Count Charlie and his Grandchildren bring us festive greetings !

Hope everyone is enjoying themselves and from the emails I'm receiving it looks like you are. The first festive greeting is from Charlie (Charlie is the father of Smudge and Primrose and we re-homed him when he was five years old with Vincent and Sheila. His story can be found on the 'The boys' page) who on Halloween this year became Count Charlie. Thanks Vincent and Sheila for such lovely photo's of Charlie, who will be 9 years old soon and seems to be very well in himself, looking at these photos. Looking forward to seeing Vincent, Sheila and Charlie in the New Year on their annual visit to use.

Count Charlie

"Hello Everyone,

Hope you are having a very Merry Christmas & that the cards arrived in good time.

Charlie wanted to send you some photos.

1. Fast asleep on Mums bed.
2, 3 & 4. Christmas jumper, ho ho ho.
5. Halloween costume.
6. Vincent's face need licking.
7. On a coin operated seaside ride.

Lots of love,


Vincent, Charlie & Sheila."

The festive greetings on this blog now are funnily enough all from Charlie's Grandchildren and the first is from Maddie and Millie. Millie is from Smudge's first litter of nine pups born 2012 with dad Reggie. Millie is Alison's dog and this year her Mum Lynda came to me and had Maddie from Primrose's litter born earlier this year with dad being Reggie, so Millie and Maddie are half sister, as they have the same dad, but both their mum's have the same father, which is Charlie, so they are also half cousins as well. Thanks Alison and Lynda for letting me know how Maddie is enjoying her first Christmas with you all and her sister/cousin Millie.

"Hello Jane,

Hope you have all had a great Christmas, Maddie has enjoyed  her first Christmas with Millie and at one stage they had more presents than the children ! 

Wishing you all a happy new year and look forward to reading what's going on at Poundlane in 2015.

Alison, Lynda and family x"

Last greeting is from Mollie who is from Smudge's litter born this year in the Spring with dad being Reggie, so she is Millie's (above) full sister but from a different litter and half sister to Maddie (above), as the same dad, Reggie and  Charlie is her Granddad as well, as he is the father of her mother, Smudge. 
Thanks Mollie for letting me know how you are enjoying your first Christmas and being so well behaved with the Christmas tree decorations, as they are so tantalizingly temptingly hanging there, as if asking to be plucked off and chewed, although it seems the lure of shoelaces you cannot resist and who cannot blame you, wriggly little blighters that smell of all sorts of things, they must be destroyed. Lol
Thanks Rhian, Russ, Bobbie and Mollie and have a great New Year !

"Hello everyone

We hope you had a very happy Christmas, I did, I had lots of treats and presents and was a very lucky puppy. I was very good and I didn't touch the Christmas tree once, my daddy thought I would but I proved him wrong. We have a Father Christmas on our hearth and I do like to bark at him now and again but he is still in one piece, at least for the moment!!!!  By the way do all of my brothers and sisters like shoe laces? I chew all of dad's and he has to keep buying new ones.

I like to see the photos of all of my siblings and cousins etc, and so am sending you two of me so that you can see just how beautiful I am too. 

My mum and dad and Bobbie my brother want to wish you all a very Happy New Year, keep sending the pictures.

Lots of love Mollie xx"

We have been having fun here at Poundlane during this festive time. The dogs have probably been getting to many treats and not so much exercise, but they seem happy enough, especially with all the extra things to chew around the home aka children's toys.
Watching our three girls getting to grips with rollerskating, as the girls all asked for roller skates this year, has brought an unexpected abundance of laughing from us, laughing at them trying to balance and unfortunately flailing out a hand to get ballast on the nearest thing, which just happens to be a sister or both sisters who are as well flailing out their hands seeking ballast. My husband and me where so enjoying watching the moment, we did not think to capture it on film, but I suppose that is what a memory is for and you can embellish it far more easier than a film. Lol
My husband and me banned gifts to us this year from each other and the children. Why ?, because before Christmas I discussed with my husband about gifts, as I don't really want any thing, honestly,  I can't think of a thing I want, but I did need a new pair of leggings for milking and unfortunately had got them before my husband could and wrap them up lovingly and put under the tree. Lol. Apart from paying off the mortgage, really nothing I want, but one thing I would like to do, is go out with my husband. We don't go out often, just the two of us, especially of an evening. 
This year we went out once in the evening for a meal and that was my birthday. We don't go out much, not because we don't want to go out, it's because we have a busy time and getting it set right between children, dogs and our work, and that neither of us is feeling tired, takes some juggling. Who wants to go out when they feel absolutely knackered ? So finding the window of opportunity is hard. If you get on with someone you get on with them, so not going out is not so hard, if you enjoy the company of someone, you can laugh just as easily sat huggled up on the sofa with a cheap bottle of wine, together watching telly, as a couple who don't get on so well falling out whilst eating an expensive meal out. Going out is something we almost feel you must be doing to keep a relationship alive, but we are not all the same and believe me we don't go out much, but our relationship is pretty much alive, because whatever happens or has happened somehow one of us will make the other laugh, t'is the key, me thinks, a very black sense of humour and it does help occasionally to listen to your partner, but not necessarily doing what they tell you to do. Lol
And you thought this blog was about dogs, but we do like to have a wander sometimes. So cutting to the chase, we have a window of opportunity and we have booked a table for the 2nd January at 8.30 pm and hell or high water we will both make it. Who don't like someone else doing the cooking and washing up from time to time and as we both like trying anything once (food I mean, easy now), the chance to expand their palates ? I have designated myself as driver, so will not partake of alcohol until we arrive home, contrary to what some might think to my references to the jungle juice from time to time, I drink around two glass of wine a fortnight, as enjoy drinking, not drinking to get drunk, there is a subtle difference and need no drink or drug to enhance my experience of life, I pretty much have the ability to be an idiot without either substance. So with children, dogs, work and dining, I'm hoping to be off the blog now until the New Year, so be careful out there bringing that ole New Year in. "I may be sometime", but 2015, "I'll be back." Lol