Talking of the boys, we've just had them back from the groomers after one of their quarterly clips and they look lovely. But I'm not happy with the job they've done, Pepsi particularly doesn't seem particularly clean and I'd have to say has not been bathed, despite them assuring hubby they would be when he dropped them off. Last time we took them to this groomers we thought Pepsi had been clipped a little too severely, particularly round his neck, and again this time it's happened, only even worse. I also noticed that neither dog was keen on going up the stairs to the grooming salon when we arrived, which is not like them. So I think we can fairly safely say we won't be using this particular groomer again
Designer & Digital Artist @ Pixels, Zazzle, Society6, RedBubble & FineArtAmerica www.charmainezoe.com
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Monday, May 02, 2011
New Zazzle sale to Brazil: Friends Forever Dog Art Button
Just sold one of my Dog Art Buttons to a customer in Brazil. These feature my own dogs, Pepsi & Max, a west highland white terrier and a Scottish terrier. This is my third sale in Brazil and this is why Zazzle is so great for getting a world wide audience for one's designs. Now just waiting for a Japanese customer! This design is available on lots of different products like mugs, t-shirts, magnets etc.
Talking of the boys, we've just had them back from the groomers after one of their quarterly clips and they look lovely. But I'm not happy with the job they've done, Pepsi particularly doesn't seem particularly clean and I'd have to say has not been bathed, despite them assuring hubby they would be when he dropped them off. Last time we took them to this groomers we thought Pepsi had been clipped a little too severely, particularly round his neck, and again this time it's happened, only even worse. I also noticed that neither dog was keen on going up the stairs to the grooming salon when we arrived, which is not like them. So I think we can fairly safely say we won't be using this particular groomer again
Talking of the boys, we've just had them back from the groomers after one of their quarterly clips and they look lovely. But I'm not happy with the job they've done, Pepsi particularly doesn't seem particularly clean and I'd have to say has not been bathed, despite them assuring hubby they would be when he dropped them off. Last time we took them to this groomers we thought Pepsi had been clipped a little too severely, particularly round his neck, and again this time it's happened, only even worse. I also noticed that neither dog was keen on going up the stairs to the grooming salon when we arrived, which is not like them. So I think we can fairly safely say we won't be using this particular groomer again
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Some Demolition Work!
When we moved in to our present house we inherited a big old wooden greenhouse at the bottom of the garden. We've only ever used it for storage and it was prone to having it's glass panels smashed by falling fruit from a large apple tree which overhangs it. We have now trimmed the tree back so it's not quite so destructive, but over the years it has become more and more decprepit and derelict.
So this year we made the decision to demolish it completely and replace it with a new structure, preferably one we can sit in on a blustery or rainy day and still enjoy the sunshine, which this end of the garden enjoys all day round.
The following video shows the operation to demolish it. Pepsi and Max are popping in and out of the frame all the time and it finishes rather abruptly as we realise that Pepsi has disappeared through a gap we had exposed in the fence (it used to have chicken wire attached to the greenhouse to stop him!), which is when we had to drop everything temporarily and chase him across the field down to the river which backs on to the garden! Didn't do poor Hubby's blood pressure a lot of good either!
So this year we made the decision to demolish it completely and replace it with a new structure, preferably one we can sit in on a blustery or rainy day and still enjoy the sunshine, which this end of the garden enjoys all day round.
The following video shows the operation to demolish it. Pepsi and Max are popping in and out of the frame all the time and it finishes rather abruptly as we realise that Pepsi has disappeared through a gap we had exposed in the fence (it used to have chicken wire attached to the greenhouse to stop him!), which is when we had to drop everything temporarily and chase him across the field down to the river which backs on to the garden! Didn't do poor Hubby's blood pressure a lot of good either!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Scrapbook Saturday 10/1: Life is meant to be this rewarding!
Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year, I've had a good one and am now returning to bloggerland, having taken a couple of weeks off just to enjoy the holiday period, chill and recharge the old batteries:-)This weeks scrap papers & elements are from Annies4corners great FREE Coffee Break Kit, so if you like it pop over to her website & snaffle a really great kit.
Don't forget to hop on over to MammaDawg.com and check out all the other great entries for this weeks Scrapbook Saturday and add yourself to the blogroll.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Scrapbook Saturday 13/12:The Boys in their Xmas Hats!
This week I have used papers and elements from Flashgraphics Creations. Make sure you visit as Marie has lots of lovely Christmassy freebies waiting for you to snag.
