Spring Cleaning in the Garden

Many many thanks for all your kind words, hearts and stars yesterday! I will not be able to thank you all personally, so please accept a communal 'Thank You' in the meantime.

Spring has definitely sprung in these parts! We have spent all day, just about, in the front garden. There was a huge pile of timber cluttering up the place - left over from the canopy over the path - it has been sawn into smaller bits and put into the shed and is no longer an eyesore. Lots of flowers have been planted, messy corners tidied. It looks very smart now. I must have used up heaps of calories today! (At least a muffin's worth!)

Archie was helping. Mainly by digging in the lovely newly turned soil. Well - everybody else was, why couldn't he?

He was wearing his birthday present, which arrived bang on time yesterday. It's an anti-bark collar that emits either a sound or a vibration. We've tried all the positive stuff, and it hasn't worked. But really, barking at wee toddlers walking by - not all of them squealing - is just not on.

We tried the citronella collar ages ago, and I only used it once, after his reaction - he ran to the door and refused to come out. That was a punishment. Also because it went off at random, so was completely pointless.

However, this collar is not the same. It's just mildly annoying for him. He barked on three occasions, heard a noise he didn't like each time, then didn't bark again. I must say, it's much more pleasant to spend time with him in the front garden, with sundry folk going by, when he doesn't bark! I'll try it out tomorrow when all the school kids are going by. We should be able to dispense with it in a few days.

We've been watching Crufts avidly. Archie's father and grandfather both won prizes there. Archie seems unimpressed.

Here he is, helping. Sort of.