C is for Chewing.

What's it going to be a silicone cupcase, a bed or a chew.......

a cupcase!

When we decided to look for a German Shepherd puppy I did a considerable amount of background reading. Chewing is a major feature of the development of a puppy and should be encouraged. We bought a selection of various chewing toys and Bing uses them all. Ofcourse he has his favourites which, if left to his own devices would happily munch through my UGG boots, Jon's glasses, computer wires and coal! The minute we see him going for any of these we have a firm NO and immediately throw him one of his own proper chews. On a night time if we are in the snug we are constantly watching Bing to make sure he isn't chewing something he shouldn't be. We tried to ensure the house was puppy safe but I can assure you Bing will still route out something he fancies, all power for the course!

Here he is enjoying one of the proper chews. After a good chewing session he sleeps for a couple of hours.....infact as I am typing his head is on my boots and I can hear him snoring. (I wont disturb him by videoing him yet again - he has had quite a video session so far and it is only 10.30am! lol!

He continues to grow and by the end of the week he will be ready for his new collar. He has a Cage which he uses when he has his meals. This is for his own safety and convenience rather than anything else. One of the areas of conflict with any group of dogs occurs over food. He would quite happily walk away from his food and seek out either Freida's or Elsie's, so he eats his in his cage allowing Elsie and Freida time to eat theirs.

If we have to leave him, be it just for a couple of hours we put him in his cage, but I put a variety of small snacks which he has to "find". This detracts him from the fact he has been left alone, but he still has the company of Freida or Elsie in the kitchen which must be a reassurance. He never soils his cage, again whilst we are toilet training him, and he is doing very well, we do not want to cause any set-backs. Whenever we return we immediately let him out into the garden so he can relieve himself.

Other C's  he has to deal with are the chickens and the cat. Whilst he is allowed outside without his lead first thing on a morning, when the chickens are in the garden he wears his lead and I ensure he stays by my side. As for Ella the cat - Bing is on a steep learning curve. Ella stands her own ground and if he gets too close when he is barking at her out comes a warning paw! Ella however does not scratch him (yet) and seems to treat him with an understanding.

ABC - C for Chewing and has to be for Cute too don't you think?
C is also for Class - we start puppy training tomorrow!
Watch this space!

SATURDAY VIDEO TIME

Rumour has it that the snow is on its way out!

Last night there were vehicles stuck on the Moor Road and indeed a lorry was stuck just outside our village.
The problem was and is often due to the snow drifting. When you have such a rolling expanse like the North York Moors one small gust of wind can deem the whole road invisible, which is what happened last night.
Whilst we can look out onto the garden and indeed up the village, the roads appear okay, venturing out on them can be a different matter, we'll just see.

I hope we get out - cabin fever here and Marks & Spencer's have one of their excellent meal deals on right now!

P.S. Saw this the other day - hilarious don't you think?

Snug!

Elsie's in the room!
 

We were expecting more snow today and we were not disappointed. Jon had to travel over the Moors to Danby this morning and the road was quite bad - due to snow drifting. We had to nip into Loftus as Jon had to deliver some railway stuff to Leeds and we always take some chunky steak pies from our local butcher for the guys at the foundary. Normally I go along too, but as we have to let Bing out more regularly than our two older girls it was decided that I should stay at home.

Elsie was doing her puppy minding chores - this included sitting next to the settee and observing Bing! Freida was having a rest in the kitchen.

\Jon enjoys the challenge of declining weather conditions, for years he had a landrover and would go off-roading. I despise such weather conditions and was quite on edge about Jon's journey.

Neighbours reported that the roads were bad - again through drifting and the radio traffic update kept mentioning the moor road.

Jon returned home safely after diverting onto the Coast Road.

Fire stoked up, gates shut.

Hens safe ( I can tell it's going to be cold night as they are literally piled together in an effort to keep warm).

In for the Night!
Keep warm.

Neighbourhood Watch

 

 

"A bad neighbor is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a great blessing."