The photos are of Pepsi and Max in their Christmas hats. Pepsi was fine about wearing his lovely green and red pixie hat. But Max wasn't impressed at all and just wasn't cooperating. I am lucky I got any decent photos of him in his santa hat and scarf. I think you can sense the sulk he's in :-) He's far too sensible and dignified to be putting up with this malarky.
Don't forget to hop on over to MammaDawg.com and check out all the other great entries for this weeks Scrapbook Saturday and add yourself to the blogroll.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Ruby Tuesday 18/11: A Man and his Dogs!
As I had just completed this digital scrapbook page of my lovely hubby looking very happy with our 2 dogs I thought it would make a lovely Ruby Tuesday post - it's certainly red enough!
Why not join in and post a Ruby Tuesday picture yourself, the rules are simple. Just post a picture with red in it, but it must be one of your own and it can be of anything you like. For more details hop over to The Teach at Work of the Poet and check out the blogroll.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Scrapbook Saturday 18/10: Pepsi & Max 2
All the papers and elements I have used this week are by Antoinette at Sparky's Scratches. She lives in Holland and has loads of really great freebies on her site. Most of the papers and elements I have used this week are from a super set called Stained Glass Tulips.Don't forget to hop on over to MammaDawg.com and check out all the other great entries for this weeks Scrapbook Saturday and add yourself to the blogroll.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ruby Tuesday 14/10: Dog Tired!
Why not join in and post a Ruby Tuesday picture yourself, the rules are simple. Just post a picture with red in it, but it must be one of your own and it can be of anything you like. For more details hop over to The Teach at Work of the Poet and check out the blogroll.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Pepsi & Max become victims of the Credit Crunch!
How is the Credit Crunch affecting you? Well I don't know about anyone else but it's certainly affecting us! Everything has become a lot more expensive over the last 10 months, and our wages have not increased to reflect that, so things are starting to squeeze.
One of the ways we have decided we can save money in the long run is to stop taking Pepsi and Max to the groomers. This costs us £50 (about $100) every 3 months, thats £200 a year. So we have bought a grooming kit complete with trimming shears, scissors, training DVD etc. and the idea is that we learn to do it ourselves! The kit cost £25 which is the price of one dogs professional grooming.
Hubby is dead keen on the idea and has been doing his research on the internet - it's amazing how many dog grooming tutorials you can find on YouTube! He figures it's not too difficult when you get the hang of it.
Today we decided to have our first go at trimming the boys and Pepsi was up first, as we figured he would be easiest and more cooperative (yeah right!). We have set up a table in the garage with some leatherette taped to it to protect the top and stop the dogs slipping.
After combing through Pepsi's fur so it was at least tidy, Hubby started with the shears, set on the largest size of comb, as we didn't know what we'd be like to start with, so didn't want to take too much off at first. Having run through his fur a couple of times,taking about a quarter of an inch off, we got a bit more adventurous and went down to the next size shears. This time the amount of fur falling on the table was decidely more scary! In the end we just concentrated on his back, sides & chest and left his underbelly alone. Then we got cracking with the scissors, trimming his beard and ruff and the hair in front of his eyes, and we also trimmed his feet. Pepsi was so good, he obviously wasn't happy about the process and often tried to get to the furthest corner he could reach, but in the end we got the job done and although it was nowhere near the close clip he usually gets at the groomers it wasn't bad for our first attempt. Hopefully the more we do it the more he will get used to it, we should get better with practice and he should be more relaxed.
Max on the other hand was a completely different ballgame! He has much thicker, stronger fur and is a stubborn little cuss. He wasn't cooperating at all and refused to stand up! So after several minutes of working on his beard, which we managed to comb out, we called it a day, as we were pretty shattered from doing Pepsi anyway. Max is just going to have to wait a little longer until we get ourselves a proper harness arm to clamp to the table. These allow you to keep the dog in a standing position with it's head in the air so you can see what your doing properly. Which helps!
One of the ways we have decided we can save money in the long run is to stop taking Pepsi and Max to the groomers. This costs us £50 (about $100) every 3 months, thats £200 a year. So we have bought a grooming kit complete with trimming shears, scissors, training DVD etc. and the idea is that we learn to do it ourselves! The kit cost £25 which is the price of one dogs professional grooming.
Hubby is dead keen on the idea and has been doing his research on the internet - it's amazing how many dog grooming tutorials you can find on YouTube! He figures it's not too difficult when you get the hang of it.
