What a beautiful weekend we have had here in the UK, well in my little patch anyway. We've started with the usual foggy, autumnal mornings, but that's quickly disappeared, and been replaced by glorious sunshine! It's been a weekend of friendship. All unexpected and unplanned...the best way I think. I love nothing better than catching up with friends, over something good to eat, and something good to drink.
There's been some gardening too...I'm enjoying these last rays of sunshine. Winter is not my favourite of seasons, so I'm soaking it up whilst it lasts. I've made a good start on getting the garden ready for the winter, cutting stuff back, and digging up those weeds I hadn't seen. The vegatable beds have been brilliant this year, very productive. There's still plenty in them, carrots, shallots, courgettes, beetroot...and piles of green tomatoes. I don't think these will ripen, so a batch of green tomato chutney is in order, I think. I'm not sure what to grow over winter, any ideas? I want to put some garlic in, there's PSB and kale. I may turn one of the beds into a strawberry bed for next year, increase the yield. What do you plant now?
I'm definitely going to need a little heater in my studio soon, it's a little cool in there first thing. Minnie's crochet blanket is growing, I thought it was big enough, but the girls want to be able to wrap her up in it...so more rows needed! I'm loving the colours and the yarn is so easy to work with.
When I've finished this one, I will have to start another...quick sharp. After years of resisting, being far too sensible, I've gone and done a u-turn! At the end of October, this little fellow will be joining my family. Nothing will quite be the same again. We will have our very own dog, a miniature duchshund. Well I say miniature, his mum is small but his dad not so, just hope he doesn't turn our to be a Digby (1970s reference there, do you remember him?).
So, yes, lots of Big Changes Ahead...not only in the seasons, but also in my family. My quiet routine will change dramatically. I know he will bring exhaustion, little puddles, little piles of brown stuff, more noise, and a far few chewed up belongings. I also know he will bring more love, and laughter to my little quirky family. That he will brings love and reasurrence, when sensitivities and insecurities are high. For me, he will be company, and some exercise. And for him, a place where he is loved and looked after, where he gets lots of cuddles, and has two young girls to run around with him, and a two grown ups!
My biggest concern is for Minnie...I wonder how she will cope with the big changes ahead. I hope she isn't too put out. Any advice on puppy rearing, and getting a cat at accept him, would be greatly appreciated!!!
Hope you all have a great week.
Amanda :) xxx
Posted with Blogsy
Aww, the puppy looks cute. No idea how the kitty will react to an over enthusiastic pup, hahaha. Minnie can always come and stay with us for winter, I'd love a new kitty (as I've been missing our Willem dearly since she's passed away... never knew a house could be so quiet).
ReplyDeleteAs for you garden, kale worked well in my balcony veggie garden last winter, maybe some Brussel sprouts as well? I'be also had a type of 'winter' lettuce that grew well over winter.
Enjoy!! I always love the turning of the leafs.
I like the sound of some over wintering salad leaves, I will check that out. It's hard when they pass away isn't it...a house with pets is always noisy :) xxx
DeleteOh! I would love to have a dachound". When we introduced a puppy to our family, our cat kept out of the newbies way, l think hoping iT would go away. But once IT had recognised who was boss, things were great. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteBarbara
Barbara....I've got a feeling the puppy will need to watch out, Minnie can be very feisty ;) xxx
DeleteYour garden is looking great ... no advice from me though - I am not a very confident gardener!
ReplyDeleteLittle pup is absolutely adorable ... I'm sure we will see and hear lots about him! M x
I think I will get very snap happy with the camera! :) xxx
DeleteAw isn't he sweet :) We're also getting a puppy soon, begining of November. Our cats aren't used to dogs at all so it's going to be a challenge getting them to tolerate each other!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we are up to it Evelyn! ;) xxx
DeleteWe lost a dearly loved cat last year. I would love to get another cat but I know my other cat would be so deeply upset and put out by it that I am choosing not to. She is very territorial with other cats and even one in the garden upsets her terribly - even when she is indoors. She used to like the other older cat as she was the newbie and a kitten and he was very nice to her, but when he became ill she didn't at all as he seemed most odd and strange to her (he was bless him). She has never liked other cats at all however. She becomes very fierce around them, yet we humans never so much as see her claws.