The past few days have seen me more or less hibernating. My car is going nowhere - whilst the roads are clear we fear for the snow drifts which can come from nowhere in no time at all and turn a perfectly visible road into an extension of the ditches which run so dangerously close by. The North York Moors are an incredible landscape and drifts are always to be considered when out driving. Jon's workshop is only a mile away so he has walked to work a couple of days and I as stated have stayed at home.  

I do however pop into next door and see that Ted the Springer has some exercise along with his sister Gem.Our neighbour Emma works long hours at a local nursery so I always switch the heating on half an hour before she is due home and leave a light on. Much better than coming home to dark cold house.

Emma's adjoing neighbour keeps ducks and geese so whilst Ted and Gem are having a run round it is also pleasant to watch the ducks in the stream.

A few nights ago the weather was particularly bad and it took Jon several attempts to reverse the van up the drive. I had cooked a heartwarming casserole and the icing on the cake would have been a bottle of wine.....which we hadn't got........ a neighbour came over with a bottle of wine - so much appreciated after such a gruelling ordeal.

Normally I go walking with another neighbour, Anne. Whilst Bing is now able to go outside for a walk, the mounting amounts of road grit and salt at the sides of the road deem it unfit and dangerous to do so. Ann and I keep in touch daily - so when she asked me if I wanted to go shopping in their 4x4 I jumped at the chance. We didn't hang around in Guisborough and on returning home Malcolm, Ann's husband collected Jon from the workshop at 4pm, saving him another walk home.

Today, Jon managed to get to the workshop but the compound made it really difficult to manoevre the van. Jon parked up the van but needed help to get the snow dug out so he could reverse up to the doors in order to load some railway couplers which he needs to deliver asap. I turnrd to my mobile phone and contacted a couple of my pals from Slimming World who live near to Jon's workshop. Result - Claire's son Zak would help Jon out. Jon nipped home for another shovel and when he returned to the workshop Zak was waiting, with a shovel.

Neighbours.......we are truly blessed!

B is for Bing!

 

 

Here he is.....this morning.

His brain is like a huge sponge absorbing new experiences and happenings

every minute of the day.

 

The name Bing is not as you may be thinking after Bing Crosby, but after a famous manufacturer. 

Bing is a German carburetor manufacturer now named BING Power Systems GmbH located in Nuremberg. The company was founded in 1866 and has a tradition of 75 years of carburetor development and production. Over the years BING took over companies like Erich und Grätz, Fischer-Amal, Pallas, Encarwi , FHN. In 2001 the company S.U. ( Skinner Union ) Birmingham was taken over by BING Power Systems GmbH.

 

Over the next few weeks my ABC Wednesday meme will be based on our little man.

My regular readers have grown to love this cute boy and I make no appologies for photographing him constantly - he is such a BEAUTY!

 

As if by encouragement and fate I have also discovered how to update photographs onto my blog straight from my new mobile phone........so the little man is constantly being captured on the hour every hour! lol......

wanna see some of today's session?

Oh go on then! lol!

 

 

 

 

For more ABC fun follow the link in my sidebar.



Outside and inside today.

View from the kitchen window.

 

 

 Meanwhile...inside the snug. Ella will be here for the duration of the entire day.

 

 

Bing asleep next to where I am sitting on the settee

 

 



 

Freida having some peace by the back door.

 

 





The weather is particularly bad today. Jon managed to drive to the workshop which is only a mile or so away. If conditions deteriorate he isn't too worried as a few weeks ago he helped out a neighbour by making a part for his boiler ensuring they could keep warm as the boiler could function as normal.
The same neighbour happens to have a tractor!

Kettle is on. Marks and Spencer Luxury Gold teabags - a godsend!

Exercise today is housework and a spot of soupmaking thanks to Pat!
Today was to be the first walk on the wildside for Bing, but the snow is deeper than his little legs so we will postpone the event until the weather improves.

Venturing Out.

