image Polly Dog Blog 2015

 
Sunday
8th March

Been a bit busy these last few weeks and quite a few things have happened. I was bitten by a stupid black labrador. Amber was electrocuted by the electric fence surrounding the sheep ~ we were playing tug with a stick and I dropped it and when Amber went to pick it up she got the electric wire in her mouth as well as the stick. She didn't half yelp and now she doesn't like doing the same walk because she remembers the evil electric fence that bit her. Over Christmas we did some really nice but muddy walking. On Boxing Day we walked 13 miles and Boss Woman and Big Guy stopped at the local village for a pub lunch but not one pub would serve them because of NO DOGS policy. Grrrr, so Tesco Express sandwich it was, sat in the pouring rain on a bench next to the main road. Not quite what we all had planned, but me and Amber got to share the sandwiches, which was a good thing. By the time we got home, we were quite wet through and so glad to get back in front of the nice warm fire and have some tea. I got some nice Christmas presents, including a super bouncy rubber ball and a rubber stringy ball. I killed my stringy ball. It only lasted about 3 hours before it fell apart. End of January we went up to Oxford on the train, it was not very interesting for me and Amber but Boss Woman and Big Guy liked it and they took us to the Eagle and Child pub for their lunch. According to a plaque on the wall, C.S. Lewis and Tolkein used to meet every Tuesday there to drink beer and discuss books and stuff. Boss Woman has also booked us a week in a cottage in South Wales, next to the coast path, ready for some beautiful walks.

Monday
9th March

We went for a lovely walk today on by the Pang River, near Tidmarsh, where allegedly "Wind in the willows" is based. We walked through the wildlife meadow and hrough the lovely woods with primroses just emerging. It is a very lovely walk and have done many times and guess what? We saw 3 men, just wandering about, lurking in the bushes. Apparently, my Boss Woman was told today, EVERYONE knows that it is a famous dogging place for men to men only. What I don't understand though, is why none of them had a dog? One of them had a blue van and another grey hair baldy fat man went to get into it, taking his jacket off at the same time, but not one single dog in sight! We have often seen vans and men parked there and my Boss Woman did wonder what they were doing. She said they are just nasty dirty men. But NO dogs so why do they call it dogging?

Friday
20th March
It's really weird outside. Middle of the morning and it has come really dark. The sun has almost disappeared. Everything is quiet and the birds are not singing and not even flying about. Even our hens and bantams put themselves away in their huts. Boss Woman said it is because there is a Solar Eclipse, where the moon goes in front of the sun and blocks it out.
Wednesday
25th March
Boss Woman was dancing around the garden like a loony this morning. All because she found some frogspawn in our wildlife pond. Wonder what they taste like?
Thursday
2nd April
Costa Rica? WITHOUT me ?? ....... sad face ..
Friday
17th April
Well, Boss Woman is back from Costa Rica now. I am following her around everywhere, there is NO WAY she is sneaking off anywhere without me again. I have missed her loads and gave her lots of big sloppy kisses to let her know I love her (and to make her feel guilty!). We went up to Oxford this morning, to do a home check for the Staffie Rescue and then we called at West Ilsley on the way back to have a nice long walk on the Ridgeway. It was a bit windy up there which was good, it would have been too hot for walking otherwise. We are off up to Scotland next week, which I am looking forward to ~ it's all go in this house! Hopefully Boss Woman can get my new website up and running then when we get back. It's going to be a posh one because she has a new template for it and it will have loads and loads of pictures, which is good because that means I can pose for even more pictures. I missed her loads as well. Big Guy looked after us very well, but Boss Woman does it better and takes us on longer walks. We had a lovely long walk this morning and we were trying to dig some moles up but they were too far underground to reach them
Saturday
18th April
Had a lovely 15 mile walk over to Uffington Castle on the Ridgeway. I really like this walk because except for a little tiny bit of crossing the roads, we got to be off lead the whole time. Met loads of people with and without dogs and Boss Woman stopped to chat to most of them .... as she does .... When we got to White Horse Hill, the field was full of sheep so we had to go on lead AND we got hassled by the stupid sheep because they wanted to share Boss Woman's sandwich. That privilege belongs to me and Amber, thankyou very much !! We were well tired by the time Big Guy picked us up and we slept all the way home. It was a bit too hot for walking a long way and I don't like it hot, but there was a slight breeze so it made it a bit easier. Good job Boss Woman took plenty of water for us to drink because except for one water point, there was no water anywhere on the whole walk, no puddles or anything.
Tuesday
21st April
Summer is definitely on it's way now. Today I heard the first Cuckoo of the year AND I saw the very first Swallow of the year.
Friday
12th June
Having a lovely time down here in the south of France. We have been swimming in the Mediterranean, running on the long beaches and long walking in the Foret Domaniale du Somail. The walk up the narrow gorge to Col de Bertouyre was a bit scary because there was a thunderstorm and lightening was striking the rocks above us and even Big Guy was worried. Boss Woman got some fresh meat, especially for dogs, from the Geant supermarket which we like so at least we didn't starve. We chased some Coypu but didn't catch any.
Sunday
5th July
Just come back from a lovely week in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. We spent a lot of time on the (dog friendly) beach and walking the coastal path. On the way home we called at Pendine sands to see some vintage hot rod racing which I wasn't very interested in, but Big Guy seemed to like it.
Friday
24th July
Boss Woman took us over to Avebury today to see some massive standing stones. It was okay and I really don't see what the big fuss is about but we went for a nice walk up to the West Kennet Long Barrow and back through the fields to Avebury which was very nice and quiet.
Tuesday
27th August
Walked through the lovely meadow today down in Tidmarsh. Unfortunately there was some nasty horrible men either waiting in their cars or walking about the woods, looking dead dodgy. Boss Woman said they were 'doggers', which I thought was a bit odd seeing as they didn't have a single dog with them.
Sunday
7th August

