The Spaniel Diaries: The continuing adventures of Billy

The Spaniel Diaries

Well, I am happy to say it’s finally spring! The lighter evenings are finally here although it does mean more training! There are so many nice new smells to sniff and lots of flowers in the garden for me to squash – I love doing that, it drives mum mad when she sees me sitting on a fresh clump of daffodils! She has been busy in the garden these last few weeks and I thought she would appreciate me helping to dig up the flower beds – she didn’t and she’s also found several of my toys stashed in the flowerpots so I shall need to rethink where to hide them out of the reach of Mav’s grubby little paws.

Easter is also fast approaching and I think I shall get mum a chocolate egg, even though she won’t share it with us as chocolate is bad for us dogs – it should remind her to buy us some of our favourite meaty treats!

Our evening walks are getting longer and we are exploring new areas. Mum is careful to ensure new places are safe before we are allowed to run off the lead; my favourite is the woods where the Bluebells are! Mum does have a horrible habit of insisting that we sit in front of the flowers so she can take a photo of us. Although I’m very handsome I’m also shy so I don’t make it easy for her as I like to yawn or close my eyes! Mav has a massive ego though and will sit right in front of me even though he’s not as handsome as me. Mum seems delighted and clicks away, she then shares them with something she calls Faceache – she must be very proud of us as she’s always showing us off and apparently we get loads of ‘likes’ so I must be doing something right!

There’s been lots of work to do on the farm, clearing up the mess the grass munching machines have made over the winter – honestly, you’d think a herd of rhinos has been kept in those fields over the winter, there’s potholes the local county council would be proud of, so Mum has been pottering about – yes, she potters as I think she’s quite old now – and has been using a funny little chuggy machine to tidy up the paddock and make it flat again. I have been useful too – I’ve been locating and digging up mole hills, it really is the most amazing fun. Although I have yet to find a mole I have been doing a service by flattening the muddy little mountains for mum and covering Mav in dirt as he insists on standing behind me trying to see what is going on, now that is very satisfying! Luckily Mum is saving the brunt of the training for Mav as she intends to enter him in a working test soon, she has pretty much given up on the idea of making me do it, she knows that I would show her up! Making a soulful whining sound of which I am ridiculously good at would be enough to put her out of the running and if she thinks I’m putting a disgusting canvas dummy in my mouth she can think again! Mav, however, is such a sneak that he actually enjoys finding the things and bringing them back to mum – I must try to bury some in the garden and see how he gets on with that!

Mum has been getting things ready in the black case thing so it must mean we are going away somewhere soon, she mentioned something called ‘Zummerzet’ and was talking about pubs and cider so I’m hoping this means another week of walkathons! I really can’t wait as the Dartmoor adventure was such fun.

Have a Happy Easter! Jeannette Douglas