The last week has been a heady whirl of glamorous parties, premieres, photo shoots, and jet setting off to Monaco to sip truffle daiquiris on a super yacht with Caroline and the lads . . . No wait, that’s someone else’s life.
In mine, Husband returned and we spent the next three days making sweet sweet [...]
Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
Stunt Double Ball
Posted in Family, tagged ball, curly coat retriever, dog, henderson, household items, opposable thumbs, tennis ball, tools, ultimate extraction device, westcity on 09/10/2009 | Leave a Comment »
I was halfway down the road with dog and walking boots in the car, when I realized we had forgotten something. By ‘we’, I don’t usually hold Jed accountable for household items. However, in this instance I am referring to Ball, which is primarily Jed’s responsibility.
Ball’s habitual residence is clamped in Jed’s jaws. Where Jed [...]
Action shots
Posted in Family on 17/09/2009 | 6 Comments »
New Zealand is casting off the shackles of winter and making a naked dash for the summer border. Our puppy/dog is entering fully into the spirit of spring – although it helps when he has Ball.
Jed lines up Ball.
Jed engages the bat ears to assist retrieval.
It’s getting away!
So yes he can jump.
Two seconds before a [...]
Snarfles
Posted in Family, New Zealand, tagged curly coat retriever, jed, slobber chops, snarf monster, snarfles, snarfly snarfles, tug on 09/07/2009 | 3 Comments »
I’ve been a bit slack about submitting photographic evidence recently, sorry.
More apologies, this time for the lack of exposure both clothes and technique-wise. At least this pic gives an idea of scale. Meet: Hulk Dog. I managed to wrestle Jed onto the weighing scales yesterday. It was difficult to get an accurate measurement because he [...]
Stale smells up here often come from down there
Posted in Family, New Zealand, Weird, tagged canine aroma, carpet, carpet freshener, dog smells, glade, jenny logan, put the freshness back, risk of death, shake n vac, stain, toxic on 08/07/2009 | 5 Comments »
A futile exercise – on the same scale as trying to teach Jed to bark ‘Happy Birthday’ – is keeping the house clean with a dog. Approximately three seconds after hoovering/mopping, the floor is covered in shredded twigs, earth-sculptures of paw-prints, half-chewed pig’s ears and the entrails of various stuffed toys and electronic items.
I had [...]
Smoochy pooch
Posted in Family, Hunka husband, tagged curly coat retriever, jed, prey model, puppy, raw food diet, raw meat, the wild on 18/03/2009 | 5 Comments »
After only four weeks, I cannot imagine Jed not being part of my life. Yet there are still occasions when he feels like an intruder (usually after he piddles all over the landing carpet).
I still struggle with the weighty responsibility of being a dog owner. As an immature Shaw, I cared for (in the loosest possible sense) a series of goldfish, most of [...]
So, it seems a dog WILL starve itself
Posted in Family, tagged curly coat retriever, eukanuba, puppy biscuits, puppy won't eat, won't starve himself on 08/03/2009 | 1 Comment »
On the biscuit-entree diet, Jed has been eating just enough to stay alive. TECHNICALLY, I suppose one could argue that he wasn’t starving himself.
However, in two weeks the puppy who previously packed on an average of a kilo per week put on no weight at all, so realistically: he was starving himself.
As per the vet’s orders, [...]
One man and his dog
Posted in Family, Hunka husband, tagged curly coat retriever, curly coated, curlycoat, liver, puppy, retriever on 03/03/2009 | 2 Comments »
Cruelty to animals: Husband attempts to pull off Jed’s ear.
Call the RSPCH: Jed gets his own back
The Battle of the Biscuits
Posted in Family, Hunka husband, New Zealand, Outlaws, tagged anxiety, curly coat retriever, not eating, picky eater, refuses to eat, stress, won't eat on 02/03/2009 | 7 Comments »
Garry the Vet advised a gradual transition to puppy biscuits by incorporating them into Jed’s current diet and gradually increasing the measures.
One problem with this was that Jed did not really have a ‘current diet’ as such. I have no idea what his breeder fed him originally. During the week he spent at the outlaws’ farm he [...]
Prepare to be brutalised by overwhelming CUTENESS
Posted in Family, tagged curly coat retriever, curly coated retriever, curlycoat, puppy on 21/02/2009 | 11 Comments »
Please note: this site accepts no responsibity for extreme physical reactions or noise pollution emitted by you or any persons in the immediate vicinity that may result in viewing the following images. Viewing is undertaken at viewer’s own risk.
Introducing Jed, the newest addition to our family. He is a curly coat retriever, 16 weeks old, 15kg, and criminally adorable.
Jed [...]
