Turning 28

Tomorrow I turn 28 (scary, I know!) However, I’ve been celebrating a little prematurely over the past week!

Things kicked off last Monday night, when my sister bought my partner & I tickets to The Axis of Awesome’s Edinburgh Festival gig, Infinity Rock Explosion. The Australian trio were hilarious, with their ‘4 chords song’ being particularly memorable! Definitely the best show I’ve seen at the Fringe this year.

Later in the week, my best friend, Jo, came through from Dundee to visit. Together with my sister, Hellen, we had a ‘girls night’ on Friday, involving Chinese take-out, back to back chick flicks & copious amounts of Ben & Jerrys!

Copious amounts of cheese were consumed in the form of a fondue

the amazing cake that Lea made for me

Saturday was spent mostly preparing food, not only for the semi-70s-themed(!) party my partner had organised for me that evening but also for Gracehounds‘ end of month get-together at Vogrie Country Park the next morning…

The dogs loved the liver & yoghurt cake (with special peanut butter icing!) I made for them in honour of my birthday!

Then of course there were the presents, of which I received many! My wonderful partner had a beautiful button pendant custom made for me by Etsy seller, brookberrys, to match my all time favourite ring by the same designer.

My lovely button pendant

I also received a beginners linocut set, which I can’t wait to get started experimenting with! I hope to create prints of some of my existing screen printing designs, as well as wedding invitations for my friends who are getting married next year. I will, of course, be sharing the resulting prints with you on my blog!

Lastly, in celebration of my birthday, I am offering free shipping on all orders from my Etsy shop, The Dog House, placed during the week 31st August – 6th September! Why not have a look at what I have in store right now & take advantage of this offer while it lasts

Happy Birthday to me!

You can see more pictures from my birthday weekend here.

Playing with the Big Dogs

My parents’ border collie pup, Moss,  is 4 months old now & growing fast! This weekend he rejoiced when his ‘Auntie Molly‘ came back to visit & he met his ‘Uncle Max‘ for the first time. Here are some pics from our day in Broughty Ferry:

me, Moss & Max in my parents’ garden

a dog & his master: Moss rests at my Dad’s feet

Moss darts between Max’s legs!

the three amigos: Moss, Molly & Max

Moss at Broughty Ferry beach

Mum, Moss, Molly & I at the beach

Martin & Moss

You can see more photos of the three dogs together here.

A Fun Run for The Dog Aid Society

Yesterday I took part in the Big Fun Run in Dundee. Together with my Mum & my greyhound Molly, I ran the 5K course around Camperdown Park in order to raise money for the Dog Aid Society of Scotland (DASS). Between the 3 of us we raised over £150 in sponsorship for the Edinburgh-based charity, whose objectives are:

• to defend dogs against injustice & cruelty of every kind
• to find homes for dogs who cannot be maintained in their present homes & who might otherwise be euthanased
• to give information on every aspect of dog ownership
• to provide veterinary help for those in need
• to help reduce the number of unwanted dogs by providing a low cost neutering scheme
• to make awards not only to persons who gallantly rescue dogs but to dogs themselves for bravery & sagacity

Mum, Molly & I make our way round the course

Mum & I tackled the run at a leisurely pace, with Molly trotting along side us with ease.  Although I often take my dogs running with me, I’ve been so busy with fostering & getting my dog walking business off the ground lately we haven’t had the chance to go for too many runs together.

some of the other dogs taking part in the Fun Run

Molly seemed to thoroughly enjoy the Fun Run, & she was in good company, with several other dogs also accompanying their owners round the course.  My other greyhound Max joined us for the last 500m as well. (I didn’t want him to run the whole course on account of his recent toe amputation!)

Molly looking very pleased with herself at the finish

Thanks to everyone who sponsored us to complete the run. There is another Big Fun Run being held in Edinburgh on 3rd October, which some more DASS volunteers are taking part in. I wish them the best of luck & hope that together we contribute to the charity’s continued support of dogs across Scotland.

with the dogs at the finish

You can see more pictures from the event here.

Moss Meets Molly

My Mum’s border collie pup, Moss, is now 13 weeks old, fully vaccinated & deemed ready to start meeting other dogs! So, this weekend I set off up to Dundee, with my greyhound, Molly, sat in the passenger seat beside me (with her doggy seat-belt on of course!) to introduce the two dogs to one another.

I admit I was a little nervous about how it would go - Molly is generally very good natured with other dogs, but has no experience with puppies & a high prey drive when it comes to cats & other small furry animals. I really hoped they would get on, but also knew that a rambunctious collie pup & sedate adult greyhound might not be a match made in heaven!

Moss meets Molly

However, I needn’t have worried, as the two dogs got on just fine together.  Mum & I introduced them by taking them out for a short walk together right away & then letting them loose in the garden.

smiles all round!

Molly just seemed to instinctively know that this little bundle of fur was a puppy & let him get away with all sorts of nonsense! He jumped up on her when she was lying down, chewed on her ID tags when she was standing up, swatted her face, licked her ears & generally just wouldn’t leave her alone. But Molly was so tolerant & gentle with him & there was neither a growl nor a snarl from her all day – I was so proud of my girl!

Molly relaxes while Moss plays

seeking shade together under the table

Moss completely doted on Molly – after all, she was the first dog he had encountered since being separated from him litter mates 3 weeks previously. He followed her around like a shaddow & kept bringing his toys to ’share’ with her, not understanding why she wasn’t quite as excited about them as he was! I think he will miss her now she’s back in Pathhead with me, but hopefully Mum will bring him through to visit us before too long. & then we can introduce him to ‘Uncle Max‘…!

Moss with his favourite toy, made by my friend Kim

You can see more pictures of Moss & Molly together here.

Introducing Moss

Since my Mum’s dog Brandy sadly passed away earlier this year, there has undoubtedly been a dog-shaped hole in her life. I knew it was only a matter of time before she would be ready to welcome another dog into her life, so was thrilled to learn the news of Moss’s arrival this weekend!

Moss

Moss is a 10 week old collie pup. I would have loved my Mum to have adopted a greyhound as her next dog, but I understand that ‘each to their own’ & I think a collie will always be my Mum’s dog of choice. So I rushed up to Dundee this weekend to meet the little guy…

Enjoying a dental chew

Mum with her new dog

with Thomas, the family cat!

up for a cuddle with his ‘Auntie’ Jane!

Moss is absolutely adorable & I can’t wait to introduce him to his ‘Auntie’ Molly & ‘Uncle’ Max in a few weeks time once he has all his vaccinations. In the meantime, I’ve taken plenty of pictures to last me till I next see him! Click here to see more photos of Moss.

They’ve Got Your Number

Earlier today two of my best friends, Joanne & Amanda, ran the Dundee Race for Life dressed as the 118 118 men, complete with afros, moustaches & all! Between them, they have raised over £300 for Cancer Research UK. A huge well done to both of them – they may not have had the fastest times but they definitely had the best costumes!

Warming up

En route

Playing to the crowd

Celebrating at the finish

Click here for more photos from the day.

You can still sponsor the girls for their efforts by visiting their Fundraising Pages:

• http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/amandamoncur
• http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/joannegrimmond