happy – Dexter

What a cracker

Not Christmas but the year in general for Lenny and I. Until I sat down a short time ago, I didn’t realise that we had packed so much into it. So here goes for a year in which we moved house, got a new house, lost dear friends, gained new acquaintances, found new places, left old areas, when it rained, rained some more, was sunny and our fruit trees were prolific. All the time we were surrounded by love and friendship despite having a few vet visits thrown in for good (or bad) measure. First part of the review will be today and the second part tomorrow.

January

It all started so badly when a great friend to so many made his way over the rainbow bridge. Our wonderful pal Hamish told his mum that he was ready and she took the bravest decision to allow him to run free.

Beyond the sadness of his passing we realised that we still had shenanigans to perform. Lenny and I took our cue from one another and continued the long tradition of silliness.

February

We knew something was afoot as there was far too much activity in the house that didn’t involve this “work” thing that we are continually told about. Lenny hid in his cave bed and we enjoyed the sun when it finally showed itself.

March

The day arrived mid way through the month when we found ourselves standing in an empty house as all our belongings had been packed and stolen by removals men. Lenny and I were transported to another house, hours away up the motorway amid much huffing and puffing from the driver.

We started to explore our new manor and we found Ludlow too. Lenny was still intent on being silly.

April

We had a visitor from the US who bought us gifts. We played nicely of course, as you would expect from well behaved beagles.

We explored more whilst the sun was out and the area became greener and warmer.

May

May arrived and we were finding our paws more. We went out with our neighbour and extremely good pal Griff who showed us some of the local sights.

Our fruit trees started to show signs of life and then we had a visitor all the way from Yorkshire. Hector came to see us and brought his parents. We weren’t allowed in the garden due to his bad paw but we still had a chat.

June

June started with Lenny and I being taken on a long walk around a place called Wart Hill via a hamlet called Cheney Longville. Apparently it’s in the Domesday Book. We were tired afterwards for ages, so we think it was a cunning plan.

We explored at every chance we could get and it rained. Quite a bit. Which will become a recurring theme.

That’s it for the first half of the year. I am sure I have missed out some of the things we got up to and I apologise. There were so many things happened that it is too much for an old beagle to remember them all. Part two to follow.

A pair of country dogs

My friends, I have been quiet recently and now I think it is time I let you all know why I have not been on here as much as I would like.

Lenny and I noticed that over the last few months of 2023, and more so until now in early 2024, that quite a few things have been disappearing into boxes and stored away into rooms that we are not allowed access to. We thought it was weird as we had encountered this before when we were told that we had been moved from our house with the lovely garden in the Chilterns to a posh new kennel, sorry a posh new house, closer to the seaside in West Sussex. What made us more suspicious was that we had also been taken out on short walks at different times of the day over the course of about 4-6 weeks, but we weren’t complaining as it was a walk, after all. Gradually our toys and beds were hidden away over the last few months and we were being barred from some rooms in the house.

We weren’t even allowed to say goodbye properly to our old house as we were made ready for our journey.

Well, it seems that our parents have hoodwinked us both again as we were loaded into the car and driven north by northwest for a few hours to be deposited in a half furnished house that had some of our beds, toys and food already in place.

Mum decided to take the busiest part of the motorway.

We recognised the smell of the house as it was where we had met up with our friend Griff back in November 2023 when we stayed for a week, apparently for a holiday. Yesterday the men who had stolen all our things on Tuesday arrived at the new house to give them all back to us. We were of course very happy to see them again and greeted them accordingly. We weren’t allowed to help the men though, for some reason. We made sure that our beds, food and toys were unboxed very quickly.

Some of our stuff (please ignore the Tring Brewery bags. Dad is to blame)

Sadly that also meant that the leads and harnesses came out of the boxes far, far too early for our liking.

This is now our “forever kennel” so Lenny and I can enjoy ourselves when the parents get the stuff sorted out. We have explored the field opposite, pulled our parents along the lane in front of the house, Lenny has been off lead in our lovely new garden and we have spent the last two nights sleeping merrily in our beds. It hasn’t stopped raining yet, which is a pity. We can see sheep in the field, we’ve watched a Red Kite take off from the hedge in front of the house and even saw a bat flitting around in the dusk on our walk last evening. All in all it’s a good start to our new life and home in Shropshire. We are promised walks to so many different places that we want to go and see them all at once. We have some tour guides lined up for when we are sorted out in the house a little more, which will be good as it might stop raining by then.