Sobriety: elusive
Posted in Family, tagged auckland, auckland airport, boarding, flight, pacific blue on 20/02/2009 | Leave a Comment »
We flew to South Island yesterday, which explains the dearth of blog posts – not being in South Island so much as the volume and quantity of Stepfather-In-Law’s G&Ts. It is also the occasion of Sister-In-Law’s 40th birthday. Realistically, I aim to be vaguely sober again by Tuesday.
At Auckland Airport, about to board the airplane:
Husband: [...]
Photos and rare footage from Woodhill
Posted in Family, Hunka husband, New Zealand, tagged auckland, bicycle, bike park, biking, cycle, cycle track, cycling, jump, mountain bike, New Zealand, north island, stunt, woodhill on 25/01/2009 | 7 Comments »
Husband surfs a thermal
Speedfreak
Husband dodges charging pinecone. Don’t be fooled by the fingers on the brakes – there is no evidence (photographic or otherwise) of him EVER pressing them into service for anything other than hanging his helmet from
See, Husband does occasionally smile. Think he mistook the camera for a trick flower
Here, Husband is smiling [...]
Strictly automatic
Posted in Family, Hunka husband, New Zealand, tagged 450d, 55-200mm, basic zone, canon, focus, lens, micro, oamaru, portrait, sand sketches, south island, strictly automatic, tea leaf art, toxin, untraceable poison, zoom on 28/12/2008 | 7 Comments »
I got a Canon 450D for Christmas as partial settlement under the terms and conditions of the Gift Trade Agreement (GTA). Unfortunately it was too bulky to flash on the back of a motorbike, so Christmas Eve was the first chance to use it.
I have only a 55-200mm lens – which means a lot more to me now than it [...]
Lemmings
Posted in Family, Ireland, tagged acid rain, addict, addiction, alcohol, arcade, bank robber, chocolate, commodor 64, computer game, drugs, frogger, gambling, ginger snaps, killer sudoku, lemmings, minesweeper, old, pong, solitaire, tetris, vic 20, vic20 on 18/11/2008 | 2 Comments »
I have an addictive personality. At the age of six I impersonated a lemur for four months. I’ve avoided serious addictions like gambling (marrying Husband was a MEASURED RISK), alcohol (except on social occasions) and hard drugs (unless you count chocolate or cheese – which I never have). You don’t need these crutches when you [...]
Post match analysis by Ceara, age 5
Posted in Family, Ireland, tagged all blacks, Ireland, rugby on 16/11/2008 | 9 Comments »
Unfortunately, I missed the Ireland v All Blacks rugby match this afternoon. I was barricaded in bed staving off flu symptoms with a hot water bottle, three packs of Strepsils and a heavy book.
Later, I followed the scent of food to the kitchen, where Ceara was eating her dinner. By the sink, Grampa discussed the [...]
Good Housekeeping
Posted in Family, Ireland, Recipes, tagged angels on horseback, archaic, brains, bramble jelly, bubble and squeak, burgundy, cakes, calf's foot jelly, coddled egg, cookery book, crab apple jelly, drop scone, gingerbread men, good housekeeping, goose, gooseberry fool, grouse, how to boil an egg, jugged hare, lemon merangue pie, muffins, old fashioned, ox tongue, pavlova, pears in port, pickled, pig's head, pigeon casserole, pork trotter, rabbit stew, recipe, sheep's eyeballs, sherry trifle, spotted dick, steak and kidney pudding, stuffed sheep's heart, toad in the hole, vol au vent on 15/11/2008 | 2 Comments »
Mum’s cookery book is 40 years old. It was given to her as an engagement present in 1968. ‘Good Housekeeping’s Cookery Book’ is about the size of a telephone directory. If it ever had a sleeve, it was lost long ago. The cover is cardboard, scuffed and stained, bound with duct tape. It smells old [...]
Obscene jelly
Posted in Family, Weird, tagged extreme, filter, obscene, site blocker, spam on 12/11/2008 | 3 Comments »
Just back from a quick trip across the country to visit my rellies in Co Kilkenny. I tried to update Deadlyjelly – really. However, my uncle’s Internet Provider helpfully supplies site blocking software to spare them the likes of Juicygirls. When I attempted to access Deadlyjelly, the site was blocked for being ‘obscene’ and ‘extreme’.
I [...]
Special people
Posted in Family, Ireland, tagged bearhug, cannonball on 09/11/2008 | Leave a Comment »
Ceara: <runs at me, five feet away: launches herself in the air, tucks in her legs, hits me in the midriff>
Niamh: Oof!
Ceara: Yay! Hug!
Niamh: Grr!
Ceara: That’s a bearhug. Isn’t it, Auntie Niamh?
Niamh: Yes. I only give them to VERY special people.
Ceara: Special people . . . and daddy.
