Archive for the ‘animals’ Category
Pets on My Travels
Posted on: November 28, 2022
- In: animals | Dot | Family | Travel
- 90 Comments
As much as I love to travel and visit my family and friends, I always miss my two doggies Dot and Lia. Fortunately, there are pets at many of the places I visit. Here are a few pictures of the pets I spent time with while in Canada in September.
Brandy, a Golden Labrador/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. A real sweetheart.
Brandy in her yard playing ball.
Come on, throw the ball.
Grandpuppy Petite on Mudge Island
Grandkitty, Bimbay on Mudge Island
Lexi, the oldest of my Granddaughter’s pets, enjoying a sunny day.
Mandy the Newfoundland dog. A big cuddly teddy bear.
Mandy, the guard dog.
Roni, another of my granddaughter’s pets. Those eyes!
Me and my buddy Roni
And there are many cats as well. This is Earl Grey. The coolest cat ever and I love his name.
We can’t forget the goats. Did I mention my granddaughter loves animals? I didn’t get pictures of all of them either.
Beelzebub, my grandson’s newly acquired pet who seems very happy with his new home.
Lola, my son’s family pug. Another cutie.
Willow, an Australian Shepherd. A special dog for a special girl in Vancouver.
Well, not really a pet, but my great granddaughter’s badger Halloween costume.
How about an awesome cake that looks like a pet?
So you can see I had many pets to keep me company until I came home to these two.
Return to the Isle of Arran
Posted on: August 31, 2022
- In: animals | Inspiration | Travel
- 91 Comments
So many times I visit a place, fall in love, and vow to return one day (which seldom happens). Imagine how happy I was when an invitation to return to the amazing Isle of Arran in Scotland was extended to me. I have just returned from this magical place where I spent six days with four inspiring writers. Here are just a few pictures of the gorgeous scenery and special sites I visited.
I also visited a castle and a museum but will save those pictures for another post. The Isle of Arran has become my happy place and I am so fortunate to have been able to return. I wrote about my visit last year here.
In case you are wondering, we did get a lot of writing done, with many lively discussions about writing and publishing. I also collected great ideas for my work in progress.
More to come.
Good News and Dogs
Posted on: June 6, 2022
- In: animals | Dot | friends
- 106 Comments
This could easily be our house.
One of my blogging buddies, John Howell, posts good news on Fridays, which always makes my day. We are bombarded with so much bad news and negativity, that good news is so welcome. Here is a good news story about dogs he recently posted https://johnwhowell.com/2022/05/27/friday-johnku-aka-tgif-fri-yay-good-news-16/
John has two adorable dogs himself, Lucy and Twiggy, who write their own post every week. Check out John’s blog to read more about them. He is also the author of some very good books.
Speaking of good news, I want to share an incredible story posted in one of our local papers here in Spain. It is a story about Zeppelin, (Zep) a dog who showed up at a local animal rescue shelter. He was a friendly dog, well behaved and popular with the volunteers. The shelter was eagerly looking for him to be adopted. Two months later, a woman and her family came in looking to adopt a dog.
A burglar had broken into their home two months earlier and had stolen everything. Even the dog was gone. They assumed the burglar had killed him. They had had a very bad year and were obviously depressed. All their things had been stolen, their dog was dead and their father had passed away a year earlier. After two months they decided to adopt another dog to help ease the pain. When they went to the local animal shelter, who did they see but Zeppelin. They all shouted, “That’s our dog!” There was Zep, alive and well and happy to see them.
It was reported that there weren’t enough tissues that day at the shelter!
Doesn`t that just make your heart melt?
As many of you know, we have two rescue dogs. We adopted Dot six years ago and added Lia to our family a little over a year ago. We love them to bits and there is never a dull moment with them. Here are a few pictures of them.
You may think all they do is sleep, but it is the only time I can get a good picture!
They spend a lot of time barking at nothing.
Do you have any good news or dog stories to share?
- In: animals | History | Spain | Travel
- 72 Comments
I love horses and enjoy equestrian events. I was delighted to spend a day in the town of Caravaca de la Cruz during the annual Caballos del Vino Fiesta. The horses were proudly paraded around town in all their splendour, the streets teamed with local families wearing black, white and red outfits, Knights Templar, Moors and Christians mingled and various bands played. The air was filled with excitement.
At one point I became stuck in the middle of a parade on a narrow side street. I had no choice but to join in and dance along with everyone else as we followed the band. So much fun.
The main event is held later in the day when the wine horses race up the side of the mountain accompanied by four horsemen on foot. The horse with horsemen that arrives at the top in the fastest time, is declared the winner. Should one of the horsemen let go before reaching the top, the horse is disqualified.
Why do they do this? Like most things in Spain, it is based on a legend. Legend has it that during the time the Castle of Caravaca was besieged by Muslim troops, the Knights Templar went in search of water for the starving citizens. They only found wine. Dodging the enemy, they raced up the mountain beside their horses loaded with filled wineskins. They were considered heroes and their horses were decorated in appreciation. This tradition is now carried on as a competition once a year at the beginning of May.
The horses and their elaborate silk mantles, embroidered with fine gold thread, are the central focus of the festival. Each mantle can take a whole year to make and cost thousands of euros. There are prizes for the best-decorated horses as well. It was hard to pick which one was my favourite.
We did not stay to watch the race as it can be dangerous for spectators, but I did watch part of it on a big screen TV at the restaurant where we enjoyed a paella lunch.
What an amazing event. One I was glad to have attended and will not forget.
