The Brass Band - update

Delila's little ones were outside their ark enoying the spring sunshine yesterday but soon as I appeared with the means to show you all how tiny they are (4 days old only) ma shepherded them all inside again. And today there was no sunshine so not outside piglets. So watch this space - you wll seem them one day soon....

Update on the blackbird

The black bird has hatchlings - since Friday they been increasing - mum & dad blackbird now spending every minute filling their beaks with worms & feeding the little ones. Pictures to follow ... noisy but keeping Rocco company in his stable.....

BREAKING NEWS---BREAKING NEWS---BREAKING NEWS

To Delila & Samson this afternoon their 10th little litter... at least 8 by 2.30pm.... full story, pictures and details to follow when she's had a chance to recover..... she certainly picked a warm day for it. I think we might call them The Buglers since it is Bugler's first birthday today.. but the Big Boss suggests maybe The Brass Band would provide more flexibility!!!!!
More to follow...............

Update on The New Diet

"HELLO...*bounces up & down & swings round* HELLO... ANYBODY OUT THERE?
*Bounce, Bounce, Bounce, Bounce*
Oh well... s'pose I just carry on in case anyone listenin... or I could go and have a sniff around in the corners, see if I can find a mouse.... or two..
*rolls over and over a couple of times....*

"Listen, young lad, you my #1 Understudy so you gotta take this a little bit serious... keep tellin your story - someone out there will be tunin in - today, or tomorrow -- or sometime.
The trick is just to be yourself & say what's on your mind. OK?
"Yep, OK, got that..... *scratches ears & turns round a couple of times*

 "SO HERE'S THE STORY SO FAR"  Oooops, sorry, forgot - 'No Shoutin'.. Gunnerboss says it aint polite....whatever that is.... or isn't..
Well, since I in charge of reportin on the New Raw Meat diet, here goes. *Puts on Serious Face*
We been enjoyin this new feedin, for, uhh? , 4 weeks or so I s'pose.  I'm lovin it - 'cept a little more (anyone listenin???) would not go amiss.
We get tasty oxheart, and chewy lungs (they're AmAzin but the #2 Understudy won't eat them - I call him soft - but not when Anyone Important is listenin) and tripe and all kinds of bones and Chicken carcase - our totalest favourite........ and lots of raw veg chopped up with it and even eggles sometimes. Now, me, I'll eat anythin. In fact, I do eat anythin and faster than anyone notices. - here one moment - then pffft All Gone. *Rushes to check bowl* . Yep,as I thought, allll gone - in no time at all. What was  I saying.... ? *Scratches behind ear & licks under tail*
Ah yes -  four weeks in to our new diet.... and me and the lad Bugler doin' well and lovin' it but did I say, a little more would be welcome? Did I mention that already?  I mean, a few gulps and it gone is not enough for a young dog. What? It is? Who said that? Not my tummy. If anybody's listenin' I could eat two times as much - no, maybe three times would be better.......

 

I has to report though that it not all plain sailing. Me and the lad not had any problems. But the Gunnerboss.... Oh Boy! Did he have a problem. He much much much older than we is and he not ever had bones before so it all been a big change.... and he got hugest gnashers so he really can chew them bones. So, what's he do but eat all his bones up, down to the lastest little piece. He do love them so. By half way through week 3 he began to look a little peaky and by the end of that week he definitely did not look hisself at all - not a bit. And me and the lad did notice it been a while since he made his mark, so to say..... *Scratches armpit frantically with back paw* (and, no it aint fleas, we been doused 'gainst those pesky things). Then we did notice he began goin' & hidin' hisself and strainin' very hard and often with a dull look in his face. Well, after a couple more days of this when he even Stopped Eatin' proper, She (Who Must Be Obeyed - and I is tryin' very hard to obey Her) took him to that lovely vetman who we all love and drool over and roll on the floor for..... And you know what He said - Do not Larf (no, He didn't say that, I said that), Do not larf - there I said it again in case, if you're listenin, you didn't hear first time....... Where was I? Oh yes: He said Gunnerboss had "Eaten Too Many Bones". Too many bones. I didn't know there was such a thing as Too many Bones. And the Too Many Bones had bunged Gunnerboss's poopin' machine up! Well, no wonder he had a strange look in his eyes!

So, guess what the Vetman did? Nah. You'll never guess. I'll tell you. He told Her WMBO to bring him back later in the day to be made sleepy so that he could have his machine flushed to get rid of all the bits of bones which were jammin' it up. She WMBO gave it a posh name..... Now, what was it? *Scratches head frantically*. Ah, yes, that was it - colonic irrigation. She says lots of peeps have it - no wonder some of them have such strange looks on their faces....... Peeps is just wierd. Mind you, it did the trick for Gunnerboss..... he was back to his old self the next mornin and poopin like a good 'un. And now none of us is allowed to have Too Many Bones!
But when we was eatin' our lunch today (tripe and cauliflower if you want to know) a Dragon (that's what She WMBO always call strange men with big parcels) turned up with 4 big boxes of ------ Tarararara ...... Chickie carcases. 'Cos the vetman told Her WMBO that they's bones that won't bung our machines up. Wahay. I love chickie carcase bestest of all things .... well, nearly, cos I do like everythin' else too.  But I heard Her WMBO tellin' the Big Boss that She got 160 chickie carcases in the freezer now so I don't think I gonna go too short.....
And since this is my job.... I shall keep you all posted on how long they last....... Bye for now *rushes out of room to check if freezer door open*.

PS to the previous

Mrs Blackbird still sitting on her nest being fed intermittently by Mr Blackbird..... every now and then we get worried because there is nobody sitting on the nest for ages..... the swallows are flitting around looking for where to build their nest - will be interesting to see if they go anywhere near the blackbird....

Mrs Blackbird

Proud mother-to-be

A very bad photo I know but here's the young lady responsible for all that nest building. All this week she has been firmly ensconced in her creation, loftily observing life's little rituals below her. Rocco's totally unphased by her presence, the Bestest Gundog uses every opportunity to tell me "there's a bird up there" and Linda & I feel slightly embarrassed to be mucking out and disturbing her peace.
Which will not last long. When the eggs hatch, it'll be endless screeching as the little ones yell for increasing amounts of food to make them strong enough to leave the nest. When a whole load of other problems begin - not least surviving in a world of dogs' prying noses for long enough to learn to fly properly and get out of harm's way.