Puppy has arrived! She and Dougal are not sitting still long enough for me to get a photo at first!!! However, we have been for a walk and she did brilliantly for a little thing. Iona is 12 weeks old so although she came on the full walk of 40 minutes, only walked for a little bit of it cause she's only ickle. She's a wee honey, thinks Dougal is great fun and has told him off for attempting to hump her. Little snarls are hillarious.

Her Mum said that she was terrified of the harness and lead and would drop then not move, but once she was off lead following Dougal she was fine. Once I put her back on the lead she just walked along happily beside Dougal. I think it just took a bit of time and patience with her. She was even starting to pull a little on our way back.

Here she is with Davie, staring at Uncle Brian:



Finally sleeping!



She is a delightful little girl and should be fun to have around for a couple of weeks.

Awwww - Lorraine she is absolutely gawgussssss - no way can you give her up can you?

And what a lovely photo of Davie - wonderful! I cannot stop smiling at it! xxx

Malka, she's not that kind of foster unfortunately. Her parents are going away tonight on holiday so she is staying with us for a fortnight. So she already has a home She is adorable though and if she was up for adoption I suspect she would be staying

Davie loves her, and she is another ear-cleaner, Davie has very clean lugs now

She is gorgeous Lorraine and that's a lovely photo of Davie he looks so happy

Oh My Giddy Aunt Jenny that is dreadful a lot of the problem are due to people building on flood plains and concreting drives etc over so the water has nowhere to go, just can't believe the piccie of the fence going under water
Glad you've got power and you aren't totally marooned, and thank goodness you've got the Landy and been able to ferry people and cars out of trouble
Have your neighbour's 'guests' managed to get home, oh its unbelievable it really is.
I too remember the farmers doing the ditches along the lanes Meg, it still happens to some extent here, but most of the lanes that I remember when I moved round here, have been tarmaced over, I know which fields tend to flood round here, and luckily its part of the Croal Irwell Valley Country Park so I don't think anyone could get planning permission. I know there was a big to do about Seddon Fold Farm being sold and the land used for housing and it got turned down, thank goodness, that is on the Country Park itself as well. So the farm never got sold and it is in a dreadful state, virtually falling down, but the place couldn't cope with another housing estate, I can't believe how much has been built on recently, all the places where I used to ride have got houses on them, the greyhound kennels is now at the back of a new estate, so goodness knows how they are going on, because next thing people will complain about the noise from them and the boarding kennels nearby, which were totally isolated and in the middle of nowhere only a few years ago. No wonder everywhere is flooded when you think of it happening everywhere and of course the South and South East and the most popular places to live.
Helena I like the Toby places as well, the roast beef dinners are amazing and fantastic value, if you're getting 50% off in January I think its going to be cheaper for you to eat out!!
Hope you're having a good day Lynn with your family gathering.
Had a nice walk with the girls myself Lynne, its just when I bring someone in to walk them then several babies follow them as well, so then they have to be posted back over the half door, before we go out, then the same thing is repeated when we get back and I bring someone else in the house to take them a walk and put the walked ones out!!! Its never ending!!
Sat having eaten an all day breakfast from the casualty dept at Asda along with a cup of tea, then I have to start on the veg for teas. Everywhere clean and mopped, till tomorrow of course. I've got to hoover the stairs if I've got visitors tomorrow. No chance of a jim jam day, I've not stopped - again

DaisyDog So sorry to hear about your uncle . What an awful day for it to happen but he will be remembered every xmas days for years and years to come.
Meg It's not food is it Meg . Unfortunately I believe this time is just the sheer amount of rainfall we've had but it is so unusual for the River Wey to go.
There has been so much development around here on flood plain, and the E Agency don't dredge the rivers any more as after 100 of years they now reckon they are self-dredging 11 residents have now been evacuated just the other side of the estate to us.
Lynne Don't wish the cold weather too for wearing your new hat and gloves .... we could still have a bitter winter ahead of us ... I do hope not though.
Hi to Malka, Kass, Nippy, LS, Mandy and Moyra
Helena It sounds as though you had a fab day yesterday (the fact that you can remember it must be a real bonus) and a nice relaxing day today. Enjoy your roast beef today. Oooooh you mentioned another onesie
Lore How exciting and little Iona looks such a cutie and so relaxed lying with Daive I'm sure you all, including Dougal will enjoy the next few weeks with her as a house guest.
June I hope you've enjoyed your 'quiet' day although I'm not sure that your idea of a 'quiet' day is quite the same as everyone elses. I'm sure when Bailey's new family come tomorrow they will love her as much as you do

Off to take the dogs out in the garden and have a shower.

It has been such a strange day! More layers have been put down on the road and I did a real naughty as I wanted to go over to the macolet so ignored screechies and got Xanadu through and I could not care less if I should not have driven over the fresh asphalt. But they have actually put down enough so I can get down and back from the tractor path but still no way can I get down from my path.

Oh well - good thing that I like the smell of tar and asphalt but my wheels have left some tracks on my carpet...

But oh the noise - double tipper trucks dumping asphalt and the humungous wotsit wiv its nose in de dumping wotsit spreading it and de mahoosive and then gigantic and then humungous and then very large etc etc etc heavy rollers goin' forward an' back an' forward an' back an' beep beep beep when dey awent back...

Well I did say it would not be finished before Christmas but maybe by a week next Christmas?

And that bdooly female who called the plod on me yesterday stood outside and screeched at me again but hey ho, the plod have not turned up again so hopefully...

Hello
Was at the sales at 7am!! it was insane but I spent all my Christmas money and used all my vouchers Am soooo tired now though,trying not to nap
Hubby has gone to town,its a man thing here on Boxing Day
LORRAINE,she looks lovely,so kind of you to take care of her.Think you'll have a lot of help with Davie there..he's a gorgeous looking child
CATH,grand daughter is beautiful
JENNY,OMG that's unbelievable
LYNN,hope everything is going well with you today
Lovely here today but according to the forecast a storm is brewing
Gonna relax for a bit methinks

Jenny, in my quick scan of past 'Daily Threads' I noted that you were possibly going to be flooded, having just seen the photos you posted above I am horrified, but extremely pleased to read that your house is 'built up' as you desribe it (I assume that there is a gap between the ground floor and the actual ground, even if that's only say 2 foot that should be enough to protect you, bet you're glad you opted for that when you bought )

It's wrong to build 'normal' houses on any flood plain (If you are going to build on a flood plain then the building must be raised on plinths etc. and to a height above any level of flooding) and how can a river be 'self dredging' that doesn't make sense, I read that as typical burocratic weasel words, truth is they probably don't have any money for dredging

Also I have to agree with Tawneywolf above, there are just too many houses being built. It makes me so mad when I see politicians and government agencies (Like the EA) constantly going on about the need for MORE houseing, no the answer is LESS people not more houses.

It will soon be impossible for many people to have any green land around their homes, this is important not just for excercise, walking etc. but also to give some tranquility to our lives.

Jenny those pictures look horrendous, I hope you remain safe and dry. Is tonights episode likely to hit you?
Lore I love the puppy, gorgeous. Davie looks so happy to have a pup to cuddle

We had a lovely lunch with our neighbour. I only did cold meats pickles and salad but everyone ate so much they couldn't manage pudding