Tails from the Bark Side

OKAY CHECK THIS OUT, WORLD, FOR IT IS DIDZ'S NOSE. I LOVE DIDZ'S NOSE. WHAT A BYERRRTIFUL COLLIE.



Didz does not appreciate whole bunnies. Anna said Floyd stole his from him, and Floyd is now under his bush devouring two whole bunnies, all to himself.



Floyd is going to smell so bad. No cuddles in bed for him! I love raw/prey-model feeding. I know it's controversial and there are as many arguments against as there are for, but I love it.

Didz keeps barking and it's really annoying. Didz, I will kick you in the neck. Steve and me are sitting on the patio watching Anna mow the grass. We have cleaned a gaff. That is all. We've been munching ice-lollies made of squash, satsumas and and cups of tea. Blossom is raining on us from our cherry tree. It is beautiful. As is the lilac at the bottom of the garden.



Floyd's just broken his squeaky, the dumbass. He's got short hair. And EYES. Look, bucjo!



Sid is here too. He keeps putting slobber on Steve's knee.



Herrrp.

Oh and bye bye, Sarah Jane. :(

Daily baths and sadfaces.

I might get some lentils. They're s'posed to be good for you aren't they? I need to eat a healthier diet. Well, I eat GOOD food but I don't not eat BAD food. Like packets of sweeties. Mentos. Yum. And I always eat loads of things. Like, loads of cereal. I need to stop staying up so late too. I was up till 5am this morning reading The Beach. It was good though. I read it in a day. I need to get the film now, even though it's obviously well different from the book. I watched a trailer today. Maybe I should go to local full-time university instead of the OU? I'm just writing down every thought. Why not eh? miezhka gave me five things to talk about. LET'S TALK ABOUT ME! :)

Muse Board
I have met so many brilliant people because of that place. And like, I tell it everything. Gone on and off the band over the years, but never gone off the board. Well, I have, but usually only for about a week or so and I'm back posting about the place again. It's not really an addiction, but it's definitely a habit. It's like I'm living with the people. M used to laugh at me and say I was always 'plugged in', and I'd lol because I AM top poster (and it's A LOT of posts) but it's not really like that. I don't cry if I can't get on the internet. If you were in a room with your housemate, watching telly or something, you'd make the occasional comment, you know. I use it like that. Like a notepad too, sometimes. Of course I have a job to do there, and that takes a bit of time, especially since the album came out. I talk to the board more than I talk to my journal. More than I talk to my friends face to face. It's just such a great variety of people, and subjects and that. Things get a bit personal sometimes, maybe a bit TMI, but I think nobody would really care. Unless they were really bored and stalkerish and maybe a bit weird in the head. If you were so inclined, you could search through all my posts and pretty much get my diary for the past... probably four or five years (depending on what threads have been purged or whateverz.) Um, and I like the skins! Muse White (Absolution) is my favourite. My favourite forum is Banter, obviously. I never use the Loveboat.

Singing
I dunno much about singing really. I had a few proper lessons at school but it was like a fun lunchtime club. Proper singing teacher, with about six of us. You had to audition for lessons, which was weird. I guess they wanted people who had some skillz to be going on with. I sang a song from Pirates of Penzance which we had done at school the previous year. I was in year 10 and the girl who had the main part had a really nice operatic voice, and I remember thinking I could probably do that. So I just did, like. Dunno where it came from. I got told off for hiding it (I didn't even know I could do it haha) and then I was picked to have the lessons. The singing teacher Anne kept telling me to go to her house for proper one-on-one lessons because she reckoned I had skills and could do exams. I didn't ever do that though, boo. Mrs Chamberlain the drama teacher always liked me too, she kept on about my singing for the next two years, was always thinking I was amazing at stuff but too shy. She was right though, I was always letting myself down with the shyness. Got a D in my AS level drama 'cause I didn't 'pull out ALL the stops' as she would say. When we rehearsed for the next play, Fiddler on the Roof, I sang Sunrise Sunset in front of the group and everyone shut up and they were all amazed, I was like, "What? I'm always singing, what's the deal?" but apparently it was particularly awesome that time. Even people who normally took the piss were giving me some big-ass respeck, so I started believing in my ability, as it were, and joined my old band, and still do singin' all the time. Not shy anymore. Everyone says it's weird how I can go on stage and sing and dance in front of people but can't have a normal conversation without being self-conscious. Singing is awesome though. I love music. No-one looks at your wonky eyes when you're making noise.