Our hens do NOT like the snow. Although I open the door to the henhouse they don't often come out.

I put their food down just in front of their shed and once they have eaten sufficient they hop right back inside.

 

Today however they travelled a bit further and came right round to the back garden. I cooked some hot porridge, crushed broken biscuits (left over from a family selection box) corn, grit,  some old soaked bread and some spagetti.

They ate it up and then made their way back to their shed. I locked them in at around 3.30pm. Just as I was closing the door I spotted an egg.

Stars!

Jon and I made a start on our DIY which is now upstairs. Bing has spent most of the day in his cage as we didn't want him rustling around whilst Jon was busy with wires and tools. We regularly let Bing out of his cage so he could have a trot round the garden with Freida, he certainly enjoyed the snow again and is currently snuggling up next to Elsie, next to the settee.

 

 

How's that for instant photography! Taken at 5.01 and shared at 5.02!!!!

Posing in the Snow.

 

Put those eyes away!

On Monday I will be able to take Bing outside, on his lead and I will be taking him to meet my neighbours in the village. We start puppy training on Wednesday afternoon. Should be fun.
I must say how much easier the task of settling in a puppy with the aid of two older dogs has been. He needs to go out frequently for his twinkles and Freida always goes first, Bing follows and they go for a wander round the garden.
He has settled well into his routine and as I type here he is laid on my slippers, snoozing away. He is fed 4 times a day, small portions of high protein puppy food, which ofcourse is 4 times the price of normal dog food but we took advice from the vet. Bing is gaining the necessary weight for his age, so this is good enough for us.
He has his mad half hour then flings himself onto his bed and sleeps away for England.
We bought him a good selection of chews and toys which he uses constantly. Amazingly we didn't buy one thing which he doesn't use, such is his disposition and zest for fun and contentment.
We borrowed a large cage from our neighbour so if we go out, never longer than a few hours, he sleeps inside.
When we first brought him home we took it in turns to sleep downstairs, in the snug which ajoins the kitchen. This was because he was paper trained and we didn't want him to have any accidents. Gradually the amount of times he needed to go outside decreased. Now we let him out last thing at night and he sleeps through until 7am when he needs to go outside, again with Freida or Elsie.
We bring him upstairs for a couple of hours and he sleeps through to getting up.

very pleased indeed.......his bed however (originally Ella's) will soon be too small for him!

A treat!

Jon is really busy at the moment...infact he has been busy since last June. January can be a sluggish month, businesswise but not for Jon Nesbitt Ltd. For those who dont know, Jon is a precision engineer and has his own workshop. The business is now in its 19th year - so proud of him I must say.

Today Jon had to go to collect some material from one of his customers and discuss what they wanted. I went along for the ride. We have a new shop nearby - a Marks & Spencer Simply Food. They do a really nice cup of tea - so Jon suggested we had a cuppa, (my kind of guy!)
He had a scone with clotted cream and jam, ( I had a mouthful! lush - but just a taste thank you!)
Whilst Jon finished his tea I had a quick visit round the shop and came across their current deal.
I dont like belly pork, but it is one of Jon's favourites.

Sorted!

A is for Alsatian.

 

Here is our very own Alsation Bing. He is now approaching 12 weeks.

Last night he had his second vaccination, was micor-chipped and we were given a combined flea/worm treatment which we need to give him next week.

As ever the receptionists made a big fuss about him, as did the vet!

She examined him and informed us he had gained 3.5kg in two and a half weeks, which is good and also that both testicles had dropped!!!!!!!!!

 

 

He is on a special puppyfood which is specifically aimed at larger breeds. High protein for his growing bones.  He has two modes really - a mad half hour then sleep time!

 

 

He is growing by the minute. I can tell by the floor tiles. This was him today....

and the day he arrived

 

 

 

The Alsatian Dog comes from Germany and was bred originally for herding and guarding sheep. It's origins can be dated back to the 1700's.

The Alsatian Dog is also known by the other names of the German Shepherd Dog and the Deutscher Schaferhund.