Niamh: Yeah, him too
Filthy, disturbing images
Posted in Family, Ireland, tagged compress, computer, crop, disturbing images, electronic savannah, filthy, houses of parliament, images, juicy girls, laptop, multiple, pc, pervert, phish, phishing, reduce, resize, take up smoking, windows explorer on 06/11/2008 | 3 Comments »
[NB If you are a PERVERT, will you ever put that thing away RIGHT NOW, and go and play some hockey or take up smoking or something. The post will REFER to filthy, disturbing images ONLY. No filthy, disturbing images will be reproduced on this site.]
When I am home, I often supervise my parents’ adventures [...]
Lesson 1: how to slice with a ski pole
Posted in Family, Ireland, tagged acoose, ballaghbeama, bridha valley, caher, cairn, cumeen na peiste, cumeenmore, curraghmore, dingle peninsula, intrepid explorer, kerry, kerry way, lack road, lake, magilicuddy reeks, mountain, snow, tramp, walk, wicklow mountains on 01/11/2008 | 4 Comments »
Intrepid explorer (don’t be fooled by the beanie)
After days of rain in Kenmare, and snow up country resulting in the daring rescue of a busload of tourists from the Wicklow mountains, this morning was a surprise.
The day was lovely and bright and crispy. Dad and I decided to walk up the Lack Road from the [...]
Even the wedding cake was in tiers
Posted in Family, Friends, Ireland, tagged bridesmaid, bridezilla, fondant, icing, royal, tier, wedding, wedding cake on 14/10/2008 | 3 Comments »
Shortly before Husband and I left New Zealand, Róisín called me.
“You know your mother?” she said.
“My, er, mother,” I repeated. Róisín’s conversational gambits are often challenging, but this was exceptionally quirky even for her.
“Woman who gave birth to you.”
“Oh, her. Well, can you ever really KNOW someone?” I said, playing for time.
“Ok look, how good [...]
Pathologically kind
Posted in Family, Hunka husband, Ireland, tagged breakdown, cork airport, hubcap, jack, nissan micra, rust, samaritan, saviour, spanner, spare, tyre, vintage car on 08/10/2008 | 5 Comments »
On the way to collect Husband at Cork airport this morning, what should I get but a flat tyre. (After two weeks in Ireland, this pattern of speech is now second nature.)
When I say ‘flat’, it is probably more accurately described as ‘shredded all to cock’; and similarly, the word ‘tyre’ should be ‘stringy bits [...]
No no not at all no
Posted in Family, Ireland, tagged grammar, idiom, irish, language, structure on 05/10/2008 | 4 Comments »
The other day, the family was invited out by a couple in Dad’s parish. Dinner was spicy peppered carrot soup, fresh heads of cauliflower in cheese sauce and boiled potatoes bursting out of their jackets. Maureen had made me nutroast, and served up a portion that would have kept a family of squirrels obese for [...]
My country
Posted in Family, Friends, Ireland, tagged banshee, beara peninsula, beara way, black valley, blackberry, bunane, castle rock, cummeenduff, curraghmore, elements, fairies, fairy, farranfore, folklore, fuschia, inclement, Ireland, kerry airport, kerry way, killarney, lackabane, legend, leprechaun, macgillycuddy, map, myth, old kenmare road, old killarney road, ordnance survey, reeks, ring of kerry, tarmac, torc, tourism, weather, windy gap on 04/10/2008 | 5 Comments »
Of all the countries I’ve lived or visited, I love Ireland best. Perhaps I always will.
Of course, I am shamelessly biased. Partly I find comfort in the familiar; or it may have something to do with the smell. That is what first hit me fresh off the plane at Kerry Airport; specifically, the bucolic bouquet [...]
Reign of terror
Posted in Family, Ireland, tagged Family, niece, babysitting, baby sitting, to bed, bed time, story, psychological warfare, emotional blackmail, torture, resources, manoeuvre, tactic, offensive on 03/10/2008 | 3 Comments »
The battle was long and arduous. At least one of us was in tears at any given moment, and I’m sorry to say that most of the time it was me. I had experience and physical presence, but she had guile and stamina.
She was focussed and absolutely remorseless, employing a wide range of tactical manoeuvres. [...]
Train please, God
Posted in Family, tagged amen, cement, Family, god, green park, heavy vehicle, london, northfield, pray, psychic, relatives, religion, train, truck, waters on 30/09/2008 | 1 Comment »
I called my cousin Michelle, and arranged to meet her at Green Park.
“You’re dragging Michelle and her baby in to the center of London?” said Róisín in disbelief.
“What are you on about? She’s used to it.”
By the time Róisín had finished with me I called Michelle in a torment of guilty anguish, and accepted her [...]
Creative outlet
Posted in Family, Ireland, tagged artificial hip, artificial joint, dad, hip replacement on 14/10/2006 | Leave a Comment »
My Old Crusty was discharged from hospital last week after hip replacement surgery. Last time I spoke to him, he’d been moved to a public ward and sounded a bit dejected. Apparently his private room was required for some ‘old boy’. He perked up a bit when I pointed out that he was evidently considered [...]