We will try to write more often once we have some of our belongings a little more sorted out.

Being senior

Well here I am once more seeking to justify my lack of blog entries over the last few weeks. I cannot excuse myself from my inability to blog more often, I am merely becoming older and those things that took a short time a while back now seem to be taking longer. You know the sort of thing, going upstairs, eating breakfast, climbing into one of my eleven beds (I have to share some of them with Lenny!) and bimbling around the garden amongst others.

In any case there hasn’t been a great deal happening apart from meeting up with Smudgey & Ted and their parents of course for a stroll around Stanmer park before they went off for a life affirming sojourn to European pastures. I did manage to pull like a freight train around Stanmer Park dragging mum behind me. I am not sure whether the muttering was directed at me or if it was complimentary. I was too busy pulling, snorting and trying to breath in every scent and sight as well as letting everyone else know I was there.

Back home for a few weeks it seems that Lenny and I have to be subjected to something called “watching the parents work and being quiet”. We can adequately achieve one of those goals but doing both at the same time is often beyond our capacity. It appears that this “work” they do allows us to be kept in the comfort we deserve and require so we aren’t allowed to complain too loudly.

I was in the garden last week for a pre bed time wander with Lenny. We are allowed out so we can do what we need to do and then we are forced to laze about in our beds (he has a cave bed befitting a vampiric being) all night. I have the unfortunate trait of getting acid reflux so I need to eat small amounts regularly through the day and night so constant sleep for everyone is a little unusual to be honest. When I wake up I tend to wake up Lenny and then we work our canine magic on mum who dishes out the treats. This can happen 3-4 times a night so we’ve got used to seeing the parents wake up and stagger around looking like zombies from a B-Movie in the morning. Anyway back to the garden and pre bed strolling. Dad accompanies us outside on these occasions and he was watching me to make sure I “behave”. He shone the torch toward me, I looked up at him and he felt very sad to see that my eyes had greyed over, and my coat glistened all white in the torch light. I wandered back and got some tickles but I could feel the sadness in his fingers as he stroked my ears. The realisation had hit him that I am an old fella now. As I lolloped (look it up) upstairs to bed I could hear him sighing behind me.

This picture was taken when we were allegedly plotting chicanery and shenanigans. Mum saw it and felt so sad because she said I look so old. I’m thirteen and a half apparently, I am a bit shaky when I am trying to relax, if I exert myself when walking then my legs start shaking and I have to approach the leap onto the sofa or chair as a leap of faith. I am on some pills to try and stop me aching so much and sometimes they work. I still grumble quite a bit when I am getting belly rubs.

I’m not sure about this growing old malarkey but I will approach it with my usual aplomb and lack of complaint.

The whirlwind remains

Today marks four years since Lenny came to live with me.

I was surprised to see people at the door to my house. I was assailed by a pup of about eight months of age and we proceeded to run around like idiots having fun. When the ladies who delivered Lenny left we kind of looked at each other with some trepidation and then proceeded to run our parents ragged for about two weeks whilst we got used to living together. It was like dropping a furry hand grenade into my life.

He’s been here four years. We have been to all sorts of places, seen many things and met many people. Lenny has settled into his life of safety. He has learned some commands and knows he will get ear tickles and head scratches if he’s a good lad.

Whisper this but I am so pleased he’s here. We may annoy each other and do silly things but I know he’s safe and loved which is the best thing ever. Happy fourth Gotcha Day Lenny Lendog.

I wonder what he’s thinking

Often I will look at Lenny and wonder what is going through his mind. I don’t ask him as I like to think he is content with his lot now he has been here for two and a half years.

I wonder if he is thinking back to Cyprus, to his earliest days when he was lost and then found, transported to his new life here in the UK. I know he came into this house like a furry hand grenade which took a while to get used to. However he has settled now and I think he enjoys his life of luxury.

