In the shade...

We had a lovely BBQ with Agnes and Adrian last night, made all the lovelier as the sun kept shining.  Feel so happy not to have had to endure the storms that some of you down south experienced last night!

Up bright and breezy this morning and we had breakfast sitting outside in the sunshine.  I really could get used to this lovely weather.  

Adrian and David took Lola a walk whilst Agnes and I had a good old chinwag.  They returned with a very dirty Lola.  I have never seen her so dirty (see extra)  She was going to be getting a proper wash today anyway so she obviously decided to make it worth the hassle.

Agnes and Adrian left and David gathered all we would need to wash Lola in Alan's wet room (we felt that was the most sensible place to wash her.)  This is the first time she's had a proper shower as she's always just been washed at the big Belfast sink in the utility room but today she needed a full wash and rinse.

I said to David to wait till I was there to help but he started without me so when I got to the bathroom door I innocently opened it not realising there was a half washed but still filthy Lola cowering beside it waiting to escape! 

And so five minutes of hell broke loose!  Lola running her muddy paws all over Alan's bedroom carpet (that was only professionally cleaned a week ago!) shaking herself all over the walls, running through the hall and back again!  We finally managed to get her back into Alan's bathroom and tried again.  David had smeared peanut butter onto wall tiles bedside the shower as the theory is the dog will stand and lick that whilst the owner shampoos and showers said dog.  Not a chance!!!  It looked like a prison cell where the prisoner had decided to hold a dirty protest!

David eventually filled a basin with water and washed and rinsed her using that whilst I gave her bits of venison sticks to calm and distract her.   We were all exhausted by the end of it.  In future we will wash her outside using basins of water until we get her used to the shower! 

Alan was sitting under the shade of the Japanese maple while all his was going on and thought it was hilarious.  I love looking through the leaves when the sun is shining and chose to blip that rather than the bluebell shot in extras (yes some have survived Lola's rampage the other day!) 

I am now blipping and will hopefully have a little time to look at your journals before I head upstairs to pack for our three nights away at Loch Tay.  

This is the first time in 19 years David and I will have time away where it's just the two of us (the last time was in 1999 when we went to Dublin for our 10th Wedding anniversary.  Alan was only 2 and David's mum looked after him.)  

When we went away for the long weekend for our 25th Wedding anniversary four years ago, we had to return to the house twice a day to feed Alan as he wouldn't eat for anyone else, so it wasn't a true break.

I hope we don't want to kill each other by Thursday!  :-)))