Raising An English Puppy

<br /><div style="text-align: center;">As our summer wraps up,</div><div style="text-align: center;">we have punctuated it with</div><div style="text-align: center;">a new puppy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Meet Millie,</div><div style="text-align: center;">our eight week old<br />Cavalier King Charles Spaniel<br /><br />She is sweetness wrapped up in a ball of fur :)<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ58MjRLjgFWoD494tL1K9Vr-z8Se4CIjZbG7m6tJg1IMxbJdmZ7vap98M6a2zvaV6p4GllUReH_e7iTGLH0qvfzjWOz6gIK2vVdgWA5p9vewyjv0H5MF-rTQEoJ3dsRvN5LrfcxXy_jE/s1600/DSC_0512-004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ58MjRLjgFWoD494tL1K9Vr-z8Se4CIjZbG7m6tJg1IMxbJdmZ7vap98M6a2zvaV6p4GllUReH_e7iTGLH0qvfzjWOz6gIK2vVdgWA5p9vewyjv0H5MF-rTQEoJ3dsRvN5LrfcxXy_jE/s640/DSC_0512-004.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Besides having a bark with an adorable English accent (ha!),</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have found that dogs are much better behaved here than in the US</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are a few differences I've observed...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Someone recommended buying a padded kitten collar for our puppy</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not only is it comfortable, but it has a secure bell attached</div><div style="text-align: center;">which lets us know where she is</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I am using a 'Puppy Aid Training Spray' outside</div><div style="text-align: center;">which has a special scent to train puppies where to go potty</div><div style="text-align: center;">Believe it or not, it works!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Puppy training classes are held in church and village halls</div><div style="text-align: center;">or in a local field by individual dog trainers,</div><div style="text-align: center;">not in big box retailers</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In my puppy training class, we'll be using treats </div><div style="text-align: center;">and a whistle (I'm so intrigued)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I found these dog bowls </div><div style="text-align: center;">with a wider base than its opening</div><div style="text-align: center;">to prevent big ears from falling into food & water</div><div style="text-align: center;">(perfect for spaniels and hounds)</div><div style="text-align: center;">- clever! -</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRmfg0JrjAadkQHYnEKAsOo8-9E-TRl6eTAXtWhzph_wPXMDj6Xk5K9mcxDPq4X6YAF2-2DjlPoQg6WEn3G8CJqFXpV1KZjZYYzZBXyH0sIBxE5ei62evYE2dXjadc_3wRM_y0ZfCmon_/s1600/DSC08110-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRmfg0JrjAadkQHYnEKAsOo8-9E-TRl6eTAXtWhzph_wPXMDj6Xk5K9mcxDPq4X6YAF2-2DjlPoQg6WEn3G8CJqFXpV1KZjZYYzZBXyH0sIBxE5ei62evYE2dXjadc_3wRM_y0ZfCmon_/s640/DSC08110-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">They use static leashes here, not retractable ones</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dogs are off-leash when in the woods</div><div style="text-align: center;">and on-lead when on streets</div><div style="text-align: center;">(in the US, dogs must be on lead in public<br />except in a few designated areas)<br /><br />In the US, dogs are neutered/spayed at 8 weeks old<br />however in the UK, vets like to wait until they are 6 months old<br /><br />Dogs should be on medication to prevent lungworm,<br />contracted by eating snails or slugs<br /><br />My veterinarian is housed in a barn circa 1820s<br />that still feels very farm-y</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lastly, in America we have the impression </div><div style="text-align: center;">that England is even more pet friendly than the US<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm not sure where this myth came from</div><div style="text-align: center;">because I find the attitudes and practices to be the same<br />(i.e. no one is grocery shopping with a dog in tow)<br /><br />Have a lovely weekend,<br />Woof!<br />:)<br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">- photos by me -</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

Raising An English Puppy

As our summer wraps up, we have punctuated it with a new puppy! Meet Millie, our eight week old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel She is sweetne...

Read more »

