Water Torture …

… works!

The weather has indeed set to thaw and so the snow has been merrily melting and dripping.  I have sat here all day cursing the lad next door for playing ‘drumming’ music so loud I could here the thump thump thump … except it wasn’t that at all – the snow was overhanging the gutter and dripping onto my recycling box and wheelie bin!  I eventually twigged and went out to move both of them and the peace inside my head is wonderful!

With the thaw underway we haven’t ventured out today but it has been a wonderful bright day mostly so I have  a few birdy pictures and the moon too.

Ms Chaffinch goes foraging …

… whilst another watches

and Mr Chaffinch enjoys a rest in the sunshine

First Full Moon of 2013

Maybe it is the full moon that is causing mayhem on a social site I frequent – it has been heated the past few days  – although it also looks as if the behaviour is all coming form adolescents … not that age is an excuse for lack of respect for others.  It has been distracting though and I have got less far with something I was trying to work on there.

I did console myself with some lovely soup for lunch:  Red lentils, tin chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil, sugar, onion, carrots and some chilli powder.  Microwave on low setting until all veggies tender and lentils cooked – blitz and add a dash of milk.  This is a mug soup it isn’t too thick and it is very warming.  Don’t be tempted to cut down on salt or sugar for this one – the tomatoes really do need these to bring out the flavour.  I have enough for lunch tomorrow too – I bet it is much better when reheated!

Apparently I sound as if I have  a cold (not aware that I do) so I will be heading for an earlyish night in my prewarmed bed … and hoping that in the morning there is no ice and we can resume our daily walks.

Dog Takes Control

It is happening – Dog has started to work out when it is okay with me for him to discipline Pup … he no longer looks at me first to check.  Just to be clear when we talk about discipline dogs don’t spank each other … a quick, short sharp nip or a brief firm hold round the muzzle or  a is how a dog lets a puppy know it has gone too far.

Why is this exciting? quite simply because Dog never learned to do this with Otto and Otto became a bully where Dog was concerned.  It ended up making Dog very unhappy and even withdrawn, certainly wary.  It has been just over three years since Dog shared his home with Otto.  In that time he has regularly been with me to dog sit my parents pack; each time we visited I would just walk him into the dog yard and there were very few words exchanged between him and their pack alpha dog.  Although I wasn’t their pack’s alpha person when my Dada was around – if he was away they immediately accepted me as the alpha.