Sometimes our thoughts are better kept to ourselves. They don’t always need to be shared with others when we are pondering the uncertainties of life in general and our own lives in particular.

I’m just pleased that he has settled and is happy. That much he has told me.

Happy times

I’ve been blogging about sad subjects recently. In order to redress the balance I thought I would see what I was doing five years ago today. It seems like I was enjoying life and being on holiday in the Lake District in the UK.

It was my first trip, my first holiday if you will. We had sat in the car in a seemingly never ending queue of traffic along the motorways. When we arrived it was dark and I didn’t realise the beauty of the area until the following day.

For a beagle or, I suspect any dog, the Lakes are a wonderful and magical kingdom of scents and sights. I went to Patterdale, at the lower end of Ullswater, for a week. We explored so many places that I could hardly take it all in.

It was fantastic.

Be more beagle

Over the past few days a couple of my good friends have made their longest journey to the Rainbow Bridge. This has made me sad as well as feel a little introspect as you my have noticed from the last couple of blogs. I make no apology for airing my feelings now and then, as it is apparently good for you and may allow me to think more clearly.

One thing it has allowed me to see is that I am still a lucky beagle with a great life full of comfort and security. Others may not have these assets and I feel a little concerned by that.

We only get one shot at this life. It’s probably best to be a bit more beagle, a little more Lenny.

Spring seems to have sprung

We suffered a cold snap last week when temperatures barely lifted themselves about zero Celsius for swathes of the UK. I know this isn’t as bad as other countries have endured however, for us, its a perennial big news story. The allegation is that if London gets more than 1 centimetre of snow, it grinds to a halt. I’m not so sure.

In any case, the sun seems to be showing its face this week making a welcome return as far as I am concerned. Lenny and I have been exploring the highways and byways around our new home. The ground is drying out so we can go careering across fields and along bridle paths at top speed. Actually thats not strictly true as we could go careering along if we weren’t shackled to parents. The flowers have started to flower and the tips of the shrubs and trees are due to burst into their Spring coat in the near future. This means the smells and colours will be ours to enjoy very soon. I like Spring. It’s a sign of the rebirth and regeneration of the life which has lay dormant for the Winter months.

We’ve been doing quite a bit of relaxing in our new home. I mentioned in a previous post that Lenny seems to have settled far quicker than me. This still remains true to a large extent however it has been noted that I am beginning to chill out much more readily during the day which is always a bonus for everyone concerned. I got some very helpful and thoughtful comments and advice from many friends to my post about my inability to relax here and I am thankful for each one. I assure you that I am feeling more at home now, even though its taken a month and I am still scared of the bleeps on the induction hob when its switched on. We can work on that though.

I’m off for a snooze. My brain and nose have been filled with the scent of flowers, trees and squirrels today. I even stood in awe as Lenny spotted a herd of deer prancing across a field today and yelled his head off. I am proud of my protege.

And another

As if yesterdays sad blog wasn’t sufficient for the near future, I heard today of another kind and happy soul who has made their way to the Rainbow Bridge in a distinctly untimely fashion.

My friend Fred lived in Germany with his parents. I came across Fred early in my Twittering career and he has remained a resolute and funny pal ever since. Most weekends I would see that he was accompanying his mum on her Parkrun and he was clearly the centre of attention for the volunteers who were there to make sure everyone got around safely. Let’s be honest, he was always going to be the centre of attention, the handsome devil. Even when it was time for dinner I would see Fred waiting im-patiently beside the counter for his mum to hurry up and make the food, cut up the fruit and ensure that he had something tasty to eat. Typical beagle you may say. There is nothing wrong with making sure our parents do things right and on time, say I. Whether it was sunshine, rain or snow (I wonder if he ever had all three?) he was outside and enjoying his life running around being silly and making everyone smile.

His parents were supposed to be married last year and Fred was to be the ring bearer. I suspect they will be sad when they do finally have their lovely day and there is no four legged pal to accompany them to make sure they do it all correctly.

