Jig:Review of Days 8 & 9

I think that this is one of those odd weeks where the days just seem to drift into one another. Wednesday was very quiet and sooooo cold. I think Monday's marathon finally caught up with me and the combination of a hellish sore throat and a tummy bug kept me indoors with a Jig curled up beside me on the settee. It was not however a restful day; confinement with an overactive and totally frustrated Munsterlander is not to be recommended.

Don't believe this 'butter wouldn't melt' expression. Everytime I twitched during Wednesday, he was at the door desperate to be off and away. To say I could have throttled him would be a minor understatement.

Thursday was to be a better day all round. Jig was bouncing, Ghillie and Flyn were totally manic and even if I wasn't 100% there was no way I was going to be able to spend another day indoors feeling sorry for myself.
We were running short of essentials and with rumours flying around about petrol stations running out of fuel, and a nearly empty tank, I decided to venture forth in the car for the first time since Monday. Despite having moved the snow in the drive, I still managed to rip off the plastic tray that protects the underside of  the engine. I am starting to wonder if the car is going to survive the winter. The rear wiper broke off from the sheer weight of  snow on Monday, I have lost all my interior lights and the warning lights are on telling me I have a headlight malfunction- I sense a car bill on the way. Nevertheless, after several of us helped an elderly neighbour get her car out of the opposite cul-de-sac, I finally slipped and slithered off the estate.

After a  successful shopping and refuel trip, a much relieved Jig, Ghillie, and Flyn were finally let loose on the golf course. It was another of those truely memorable days. I couldn't believe how much warmer it was than the day before; the temperature was begining to rise as the melting snow fell and dripped from the trees as we walked along. The sun catching the snow crystals turned the golf course into a sea of diamonds and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

It's funny how three dogs can all behave so differently. Flyn is a nightmare; all he ever wants to do is heelwork- which is clearly impossible in eighteen inches of snow. If ever there was a reason for returning to serious obedience competition, he is it.

At least it is not quite as uncomfortable having a snowbound dog wrapped around your leg as it is a soaking dog after he has been in the sea on a day out at the coast.





Ghillie was in seventh heaven as usual. Trying to get decent photographs of him is nearly impossible and I end up with an endless collection of blurred black and white flecks, flying ears and bedraggled tail as he disappears into the distance.

It's a shame because when he is still, he is really quite photogenic.









As for my dear Jig, he couldn't care less what the other two are up to. He bounces along, stopping to  consume the usual copious amounts of snow before rushing back to get his bum smacked and be generally fussed. He is so funny now, he seems to have developed a real camera awareness that he never had before. He used to be the first to try and slink away when he saw me reach for the camera. The best shots in the past were the ones he didn't know I was taking. Now,  he is becoming a true poser. The hard part is getting him to move after a photo has been taken.

I tried to catch up with this blog last night, but for some reason the photographs wouldn't load so I gave up in disgust. What I have written here is already consigned to memory and is yet another account of Jigs last days with us. He seems so well again after my scare last Sunday night. For the moment, I can almost forget what lies around the corner. It is easier if I can dispense with the emotional baggage for now and just enjoy our time as if we had forever. Maybe fate will be kind and he will get an extension on the time predicted. For now, life is good.