The more it snows, tiddley pom

Wow, I love Easter. Five whole days with my folks! Friday we went to Norfolk, to visit Grandma. She's got a great house with a big garden, and she likes me a lot so I always get plenty of leftovers. This time we had fish and chips, and I got a battered sausage all to myself. Pretty good going. 

After Norfolk, we went up to Middlesbrough. People say it's grim up north, but boy are they wrong! We stopped off in Ilkley, and went up on the moors to stretch our legs. Dad tried to get me to swim in one of the tarns, but even I don't like water that much. It was freezing! Then on to stay with my other Gran and Grandad. They made me pheasant pie (no, really), and took me to the seaside for the longest game of ball ever.  They weren't very sure about me when they first met me three years ago, but these days they like to tickle my tummy while I lie on my back on their sofa. Ha! 

Best of all, it snowed while we were there. So on Sunday morning we went for a walk in the woods in the snow. Snow is my favourite thing. I especially like snuffling around for smelly things that are hidden underneath it, and then snorting like a horse to get it out of my nose. Snowballs, though, are a puzzle. When they've been thrown, where do they go? Huh? Huh?

 

Time flies. But I'm not sure I want to...

Hi everyone. Blimey this year's going quickly. I've been really busy - checking out different vintages of fox poo on Wimbledon Common, trying to resist the urge to chase the deer at Richmond (mum thinks I'm getting better, but I'm just lulling her into a false sense of security...), giving squirrel stalking displays to Japanese tourists in Hyde Park, and generally being a top dog about town. 

Oh yeah, and I spent three not-so-busy weeks in February being 'in season'. Glad that only comes round once a year. It's so tedious! Wouldn't be so bad if I was allowed a boyfriend, but no, I have to stay home, stay on my lead, and stay away from the boys. Apparently things might be different next year... 

We've got some quite exciting news as well. Or at least, I think it's exciting. We're moving to America for a while! Mum's got a new job over there, in Washington DC, so come the summer I'll have a whole new continent to explore. Hopefully I'll get to meet some American Vizslas. I've heard they tend to be a bit smaller than British ones, which is good cos it means people might stop mistaking me for a puppy. It's getting kind of embarrassing now I'm three and a half. I'm a bit worried about how I get there, though. It would be a pretty long way to walk, so dad says I've got to fly. But I don't like the sound of that. I mean, I'm not a bird, am I? So if anyone out there has flown before, and has any tips, please let me know... 

Walks, glorious walks...

Dad's away at the moment on something called 'business'. I only know one meaning of that word, and if that's what he's doing, then he's taking a very long time about it.

Anyway, it sucks, cos he's way better at throwing sticks than mum. But I found out this weekend that him being away does have good points. Because basically it means mum has nothing better to do than to take me for lots of lovely walks!

Yesterday we went to Hampstead Heath. I was hoping to find some hampsters to chase, but unfortunately it was just the usual squirrels. Pesky varmints. Still didn't manage to catch any. Mum kept stopping to look at the view, which apparently is quite famous.

But I thought it looked better upside down.And then today, we went to Wimbledon. I was promised wombles. But again, just squirrels. Oh well. At least I got lots of stick practice in. I'm pretty fast with sticks, you know. See?

I also found a great new trick. If I find lots of nice dry, dead leaves, and then I stand really really still, it takes ages for mum to find me!

Now if I can only work out how to get some home, they'll never be able to find me at bath time again! Ha!

My First Viz Whiz!

Well I made lots of progress with one of my new year's resolutions today. My people took me down to the New Forest to meet up with six other Vizslas.

There was Charlie, Radar, Eddie, Tuscan, Indy (all boys!) and Sasha (so I wasn't the only girl in the end). Not sure why it's taken my people so long to take me to one of these things, but I hope we're gonna go to another one soon.

I was a bit unsure at first. But I soon had all the boys chasing me through the bracken. They couldn't catch me tho, well, not very often.

It turned out that most of the boys - particularly Charlie - were far more interested in Tuscan anyway. So I didn't get all that much attention from the boys in the end, even though I'm about to have "that time of the year". Shame really, I quite like flirting.

It was a bit confusing with so many gingery brown dogs with red collars (at least that's why dad says he didn't manage to get any good photos), but I was the smallest one so it wasn't too difficult to pick me out. I am sort of the same colour as Charlie tho, so it wasn't always very easy to tell us apart as we raced through the bracken.

There was lots of very, very cold water to plod about in. And some really top quality sticks to get to grips with. There was also some very stinky fox poo to roll in. So not quite so much progress on that resolution. Well, what do they expect?

I was a bit disappointed that I got put in the car at the end while all the people went for a beer. I like beer, although I only get it when someone spills it on the floor and I lick it up when no-one's looking. Or when dad gives me a sip (shh, don't tell mum). Anyway, no beer for me today. Apparently I don't have very good pub manners. Pah.

It was a really good day though, and I was very, very tired when I got home which seemed to make my people pleased. I have a feeling we'll be doing this Viz Whiz thing more often. Hooray.

Happy New Year!

Well, here it is, my first post. I've been a bit slow to get into this blogging thing but I've enjoyed reading some of the other vizsla blogs out there, and I've decided to get one myself. So, better late than never, here I am! I hope it's gonna be fun.

It's all part of my New Year's resolutions, you see. I've got four:

1. make friends with some other vizslas. Hopefully I'll meet some through this and my people will take me to meet up with lots of other vizslas somewhere, soon.
   
2. eat less grass. I love grass, but it makes me sick, and my people tell me I shouldn't eat it because i'm not a ruminant, apparently.
3. don't whine when my people are eating at the table. I got quite good at this over christmas so we're going to keep up the good work, or so I'm told.
4. don't roll in fox poo. Yeah right.

I'll let you know how I get on with these, although I'm not doing very well with number 4 so far. We went for a nice walk on the common today. It was a bit wet, but there were a few fat squirrels to stalk, and plenty of interesting things to sniff out.

I was being very good and well behaved. But then I found a little pile of something really, really smelly. Mmm, it was soooo good, I just could resist having a little roll in it. It wasn't a really serious, four legs in the air, coat myself from nose to tail, kind of a roll. I just wanted to get a little bit behind my ears, to make myself smell nice. But apparently I wasn't supposed to do that. Oh dear.

I had to have a bath when I got home. I'm a bit fed up that they had to wash the smelly stuff off me. I thought I smelled great! What do they know anyway? I'm the one with the highly developed sense of smell. Grrr.

I can't really decide whether I like having baths or not. I like to give the impression that I'm really suffering, but actually if the water is nice and warm, and it doesn't go in my ears or in my eyes, I actually quite like it. Just don't tell them.

The other thing about baths is that they make me quite sleepy, especially if I've been out for a long walk. So I usually have a snooze afterwards, curled up, nose to tail on my bean bag. I think it's important to snooze a lot, otherwise how would I have to energy to charge about the place the rest of the time?

Well, I think that's enough for now. It's been a hectic few weeks, but I quite like Christmas, especially because my people are around all the time. It's like a really, really long weekend.

I've got high hopes for 2008. I'm gonna make friends with some other Vizslas, I'm gonna find the perfect stick and, somewhere out there, is the squirrel of my dreams...if only I can catch it.

Happy New Year!