What a great day!

Yesterday was brilliant. She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed took us out to the park, as usual, and it was a really lovely crisp morning. I love running around in the fallen leaves - my favourite thing is hanging back to lift my leg or investigate an interesting smell, and then running like mad to catch up with the others. SWMBO likes to see me running, with my ears flapping up and down, and always calls me a good boy. I'm a natural athlete, you know.

We'd only been back an hour and had just finished our breakfast when we went out again! This time it was to the farmers' market, one of our favourite places. Coco gets particularly embarrassing around all that food but she'll tell you about that. Anyway, we met not one but two TT fanciers! One was a lady who admired me when we were waiting to get bread, and she said I was very handsome and obviously from an American blood line, as I'm tall. SWMBO didn't really know about that. And a few minutes later, we met another TT! He's very nice - black and white, and named Chaos. I wonder why?

Later on SWMBO was doing cooking for her chums and it made up for the nasty fireworks noises, although that's getting better now, thank goodness. I get hoarse, doing all that barking to frighten them away.

Squirrels galore!

There are so many squirrels around at the moment that I don't know which one to chase first! Not that it matters, as I never catch any, even though they're fat with chestnuts and slow at the moment.

We made a new doggy friend today. He's called Conor and he belongs to an ex-colleague of She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed. They've recently moved to the area, to a house which SWMBO has often seen and admired. Now she's seen inside, it's every bit as good as she suspected and more besides. Still, our house is nice too.

We got the chance to explore, jump on the furniture and drink out of Conor's bowl (me and Coco only, SWMBO was much better behaved).

Coco's insufferable

Well, you might have read in Coco's diary about her great excitement at being related to Araki Fabulous Willy. So she's even bossier and grander than ever... sigh...

I'd like to point out that I also have some champions in my bloodline, though not as many or as illustrious as Coco's.

She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed has privately assured me that this discovery about Coco's famous family doesn't change one bit how she feels about me. So that's good I suppose.

TTs rule!

How exciting it was the other week when a Tibetan Terrier won Crufts! She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed was away doing something called skiing, but Aunty G watched and so did we. It was brilliant! I don't think we're directly related to Fabulous Willy but there must be a distant link.

Aunty G had to text SWMBO to tell her. The first time she tried, she put that a TT had won Best of Breed - which of course he would have as a TT would win best of TTs - then she realised and sent another one saying "I mean Best in Show!"

Then she gave us a special extra molasses treat to celebrate.

So we're famous. I won't let it go to my head.

Happy New Year!

Well, it's all back to normal now, thank goodness. Although I like all the attention and extra food and treats you get at Christmas, it sometimes gets a bit much and I get nervous. Maybe that's why I've done 2 poos indoors recently ...

And I got bad-tempered with Uncle G on New Year's Eve, cos he tried to sit down on the sofa in the spot where I'd just got comfy. Anyway, my excuse is that there were nasty loud firework bangs.

I was also very frightened on Christmas Day when She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed and the rest of the family pulled crackers in a new way. It's bad enough when they're done one at a time, but they decided to link crackers around the table and pull them all at the same time! Deafening.

I did enjoy scavenging with Coco in the cricket club grounds, where SWMBO couldn't follow us. It was a highlight!

My secret vice

It's public knowledge now, so I may as well talk about it.

I like ladies' underwear. Aunty G had left some bras on her bed, and I took a fancy to one of them. I didn't chew it or anything naughty, I just carried it around and rested my head on it occasionally.

Recently, I also took She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed's nightdress from the bed, though that was a mistake. My bone was nearby and I picked it up and the nightie at the same time. I seem to have accidentally chewed a hole in the back while chewing my bone, but SWMBO isn't too worried. Luckily, it was a bit old and I think she was glad to have a reason to get rid of it.

Life's a beach

I expect Coco has written all about our trip to the beach in her diary but I couldn't write a diary entry without mentioning it! I'm not keen on the thing they call the sea though - amazing that some dogs actually go in and do swimming and fetch things.

It was great though, I had a good roll in the sand and the heather-type greenery on some of the big sand dunes they have at Merthyr Mawr.

And the following day, we went to get a haircut and I have to admit, I do look fab. Everyone says so.

Coco is getting on my nerves

Why am I so mean to Coco? Sometimes I ask myself that question, and I don't have the answer.

It really riles me sometimes when she wants to come into the same room, so I get nasty and bark at her. I get really close and snarl and snap like mad - though to be fair, she gives as good as she gets.

I don't know why I do this, and nor does anyone else. I want to feel that I'm in charge, but it isn't that I want to cuddle up to the humans particularly. I just feel that she's in my space and wants to be Top Dog.

That said, at other times we get on really well. I suppose marriage is a bit like that ...

Poorly paw

I had a very traumatic time last week. We were coming back from our walk, just about to cross the main road to get into our street, when suddenly She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed yelled, "This way, Spike - away from the broken glass!". But it was too late - I'd already walked on some.

I seemed ok at first, but SWMBO noticed later on that I was licking my front right paw a lot and was a bit quiet. So, she took me to the vet the next day, and I had a shot and some tablets. He said it couldn't be stitched, and just to keep taking the tablets and bathing it in salt water. Which I wasn't at all keen on and tried to avoid at all times! In the end I gave in - it wasn't too bad, as it meant I could get close to SWMBO and get some petting and a treat afterwards.

It's all healed now, thank goodness - I'm back to normal so we're going on longer walks again. In fact, I've got so much energy that I seem to be able to jump higher than ever - I almost opened the front door the other day!

My job

People seem to think that we don't do anything, and that we just sit around all day, waiting for someone else to make something happen. But nothing could be further from the truth.

I have a very important job. If Aunty G is in, and if it's good weather, I lead a deputation (me and Coco) to ask her to take us for an afternoon walk. I find that if I sit there looking at her reproachfully for long enough, she will oblige.

Vital work! See Coco's diary to find out about her special task.