That is how you retrieve a large chunky piece of wood. Now Marcel....when you get older.....you'll be able to do this ;-) (Now I'm just showing off)
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If ever you look on the internet for something to do with the barbet, no doubt you will have come across the news reporter Matt Barbet. He and Schroeder seem to always crop up, along with a rather beautiful array of birds sharing the same name...... so, lying in bed on Saturday night, listening to Radio 4 (the shipping forecast eventually sends me to sleep) I was quite amused to hear that Matt Barbet would be one of the guests on Quote...Unquote. If you are able to listen on BBC iPlayer, it is still available for about a week. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b038c0f2/Quote..._Unquote_19_08_2013/ The quotations quiz hosted by Nigel Rees. As ever, a host of celebrities will be joining Nigel as he quizzes them on the sources of a range of quotations and asks them for the amusing sayings or citations that they have personally collected on a variety of subjects, including quotations they wish they'd said and family sayings they have grown up with. This week Nigel is joined by Woman's Hour's Jenni Murray, News presenter Matt Barbet, Children's Playwright David Wood and Journalist and writer Katharine Whitehorn. Reader ..... Peter Jefferson. Produced by Carl Cooper.
You can imagine my amusement whilst listening. Apparently the info read by P.J was taken from an web page '10 reasons not to get a barbet'.
N.R. And now Matt, I wonder what quotation we've found for you? P.J. Barbets can be sensitive individuals. They're big softies. A soft but firm hand is what's best suited to a barbet. M.B Well....it could be one of a couple of things, because I share my name with a couple of other species of animal as it happens. I think this refers to a Belgian Water Dog. N.R. Or a French Water Dog?!? M.B. French Water Dog!...Well, the Belgian Water Dog is more rarified Audience laughter. M.B. It's a large dog, perhaps akin to a labradoodle, has tight curly fur, very loyal and incredibly good looking. N.R. Yes. Audience laughter. N.R. And does the Barbet household have a barbet? M.B. No! They're very expensive as well, so No! We don't. Little Miss Red from this years litter, has plenty to be happy about. She has been sailing recently and it looks like she took to it like a duck to water :-) I came across this lovely poem (below)by John Betjeman about Norfolk and the Broads Marcel is having a little holiday with us, he is such a loving dog, my knee seems to be his favourite place. He went out today for a visit to view the free art on offer!
Two days of partying hard finally took its toll.
Odo jumped on my bed in the wee hours, which in itself is not unusual, but he was determined to wake me up. He wanted me to check on my youngest. And there she was, lying on the floor of the living room, along with the ingredients of her celebratory meal, Duck with Pomegranite! On further questioning as to whether or not she had a bad case of food poisoning, it transpired that the drinks were free all night (she knows the owners of the restaurant) so Tequila, Absinthe, Champagne and Beer were added to the list of ingredients on the floor! Well done to my little Duck Dog for alerting me to the mess I had to clean up!! And Congratulations to the drunken one for being accepted at her first choice of University! Having started life in the city where the well known nursery rhyme originates, the inmates at Wakefield prison would exercise around the Mulberry bush in the prison grounds. I'm told it flourishes there still to this day, but I've never seen it (obviously)! So I was delighted to find a Mulberry tree earlier in the week in one of our local parks. It seems no-one knows what it is, it is laden with fruit, and the floor around it is stained a rich purple with the ripe berries. We had fun with the dogs there today, they eating them and we climbing the tree to collect them (you're never too old to climb a tree). I was surprised to find out that there are only around 200 of these trees in the UK, looks like the barbet may outnumber them soon!
Strolling across the Abbey Field this afternoon, the sun was shining and the church bells were pealing to announce the arrival of the soon to be newly-weds. Cutting through the churchyard, the local wildlife played it safe by perching out of Mirabelles reach. Through the gate we hear the sound of leather on willow, non of the players in their cricket whites, nor a beautiful lush ground, but an impromtu game, that was a pleasure to sit and watch. I just love this ritual that is so much a part of an English summer, shame my dogs are French and just don't understand cricket!
Our morning walk saw not another human or dog. We had the whole park to ourselves. And as you can see, it wasn't at sunrise, so where is everyone? But while the park was empty, this young man had a ball chasing up and down. And I got him to pose for a photo with no distractions.
On just one walk, the dogs can meet and see so many new things. I hate doing the same old boring walk each day, so try to liven things up by going on different routes or to completely new places. Our walk this morning saw us circling a newly built school, where there were huge numbers of people turning up for the celebrations of Eid. Just two minutes later, Nelly was having a swim in a man made lake whilst I was able to enjoy watching the bright blue Damselflies theough the reed beds,skimming over the surface of the water. Our walks home this week have been filled with collecting blackberries, early crop apples and wild mint. The dogs are all able to delicately pick blackberries without prickling themselves. We have had fun making jams and jellies with the goodies we have found on our walks over the years, and this year looks like being a good one for my store cupboard.
Whilst our Mayor Boris Johnson is spitting about why Eurostar is refusing to stop their Continental train services at the station purpose built for International services at Stratford in East London, I just live in hope that they may eventually allow pets to travel on these trains. Imagine how wonderful it would be if we could be transported into mainland Europe without the hassle and cost of driving and taking ferries. Though from 2016, Duetsche Bahn will be offering a little competition through the tunnel, as we will be getting trains arriving here from Frankfurt, Cologne and Amsterdam.
Maybe if Dick Whittington was still around, he may have something to say about pets not being able to travel on cross channel trains! |