drive it and I can just stand on the bow, or the stern, until I get tired. Then I can have a snooze while I am being piloted around.

And as we live by the sea, the marina is only a few minutes walk away, it wouldn't take us long to go out for a jaunt. And like the kitty, we don't need a flash new one, just something small and second hand to go out in the bay. That's if master and mistress can learn to avoid all the oil tankers coming into the refinery.



Now because I have tried to be economical - I would like one indulgence. This is a world cruise ticket to go and see all my girlfriends (and my mates as well of course). And I don't want some slummy steerage compartment either. I'm not bothered about dining with the captain because I don't like dressing up, and he probably won't get his food down his neck as fast as me. So a nice cabin with a window and a sofa will be just great. Oh, and I might need a bed in my cabin, in case master or mistress decide to tag along and chaperone me.

This next one isn't strictly for me. But I think mistress does need a new camera so she can take action shots of me. Of course, that then suggests that I may need to be active. Perhaps not Santa - shall we stick to the boat, the kitty, and the cruise ticket?

Do you do stockings as well? If so, I would like mine filled with buttered toast, curry with lots of biryani rice, peas (not had any for ages), tomatoes, and cheese. Pizza is good as well, and not remotely messy although you would have to cut it up to get it in my stocking.

I think that's it thank you very much Santa. I might even give you a kiss.

Love from Pippa



And today - I am dreaming about beautiful Guinness and Cheyenne over at The Stoutino Inn and Foster Kennel. With a bit of a sneaky dream for Misty too. Siempre en mi corazon, guapa.

Paws crossed

My paws are crossed for Jackson while he waits for the results of his tests. And every other pup out there who is not too feeling good, or facing tests or surgery.

Now a bit of a confession because I am an honest Pippadog. That photo was staged. It is the very first one we have staged. Mistress crossed my paws for me. And then I immediately undid them, hehe, so she had to cross them again for me.

But the reason she did it, was because I really did have them crossed exactly like this, so she thought she would take a piccy. When she got the camera, naturally I uncrossed them. Anyway so it's not really really staged, more recreated.

It's quite rare though because normally I have them flipped inwards. Not like Randi who flips hers out.

And because Randi left me such a sweet message and asked me when I was going to dream about her, I am posting some photoshoot pix of me in dreamy pose. Randi is a very smart and kind dog as she opened up a temporary Randi Refugee Camp for dogs in the fire-affected areas of America - and became CEO. I am very impressed with that. And she has just lost weight too so soon she will be slim and svelte as well as beautiful and intelligent. Anyway, I love you regardless and am dreaming about you today Randi. Or I will when I have finished my toast - first things first.

GIVE ME THE TOAST


Sending good vibes to all poorly dogs


Dozing off to dream about Randi


Still thinking about you Randi (and all my girlfriends and toasties)

Top Tips

I wanted to pass on a few food tips to you all. I think it's important that we all share our expertise on maximising the available food potential. (I am practising my management-barks again.) I think what I really mean is that we need to cram as much food down our necks as possible.

So, moving swiftly on to Tip Number One.
When mistress or master are sitting in the chair eating tasty toasties or whatever, make sure you drool all over their legs, or their clothes. Don't aim for the floor as it will have no effect, certainly doesn't with my two anyway. But they don't want slobbery drool all over their legs or their nice clean trousers. So they will give you toasties to stop you drooling for at least a few seconds.

And while you are at it, always get as close as possible for maximum intimidation. About a centimetre away from the food is good - so that they know, if you chose, you could gobble the whole lot at one go. Then they feel guilty, knowing how well-behaved you are, and give you even more toasties. Either that or they worry you are actually going to drool all over their food. Hehe.

Tip Number Two.
I discovered this one the other day. I was quite proud of myself. Mistress was making tomato and mushroom sauce for the pasta. She had got some nice yummy organic food, so I was busy supervising. Well naturally she got distracted (she has the concentration span of a brain-dead butterfly, no offence to butterflies intended) and promptly dropped a tomato on the floor. Helpfully, I picked it up and carefully took it over to my sofa. Mistress and master were still yacking about nothing in particular, so I put my tomato between my paws and looked at it admiringly, prior to eating it.

Whereupon, master said: "What has Pippa got between his paws? Take it from him." Which she did. Then he said: "Now give him a piece of cheese for being so good and leaving it." Which she also did. Wasn't that clever? Because naturally I got the tomato the next day with my breakfast, they weren't going to eat it once I had carefully carried it in my mouth. I got my original prize and extras as well. Yummy scrummy.

Tip Number Three.
Now I have to confess this is the one I haven't quite perfected - but it does have potential. This is the Snose Butt. When the brain-dead butterfly, I mean mistress, is walking across the room with her toast, or OUR breakfast or whatever else is on her plate, leap up, butt the said plate with your snose - and it all falls on the floor. And then you can either eat it there and then, or follow the above Tip Number Two technique if you wish to get even more goodies from mistress.