Driving
I love driving. The best thing I ever did, learning how to do it. I totally hated the actual lessons though. So horrible and long and boring and frustrating. So many things to remember at once, and I sucked. Took me two years of weekly lessons to get it. They were only ever one hour long - it was the instructor's policy. I wanted to get better quicker but he was one of those 'slowly but surely' types. Argh. I was so lame. It didn't make sense really 'cause in every other part of life I'm an excellent multi-tasker. I just couldn't get the hang of the complexities of driving. When I did it it was like autopilot of course, and still is. I passed on my fourth test, hardly getting any minors but always one big stupid mistake because I was so nervous. I did the same with my cycling proficiency as well. Four times. Such a numpty. But when I passed it was the best day ever. I had to go to work (boo) so I whipped my L plates off and hooned it up the bypass to the office, blasting Muse really loudly and everyone at work came outside and cheered. I still love driving, but only if I'm actually moving. It's ALL traffic around here and it actually makes me cry in the face. I can't wait to get my new car next week.

November
My bro's birthday is on the 8th so we always had the most fun fireworky birthday parties. Ellie was born on the same day five years ago. Dhana was born on the 7th last year. Haha. And it's Nan & Grandad's birthdays. So November starts with birthdays. I'm not a great winter fan, but November is nice. If it isn't wet (no November Rain plz!) The dry smell of bonfire smoke in the chill, frost, fireworks. Coming home to a warm house, dinner, collie cuddles, Floyd toasting his beard by the fire... lovely. And of course this November is going to be extra special. The height of gig season, and what a great year for gigs. :)

Treats
Aw. I treat myself far too often. In fact I only ever please myself. Haha. I think things like, "Right, that was a longer walk than normal, I'm going to have a bar of chocolate." My sweet tooth is my downfall. And I'm prone to craving stodgy carbs. Nightmare. I'm always excusing my bad habits, justifying them to myself. I do it every day though. Every five minutes. Excuses excuses. I buy CDs and things, and think, "Oh well, I don't go out drinking that often so it's alright." It got quite bad in the past. When I was with K9 and always unhappy. This is why I had an extra 3st around my booty and never had any money. Haha. My doggies like treats too. Well, they like 'munchies' and 'dinner' and 'apple'. Floyd gets excited every time you say, "D'you want..." Anything. If you say any of those things they leg it to the kitchen and sit perfectly still waiting for me to get the jar, and then they bark, lie down and sit all at the same time, just doing all their usual cues before I get a chance to say anything.

You know what, I really want to go see Faith No fucking More. There better be tickets left tomorrow. SO MANY DOGS. Amazing. I am going to have MONEY WOOHOO. I really, really, really want to go shopping and buy loads of things. I give up on trying to record music. The universe obviously doesn't want me to. Dentist later, omg. I don't reckon I'll be able to have the first half of my filling (£150) done today 'cause it's still a bit infected. SHAME. I want the sunshine back! littlefloyd's bum smells.

Boring, amirite? I have nothing else to report.

Went to a doggy show today, for our sins. After a heavy night I might add (more on that later). Took my boys and Max who's staying with us for a couple of weeks. I didn't know he'd be here so we didn't enter him, but I reckon he would've won. Gorgeous collie-flower.



You have no idea how long it takes to get these pictures. The bastards never sit still. I think I'm going to seriously start training my boys properly. Especially Floyd - he's a liability!






My Didz was 3rd place Best Crossbreed Dog. Floyd only got commended in his Purebreed class 'cause he's a rubbish schnauzer. His fur is clipped instead of stripped, he has patches of white hairs, he has a broken ear, wouldn't let the judge touch his beard and he kept sniffing the ground instead of standing stacked and looking pretty. I think he would do far better at agility than ringcraft, bless him. When I tug his lead impatiently and get him to stand up straight, he looks at me as if to say, "I'm a dog, not a car. I like RUNNING, not looking pretty, you dumbass."