London's Thames Barrier

<div style="padding: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center;"><div style="color: #2f3c16; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div>Inexplicably<br />I've been wanting to see the Thames Barrier for some time<br /><br />This 520 meter span of contemporary gating has protected<br />the area of London from flooding since 1982<br /><br />As one of the world's largest movable flood barriers,<br />these gates actively have protected London over 100 times since they became operational</div><div style="color: #2f3c16; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Yt4spsZVbczcYaOp2TpIJWQZbVV_to7MWeKfVAPXGcPT2pFL3yoexFK49gwRp8gNC3V17CQxzCuHWjV17coRBr7drW-m-aS5WvF3JLDNtQHwMGVl4ch8-7CS19dgpOyeO_sZoBRimuvu/s1600/photo+2+(5)-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Yt4spsZVbczcYaOp2TpIJWQZbVV_to7MWeKfVAPXGcPT2pFL3yoexFK49gwRp8gNC3V17CQxzCuHWjV17coRBr7drW-m-aS5WvF3JLDNtQHwMGVl4ch8-7CS19dgpOyeO_sZoBRimuvu/s640/photo+2+(5)-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With London and O2 Arena in the background, you can see one black gate in position on the right</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="padding: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center;"><div style="color: #2f3c16; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #2f3c16; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div>With a long history of fatal floods,<br />the spring tidal surge from the North Sea tends to be a habitual problem<br /><br />Today<br />information about surge tides comes from weather satellites, oil rigs,<br />weather ships and coastal stations<br /><br />All ten gates (20 meters high) can be closed in 1.5 hours<br /><div><br /></div>Here is the possible extent of flooding without today's protection<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZfqiO-bKAKQL5pyHhYuT4PBwt3pIVtL-4Iuloq4gxbsXDkcapuZdaL_PWe6TmXkqEclQvTSkY4AnKsOiQLuh3DzNGw-llwOkMrAxMVF0RJdQrv39Dl0yu-ud9QR_bNa874_miNEnnNDi/s1600/Capture7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZfqiO-bKAKQL5pyHhYuT4PBwt3pIVtL-4Iuloq4gxbsXDkcapuZdaL_PWe6TmXkqEclQvTSkY4AnKsOiQLuh3DzNGw-llwOkMrAxMVF0RJdQrv39Dl0yu-ud9QR_bNa874_miNEnnNDi/s400/Capture7.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Not a high quality photo,<br />but it does give you something to consider the next time<br />you see the river at low tide<br /><br />The layers of time you can see on the walls!<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4RYbEZh-viA6VkMzj_BHs_Ae1_sCsnyCg6MKsLzTwsDDCmOweHsO3fSGxGQYBowoFazhDz-3R5bwbRKptXi7nJMJAyVfbSytCuZqrVDH4w2_qeFiHyyHxwLO4cw7jG2uu1ftq1x8UuWq/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4RYbEZh-viA6VkMzj_BHs_Ae1_sCsnyCg6MKsLzTwsDDCmOweHsO3fSGxGQYBowoFazhDz-3R5bwbRKptXi7nJMJAyVfbSytCuZqrVDH4w2_qeFiHyyHxwLO4cw7jG2uu1ftq1x8UuWq/s400/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="padding: 0px 0px 1em;"><div style="color: #2f3c16; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #2f3c16; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Located in Greenwich,</div><div style="text-align: center;">you too can view these steel and wooden beauties</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">While we did swing by the <a href="http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/38375.aspx">Visitor's Center</a>,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I wouldn't necessarily recommend paying for it</div><div style="text-align: center;">as most of the information is online</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">You can view the Thames Barrier from the river towpath at anytime</div><div style="text-align: center;">:)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Credits: 1 (mine), 2 & 3 (Environment Agency)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/38353.aspx">Environment Agency</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">(A non-sponsored post)</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

London's Thames Barrier

Inexplicably I've been wanting to see the Thames Barrier for some time This 520 meter span of contemporary gating has protected the area...

Read more »