So when today I saw that he had succumbed to a number of nasty tumours, I was saddened to see that he had made the longest journey. His parents made the bravest, and the most difficult, decision to release him to the company of those who have passed to the Rainbow Bridge before him. As with Lucy yesterday there will be far too many of our friends and allies who will be awaiting his arrival. He leaves behind a legacy of fun and a life lived fully. Run free Fred, free from cares, woes and troubles. You are once again young, healthy and you now have the warmth of the everlasting sun upon your fur.

We only get one go at this life. Live that life like Fred. And Raffa. And Gunner. And Lucy. And Pruny. And Charley. And Seb. And Bean. And Port Hunter. And far too many others that I apologise for not mentioning.

Officially, I’m not actually in the kitchen.

Lenny’s lonely loop

We have been walking together, Lenny and I, over the past couple of weeks. Depending on the quantity of scents available this has led to a number of incidents where we are both going for the same scent and there is the inevitable tangle of leads with the even more inevitable huffing and puffing from our parents as they try to disentangle us. Lenny and I have been competing for scents and we tend to be rather ungentlemanly about each other, pulling suddenly on our leads and shoving each other out of the way. One thing Lenny has learned is to step back when I need to “send a peemail” as he’s received one of my “peemails” on his head before as he was trying to read it too early. Anyway it was decided that Lenny and I would walk separately this morning and it sounds like he had quite a fun walk. I suppose I should hand over to him to tell you more. I shall be checking later to see if he’s been cheeky.

Hello everyone, it’s me Lenny. I went out for a solo stroll today albeit attached to dad. My brother wasn’t with me so I could sniff and forage at my own pace without him trying to get to the scent first. We went on a ten kilometre anti clockwise round of Pednor, one of our favourite, if not our actual favourite, walks around here. With the new quarantine about to come into force and the fact that a major road had been reopened after works taking three months or so, we weren’t expecting much traffic. Also the schools are closed so the usual rat run type traffic should have been reduced. We were proved correct. We walked the first stretch with Dex and mum so after a while they turned left and went on a shorter walk whilst I strode out for my adventure. Don’t tell him but now that Dex is a bit older he doesn’t need such a long walk as his “weary bones” start to ache a little quicker. Anyhow I was quite surprised as we were keeping up a fair pace along the first bit of our freedom trail. The scent count was low apart from the two deer that ran across the road in front of me. I may have bayed loudly and caused Dex to wonder what the dickens was going on? Having overcome the excitement of deer, we sped along the road, across the muddy section where the council never clear out the drains properly and then got to the long hill. The road curved away to the left and we began the ascent toward top Pednor and we could see the manor house on the top of the hill. The scents got more frequent here and my pace slowed so I could inhale as many smells as my olfactory organ would allow. I need to store these sniffs in my data bank for later. Along the top and turn left again to go through the small group of lovely old houses in their courtyard. As we walked along the road we could see down to both Pednor Bottom and an old path called somewhat strangely Herbert’s Hole.

Suddenly Bella the chocolate lab appeared in front of us. She is a lovely older lady dog who we see regularly and with whom Dex and I exchange stories briefly as we pass. Today her parents were surprised that Dex wasn’t with us. I am very polite to her and I always get complimented on my gentlemanly behaviour. Sadly mum wasn’t with us so I didnt score any treats for being good. Continuing along the crest of the hill we descended Holloway and zigzagged around the lanes until we arrived back at the start of the loop.

I was getting a bit tired now so wanted to get home and have my second half breakfast when into my view came Molly who is a sweet little spaniel pup. She is such a happy dog and is always really pleased to meet Dex and I. For some reason I shy away from her and no one really knows why. She is playful like me, she is happy like me and she is noisy like me. However I try to hide behind my parent whenever we meet and they can’t work out why? In any case dad spoke to Molly’s mum for a while whilst I reminded him about my second breakfast by pawing his leg to get his attention. After a few minutes he relented and we made it home just in time for my stomach to rumble and a quick session of bitey face with Dex who seemed quite pleased to see me again. A good walk followed by some exuberant snout jousting and subsequently long snoozes on the sofa. Mum was told that I behaved extremely well and that without Dex there wasn’t any competition for scents. A good day I think.

I should hand you back to Dex but he is sleeping. Must be those old weary bones he tells me about.