Shake a leg mother nature! cheer us up.

I'm out looking for signs ! something to enthuse
And convince me that spring is here!


And despite the grey sky and sodden ground,,
And the deep chill i think i found some.

Yes i did xx hip hip horray..

Goodbye Bud.

This time 3 years ago i wouldnt have dreamed of adopting a dog Especially a german sheperd , what on earth came over me?? Well a few things added to the decision colin and i being away from home at the time renovating the ludlow property hence the kids [oldest being nearly 17 ]where spending at least one night a week with either or both of us away and as tough as Ben the JRT thinks he is! he isnt! And also after the attempted robbery in the shop i wanted something meaner than me behind the counter..
So i popped in for the first of many visits to the Leigh animal sanctuary. I never bother to look at barking dogs or manickly jumping dogs or even over friendly dogs , i seem to be drawn to the quiet lost looking ones who wonder what on earth as happened ? and feel sure there owners will be there in a minute to take them home.
Bud was huge and trying his hardest not to look at the poo he'd done and trying very hard in such cramped conditions to avoid standing in it.. His details pinned up above his cage read, Ben a 4yr old stray from salford, shows no aggresive tendancies...... I was shaking i wanted him but a GSD i must be mad what if he was viscious what if he ate children !
Our first meeting was only remarkable in the fact that I may aswell not of existed he just peered past me and everybody else looking for his owner it was heart breaking .. anyway i had him! parted with £120 and got a credit note to come and swap him if he didnt settle in...

Very warily i took him home dreading his reaction to raucous kids He took it all in his stride even giving ben [jrt] the respect he deserved....Nell had been warned not to mess with him hmmm! the second day she'd bathed him and dried him with a hair dryer while i was out gulp!! he was fine and smelt very nice and the ribbon on his collar made him look like the cowardly lion .. But from the start he gave his heart to jacob if jake went out Bud waited doing nothing else ignoring everyone else and just waited until jake was back then his world was complete!! He even the firstweekclimbed out of an upstairs window to follow the car he was in luckily jake noticed!
His first trip to the vets for his initial check up what a wusss we had to push him and pull him and hold him up he was all a jelly and very funny! The vets conclusion a big soft 8yr old ! We thought he was 4 yrs ............We also learned he was extremely well trained maybe an ex police dog, He would sit and wait for ages shake hands lie down and if you said dead he'd lie there close his eyes tightly and hold his breath !! it was amazing then you'd clap or shout up!! and he'd leap to his feet we didnt even have to say these commands he'd follow hand signals a bloody clever dog!

Jake came in last monday morning and broke down Bud had died in the night....

seven things

Well here goes!

1. Colon calls me Arf.
2. We've got 7 properties.
3. I give my tenants hell [not really].
4. I've been self employed since i was 19yrs old as a market trader amongst other things.
5. I bought my first house when i was 18 a bungalow in criminal bay.
6. I,ve never been abroad or flown.
7. I've never climbed Snowdon!!!! shhhhhhh

Yesterday we toiled over the hills to the not so local pub through the sunshine hail and sleet [Fickle weather] and now i'm aching! how unfit am i ? a 5mile walk uphill and down hill no levelbits! so when we actually arrived in time for lunch my feet wouldnt work we throughly enjoyed it though and i slept like a log..

We finally got the concrete base in the exstension at last so building can commence, until we are needed on out 2 new projects.

How does everyone else manage to get there photos amongst their writing??? instead of a row at the top all suggestions gratefully recieved.