Nothing much happening, just a massive increase of business... dogs taking control of my life, the usual. I have Ellie & Belle staying over at the moment, and Belle's in fucking season. So I have to keep them separated from littlefloyd, which is quite easy when there's other boys here to keep him company, but her scent is driving him to distraction and it's really not fair. He seems to be getting used to it though, and calming down. I'm just keeping him distracted by getting him to play with the other dogs, and taking him for looong forest walks without the girls around. Anyway, rant time.

Last night I left the girls to sleep in the lounge as they were settled perfectly well on the sofas. I was woken up by littlefloyd barking at 4am; he'd obviously heard the girls stirring. I shouted, "Shut it!" which is probably the most common command in this house. All was silent. I lay there for as long as I could stand, but then I could hear them fucking... scrabbling around. Fuck sake. So I came down to see that they'd got into a little tub of parmesan cheese we'd left in the lounge, and devoured it. And the boy had pooped on the floor in the hallway, which was annoying but understandable as he'd been woken up early and was probably desperate to go. And I have just changed his diet so he's "adjusting". Fair enough, thought I, not too bad. So I cleaned up and took the boy and went upstairs, leaving the girls in the hallway, but they'd decided it was time to get up properly and they started fucking howling, and the boy wouldn't settle with that noise going on, so I gave in and came downstairs in a strop, grabbed them, positioned them on sofas, told them to "stay" and went back upstairs to try again, as soon as I got back into bed there was an almighty crash, and I came storming downstairs to find them knocking over a set of glasses I'd left on the computer table. They hadn't even given me time to get back into bed! It's ridiculous that they feel the need to protest against being alone that much! I shouted at them and chased them outside. Fucking bints. "Oh no, we're so fucking bored, if you take your attention off us for five minutes we'll destroy your stuff." It's fucking... malicious. Lol. The thing that really winds me up is that as soon as I'm in the room, they settle and go back to sleep anyway. They're that bloody insecure that they need a human in the same room to be able to settle. Not in the same house, oh no, that's not good enough, it has to be in the same room, preferably in a position where they can snuggle with you. Nope, fuck that. The first thing you teach a puppy is how to settle on his own. Our pupple slept alone from his third night living here, and got used to going to sleep without crying in less than a week. It's really easy. And these girls are sisters, and have never been apart, so it should've been easier to do that. I'm sure people make their dogs so dependent on purpose.. maybe they enjoy the feeling of being so wanted?

Anyway I gave in and got up properly at 5:30... I've read all my e-mails and messageboards and LJ and everything. Gay. Now I have to find other ways to entertain myself today, haha.

Yeah, anyway. General dog moans. I hate it when you get up to do something, and the dogs ALL have to get up too. I hate it when you head towards a door and the dogs have to race (and therefore beat) you to it, and then you have to push them all away so you can open the fucking thing. I hate that they'll try to eat all the other dogs' food but won't touch their own. I hate scent marking, and all it entails. I hate that they won't just FUCKING GO TO SLEEP INSTEAD OF DESTROYING THINGS.

I do like my job, honest. ^_^ At least I can have naps throughout the day whenever they do!

There's just something about dogs by fires that makes you feel all warm and homely and snuggly inside. I smeared some Marmite inside Floyd's bone, he's going nuts - crying 'cause he can't reach some of it with his tongue. ^_^ So funny.

I'm bored. The puppy visit I had in my diary today has been cancelled. I have a delivery to do later, in Chandlers Ford... Hmm. Just not much going on business-wise at all. Have more daycares, which is great. Have to do some stuff for GSF which will give me some extra dosh, which'll be noice.

Not much going on socially, either. Steve and I went to see Jeannie on Monday afternoon, which was loveleh. Not much going on in the upcoming weeks, either. It's Burns Night on Saturday at the Malt, so I'll be nippin' doon there fae some haggis.

What a boring entry.

I am so knackered. littlefloyd has been keeping me awake all night. He just won't settle anywhere else but the sofa, and that's only if he knows you're nearby. If you get up and walk out when he's dozed off he'll panic 'cause he'll think he's missing something. Haha.

