Getting ready to travel

 

There is a rumour that there may be no internet facility when we get to the mill this year as there is a telephone system change-over happening. I will not know until I get there. If the rumour  turns out to be true, then all I can do is keep a brief diary and load it here when I return.

Looking on the bright side, it means DH and I will have time to talk to each other!

And since we are there to work after the mill has been unattended and unloved for the whole of the Covid restrictions, I imagine we shall work all day and fall into bed and sleep very well indeed.

The younger generation in the family say “Find a McDonalds and use their wifi” as if there is a big Mac around every corner in France.  I suspect the nearest is Bergerac, a good 25 miles from us.

So today is packing day ready for an early start in the morning. Wish us luck in getting to the tunnel on time.

First bath

 The dog groomer was awake and ready for us when we arrived at the unearthly hour of 7.45am. We had  done a swift recce of the field so Perla could have a pee, and I left her accepting welcome strokes from Robyn. 

Twenty five minutes later I went back to collect a sweet-smelling dog.

Robyn's report? "She loved it, was no trouble, loved her biscuits, and liked the dog basket." Perla was waiting in the basket - watching the gate where I vanished and then re-appeared. 

So that is one more hurdle overcome without disaster. Perla is now resting indoors, cuddled in the blanket I knitted for her, until she is completely dry. (It is damp, cold and wet outside - not the weather to romp around in when you've just been in the bath!) 

Later today I shall seek a new collar for her because the tracker we have bought does not fit very well on any of the four dog collars we already have. DH says I should get her a pink one because she is a lady. 

The tracker will help keep track  (sorry!) of her when we get to the mill in France, because there are so many rooms, exits, and places where she might not be visible to us even though she would be within thirty feet of one or the other of us. If she could only hear when we call her we would not worry, and though she shows signs of having some rudimentary hearing, we have to treat her a totally deaf and make adjustments to ensure her safety. 

Yesterday she came back to me 3 times when I "called" her in sign language and two of those were in the big park field, rather than in the dog enclosure. Delighted that she seems happy to come back to me - or the chicken twists I offer as a treat!

Mud and Puddles

 Our rescue dog Perla is turning into a bit of a diva.

As mealtimes approach, she now *demands* her food. When I try to hold to the set times, she barks at me! The same happens for walks. If she thinks I'm a bit tardy on getting up and out, she stands in front of me and barks. 

Who would have believed it? In five weeks she has turned from a shy, timid dog into one that is quite willing to assert herself. Of course, we stop her from barking. (Or we try to - but yes, on the whole she gives in to us.)

The weather turned rather suddenly, as you will all have noticed, over the last few days. We have had freezing temperatures, snow, hail, rain and wind -  none of which lasted or stayed very long, but which turned the ground wet and muddy on a lot of our walks. 

It amuses me me to notice that instead of ploughing through all the mud and puddles, as Tim would have done, Perla edges as far away from the mud as she can. She usually comes home with clean feet. A ladylike trait! Coupled with the fact that she doesn't shed hair all day long as dallies do, our Perla is far less work in the house and I heartily approve!