Today we decided to have our first go at trimming the boys and Pepsi was up first, as we figured he would be easiest and more cooperative (yeah right!). We have set up a table in the garage with some leatherette taped to it to protect the top and stop the dogs slipping.
After combing through Pepsi's fur so it was at least tidy, Hubby started with the shears, set on the largest size of comb, as we didn't know what we'd be like to start with, so didn't want to take too much off at first. Having run through his fur a couple of times,taking about a quarter of an inch off, we got a bit more adventurous and went down to the next size shears. This time the amount of fur falling on the table was decidely more scary! In the end we just concentrated on his back, sides & chest and left his underbelly alone. Then we got cracking with the scissors, trimming his beard and ruff and the hair in front of his eyes, and we also trimmed his feet. Pepsi was so good, he obviously wasn't happy about the process and often tried to get to the furthest corner he could reach, but in the end we got the job done and although it was nowhere near the close clip he usually gets at the groomers it wasn't bad for our first attempt. Hopefully the more we do it the more he will get used to it, we should get better with practice and he should be more relaxed.
Max on the other hand was a completely different ballgame! He has much thicker, stronger fur and is a stubborn little cuss. He wasn't cooperating at all and refused to stand up! So after several minutes of working on his beard, which we managed to comb out, we called it a day, as we were pretty shattered from doing Pepsi anyway. Max is just going to have to wait a little longer until we get ourselves a proper harness arm to clamp to the table. These allow you to keep the dog in a standing position with it's head in the air so you can see what your doing properly. Which helps!
Friday, October 03, 2008
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Not a Good Start!
Today did not start well! Hubby left at 6.30am to get down to London, which meant I had to get a taxi to work for 8am, so rang & ordered one for 7.45. I'm downstairs getting the dogs their breakfast when the doorbell rings at 7.15. I'm wearing nothing but a pair of knickers (having figured its too early for the postman - not that I was expecting anything anyway) so have to scrabble to find something to wear in a hurry (cant go back up stairs as the front door is glass!) Find a pair of hubbys jog pants in the tumble dryer & a fleecy I've left on the sofa, so go to the door fairly presentable.
Open the front door & porch door (forgetting I've not closed the lounge door behind me) and lean out to shout over to the taxi driver that he's too early. This is the moment Pepsi, my west highland white terrier (Westie) decides to make a bolt for it and I see him dash past me, out the drive and disappear round the corner! Now on past experience I know he's not stopping but I go after him anyway. Not easy in slip on soft slippers! By the time I turn the corner into Middlemore Road, he's off & running and I can see him disappearing into the distance, but fortunately he's sticking to the pavement & not sidetracking into the gardens. By now I'm in a state of collapse as I have really over exerted myself and all I can do is stand and watch him. Fortunately by now the taxi driver has realised I'm not coming back & there must be a problem, so he drives after Pepsi and is able to catch up with him and brings him back to the house, drops him off & goes off on his next call.
All this means I have no time to wash my hair or put my make up on and just manage to get dressed before the taxi is back. So I arrive at work looking a right dogs dinner & feeling pretty much the same as well as being very much on the shaky side still. So Not a good start to the day!
Open the front door & porch door (forgetting I've not closed the lounge door behind me) and lean out to shout over to the taxi driver that he's too early. This is the moment Pepsi, my west highland white terrier (Westie) decides to make a bolt for it and I see him dash past me, out the drive and disappear round the corner! Now on past experience I know he's not stopping but I go after him anyway. Not easy in slip on soft slippers! By the time I turn the corner into Middlemore Road, he's off & running and I can see him disappearing into the distance, but fortunately he's sticking to the pavement & not sidetracking into the gardens. By now I'm in a state of collapse as I have really over exerted myself and all I can do is stand and watch him. Fortunately by now the taxi driver has realised I'm not coming back & there must be a problem, so he drives after Pepsi and is able to catch up with him and brings him back to the house, drops him off & goes off on his next call.
All this means I have no time to wash my hair or put my make up on and just manage to get dressed before the taxi is back. So I arrive at work looking a right dogs dinner & feeling pretty much the same as well as being very much on the shaky side still. So Not a good start to the day!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Another Update!
Just to bring anyone that's interested up to speed on what's been happening with our new house (Can't believe we'll have been here for 2 years in August!). We finished the bathroom & cloakroom OK - they look fantastic (I'll be posting some before & after photos soon). We've now got the hall, stairs & landing recarpeted & redecorated. We had to get someone in to do all the wallpapering, there was no way we could have done it ourselves! But it was money well spent and we're delighted with the result.