ReplyDeleteWe know inviting another cat to our home would be asking for big trouble, much as we would love it. So she must stay an only cat. We owe it to her to look after her and not make her sad in her middle age. We could also not bring another cat into a situation where it would obviously be miserable, it would be unkind and selfish for us to do that. It is sad for us but that is how it must be.
It sound like you love your cat very much and looking after her beautifully. When we had my friends dog for a week Minnie was put out for the first couple of days but then seemed to get used to it. I think it's going to be important they have their own space too...Minnie's not know for her accommodating nature, as most of the cats in the area know only too well ;) xxx
DeleteOh Amanda ! He is just gorgeous !!!!!!! He looks like our two Spaniels did when they were babies. What type of dog is he ? Fiona x
ReplyDeleteHe's a dachshund Fiona, and he's very cute! :) xxx
Deletesuch good news : a puppy!!!! I imagine the happiness of you all!!! Maybe Minnie thinks differently, but give her time to adapt to the new entry : one day, she'll love him , too!!!
ReplyDeletexxxxxx Ale
I think she may be just a little cross with us to start...hopefully she will be won over by the puppies cuteness, well I can't dream, can't I ;) xxx
Delete….. your dream will come true, one day! Believe me!!!!
Deletexxxxx Ale
:) xxx
Deletehow exciting!Hope the two get on well together.
ReplyDeleteMe too! ;) xxx
DeleteHow exciting - a puppy. We are settling in to life with Basil. (Hence no blogging from me for ages!) He is wonderful fun, despite the puddles and worse! He is currently curled up at my feet after our walk. Good luck I'm sure you will all have fun.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend booking in for puppy classes as soon as you can - it's great for socialisation and making sure some things don't become bad habits! xx
Puppy classes are already earmarked! Duchshund are well known for their stubbornness ;) xxx
DeleteOh so cute! No puppy experience I'm afraid but am looking forward to lots of pictures!
ReplyDeleteZoe | floral and feather
I will oblige! ;) xxx
DeleteHe is super cute!! I'm a dog resistor, but we have recently been entrusted with a dog 'on loan' , just occasionally whilst my mum and dad go on holiday. Looking forward to lots of photos, dachshunds are on my sons list of dream pet dogs. Sarah
ReplyDeleteThey are fab little dogs aren't they...;) xxx
DeleteOh he is absolutely gorgeous, exactly the dog I would choose if I could have one. I shall look forward to following his many adventures! CJ xx
ReplyDeleteThank CJ, I'm sure there will be lots of them! ;) xxx
DeleteAmanda! A puppy! How gorgeous! I get very broody when I see puppies… but just not practical for us these days. I do love 'em though.
ReplyDeleteNot a real gardener, I just grow herbs, but I now have a little Square Foot Garden and this winter it will still be full of parsley as long as it lasts, some perpetual spinach and some rainbow chard will battle away and keep us going over winter and into spring. The garlic is going in when it arrives from the isle of Wight - had so many disasters I thought I'd get the Proper Stuff this time and see if I can grow some decent bulbs.
And hey, guess what? After me moaning about your lovely summer house - we are going to get one!!!! it will be here in Novemebr and we are so enjoying planning for it, trailing round junk shops for bits and pieces to do up and paint, and I bought a little electric heater which looks like a wood burner - only 2kw but it will do as we are being Double Glazed if you please! I shall be posting about it next month I expect. Anyway, good luck on the puppy / cat situation! I expect they will get along famously. Lxx
I'm sure mother nature has made puppies look cute so you put up with little piles of poo and chewed up shoes! I will look at getting some garlic from the IOW, I'd heard it was good. Oooooh your very own garden studio, with a wood burner, we'll sort of! You won't look back Lynne...I can't wait to be snuggled up in mine with a cat and a dog (well, if the get on!) :) xxx
DeleteYour garden looks great Amanda! It seems strange to me to think of gardening in winter - it's just not done here with frozen ground and heaps of snow. Your little puppy is SO cute!! I had a daschund when I was a child, and he was a wonderful dog (Skipper!). He was reddish brown, standard size and lived to be 16. You are going to have such fun. I have one tip for chewing. Mix petroleum jelly (vaseline) with cayenne pepper and wipe it on things he chews. We did this ONCE for my dog when he chewed the table leg, and he never touched another piece of furniture. I'm sure the cat will keep her distance at first, but if you introduce them gently I'm sure they'll be fine. My dog lives with a rabbit and is very gentle with him ... actually it's the rabbit who is the aggressive one and he chases the dog ;) Good luck with all of this ... house training goes by very quickly!!
