Sounds like a good plan, Skylark.

Glad you've had a nice time with your brother and the rest of your family.

 

Squiggle, the ground here is absolutely saturated, too. Part of my back garden is starting to resemble a muddy swamp, it's awful!

 

Summer, I hope your headache's gone now.

I agree with El, I think you'd like Love Actually. It's one of the films I can quite happily watch over and over again, and Martine's character is pretty likeable. Mr Yogi loves Martine enough for both of you.

Yes had a nice time with brother and niece, they flying back down this evening.
Watched Call The Midwife, enjoyed it, but racking my brains who the girl is that had the baby, sure she was in Marple or something....
Watched the programme on BBC2 about Claridges , oh how the other half live! I couldnt afford to book a cupboard there never mind a suite 

Evening it's been an eventful day! Squiggle, it's soaked here too, many parts of the farmers crops will be ruined and I'm pretty much living in my wellies because the mud is so thick everywhere. I hope it starts to dry out soon, for both our counties I saw the claridges programme at MIL's this afternoon, it was very interesting! Skylark, I'm pleased that you've had an enjoyable family visit have they gone home now? I think I'll give love actually a watch, and pretend Martine is not the annoying girl from the yoghurt adverts We decided to take MIL out for lunch, so I walked Bramble as soon as I got up so she would be sleepy while we were out. Only she wasn't- we came home to find that she had turned some of mr summers 30 year old book collection into confetti, and chewed through the Christmas tree lights!!!!! (the lights were not plugged in) She is well and truly in the dog house, and we've taken all her toys away, except one bone that she can chew. I can't believe she's done it, she's always been so well behaved

Oh no Summer,I wonder what set her off on chewing the books and lights?! I'm not surprised she's in the dog house, the naughty girl. Poor Mr Summer, will he be able to replace the books Bramble has destroyed? Skylark, the girl who had the baby in Call The Midwife was definitely in something else over the Christmas period, but I can't remember what it was.

Oh Summer, bad Bramble Thank goodness the lights were off tho  
Hi Yogi, yes that girl, still cant work it out what she has been in before...

Goodnight all, sweet dreams

....and to you Yogi x

Sweet dreams yogi Mr summer is more annoyed that she's wrecked the books because of their sentimental value, he rarely reads them these days. I did offer to try to find replacements online but he says not to. He's let her out of the dog house now and she's snuggled up on his feet I think she'll be far less spoiled from on though

Are you enjoying your tv catch up skylark?

Shame about the books Summer x
I only watched some progs to catch up and and skimmed through the soaps, not missed much really. 
I remember leaving Kia one day, a few years ago, not for long but when returning i thought we had been broken into. She had been in my wardrobe, taken all the clothes out, been on the beds taken all the covers off ...had a right old wrecking session. Whether it was punishment for leaving her or just boredom, we never worked it out. It wasnt pleasant at the time i can tell you. A bit like a child who had too much attention and took a tantrum when we werent in ! Goodness knows what goes on their heads x

Crikey skylark and did she ever do it again?! It's the same situation with us today, it's baffled me too because we've left her before, in the living room, and she's always behaved perfectly. I just don't know why she's done this today!

No never did it again Summer, i dont know why that evening triggered her off. When she was left after that i put the radio on and shut the doors. She was used to her routine anyway, because i worked some long hours, but she always had company and was taken out.  As i said, goodness knows what goes on in their heads! x

Thank goodness she never did it again, lets hope bramble doesn't either. Mr summer thinks she's had lots of attention lately and didn't like it when we left her. We'll never know though will we, I'd love to know what they are thinking sometimes

Nothing you have done wrong Summer or Mr Summer, its  a huge commitment looking after any animal. Miss Bramble is ascertaining her authority , but she has to know she isnt the boss ! 13 years  with a female staffy has taught  me well ! xx
Going off now, take care and sleep well xx

Thanks skylark I'm determined to be form with her, she's not the boss in our house! Going myself now, sweetest of dreams

Good morning everyone

 

Patchy cloud, dry and mild here, there was some light rain overnight.

 

Very naughty Bramble.

 

The girl in Call the Midwife is Ami Metcalf.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3615400/

She was in Upstairs Downstairs and a couple of years ago won an award at the British Soap Awards for her performance in Doctors.

 

I see that Patti Page has died, she was 85. One of her songs was this well known novelty song:

If you are ever in Bedford, look out for this coffee shop:

Good morning it's overcast but very mild this morning. I got up early to walk Bramble, mr summer is still off until Monday but I think it important she get back to her usual routine now. El I'm not able to see your links on the app- what's the coffee shop?! I love coffee shops

Summer, a local painter has copied part of Michelangelo's painting on the Sistine Chapel on to the outside wall of the coffee shop which is called Frescoes. 

 

The song I posted re Patti Page is How Much is that Doggie in the window.