There are some great YouTube videos of the event. Here’s one:
Sweet Valentine
Posted on: February 14, 2022
- In: animals | short stories
- 33 Comments
A perfect short story by Pam at https://butterflysand.com/ for Valentine´s Day, featuring a Maine coon cat. If you´ve read Amanda in England: The Missing Novel, you might recall the Maine coon Rupert in the book. Enjoy! Happy Valentine´s Day to all.
Madeline stood across the street for a moment thinking about what she was about to do. She had always considered herself an intelligent woman; she had a good career and a lovely new home. She believed that she was mildly attractive. And yet, she was lonely. Her divorce had come through a few weeks ago, just before a job offer here, in what for her was a new town. She had no family and no friends nearby. Essentially, she was starting her life over. Alright, she thought. Change is in the air. Let’s do it! She squared her shoulders and crossed the street to the Pet Adoption Agency.
When Madeline entered, a young woman behind the desk immediately looked up and smiled. A huge, tabby, feline-like creature also looked up, yawned and promptly went back to sleep. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed just a very large cat. He…
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- In: animals | Christmas | Dot
- 60 Comments
Hi everyone. Dot here. This is my sixth Christmas in my forever home and I’m looking forward to it. At least Mom hasn’t tried to put those silly reindeer antlers on me again. Mom decorated the tree and put up stockings for me and the little terror, I mean Lia. I’m trying hard to be good so that Santa brings me something nice. I hope he remembers I don’t like squeaky toys. I like bones to chew but sometimes Lia takes them away from me. (Even though she has one of her own) That’s crazy little sisters for you.
Dad put sparkly lights outside. We like Dad. He takes us along for coffee and if it’s cold we wear our coats.
This is Lia. I’ve never written a Christmas letter before. They tell me to be good because if I am, some guy named Santa will come and bring presents. I don’t know anything about this Christmas they keep talking about. Dad brought a tree into the house and Mom hung shiny things on it. I didn’t think trees belonged in a house, but this one doesn’t smell like the trees in the forest. I like living in a house. It’s cosy and warm and there are three blankets on the bed for me to cuddle up in. I guess one is supposed to be for Dot. The bowl is full of yummy food and I get to run on the beach with Dot. I’ve made other friends too when we go for walks. I used to bark at them until I realized they weren’t going to hurt me even if they are much bigger than me. I hope there will be treats for Christmas, whatever that is. Dad gives all of us treats if we are good. Maybe he is like this Santa Claus they keep talking about. I’m trying very hard to be good. Honest.
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you get many treats and lots of cuddles!
Here is something from all of us. Well, Lia wouldn’t sit still long enough to be in the video.
https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/feliz_navidad/478d81d8-b35e-4789-b9ca-1714d6aed07e
Love, Dot and Lia
The Love of Pets
Posted on: October 16, 2021
- In: animals | Dot | Family | Travel
- 98 Comments
I missed my two fur babies while I was away, but they were safe at home with hubby. Fortunately, everywhere I went, pets were available to cuddle, play with and walk. My granddaughter has a menagerie of animals at her place. Here’s a few pictures of the pets I spent time with.
She even has goats to play with.
I got to walk my friend’s granddogs too.
But I was very happy to come home to my two girls.
The Incredible Isle of Arran
Posted on: September 3, 2021
- In: animals | History | Travel | Writing
- 116 Comments
I finally got away for a few days! I was fortunate to visit the Isle of Arran, in Scotland. The island is a magical place with lovely beaches, manor houses, castles, old churches, standing stones, charming coffee shops, art galleries and lots of sheep. There is a story around every corner. I went to meet writer friends, do some writing and chill. I did all of that and more. I expected rain and got sunshine. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of how wonderful Arran Island is.
It was a wonderful getaway, just what I needed. I returned home inspired.
Now I’m getting ready to go back to Canada, to see my family after two long years.
Note: Most of the pictures are mine but a couple may or may not have been taken by a writer friend who knows I like sheep.
Just Released! Amanda in Malta
Posted on: May 22, 2021
- In: animals | Blog Launch Tour | Books
- 14 Comments
The virtual book tour is moving right along. Today I am a guest on Anne Mehrling’s blog where I talk about some of the animals in my stories. Anne blogs about life in the mountains of North Carolina with humour and great pictures. She also writes about living in England for two years with her husband and then young children. Very entertaining.
An exciting new book, Amanda in Malta, by my friend Darlene Foster has just been released. Instead of a regular book tour, she is having a virtual tour via blog posts. You can participate just by reading this!
Amanda in Malta is the eighth book in the Amanda Travel series. Amanda receives a postcard from her best friend, Leah, and is surprised to learn that she is in Malta with her aunt. Reading between the lines, she senses Leah is in trouble. Desperate to help her, Amanda travels to Malta with her classmate Caleb and his parents. Amanda is intrigued by this exotic island in the middle of the Mediterranean, full of colourful history, sun-drenched limestone fortresses, stunning beaches and fascinating birds. But…who is killing the protected birds? Who stole a priceless artifact from the museum? And why is Leah acting so strange? She couldn’t possibly be involved in these…
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An Addition to the Family
Posted on: February 8, 2021
- In: animals | Dot | Family
- 90 Comments
Although some of you already know about this, I´m so excited to share this news. After some consideration, we adopted another dog, a little sister for Dot! Her name is Lia, she is three years old and a bodeguero, the same breed as our Dot. She is a bundle of energy and a real sweetheart. Dot is starting to get used to having her around. Like all new parents, we have taken tons of pictures.
Having fun at the beach.
You can be sure there will be more pictures!
Darlene Foster's Blog 