Obi Chan Shinobi san!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Bonus day off!

On Monday I decided to take Tuesday off as annual leave. I was expecting a stormy rain filled day and was not relishing the idea of walking Snoz at 6am before work. I had plans to batten down the hatches and play indoors then cozy up in some blankets. I'd planned a walk with minimal mud for the puppy dog (translation: town and concrete walk) and was expecting a bit of a slog.

To my surprise I awoke to a beautiful blue skied sunny day! We decided to sleep in until around 9am (we never sleep in this late anymore; our Dartmoor trek must have really taken it out of us!) Then we had a slow relaxing morning with the sun lighting up the flat. I never get mornings during the week; it's dark when I wake up, a frantic 20 minute rush to attempt to look like a functioning human and to let Snoz's breakfast go down, and then usually a rushed hour walk before I (usually run) to catch my train to work. I have grown to really appreciate mornings that are my own.

At 11am the dog was fed up with my laziness and demanded we get outside. We ended up doing a 3 and half hour walk. It began with our usual walk along Penryn beach and then we waded across the mud flats and through the reeds to pick up the coastal path that leads to Flushing. When Shinobi realised where we were going she literally started jumping for joy! (And also biting my ankles, a sure sign of excitment *grumble.)

We walked the really long way round; a walk that winds right around Flushing, across Farmer's fields and through woods. The majority of the walk can be actually on the beach though (dependant on the tide) and this is what we did today, Snoz paddling her way around. At one point we got a little cut off by the tide and ended up climbing up a waterfall to escape the beach and rejoin the coast path!

Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera (because it's huge and heavy and I definitely would have cracked the lense from all the climbing and skidding in the mud).

We're home now and the temperature has suddenly dropped. I'm planning to give Snoz a bath later because she rolled in a lot of seaweed and smells like a fish but first we're taking a little nap.


Note Shinobi's clever use of the Sofa throw to create her own little den.



Monday, November 11, 2013

Pack

On Sunday we joined a pack of big black dogs and walked all over Dartmoor. We found a 'haunted' house and a grenade (the army trains over Dartmoor and leaves shrapnel behind sometimes).

Snoz had a great time; she ate some worrying looking mushrooms before I could pull them off her and had a nibble on a sheep skull, but aside from that she was good as gold.

The other dogs were very old, 12+ so not particularly interested in playing with her, she got snapped at a few times and some warning growls but she seemed to fall in place eventually and settled in well.



Begging for scraps



A man and his dog...


Spot the Shiba



After a big hike and lots of excitement it was back to a lovely cottage in Chagford to warm up in front of the fire - Snoz heaven.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Kynance Cove

We made Snoz a (questionable) dog cake...wet food with plain yoghurt and her favourite treats posed as candles. She loved it but inevitably had a slighly runny tummy later on (the guilt!) We were then struck by an enormous thunder and lightening storm. Snoz didn't react in anyway, aside from a slight flick of her ears...(she can be spooked out of her skin by an alarm clock going off but when faced with an unfamiliar storm she reacts like she's the most chilled dog that has ever been...)

I had resigned myself to a wet day of trudging about trying to dodge lightening but good fortune smiled upon us and the sun appeared. I'm even a little sun burnt! We headed to Kynance cove as the tide was coming up (due to my terrible sense of direction and a half hour detour to get back on track) so we had a lot of fun chasing the waves. The seaweed gets churned up when the sea is very stormy and froths...it's not pollution although a lot of tourist mistakenly believe it is. Seaweed is used in Shampoo to create the froth, it's pretty interesting to see it in its natural habitat! Snoz had a great time chasing the froth as the wind wipped it all over the beach.


Snoz sensed today was special and woke us up early with kisses


Then she decided to do her comedy bit and fell asleep with the laundry pole in her mouth


Ridicuous


She loves her presents!


Just to return again to this picture...I mean really!


The cake


She seemed to like it...


kynance Cove


Chasing waves



This is her serious stalking face (waiting for me to chase her)


A really fun passage where the sea suddenly gets ya!


Watch out Shinobi!


She made a game out of trying not to let the waves get her (the Ocean won everytime)



Super Snoz can fly



Not a bad view from the Cafe



Dreaming of cake


Snoz does a Jaws impression





These cows decided to hang around in the middle of the road for a while, Snoz had a great time leaning out the window to look at them.

Snoz's 1st Birthday!


Happy Birthday to my baby!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Fox or Space Coyote?



Back in the Game

Beaches are dog friendly again now that the seasonal dog ban is lifted, we're looking forward to re-visiting our favourite spots again!


Still really unsure/unhappy about her safety jacket. She knows exactly how to undo it now too


We went to visit Tintagle Castle and played around on the beach (the alleged birth place of King Arthur). We were standing in Merlin's Cave. Snoz was pretty stoked about the whole thing





Tuesday, October 8, 2013