A lot of people prefer neutral colours such as creams, beiges or oatmeals, but not us. We've gone for Fireglow carpets in 3 of the bedrooms and down the stairs to the hall, The wallpaper has a white textured background in a sort of woven effect with a square & flower motif in the same colour as the carpet with gold highlights. If I'm honest we thought the motifs would be more spread out when we bought the wallpaper and it wasn't until it was actually on the wall we realised how much of them there is! But we like the overall effect which gives a lovely warm, cosy effect (We're really into Warm & Cosy - you can keep your cold bland minimimalist look!). Not to everyone's taste I know but we like it :-).
This year we are concentrating on the garden. Ian has really got the bit between his teeth and has been beavering away clearing out several of the old flower beds, which were badly in need of a makeover. I've planted petunias in the little stone wall along the patio which are starting to take off now I have defeated the slugs & snails (the torrential rain we've had lately has helped as well, although its been terrible for the rose bushes which are really looking beaten down and sad!). We have a new back fence and gate now as well so we can walk straight out into the riverside parkland behind us, which is great when we want to take the dogs for a walk. We have also started digging out the raised bed so we can put in a pond, which is proving to be a huge undertaking, particularly with the heavy clay soil we have here. But we are progressing nicely and hope to finish it when we have a week off in July so we can get the benefit of it for the rest of the summer. We have plans to include a waterfall & fountain with lights so it should be super - thats the hope & dream anyway.
Pepsi & Max are doing well. Pepsi just celebrated his 3rd birthday and had a nice cake with candles which he enjoyed. There have been no more escape scares thank goodness! The last one scared us so much we have got the garden as secure as is possible now with wire netting all round and hooked into the grou nd so he cant dig under it. We have given them the run of the garden and its great fun watching them charging up and down at breakneck speed or round and round the table & chairs. They can run the length of the garden, into the house, down the lounge & into the dining room, round the table & then back out to the top of the garden in what seems just a couple of seconds! Great fun!
A lot of people prefer neutral colours such as creams, beiges or oatmeals, but not us. We've gone for Fireglow carpets in 3 of the bedrooms and down the stairs to the hall, The wallpaper has a white textured background in a sort of woven effect with a square & flower motif in the same colour as the carpet with gold highlights. If I'm honest we thought the motifs would be more spread out when we bought the wallpaper and it wasn't until it was actually on the wall we realised how much of them there is! But we like the overall effect which gives a lovely warm, cosy effect (We're really into Warm & Cosy - you can keep your cold bland minimimalist look!). Not to everyone's taste I know but we like it :-).
This year we are concentrating on the garden. Ian has really got the bit between his teeth and has been beavering away clearing out several of the old flower beds, which were badly in need of a makeover. I've planted petunias in the little stone wall along the patio which are starting to take off now I have defeated the slugs & snails (the torrential rain we've had lately has helped as well, although its been terrible for the rose bushes which are really looking beaten down and sad!). We have a new back fence and gate now as well so we can walk straight out into the riverside parkland behind us, which is great when we want to take the dogs for a walk. We have also started digging out the raised bed so we can put in a pond, which is proving to be a huge undertaking, particularly with the heavy clay soil we have here. But we are progressing nicely and hope to finish it when we have a week off in July so we can get the benefit of it for the rest of the summer. We have plans to include a waterfall & fountain with lights so it should be super - thats the hope & dream anyway.
Pepsi & Max are doing well. Pepsi just celebrated his 3rd birthday and had a nice cake with candles which he enjoyed. There have been no more escape scares thank goodness! The last one scared us so much we have got the garden as secure as is possible now with wire netting all round and hooked into the grou nd so he cant dig under it. We have given them the run of the garden and its great fun watching them charging up and down at breakneck speed or round and round the table & chairs. They can run the length of the garden, into the house, down the lounge & into the dining room, round the table & then back out to the top of the garden in what seems just a couple of seconds! Great fun!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Missing Dogs Scare!
Well we've just had an almighty scare! I'd been at work all day and Ian had gone down to Salisbury to pick up the kids who are staying for the weekend. The boys had been left out the back in their fenced off area on the patio. I got home at 5 o'clock and went straight out to see them, but there was no sign of either of them. The wire fence panels had been forced apart and there was a hole under the wire fencing in front of the hedge where they had obviously squeezed through into one of the adjoining gardens.
