“I don’t have to blow up everything I see. I just like to.” ~ Kell Tainer, Wraith Squadron Every so often I go through a crazy phase. It gets all intense and then I blow stuff up. Not that I mean to. I don’t! But stuff blows up anyway. Mostly lightbulbs, although it makes me nervous to handle anything […]
A Morning Dose Of Happiness!
“Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” ~ Lemony Snicket Something wonderful happened to me yesterday morning! I woke up with energy. After months of being unwell it was a precious gift. So we did […]
Meet Rufous – Brother to Harry Dog!
“ Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.” ~ Marc Brown A little over a week ago I mentioned in a blog post that we had just begun to think about getting a new baby brother or sister for Harry Dog, who has been mourning the loss of Bert. Only a few […]
He Can’t Take His Eyes Off Me!
“When the Man waked up he said, ‘What is Wild Dog doing here?’ And the Woman said, ‘His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always.’” ~ Rudyard Kipling; The Jungle Book Finally we are home. Harry Dog was […]
Coffee Trumps Blogging
“Are you ready?” Klaus asked finally. “No,” Sunny answered. “Me neither,” Violet said, “but if we wait until we’re ready we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives, Let’s go.” ~ Lemony Snicket Cafe Dog has had a hard time of it lately. While I’ve been feeling so poorly there have been no […]
This Post Compromised by Bazillion Updates!
“Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.” ~ Joseph Campbell Really. I want to blog. About interesting stuff. But can’t. Cos’ updates. Only 27 (!) but my computer is about as fast and responsive as a rock. So I will give up and take Cafe Dog for an outing instead […]
One of those mornings…
“Nic, you should know by now – nothing ever goes to plan!” ~ Ben Phillips. Husband. So, we’re on our way to breakfast with cafe dog. Later than usual. Because it is raining. I slept in. Worse, the cows got into the house paddock and were eating my garden. My agapanthus! My parsley! My fresh […]
Pretzels and Early Morning Strolls
“I can’t think of anything that brings me closer to tears than when my old dog—completely exhausted after a hard day in the field—limps away from her nice spot in front of the fire and comes over to where I’m sitting and puts her head in my lap, a paw over my knee, and closes […]
A Message From Harry Dog!
“Sometime you just gotta get out of the house, breathe the clean morning air, run around like a mad thing, and bark at some waves.” ~ Harry the Cafe Dog Hello! This is an action post, because this morning is an action morning. Everyone has been stuck in the house for days because of the […]
Was He Born This Way?
“Right or wrong, it’s very pleasant to break something from time to time.” ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky This is a picture of Harry, known to some as Cafe Dog. It is, in fact, our very first picture of Harry, taken two years ago. Pretty cute, huh? In retrospect, there is a worrying glint of mischief in […]
A Very Hurried Post Because…
“Tantrums are not bad behavior. Tantrums are an expression of emotion that became too much for the child to bear. No punishment is required. What your child needs is compassion and safe, loving arms to unload in.” ― Rebecca Eanes, The Newbie’s Guide to Positive Parenting Thanks for your understanding as I write this post […]
Cafe Dog’s Advice For The Day
“Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.” ~ Susan Sontag Cafe Dog, or Harry, as others know him, has been logging up early morning cafe-time […]
Off to the Vet again!
“Then they gave me a loaf of bread and told me to walk through the forest and give some to anyone who asked. I did exactly what they told me, and the second beggar-woman was a fairy in disguise, but instead of saying that whenever I spoke, diamonds and roses would drop from my mouth, […]
Crazy Wild Weather
“From where we stand the rain seems random. If we could stand somewhere else, we would see the order in it.” ~ Tony Hillerman It’s crazy wet in the Northern Rivers right now. It has rained, and rained and rained, and more rain is coming. Yesterday we moved the cows and baby calves from […]
Cafe Dog’s Bluesfest Protest!
“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr. “Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don’t give up the fight.” ~ Bob Marley We’re attending Bluesfest over the Easter Break – five days of music, music and more music! On Thursday morning […]
A Harry Dog Update
“Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon.” ~ Dag Hammarskjold Harry Dog is home from the vet, who has done all he can to help our puppy on his way to healing. His little neck has been shaved, revealing lots of smaller abscesses and […]
The Harry Emergency
“After years of having a dog, you know him. You know the meaning of his snuffs and grunts and barks. Every twitch of the ears is a question or statement, every wag of the tail is an exclamation.” ~ Robert McCammon, Boy’s Life Something’s not been right with Harry these past few days. He’s […]
Ouch! Poor Harry!
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” ~ Roger A. Caras I got the phone call no dog parent wants to have yesterday. Ben rang from the farm to say that Harry had been hurt after he chased a stick that had been spat out the back of the […]
I should be grumpy this morning…
“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher I should be grumpy this morning. Really, really grumpy. I have now completed my third drug-free week from my lyme treatment, letting my liver have a break. At first I was so grateful to not have to […]