Had a busy day over at the Bristol balloon fiesta today. Boss Woman went up in a hot air balloon while Big Guy walked us around the Ashton Court Park. It was a bit busy so we had to be careful not to get stood on by the hundreds of people. There was dozens of balloons took off for a mass exodus but luckily they didn't crash into each other and no one fell out of them either, even though they were leaning over the sides. It was after midnight when we got home and we were all well tired.

Tuesday
21st August
Caught the train from Pangbourne up to Cholsey and then walked the 12 miles back on the Thames path. I didn't like the first bit much because there as quite a bit of road walking, but after Moulsford it was a lovely walk on nice soft grass right at the side of the river. We even saw a very clever Jack Russell helping his Boss people to moor the barge, by pulling on the rope with his teeth.
Tuesday
25th August
Ooooh Boss Woman was a bit worried this afternoon. There was a yellow and black Tiger spider on the window outside and it did look a bit scary like.
Tuesday
13th October
Met an old guy in a wheelchair down by the river today, he was being pushed at high speed by his son with their dog running behind. Apparently the old man had Motor Neurone disease and couldn't speak or anything, but he liked me and Amber and he fair smiled when we went up to him for a pat. Boss Woman had her camera out and so the son (the jogger) asked Boss Woman if she would take some photos of them for posterity so she did. The old man was really enjoying the run and although he couldn't speak or hardly move, he was really smiling as he flew past at high speed in his wheelchair.
Thursday
17th December
So there I was, ragging an overhanging branch, growling and carrying on and having a great time when suddenly a brindle Staffie came rushing at me and attacked me. The owner rushed up and shouted at Boss Woman that I, ME, Polly dog, was biting her dog. Seriously? All I did was defend myself against an out of control dog that attacked ME. I was just minding my own business when it starting savaging me. Anyway, Boss Woman told the screaming lunatic owner of the Staffie, to take control of herself and take control of her dog and that it was people like her which gave Staffie owners a bad name and it was dogs like hers which gave Staffies a bad name. To which the loonie replied that was going to to kill (well she put a few really nasty horrible swear words in as well) my Boss Woman. Mmmm well Boss Woman would have none of it and told the loonie to go ahead and do it then. Anyway the loonie went off down the woods shouting and screaming obscenities at the top of her voice, but she didn't hang around to carry out her threat of killing my Boss Woman, luckily. Boss Woman felt really sorry for the poor Staffie, because having such a bad owner was not good for such a lovely dog, even though it did attack me. It was not the dogs fault, it was entirely the fault of the stupid loud mouthed aggressive owner.
Tuesday
22nd December
Boss Woman took us up to Dunfermline for a couple of days because Big Guy is working up here. We had a really very nice but wet 10 miles walk around Loch Leven today. With all the recent rain, the Loch had flooded over into the fields so it was a good job that Boss Woman had her wellies on. Yes, she made us wear our stupid raincoats.