Tag Archives: pup

Ring out the old

Dear Reader, 2016 may have had its ups and downs but here at Margot and Jerry HQ there has been plenty of fun, frolics and feasting and much to be thankful for. Primrose asked me earlier what my best thing of the whole year has been and honestly, dear Reader, I couldn’t pick one particular thing. 2016 has been the year of piddling pups

piggies (Huff, Puff and Snuff)

then there was Provence

and Potter (of the Beatrix kind).

Not forgetting plenty of beautiful views……dear Reader, better ones you’d be hard pushed to find.

Little shoes joined big ones for the first time at school

(Disclaimer – not in shoes below – Poppy’s not THAT small. I just couldn’t resist adding this picture from a few years ago when Poppy got her first proper pair of shoes, dear Reader. How time has flown)

and wiping away tears, Margot tried not to lose her cool.

Long held ambitions were conquered and even bigger plans made

not least selling the old cottage where our country foundations were laid.

With dogs and cats each up to two and hens now a four,

you may be wondering dear Reader, in 2017 can there really be more?

With Jerry’s patience reaching its peak, I’d be wise, dear Reader, of no more animals to speak.

So Christmas over, it’s time to bid 2016 adieu

Let’s ring out the old year and welcome in the new.

Apologies for the AWFUL rhyme dear Reader – Jerry tells me I must try harder next time. A very heartfelt thank you to all you faithful followers for reading, commenting, following on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Jerry is always very pleased when someone informs him what they’ve read on the blog or in my columns as in his words, he’s always “the last to know”.

Happy New Year to you and yours – may 2017 bring you all you desire and dream of, plus the standard gin accompaniment. Over and out, dear Reader.

That was the week that was

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My amazing birthday barbecue courtesy of Jerry and the girls

Birthday celebrations (mine and Jerry’s), bank holiday, toddler getting up at 5am every day (east facing bedroom curse), Monty’s first puppy class, launch of his (and my) new monthly blog on NFU Countryside and a guest blog post for the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging award for Fresh Voice….that was the week that was. Dear Reader, to be honest, I am still reeling from it all. To add to the list of fab, fantastic and in the case of the 5am starts, downright frightful, I made a fatal error and did not put my brand new pair of shoes on the very top of the bookcase and they were instantly eaten by the Monster before he could be stopped. I can report that in just one week, the wardrobe casualties are stacking up: 2 tunics, a chiffon dress, 1 pair of shoes and a beloved cardigan which now has pinholes in it. Puppy teething?! Pah! We seem to have acquired a pup with the chewing skills of a beaver. Nothing is safe! I know, I know, how could I possibly be cross with this sweet little face…..?!

Here he is…the little shoe eating Monster.

So passing on my TOP TEN tips for the first weeks of owning a furry toddler could not have been a more apt post for my Britmums Fresh Voice voting plea! Between the children, dog and turning another year older, I found myself nearly at the bottom of the beautifully packaged bottle of Hendricks gin which my dear Papa so kindly gave me for my birthday!

Here are my handy hints if you missed them:

1) Reacquaint yourself with lack of SLEEP – coffee and Jerry’s dressing gown are my new best friends. No sooner did Poppy start sleeping through, my nightly toddler escapades have now been replaced with standing in the garden in pyjamas, praying the neighbours can’t see me.

2) Explain to both toddler and dog that sharing is lovely but perhaps not when it comes to teething toys.

3) Do not buy any new shoes – dog will chew ONLY the new ones. (I am still mourning the loss of my floral pumps….)

Oh…….(she says weeping)

4) Buy a dog guard for the car – emergency stops on the A4 due to dog jumping from boot to back seats are best avoided!

5) Do not let husband to allow dog to sit on sofa. (My days of wearing black are over……..)

6) Try not to attempt to house train pup and potty train toddler at the same time. Poppy now thinks a piddle outside (a la pooch) is an acceptable practice.

7) Hone your Mummy sixth sense in order to catch sneaky 4 year old feeding the dog at mealtimes. Otherwise, you may find that dog enjoys mushrooms from Coq au Vin as well as puppy kibbles.

8) Remember children and dogs often suffer from temporary deafness……although that may just be in our household! You may find the investment of a whistle worthwhile…worked for Mary Poppins.

Taking the training seriously!

9) Do NOT leave your gin unattended at any point. Following that thought, definitely don’t forget to wash out a glass that puppy has found and licked, before serving your guest another drink from said glass! (Luckily my dear Papa has a very good sense of humour!)

10) And lastly….have your camera ready and drop everything to capture children and dog enjoying the simpler things in life together. Running through the long grass, chasing butterflies and setting up tea parties NEVER seemed as much fun before Monty came into our lives! After all, as Gerald Durrell, author of My Family and Other Animals, knew so well “A house is not a home until it has a dog.”

The full Britmums post can be read here. Tonight at midnight marks the end of the voting for the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging awards and I can honestly say that I am still surprised I even made it this far. Thank you again because when I started writing the blog in October, I truly believed that I would be writing posts that would drift off into ether and no one (except my Mamma and Jerry) would read them. I am grateful to you, dear Reader so thank you thank you thank you for the follows, the comments, the encouragement and for the precious votes. Gin and kisses to you all! I promise ‘normal’ Margot capers shall resume next week! Jerry has been badgering me to get on with crossing off some of the items on my to do list….

Oh and if you do fancy following Monty’s adventures on NFU Countryside, then look no further…..you can find his little paws here.

New man in my life

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A little country something for my new man

Country puppy essentials

Dear Reader, I think that it would be fair to say that I have not slept a wink in the last week. I have been simply TOO excited about the house and our move. Getting back to normal every day life has proven quite tricky after the whole house buying Easter weekend and Jerry and I keep pinching ourselves about the whole thing. As if moving to the countryside wasn’t enough to get our heads around, my new man arrives on the 20th! Don’t worry dear Reader, I have not traded Jerry in…. I am referring to our little pup. A rather handsome young chap in the shape of a working cocker spaniel. Meeting him for the first time on Good Friday was absolutely wonderful and it was love at first sight for all of us. Poppy was utterly smitten with all the pups in the litter and even lay down with them on their bed. Very sweet indeed!

Wanting to be completely prepared, the girls and I have been very busy buying puppy essentials: honking pheasant toy, clicker, whistle, pheasant print bed, puppy food and so on. Hilariously, one can even purchase a baby carrier type affair for pooches and a DOGGY PRAM no less! I promise, I resisted those! I did discover, however, all manner of wonders at Muddy Paws and a new favourite for all things hound and country at Dog and Dobbin. I think that I am likely to get completely carried away with the puppy accessories before long, both for dog and home. Don’t tell Jerry! Primrose wanted to purchase a tweed overcoat for the dear boy. This was after steering her away from pink leads and anything encrusted in diamanté. The coat was rather stylish but I do draw the line at dressing up dogs. The poor hound must be allowed to walk the country paths with some dignity!

Taking the training seriously!

I have also been frantically reading up on training and am armed with heaps of newspaper for the inevitable piddle puddles. Jerry and I have debated what we will say when we take him out for a pee. The puppy book says “Busy”…. I really can’t imagine saying that so I thought “Whizzy whizz”. Jerry has bluntly refused to say anything “that ridiculous” and thinks that “Go and have a wee” should suffice. At time of going to press, I can inform you, dear Reader, that no compromise had been reached.

I was going to wait until the 20th to introduce him to you but honestly, I am awful at keeping things to myself and I am just bursting with excitement. So here he is. Introducing Montague, the new man in our lives. Monty for short.