The Resident and the Regular Visitors

 I have been taking a rest from blogging just recently firstly because of the difficulty that I had in posting up the last blog and secondly that I have been distracted by the political scene here in Ireland which is still not resolved; Enough though of that.

Better perhaps to  share with you some photo's of our hairy resident Toby and also of our regular visitors.

Excerpts of Ollie's holiday

New ideas on an old road

Important talks amid the trees

Inspection of a ancient wall

Ollie the tractor driver

Ollie explains all to Granny

Toby travels home

Telling Granny about the grass

The Burren revisited pt 1

We were suffering from cabin sickness the other weekend and the remedy for this malady is long drive, on roads which at this time of the year are relatively deserted and free from tourist traffic. So we headed west with a flask of coffee, freshly made rolls and our four legged companion Toby to the Burren in west Clare.

To see the best of this area it is necessary to drive along the narrowest tarmac road that you can find, for it is on them that gems are hidden.

In one of the folds of the Burren limestone sits an almost cottage type industry known as The Burren Perfumery, which is a great draw for tourists as well as the indigenous population who are looking high quality organic perfumes, many of which are made from plants that grow in this remarkable area.

The perfumery is well sheltered from the winds by the spindly trees that surround this unique place and the approach from it's small car parks are via twisty paths which terminate on a large level courtyard.

The shop is light and airy with plenty of space for visitors to roam around and inspect the various products, all of which have testers so that you can find perfect scent for you.

What I find particularly good is that the staff are warm and very friendly, you feel as if you have known them for years.

Shop entrance

On the opposite side of the courtyard is the cafe where various beverages are served, among which are the mouth watering, delicious homemade cakes and fruit tarts, all of which are organic. Even the milk that goes into your tea or coffee comes from an Irish organic farm.

For further information please visit:  http://www.burrenperfumery.com

A BONE FOR YOU...

Hello! for those of you who don't know me I am Toby and my master has given this blog over to me for a few days while he busies himself elsewhere and I am fortunate in that I have engaged the pretty bitch from next door, Chérie, to work the keyboard for me.

Chérie

I am not allowed to disclose to you what the old devil is up to.. however, I will give you a bone as to what is going on. 
He is having bouts of frustration at the moment as he struggles to remember his lines and keep the numbers of his fellows up,  to what he says, is the required number - 
whatever that is ? 

For I am only a dog and he doesn't explain much to me in any detail. The air yesterday went quite blue then dark purple with intermittent red flashes for most of the day, until about ten o'clock. Late last night though he became quite merry after a phone call, which I imagine was good news.
Today the sun is shining and all is calm at last. Time now for my mid day dog nap………

Just one important item before I sleep: it is believed by a lot of two foots that we dogs only see in black and white. Nothing could be further from the truth, for we can and have always been able to see colours!

Our Friend - Toby

This is our faithful old Toby, whose age we estimate to be about 9 years.He is a cross bred English Sheepdog and Welsh Collie, having the character of a lovable rogue, his hearing is absolutely brilliant and so makes for a great watchdog, especially at night.

Considering his background was not that great he is very well behaved with clean habits. Toby’s first companion treated him viciously, hitting him with a broom handle, punching him, feeding him on dry bread and water. He kept him on a short chain in a concrete yard with no proper shelter all the year round and only let him free to exercise about every six weeks.

Today he stays mainly indoors as he is not fond of rain. During the days of sunshine his favourite hideaway is a shady nook under a tree or shrub from where he keeps a watchful eye on what we are doing or eating, for his vast appetite can never be sated and we are careful not to over feed him. At the first opportunity he raids the cats’ bowls and leaves them without food.

There doesn’t seem to be any food that he doesn’t like. His tastes range from garlic to lettuce leaves and he even chews turf (the burning kind).
He also has a fondness Bailey’s Irish Cream and is especially good at plying his long tongue into a neglected brandy glass and not spilling a drop whilst he licks. On that occasion he did go through the door sideways then lay down and snored for a few hours! At a recent party a young friend placed a slice of gateaux on the coffee table only to find it missing within seconds of doing so... Toby had struck again !

We took him in the back of the car to our nearest beach, 70 miles away, because Jane had an idea that he would run on the beach with her and play in the waves. No such luck ! He was back in the car as fast as his legs would carry him when he realised it was wet, cold and tasted bad.
Toby is our friend, playmate and guardian and we are his.