The advent of the two World Wars influenced the history of this dog.

The association with Germany was unpopular following the wars and the breed was therefore given the name of the Alsatian Wolf Dog after the German-French border area of Alsace-Lorraine.

The term 'Wolf Dog' was then dropped as it was believed that this would also prove to be unpopular. Finally, in 1977, the breed name was changed back to the German Shepherd Dog.

The word Alsatian is often mis-spelt as Alsation.

The Alsatian Dog's coat is normally a shade of solid black, grey, tan, gold and white.

The coat is normally medium, straight and hard. Bing is quite distinguished with his white paws and white mark on his nose.

Dogs in the Herding Group ( sometimes referred to as the Pastoral Group ) include the Alsatian, were developed to perform a variety of tasks relating mainly to the herding of livestock. The types of livestock that these dogs are associated with are quite diverse and include sheep, cattle, reindeer and any other cloven footed animals.

The Herding groups of dogs are eminently suited to these pastoral tasks as many of the breeds have a weatherproof double coat to protect them from the elements when working in severe weather conditions. Their natural abilities have been fully recognised and the initial livestock herding function have been extended to include police work and Search & Rescue amongst other duties.

Bing has done lots of socialising in his 12 weeks. Next week he will start attending puppy socialisation and training classes.

The chickens by the way have met Bing! We dont allow him free run without his lead as his curiosity may lead to a confrontation with Ernest who protects his gals. Ella has also been reminding Bing that she is top kitty in the Nesbitt household!

Another Round of ABC Wednesday commences.
Follow the link on my sidebar to see other contributions and feel free to hop aboard! My theme is Bing! lol. Watch this space!

It's snowing! Edited for Kath!

  Scenes from our village.

The Churchyard

St. Michael's Church

Handale Lane

Moorsholm Lane

The view from our drive

Ronnie's sheep

 

and the little fella gets shown the garden pond by Freida!

 

Not as clear as these were taken on my phone.

Off for his second vaccination at 4pm - well we are setting off at 4. We have to drive (well Jon does) over the moor road!

When does a stash become a hoard?

DIY has started and we are now tackling upstairs. Today, Sunday - a very cold day, ideal for such projects saw Jon working on our bedroom. Modifying the fitted wardrobes so we can optimise the space available.....so stuff needs to be moved...from room....to room......to room!
Somwehere along the line everything seems to end up in one room...the spare bedroom.
Being a brave type ( nay foolish) whilst Jon was working away (and when I wasn't fetching/carrying/locating the tool he had mislaid - there were several!) I took the brave move of opening the spare room door.

Yes there is a fair amount of clearing out to be done......and it would seem I am on the case.
Having thought about it for so long, once I started the rest seemed to fit into place.

I have stashes/piles/heaps of projects and materials I have planned for........last year I started with all good intentions and sewing would seem to be the flavour of the month with me.......
.

but being realistic I know I lose patience with such matters. My flair has been with papercrafts and my wedding stationery is what I really adore and enjoy - and achieve good results too. I have paints which I SHOULD use but never seem to do so. I always enjoyed art but never seem to explore this wonderful medium anymore. I read blogs of people's sewing projects and I always feel inadequate and as though they are part of a little part of paradise I will never discover. Yet I know there are other areas of creativity and art which can bring enjoyment and what is more important to me, contentment so I am going to stop beating myself with the stick of inadequacy and accept we are all good in different areas.

I have stashes, piles nay HOARDS of materials well intended for greater things....I am going to spend time, as I sort, de-clutter and plan for the redecoration of the 3 bedrooms and new bathroom, organising the various treasures and then sell them at a craft fair.

Today I have sorted 2 huge bags of tat and rubbish to go to the tip tomorrow.
Yes DIY is back on track!

Watch this space!

 

Bing....11 weeks and the ears are definitely up!

See the likeness?

 

Watching Questiontime last night I couldn't help thinking I had seen John Prescott elsewhere!