Anyway, my first attempt nearly worked, the plate dipped at a perilous angle, and the food was just about to start sliding off onto the floor when mistress came out of her reverie and acted far faster than normal to quickly level the plate back up.

So I would be interested to know if any pups out there have actually managed this one. Since I tried it the other day she has kept an unusually beady eye on me, so I will have to wait a few days until she forgets about it as I'm sure she will.

I hope those are helpful tips for you all.

Misery read on some pup's blog, apols - we (ie she) can't remember which one, about write-a-novel-in-November, so she is busy whacking out 2000 words a day at the moment. I've told her she has NOT to neglect my blog though.

Anyway I've got my thinking cap on too, so it's helpful if she has something to keep her occupied. I have to think of five questions for the beautiful Amber over at Army of Four. I don't want her to think I am stupid or only ever think of toast and cats, so I am trying to think of something thoughtful and insightful to ask her.

And on the subject of girlfriends, we did a count and it was somewhere around the 25 mark. Now I don't think that is too many, so I did notice that Lacy Lulu said she was looking for a boyfriend, although she is a bit apprehensive about big dogs - but I am so nice and kind with little dogs, especially girls. And Johann the Dog said I might like his sis Gracie, well I do, I have seen her on his blog, I don't know why you said you were kidding. She is nice - has she got a boyfriend? Does she like me?

Anyway, today, I am going to dream of Mati, Rocky's sis. She is a lovely dog because she looks after Rocky (who is one handsome GSD - I am surprised he hasn't got a million girlfriends), and she eats toast - wheat and rye - a girlfriend with seriously cool taste and class.

I'll leave you with more pix from last night's walk.

Thinking


Looking


Always best to stay close as possible to master


Back through the archway on the homeward run

Another silly photo - and a tough interview

Master is getting as bad as mistress. Look at this silly picture. I mean you can see some of my head, but I don't know why they insist on taking photos when I am trying to put my head under the sideboard.

But my feet are rather interesting aren't they? Look, I've got them all twirled round each other. I think that is quite clever.



My ace Husky pals Chili and Cracker have sent me some interview questions. Now I know I've done this before with questions from my girlfriends Penny and Guinness, but as I like barking about myself, I fancied another interview. So without further ado.....

Woohoo Pippadog,
Chili here. Cracker & I decided the boys need to interview you, since our sisters are your grrrlfriends & they would just ask silly questions like "Who's your #1 grrrlfriend, Pippa?")
So....we want to know:

1) Just exactly how MANY grrrlfriends do you have?

I would like to know the answer to that one too. I must make Misery Mistress count them all up for me and we will post it up next time.

2) Just what exactly are your intentions toward our sisters, since you've made it clear you're not settling down with just one?

I like to dream about them because they are very beautiful. I er don't really have any other intentions because I am very lazy. I save my energy for chasing cats and eating toast.

3) What time will you have them home from their dates?

Dates, dates, what dates? This is sounding a bit too heavy and serious now for me.

4) They are both very young, are you going to try to take advantage of their innocence?

Well I'm not going to share ANY of my breakfasts with them if that's what you mean. And if there is toast in the offing it is everydog for theirselves.

5) Just pulling your tail on 1-4, you're a grrrrreat guy. Question #5 is.....will you share your little black book with us? After all, you can't possibly keep ALL those grrrrls satisfied at once!

I don't have a book. :( So I can't share it. As you can see I don't even know how many girlfriends I have. Anyway, go find your own girlfriends.

OK, OK, OK. The grrrls insist we tell you that the pic of your pose with one foot in front of the other, and the confident grin on your face is "hot". We really would like answers to questions 1 & 5, what IS your secret with the ladies???

Envious Bows,
Chili & Cracker

Well I might not be able to count my girlfriends but I can count to five. In lots of languages. And that last makes SIX questions. So I'm not going to answer it.

That was a very tough interview with some rather sneaky questions. Thank you guys. I think I prefer the girly interviews. Maybe Chili and Cracker are not my pals after all.

Anyway I am now supposed to say that I am willing to interview anydog and all that stuff. But I still have to think of five questions for Blue. Mistress says I can't use my original five (Do you like chasing cats? How many have you caught? How many girlfriends do you have? How many people feed you toast each day? Can you get your head under the sideboard?) - so I am having a rethink.

Oh and I have a new food tip to share with you all. But Misery says now it will have to wait until next time. Pooh. I will leave you with a sensible picture while I dream of hmmmmm, today who am I dreaming of? Cleo the Labrador Retriever. She is a nice gentle dog and lives with Natasha who works very hard to help stray dogs and tries to do her bit to prevent animal cruelty. And Cleo was another Halloween birthdog, she was three on 31 October.