ReplyDeleteWendy
Minnie, as adorable as she is, isn't the most tolerant of cats, I'm sure she will let him know very quickly what she does and doesn't like! Skipper sounds delightful, I did look at the legs of my ercol chairs yesterday and wonder if they would get chewed...not any more ;) we've been told we might get a bad winter this year, so who knows, winter growing might not happen! :) xxx
DeleteI'm green with envy ,I have been wanting a dachshund for ages but my husband doesn't like dogs at all - my advice , using a dry cloth rub Minnie around her ears and cheeks ( the bits cats love to have rubbed) when you collect the puppy rub him over with the same cloth so that Minnie will recognize the scent and just may become a surrogate mum.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this Gail, I will try this. I'm not sure Minnie has any maternal instincts, well I've yet to witness any! ;) xxx
DeleteCats will train puppies to do what they want. Don't worry they will be friends after a bit. Looking forward to hearing about their adventures as well as yours with the new family member.
ReplyDeleteI think this will be exactly the case...she's been trying to train me ever since we got her! ;) xxx
DeleteI am sure Minnie will be okay, Catherine my daughter got a dog 2 years ago when Sophie was 14 and she just ignores him, they happily sleep on the bed together etc and no problems, Sophie just puts him in his place if necessary!! You certainly got lots of eats from the garden good for you afraid mine is just shrubs etc no eats at all. Best of luck with the training wonder what you will call him.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it will all be quite chaotic for a while until we all settle down and get used to each other! I've really enjoyed those vegatable beds, must try and sow little and often next year, spread it out...and I only really need 3 courgette plants, not 6! Hope things are a little easier now for you and your daughter :) xxx
DeleteOh what exciting news, your new addition looks so cute! You will find it will be quite hard work to start with ,but the effort is so worth the reward and those early days will soon pass. It was last October when Tavi entered our lives - not the best time for dog training to prevent the puddles. You can get puppy training pads which we found useful try the ones from places like poundland. We also borrowed a stair gate to contain him in a smaller area. His favourite toy has been the Kong that you can fill with treats,cream cheese or peanut butter and has never been destroyed. The company also produce many other toys that have lasted well. Twinkle was used to an old dog not a puppy she soon told Tavi if he overstepped the mark, and although he now towers above her she is still the boss! We have had dachshunds in the past they were lovely family pets.Enjoy the peace and quiet before the fun starts! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteThanks for your advice Sarah, lots of time, attention and consistently at the start and hopefully he will fit into our little family really well...looking forward to the experience! :) xxx
DeleteYou're getting a puppy? I'm so jealous! And happy for you too of course. We've been talking about doing this for months but, now that I'm working full time, it's not the right time for us. I am still in love with your cabin and your garden is looking very lush and busy, clearly it's harvest time! x
ReplyDeleteHi Gillian...I will share lots of pictures don't worry, and you won't have to clean up any messes. Win, win I think! ;) xxx
DeleteWhat a lovely thing to have a dog. I am sure you'll enjoy him very much. Animals are such a great asset to a family, I don't think it matters whether it's a hamster or a horse, they are an incredibly positive influence all round. Enjoy your puppy!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! ;) xxx
DeleteOh he's gorgeous, soo cute! I'm sure they'll get on fine once they get used to each other. xx
ReplyDeleteHe's very cute, hope Minnie thinks so too! ;) xxx
DeleteBefore the whippets we had a long run of mini wirehaired daschunds, the first of whom was named Digby by our son (a huge name for a tiny dog appealed to his sense of humour), the last of whom, Wilbur, now a very old man, is still with us. They are delightful little hounds, if rather too easy to trip over! So chuffed for you all x
ReplyDeleteThink I might tie a bell to him, just so I know he's behind me! :) xxx
Delete