A very long weekend

It was a long weekend, and boy was I grateful for this one. We needed the time to adjust to our new one-dog household. Just to give ourselves some space, without obligations. Yesterday we took Gretchen on a short outing to Cygnet. We picked up a few things, popped into a couple of stores that we hadn't been to, had coffee and cake at Lotus Eaters in their nice dog friendly outdoor area. Gretchen is having to get used to being solo dog. Over the weekend she kept looking out the door or around the garden for her missing sister, which was a little heartbreaking. But at least she gets the whole back seat of the car to herself now. We couldn't face going straight back home, so called a kind friend who had offered support and popped in for a chat. It did us both the world of good.

Today we left Gretchen at home alone for a few hours while we headed to the Taste of the Huon. The weather was beautiful, and loads of people came from Hobart and beyond to sample a huge range of food and beverages, a much needed boost for local businesses affected by loss of income during the recent bushfires. We had coffee and doughnuts, sampled some Indonesian fare, bought some local saffron and wine and a take-home pack of ginger beer, then settled down with a Simple Cider to watch a performance artist called Samora Squid pass his entire body through the head of a tennis racket, then swallow a sword. That guy is a true entertainer.

Bärli 30/10/06 - 8/3/19

I'd forgotten how grief creates physical pain. There's now a great aching hole in my heart, shaped like a Bernese Mountain Dog. Yesterday was a very rough day for us, as we said goodbye to our beautiful girl Bärli , after more than 12 wonderful years. I've already said all I wanted to in a post on Facebook, reproduced below, but wanted to share it here too, so that when I print my next annual blog book these beautiful photos of her will shine from the pages. Next, I plan to write down the happy memories, the small things, in case I forget anything. I don't want to forget. RIP my bear.

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Today we said goodbye to our beautiful girl Bärli (“little bear”), originally Zanzebern Q T Pie, aged 12 years and 4 months. That’s a pretty good innings for a Bernese Mountain Dog, but it doesn’t make it any easier to lose her. She was a grand old lady but in the last few days life had become a struggle for her and we had to let her go.
Our late friend Alan once said that I look at Bärli like a mother gazes at her newborn – and he was right. I absolutely adored that dog. She was my first dog and the best cuddle ever. She was funny, gentle and placid with many facial expressions and not an aggressive bone in her large 54kg body. Many people (even folk who know Bernese) mistook her for a male due to her size – she got that from mum Orsa and dad Denzel, both gorgeous Zanzebern dogs. Thank you to breeder Nicole for letting us have her.
Bärli had a happy life, first in Sydney then in Tasmania since 2010 where she got to enjoy the snow like a proper Swiss dog. She loved the water too. And car rides, head out in the wind. We thought we’d lost her a few years back but thanks to some quick action from the kind vets at Southern Tasmanian Vet Hospital we got to enjoy another three years with her. Much of that time she spent on the lounge, as you’ll see in these photos! The second you turned your back she was up there, even during her very last night.
Bärli was on TV, in the paper and magazines and even in an advertisement for chicken coops (see photo). She once won a “greediest dog” competition in a group of around 30 Bernese, because she gobbled up celery and snow pea sprouts that other dogs spat out. She’s had millions of pats and cuddles from us and thousands more from strangers, especially hordes of little girl fans everywhere we went.
Goodbye sweet girl. We love you so much.

 

 

 

Warming the bones

The flannelette sheets are gone from the bed. We're wearing fewer layers of clothing - no more "double pants", as we call it when you wear tights or thermals under your trousers. No more puffy jackets. The sunny days have been perfect for getting outdoors. We've had to start watering in the garden again, which I kind of enjoy doing in the longer evenings after dinner. Yesterday, we were able to tick a job off the list that required a dry and sunny weekend: staining the chook shed to protect the wood from the elements.

Every single one of our young fruit trees has flowered this year: the quince, the medlar, the plums, the peach, the cherries, apples, pears and even the apricot tree that we've had no luck at all with so far.

 And best of all - the warmer weather is perfect for a beer in the garden with the dogs at the end of a day of getting stuff done. Hard to beat.

Where's the snow?

The forecast for winter in Tasmania this year was "a little warmer and a little wetter". We've hit August with no snow so far, other than a few flakes mixed in with rain one afternoon. None that has settled on the ground anyway, unlike last year. The ground at our place is pretty soggy and it's a bit muddy around the chook shed, where the girls have scratched up all the grass and leaves. I won't say it's been warm, but we've certainly enjoyed the winter sun and plenty of rainbows. Dear old Baerli can't walk far now, but we've still enjoyed a few cafe lunches outdoors with the girls. I am certain the snow is yet to come...