Royal Birth On Its Way

<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">With the headlines now reading that the Duchess of Cambridge is in labor,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I admit I get all tingly about happy beginnings</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPo4vOHg1AUuEzYU13yBQN8bcYEJTkTU7JZ6B8-N_YdSRfbD_KgUi7tlHpGaH46iFTfTYpuwKTr0GyX3ee9tZhXThCysunJOq6S3JFP6YcdDV_dbUNz9MJmbiNa4HsEXJ-ss19HKyOaXSS/s1600/23_4_2013_2606413k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPo4vOHg1AUuEzYU13yBQN8bcYEJTkTU7JZ6B8-N_YdSRfbD_KgUi7tlHpGaH46iFTfTYpuwKTr0GyX3ee9tZhXThCysunJOq6S3JFP6YcdDV_dbUNz9MJmbiNa4HsEXJ-ss19HKyOaXSS/s400/23_4_2013_2606413k.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/10155628/Kate-Middleton-pregnancy-pcitures.html?frame=2606413">Telegraph</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div>It's not uncommon to hear an English person say</div><div>'Now, I'm not a Royalist but...'</div><div>followed by something very complimentary about the royal family<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">I think the country is happy to have something to look forward to again</div><div style="text-align: center;">after two extraordinary years of once-in-a-lifetime events</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">- the Royal Wedding, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Summer Olympics -</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Although the royal family doesn't rule the country (Parliament does),</div><div style="text-align: center;">the royal baby provides a peek into the future of the country's leadership</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Royal Family provides a stability through the decades,</div><div style="text-align: center;">as Prime Ministers change frequently</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">There is a fondness toward the Royal Family here</div><div style="text-align: center;">When you watch another family grow up during your lifetime, </div><div style="text-align: center;">you feel like you know them</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For now, Queen Elizabeth II is THE face of the country</div><div style="text-align: center;">What little person being born will be the future face?<br /><br />{ Decided in a recent ruling,<br />this baby will be in line for the throne regardless of gender }</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS47V4eZg2HpxGPwifomo0qOuTbLBLfGZDS3biZQHTAPD63yirVz5nvIHEpDScMfkoRaKU3Hq5TZ34DwDBsdPDDyg2Txgu9UnnHHOMuIvd350zpvQ3NVDq3-RpAdxm5oPqPSdVezBui0uB/s1600/20_3_2013_2606418k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS47V4eZg2HpxGPwifomo0qOuTbLBLfGZDS3biZQHTAPD63yirVz5nvIHEpDScMfkoRaKU3Hq5TZ34DwDBsdPDDyg2Txgu9UnnHHOMuIvd350zpvQ3NVDq3-RpAdxm5oPqPSdVezBui0uB/s400/20_3_2013_2606418k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/10155628/Kate-Middleton-pregnancy-pcitures.html?frame=2606418">Telegraph</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One tradition that won't continue is</div><div style="text-align: center;">the Home Secretary's attendance of the royal birth</div><div style="text-align: center;">to insure a different baby isn't smuggled in or switched out</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Although the witnessing was practiced for centuries,</div><div style="text-align: center;">no one would have attended the birth of Queen Elizabeth II</div><div style="text-align: center;">as she was not born heir to the throne</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">{ Her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936</div><div style="text-align: center;">which made Elizabeth's father the King when she was ten years old } </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj02v2SJVVr0DqGnhIzCiibCAfjOX9dWdW2jAUduigi2Wj38ab1aThYdlzcyLJwrjfv2v-iCrNY7R_SvNJAHuAp0RPo6xO9Hlb5bPJ1Tt-Yfjnyy19O4ubpB-2qtW-CdQpnpdzSXXzSyb/s1600/betting-board_2619982k+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj02v2SJVVr0DqGnhIzCiibCAfjOX9dWdW2jAUduigi2Wj38ab1aThYdlzcyLJwrjfv2v-iCrNY7R_SvNJAHuAp0RPo6xO9Hlb5bPJ1Tt-Yfjnyy19O4ubpB-2qtW-CdQpnpdzSXXzSyb/s640/betting-board_2619982k+(1).jpg" width="441" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/royalty/10185460/Royal-baby-worlds-media-descends-on-St-Marys-Hospital-ahead-of-birth.html?frame=2619982">Telegraph</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">What name do you think they'll choose?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">If it is a girl, my vote is for Charlotte</div><div style="text-align: center;">in memory of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Charlotte_of_Wales">Princess Charlotte of Wales</a> (1796-1817)</div><div style="text-align: center;">who was much loved by the British<br />as Princess Diana was</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Regardless of birth name,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the monarch can change his/her name upon coronation</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">King George VI was born as Albert,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and there is speculation that Prince Charles</div><div style="text-align: center;">will become King George VII upon coronation</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">{ because the two King Charles's did not have the happiest of fates }</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaffKtGwh66psQsL0afV9kl1fMHFTip_T5nI-SiYBATkK-DrloLPEi6wcRYeo4k9ofNFM1oy7uNCR7KdWsXn4G-mrOQC-D8_jLpxCOmmU3tUOWN02gzjYbNiscAlGwW2sS8MV3nduWmY8/s1600/presspen1_2619900k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaffKtGwh66psQsL0afV9kl1fMHFTip_T5nI-SiYBATkK-DrloLPEi6wcRYeo4k9ofNFM1oy7uNCR7KdWsXn4G-mrOQC-D8_jLpxCOmmU3tUOWN02gzjYbNiscAlGwW2sS8MV3nduWmY8/s640/presspen1_2619900k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/royalty/10185460/Royal-baby-worlds-media-descends-on-St-Marys-Hospital-ahead-of-birth.html">Telegraph</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And so the headlines have been pretty quiet right now,</div><div style="text-align: center;">except for reports about the hot weather</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">{ English homes are without air conditioning<br />and designed to keep the heat in,</div><div style="text-align: center;">so it has been quite uncomfortable }</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, the world's media descends upon the city once more </div><div style="text-align: center;">and stares at a hospital front door </div><div style="text-align: center;">and an easel at Buckingham Palace<br /><br />Best of luck to the parents-to-be!<br />:)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

Royal Birth On Its Way

With the headlines now reading that the Duchess of Cambridge is in labor, I admit I get all tingly about happy beginnings source: Telegraph ...

Read more »