So I've been sleeping in the lounge on the beanbag, and it's damn uncomfortable. When he's more independent I'll ditch him in his safe room out the back, but until then I can't... he cries and it makes me too sad. I left him on his own today while I popped to the bank, and he was still crying when I got home. Poor pupple.

I found an old fluffly lamp under my bed that I didn't want anymore, so I stood it up by the bin ready to go to the binmen. Floyd caught sight of it, just standing there, and he went nuts and barked at it. Hahaha... I was in stitches. And Christ, he's fast. He's figured out how to wriggle under the gate and hoon it up the garden, so I really have to watch him when it's dark. I don't want to lose sight of him and let him fall in the pond! I don't think he likes to chew moss, because he shakes his head violently and drops it. But then he'll pick it up again. The nutter. Oh, puppies are funny.

Anyway, nuff puppytalk. Read more on Floyd's Diary. There's loads of photos of him there, too. ^_^

Oh yeah, it's impossible to park a Peugeot Expert ANYWHERE in Bitterne. All these car parks with the height limit things? 2 metres. I thought, "Naaah, it'll be all right" (as you do) and then tonked my little air conditioning whirly thing on it. Oops. I guess I could park on yellow lines and pretend I'm unloading. I'm a White Van Man. Lolz.

I lugged £17-odd around Bitterne in coppers, and my bank wouldn't change it for me. Apparently, they don't let you pay anything in over the counter if you've got a business account. Bloody stupid is that? What if you've got a shop - it's all cash, innit? I said that, and they said, "No, sorry, with the business account you can only use machines or the internet. You have to change it, and then use the deposit machines. But we can only change 5 coin bags a day for you." Massive gash. What'sthepoint.

In the end HSBC let me pay them into my personal account. Even though I'm trying not to use that account anymore. Oh well.

Business stuff: I am desperate for customers. I got upset last night because I'm worried I'm going to go bust overnight with all these expensive outgoings and no customers. But this morning there were two requests for brochures on my e-mail, which was lovely and comforting. Instead of posting them I took Floyd with me and drove round there (nothing better to do) and one person wasn't in, but the other one came out and we had a chat and basically they want me to have their JRT next SEPTEMBER, lol. *rolls eyes* Bless their ability to plan ahead. I got the crates for my van tonight as well, so I think I'll go to Dad's tomorrow and get him to help me fit them.

Social stuff: I miss my friends. I haven't seen anyone for ages. Well, we went (with Floyd) round to Dave's/Sarah's/Ant's/Ben's last night, which was nice. And we watched Nathan Barley, which was hilarious.

Anyway, Anna's been out loads this week and there's been birthdays and shizzle that I've missed because of having to stay in with Teh Flizzle, and y'know, being totally broke. And I'm dying to introduce Flizzle to the family, but I need to pick a time when I know everyone's going to be in, because I just can't spare the diesel for numerous visitage. And I completely missed firework night, and that made me miss Mikey. "So many mines!" :( mikeyworks :(

Anyway, here's me and Floyd being totally fecking metal, next to my Hundwagen.



g'night

I had some throbbing in a toothular area this morning so I legged it to the dentist because I can't be bothered to be in pain right now, and told her I thought I needed a filling. It turns out it's just an infection. Nice. Some food had stuck in me and made my gums all ills. So I got my teeth poked and some antibiotics and paid £37.50 for the pleasure. Daylight robbery. Although Mrs King has redecorated her surgery, and it looks lovely.

Leeps is all sad. Ady's moved to London to learn how to be a vet, and he really misses her. I want to hug him so much. >_<
I've been talking to him all about it on MSN tonight. I said he should just move to London, because London wins and Leeps deserves nuff adventures. Because he's the bestest person ever. <3 my bro.

IT'S MY LAST DAY AT WORK TOMORROW!
OMFGOMFGOMFGOMFGOMFG! Could I be any more excited?! I have to go and meet Sally on Wednesday (the lady who has the Jack Russell - called Sophie) and that's quite scary. I have to make a really good impression to my first regular customer... So I'd better stop saying  "OMFG"

We put up the baby gate tonight, and burnt loads of wood and cardboard, and I swept out the back porch and made it cosy for littlefloyd. Puppy. Yay. OMFG. Life is so exciting at the moment.
I'm scared. Really scared.

Battery is here to stay! Battereh!