It's a dogs life.

Whisper is now five weeks pregnant and taking her confinement very seriously. She has changed from being aloof to positively clingy and demanding of affection. She has always liked a sunny interval and is not above sneaking up onto the breakfast table if she thinks she can get away with it. It seems pointless removing a cat from the window sill but a fully grown GSP is a whole new elephant in the room.

This glorious Saturday morning all three man/boys arrived at her chosen spot for their breakfast and with no exchange of words submitted to her subliminal desire and delivered the required hugs......

 ....before returning to their own more pressing business. 

To his credit Archie was in a surprisingly good mood considering his mother had risen and woken him by hammering on the door to get up already or he'd be late for work...before realising that it was in fact, Saturday.

Luckily it's a good day to get on the hill to check the fox dens.(YAY! peace and quiet for GKW to paint in peace) but not before a bit of wrestling because your a boy...and you can. 

Birdie regards the whole thing from her eyrie -they do say monkeys like to be high! All our dogs like a vantage point. They don't like to miss what's going on and from the back of the sofa can survey their domain whilst keeping an eye out for marauding intruders like the postman where there's a brief opportunity to go a bit mental and shout a lot.. In truth, I took this yesterday on waking up from a nap (too many disturbed nights with bloody roe buck yelling at the bottom of the garden - although he sounds like he is INSIDE the house - no one barks but him) she was just watching over me. I feel blessed to be guarded by a Border!

 

Jock the cocker and his teenage mentor -I've always thought it was good for a boy to have the company of a dog as it is for a dog, the company of a boy. And then a  boy becomes a man and has no less need for their company.

'Mon dad, there's a hill to climb.

Last night was a glorious evening for a walk and my phone says the equivalent of 65 flights of stairs - it didn't mention any dog benefits.