News from the home front

                                                  Someone shrunk my puppy basket !
   I went to "boarding school " for the first time a couple of weeks ago - just for a weekend . Must say I was a bit disappointed as there were no lessons and not even a tunnel thing to run through like we have at KDOT school, but there were lots of new friends to meet and I got to play with some  of them . Unfortunately I came home as silly as a wheel and I had eaten too much which destroyed my perfect puppy figure so I am now on a strict training regime and my rations have been cut down until I have my shape back. I don't think that has anything to do with my basket shrinking though .

   My parents seem to have developed a fascination for my toilet corner in the yard and spend unhealthy amounts of time poking about with a stick in the deposits that I make. This behaviour seems to have started three weeks ago when I swallowed whole a large tough flappy felt foot which I tugged off my toy duck. They haven't found it yet but everything seems to be in working order so I guess I am okay .

                                           Me with a towel that I liberated recently.

I have been renamed "The Bra Bandit" since I streaked out of the bedroom whirling one of Mum's bras around my head in the manner of a seasoned striptease artist. Mum was in hot pursuit yelling "Anyone seen a dog with a bra ? " while Dad and our visiting family members tried to head me off before I escaped into the yard. I think they enjoyed themselves as they were all laughing . Must remember that trick to amuse them at a later date. Socks aren't half as much fun .

I've been helping Dad in the shed. So far I am learning how to use the lathe and have just started to learn tig welding. Dad has made a special screen thingy so that my eyes will be safe if I haven't got my welding helmet on when he is welding .  We are building the roll cage for his Chevy Corvette racing car .

     Just checking one of Dad's welds - I gave him a 9.5 out of 10. You can see my welding helmet in the background


And here I am learning all about lathes

                                                 Me with the 'vette .

 I had a sit in the drivers seat but couldn't reach the pedals - Dad said not to worry 'cos by the time I'm old enough to get my licence my legs will be long enough to reach.

When we stopped for smoko I asked Dad "Hey how fast do you reckon our little chevy will go ?"  He reckons about 240 miles per hour but I don't "do" miles so he told me it was around 400 klicks - WOW AWESOME !!!!! He will have to watch out for cops . They'll lock him up and throw away the key if they catch him . I don't want to have to visit him in jail to smuggle in one of Mum's doggy meat loaves with a file inside. Dad explained though that the chevy won't be racing on the open roads but on a salt lake in South Australia . I'm not into geography yet as I am still studying ornithology so he will have to show me where it is on a map. I don't really know what a salt lake is either but as long as there aren't any cops there with radar guns I guess Dad will be fine.

Have to go now - Me 'an Dad are watching Bathurst on TV - Mum is watching as well as typing this for me - She's a girl so she can do two things at once !

(NEWS FLASH  - MUM FOUND THE FLAPPY FOOT  DURING HER SEARCH THIS MORNING . It had been "processed " so was barely recognisable but the parents are very happy )                                                                                   
                                                                                    

New developments.

                                       Pardon the angle - but just look at those cool stripes

    Mum and Dad are puzzled as to my pedigree. One of my birth parents was obviously of kelpie stock but the other half is a mystery - especially as I have developed these real cool stripes across my back legs. It is being rumoured that there may be some okapi antelope somewhere in my ancestory as I do leap and grab at bits of bush as I fly past . What do you reckon ?

    I have found some interesting fleshy plants in the paddock but the parents try to keep me away from them. I did manage to get my nose to one but it must be related to the grey furry thing as it too has sharp bits and it attacked me. Might leave it alone after all.

  Smokey and me helping Mum paint her latest work of art . Smokey is guarding her case of painting gear. He belts Mum up when she tries to get anything out , which is very naughty .

The big grey furry thing (aka Smokey Bear) and I are good mates now. I found out that he was very sad when his best kelpie friend "Danny" went to doggy heaven not long ago and that he spent the last 2 months of Danny's life watching over him , always at his side and would pat him gently  if he thought that he was feeling worse. So I reckon that "Smokes" will be a good friend to have - even though he still gives me a clout if I am being a bit silly. His fluffy tail is Oh so tempting !   

                                                             "Danny"

 I saw something really strange the other morning on my walk. I was watching a big fat "Hoppy 'roo" when all of a sudden a real little one just popped out of it and started hopping around and falling over its own feet .  Like magic it was and I nearly jumped out of my skin ! Mum said something about "Russian dolls" - no idea what she was talking about but I think she was having a go at me - No way could you fit a Russian in that 'roo ! I reckon it had something to do with birds and bees but the parents say I'm too young to know about those things and I don't need to know anyway. Hmmmmm !!!!

  My bird studies are going well. There is one bird that teases me by flying low over my head when we go for walks. They tell me it is called a fantail . I told them "I'll fan its tail for it if it does that one more time ! " I like to help Dad feed the wild birds every morning, especially when he has mince for the meat eaters. I'm a meat eater so I feel duty bound to test it out for them. I also like to scare the finches off the seed tray as that scatters the seed on the ground and I can then test that as well. I am just so considerate. I actually think that bird seed is the secret to successful flying. Dad used to jump off the tank stand flapping a sheet when he was little but he never had much success. he should have eaten bird seed I reckon, I'm already jumping higher. Dad says one of our regular birds is called "Maggie". Stupid name for a boy bird but I don't like to embarass it so I say nothing. "Maggie" keeps walking into the kitchen so I have to round him up every day.

         I am growing so fast and my earsies are going a bit wild. We are wondering if my right ear will catch up with the left.
       
         'bye for now. Back with new adventures soon