Wise words Skylark.  I am sure that Bramble will be well behaved once she realises that the world does not revolve around her.  Same as children really.  Tilly upset my daughter by chewing up lots of her books too, my daughter is a real bookworm and likes to read books over and over again.

 

Still very wet here although not actually raining, I would think the humidity level is not that far from 100%.  I have just had to bring the bird feeder in to wash as the rain has got in and rotted the seed.  Too much rain this year by far.  And who bets that when we get a dry spell they will be talking about hosepipe bans

For anyone interested in weather statistics, although 2012 was the wettest year on record for England, it was the second wettest as far as the UK was concerned:

http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/

Good afternoon everyone. Weather is very overcast, so I don't think the rain is too far away.

Summer, I think you are doing the right thing by getting Bramble back into her routine.

Squiggle, I had the same problem with the niger seed feeder, the rain had made the seeds sprout!

El, thanks for naming Ami Metcalf. It wasn't Upstairs Downstairs or Doctors I saw her in recently, I'll need to rack my brain to remember what it was.

I've given up on the normal feeders now Yogi.  I have ordered one where the seed is kept in a hopper (with an overhanging roof) and trickles down. I also ordered a similar one made of cedar where the base is perforated to let the water drain away and with a base that slides out for quick and easy cleaning.  I am surprised that the water managed to get in the niger feeder though as the holes are so tiny.

So was I, as the lid seems quite secure, too.

The feeders you have ordered sound very good.

 

BTW, Olly has replied to your enquiry in Soozy's thread.

Today's episode of Doctors had guest appearances from Amy Robbins (who used to be Jill Weatherill in The Royal) and Mark Jordan (who used to be Phil Bellamy in Heartbeat and also in a few episodes of The Royal when it began). Very different roles, particularly Mark Jordan's.

We had a niger seed feeder last summer and the seeds sprouted all over the place beneath it! It's so messy when they get soaked. Well, says me who has abandoned the uncarved Halloween pumpkin outside and it's just collapsed this week I'm going to have to scoop it up, with a spade! El, I bet that cafe has become a real tourist spot, if I were local I would go I wonder if they have pancakes on the menu Squiggle, did Tillie ever do it again? Mr summer text to say Bramble has never left his side this morning, she must be sorry I've had a very busy morning at work, which is a good thing because we'll go quiet for a while soon. The general chatter is that most people have already taken down their christmas trees

Thanks Yogi, I will go look, my laptop is working fine but you always wonder if there is a new brighter model out there don't you?

 

I don't think she's done it since Summer.  I think they do it mainly as a revenge thing, thinking back to when we had left Ben on his own and came back to find he had torn apart a stuffed koala that my parents had brought back from Australia.  He never did appreciate being left alone, if we had to leave him outside a shop he howled the place down, very embarrassing

Thanks squiggle, hmm.. Perhaps miss bramble needs to be left alone more frequently, for short periods, so that she gets used to not constantly being with someone. We have left her before and she's been fine, but she has been very spoiled this christmas

Aw poor Ben lol I bet he felt very sorry for himself outside the shops

I think it's all to do with the pack mentality of dogs.  There has to be a top dog and if the dog has decided that they are the top dog that makes for a very unhappy household.  Spoiled children can be the same, I am sure we will all have come across children who think the world revolves around them.

 

Once Bramble is aware of her position in your 'pack' she should settle down well.  Interesting to hear, however, from the other dog owners in this thread.

There's no doubt that mr summer is our pack leader lol but she tried to stare me down this morning and I had to hold her gaze longer to get her to look away, I swear she's testing us

She's probably decided that mr summer is the pack leader and now she is vying with you to see if you or she are next in the pecking order   Also just had a thought, she would (maybe) have known that the books belonged to mr summer (she would have smelled his smell) so was this a challenge to his leadership? 

Ooh could be squiggle, they were definitely all his and I've never read them. I had a book on the coffee table (about border terriers) and luckily she didn't take that one His books were lower down though, so much easier for her to get to I'll be glad to get home tonight, my colleague is lovely but never stops talking

Hold your ground with her, Summer.

There was a point where Keira decided she was going to do what she wanted, rather than what I told her to. I had to be very firm with her, and made sure she never won a battle of wills, then she came to accept that I was in charge.

Is she related to my mum?

I found this book which might be interesting Summer,

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Do...3481X/ref=pd_sim_b_6

 

he certainly does look an interesting author.

Thank you squiggle, I think a certain mr someone might have to buy me that in a couple of weeks time

Lol  

Thanks yogi, it's quite nice to know that I'm not the only one that's been through it 

She phoned me tonight and said I'd phoned her new mobile number - I hadn't!

It took her 15 minutes to work out that she'd received a text, not a phone call - and she'd seen my number because she'd been looking at her call log and I was the only number she'd dialled.