Dover Seafest

The sun shone and the crowds turned out for Dover Seafest on Easter Saturday, the first one in 18 years apparently. We took the dogs down for a couple of hours and met lots of friendly locals and visitors who came up for a pat - or even a selfie. It was a lovely outing, with busy food and drink stalls, entertainment, kids activities and of course water based action including rowing and sailing. The queue for Masaaki's Sushi was huge (as usual), so we had a pale ale from Devils Brewery and a delicious burger, followed by a good old flake cone from Huon Valley Soft Serve. Then we all had to go home for a lie down, especially the dogs, who were all patted and cuddled out.

Curious chickens

Currently we have eight pullets living in the chook tractor in the orchard. They are very curious creatures. When I open the door of the house, they hear me coming and all run to greet me. They follow me up and down the run. The dogs like to sniff at them through the fence (I still don't trust the the dogs not to chase) but the funny thing is - the curiosity is mutual. The chickens come over to the dogs and peer at them. On a frosty morning this week, Baerli came with me to feed the girls and had a chat with them while she was there.

Fleeting snow

The forecast was for snow down to 400 metres. We settled in on the lounge to watch a movie (Hunt for the Wilderpeople - highly recommend) and by the time it was over the flakes were falling thick and fast and the garden furniture had a lovely dusting of snow. This afternoon, the snow is melting and clumps of it are falling off the roof with a great thud. The first snow of the year won't last long but it was pretty! And the dogs love it.

Summer dogs

On this last day of summer, I thought I'd share a few photos of our beautiful girls and what they got up to over summer. Just because... well, they are beautiful. And so was summer.

A long awaited return to Kingston Dog Beach

Swim, roll in sand, repeat

Making friends on Australia Day in Franklin

Cooling off in the Huon River

Hanging out in the evening sun

Waiting to be handed a snow pea through the fence

Coffee break with lap dog

This is known as dog sandwich. Best cuddle ever.

Australia Day 2017 in Franklin

Huon Valley Council has been rotating the location of its annual Australia Day breakfast, awards and market through different towns and villages in the valley. This year it was Franklin's turn. Our dear old dog Baerli can't walk far now, but we thought she would make it around the oval, so we decided to head down the hill for it. It was a beautiful summery day along the river. Locals were taking fruit picking backpackers out rowing. It took us a long time to get around the market stands on the oval because so many people stopped us to ask what breed the dogs are (no not Burmese Mountain Dogs, they are Bernese, you know, from Bern in Switzerland) and pat and cuddle them. Little girls especially seem to love the dogs, it's so sweet. On the way around we gobbled a gorgeous sourdough doughnut with raspberry jam and a coffee. I feel a bit ambivalent about Australia Day, but it was nice to see some newly minted Australian citizens proudly holding their certificates and smiling for photographs.

Happy birthday, dear old girl

Our Bärli is 10 today! We don’t normally celebrate dog birthdays, but 10 years is a major milestone for a Bernese Mountain Dog. Bärli is the sweetest natured dog, easy going and gentle – though increasingly stubborn as she gets older! Her vast repertoire of facial expressions makes us laugh every day. We thought we might lose her a year ago, but an operation to remove her spleen (with haematoma) and a tumour in her mouth, then another to remove a lump on her side, gave us another year of love and cuddles. She can’t walk so well anymore, but she has a happy life with twice-daily brief frisks and plenty of time on the lounge.

When we got her, she weighed 4 kilograms. Now, she is 50+ kilos. Her name (pronounced like 'barely') means 'small bear' in some parts of Germany and Switzerland and it turned out to be accurate. Happy birthday, dear old Bär.

Wine and dogs do mix

At Wobbly Boot Vineyard they do, anyway!

What a lovely idea: invite dog owners to bring their furry four-legged friends and walk/play/romp through the vines, glass of beautiful Tassie Pinot noir in hand, to raise money for local animal welfare organisations. On Sunday we took the girls for a drive to the other side of Hobart to do just that. It was a terrific day out. One fenced in vineyard was designated for "big dogs" and another for "little dogs". Everyone played nicely together and enjoyed the sunny winter's day. There was hot soup available and some people brought a picnic or some sausages to barbecue. All with beautiful views of the Coal River Valley as a backdrop. A photographer was there to capture all the happy pups. It was good to see the media coverage of the event too.

This was the second 'Wine and Woofs' and the owners of the vineyard now say it will be a quarterly event. This time the entry fee went to Small Paws Animal Rescue, an organisation that our local Huon Valley Dog Walking Association has also supported in the past. Sign up to Wobbly Boot's Facebook page to find out when the next one is on.