After knocking on the doors of all the houses that run along the side of our garden with no luck I traipsed the length of the road down to where the path to the river bends off and tracked round along the riverbank and into the big field behind us, where we have found Pepsi on a number of previous escape attempts, but this time there was no sign.
After checking out the opposite bank, again with no luck, I traipsed home in the rain. I had rung Ian by this stage on the mobile and let him know what had happened, but he was still a good 20 minutes away. As soon as I got home I tried finding the number for the local dog warden, but couldn't find anything in the telephone book and ended up calling Birmingham Council emergency hotline, where they very kindly gave me the number after I explained the situation. But on ringing all I got was a recorded message that the office was closed until Tuesday (as this was Friday and Monday was a bank holiday, this wasn't much help!). So then I rang the police in the hope someone may have reported them and again was given another number to ring for the local station. The officer made a note of the details but couldn't help any further. By this time Ian had arrived home with the kids, who he had told the grim news in the car.
What happened next must have been inspired. After searching through the telephone directory in desperation I came across a number for something called Petsearch and thinking I could at least report them missing rang the number given which was in Solihull, a town in the next county. Almost immediately an elderly ladies voice answered and on my giving the dogs details she told me to ring a Mrs Moore and gave me a number which I assumed was the contact for my area. She then said 'she's got them' it took a few seconds for what she had just said to sink in, but once it did all I could say was 'thank you, thank you' before bursting into tears of relief as I put down the phone. I had to hand the phone to Ian so he could ring the lady as I was in no fit state to talk to anyone. Anyway we found out that they were safe and well and about a mile away, having gone down the length of Middlemore Road and onto a busy crossing, turned left and carried on up the very busy West Heath Rd, where apparently Max seems to have been clipped by a car as they crossed the road. Fortunately he has shown no signs of any harm or damage since then and has certainly not lost his appetite! so we are assuming his bulk saved him and he probably just glanced off it.
It was with great relief that we went and fetched the two errant boys and of course a great fuss was made of them once we got them safely home with lots of treats and hugs. Needless to say we are having to rethink the garden security as I found Max climbing the fence on Sunday and only just managed to grab him as he reached the top and was about to launch himself off to the other side. At least we now know how he has been getting out!
After knocking on the doors of all the houses that run along the side of our garden with no luck I traipsed the length of the road down to where the path to the river bends off and tracked round along the riverbank and into the big field behind us, where we have found Pepsi on a number of previous escape attempts, but this time there was no sign.
After checking out the opposite bank, again with no luck, I traipsed home in the rain. I had rung Ian by this stage on the mobile and let him know what had happened, but he was still a good 20 minutes away. As soon as I got home I tried finding the number for the local dog warden, but couldn't find anything in the telephone book and ended up calling Birmingham Council emergency hotline, where they very kindly gave me the number after I explained the situation. But on ringing all I got was a recorded message that the office was closed until Tuesday (as this was Friday and Monday was a bank holiday, this wasn't much help!). So then I rang the police in the hope someone may have reported them and again was given another number to ring for the local station. The officer made a note of the details but couldn't help any further. By this time Ian had arrived home with the kids, who he had told the grim news in the car.
What happened next must have been inspired. After searching through the telephone directory in desperation I came across a number for something called Petsearch and thinking I could at least report them missing rang the number given which was in Solihull, a town in the next county. Almost immediately an elderly ladies voice answered and on my giving the dogs details she told me to ring a Mrs Moore and gave me a number which I assumed was the contact for my area. She then said 'she's got them' it took a few seconds for what she had just said to sink in, but once it did all I could say was 'thank you, thank you' before bursting into tears of relief as I put down the phone. I had to hand the phone to Ian so he could ring the lady as I was in no fit state to talk to anyone. Anyway we found out that they were safe and well and about a mile away, having gone down the length of Middlemore Road and onto a busy crossing, turned left and carried on up the very busy West Heath Rd, where apparently Max seems to have been clipped by a car as they crossed the road. Fortunately he has shown no signs of any harm or damage since then and has certainly not lost his appetite! so we are assuming his bulk saved him and he probably just glanced off it.
It was with great relief that we went and fetched the two errant boys and of course a great fuss was made of them once we got them safely home with lots of treats and hugs. Needless to say we are having to rethink the garden security as I found Max climbing the fence on Sunday and only just managed to grab him as he reached the top and was about to launch himself off to the other side. At least we now know how he has been getting out!
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