MY VACATION DIARY
Before you begin reading why don't you open my picture page?
It shows all my holiday  pictures.  Grandma says she has made this page so that the pictures will come up in a separate window.  Then you should come back here and read my diary while the pictures load.  When there is a picture to go with my story you can click over to the other page to see it and then come back to where you were reading.
Click here to open my picture page.
Then hit control/tab to come back to this page.

Week one

Monday, July5th

What a rotten start to the day. My dad got me into the truck.....I was excited.  I thought I was going places.   So what happens?  Does he take me somewhere exciting?  No!.  He leaves me locked in the truck and sprays this stuff around the house. Said it was something he did not want me to get into.  Does he think I am the kind of dog who would get into things???

I was feeling whiny by the time we started out  but I cheered up as soon as we turned down the road that goes to my grandma and grandpa's.  When I arrived they came running out to see me.  So did my birth mother.  (I call her  Kiwi because it gets confusing having two mums and I do not know anyone else named Kiwi.)  To show how happy I was I ran around in frantic circles.   I ran through the dining room and out the doggy door that my dad had made for the screen door there.  I was just about to make my return trip when Kiwi started out after me.  I hit the door from one side just as she hit it from the other.  Oops!!! It broke.  Grandma and grandpa laughed.  (My mother would have yelled I bet!)

My grandma thought we could use a walk.  We walked for about two hours.   We stopped at the playground for a sniff around. Then we drove down to the store for ice cream.   I came home and stretched out in the sun.  I knew my well deserved holiday had finally started!

Tuesday, July 6th.

It is a good thing I got here when I did because when I went out in the yard first thing in the morning there were three bunnies in grandpa's garden.  It was definitely a two dog job chasing them away.  At home I have been known to get into trouble for chasing rabbits but I am allowed to do it here.  (I am allowed to do just about anything at grandma and grandpas.)  We had cheese cubes for breakfast and lamb chops for dinner.

Wednesday, July 7th

Grandpa was working down on the foreshore this morning.  (My grandparents live on the ocean.)  Foreshores are interesting places.  I found a dead ling cod.  I never make finds like this at home!  I rolled in it of course.  Kiwi noticed my joyful expression and came over to join me.

Had lunch on the back porch.  (Usually we eat in the house with grandma and grandpa but I guess they thought we would like a change.)  It was a very hot day so after lunch grandma brought out a bucket of warm water and sponged me off.....actually she gave me quite a thorough scrubbing with nice smelling doggy shampoo.  Then she poured warm water over me and let me lie in the hot sun to dry.  Quite pleasant really though the scent left something to be desired.  While Kiwi was having her bath, I went down to see if I could find the cod again but it was gone.

Thursday, July 8th

Kiwi got tough and tried to run off a stray dog yesterday.  The dog bit her ankle so she was limping and was no fun.  Since I am a fun kind of dog myself, my grandma said I could come on a hike with her and her friend. Kiwi stayed home with grandpa to have her wound nursed.  I went in the car and then on the ferry over to Denman Island. We hiked up to a big cliff there.  I was the queen of the castle.  I could see for miles.  Then we took another walk and another ferry ride to Hornby Island.  There we did two big walks. Grandma took some proper portrait type pictures so we would have some for this web page. We were gone all day and I was pleasantly weary when we got home.

Barbecued steak for dinner.

Friday, July 9th

Kiwi was still recovering from her nasty dog bite so she and I decided to just spend the day lounging about the pond.  We went for many  dips and then came out to lie in the sun.  On one of these excursions into the briney deep, what did I see coming out from under a lily pad but a HUGE koi fish.  I have seen these stupid fish before!  I thought I had scared them all off the last time I was here. Apparently not!   I had to spend another hour barking at them and chasing them.  They have this rotten habit of disappearing among the plants by the time I can reach them.  (I am a faster dog on land than in the water.  I am, after all, a terrier not a spaniel.)

Saturday, July 10th

My grandma was feeling tired and lazy.  She had company all week.  She decided to lie around and read.  It was a hot day.  I was so frustrated by the koi fish that I had not caught the day before that I decided I would take a day off too.   Kiwi joined us and we spent most of the day lying on the bed in front of a fan.  Very comfortable.

Sunday, July 11th

We went for a hike up to the fish hatchery.  That is a very long walk up in the mountains.  There are no cars or mean dogs.  My grandma said there were no bears at these levels this year.  Do you know what that means?  We got to run around without our leashes!  Grandma walked five miles.  Kiwi walked 10 miles and I ran 25 miles.   Kiwi and I treed a squirrel.  This is a particularly fun walk.

Tuesday, July 12th, 1999

I almost caught a koi.   I have managed to get Kiwi motivated.  She is becoming a first class swimmer.......better than me if the truth be known.  Often I stand on the shore and bark at the koi while she jumps in and chases them.  I believe in team work.

Thursday, July 14th

Chicken liver fried in butter for breakfast this morning.  I am learning Kiwi's finicky ways. Grandma and grandpa  always offer treats to her first. (She is a domineering thing and if the people do not treat her like she is number one she might bite me.....In the circumstances I do not mind waiting my turn. )  Well Kiwi turned up her nose at the chicken livers.  No amount of coaxing would persuade her to take them. You can imagine the awkward position that put me in.  I could not bring myself to accept her leavings....(I may be a beta dog but I will go no lower than that in the nipping order!!!)  The effort of resisting nice warm, rare red meat just about killed me but I persevered, and turned my head away in disdain.  I was really upset when grandpa began eating them!!!  Fortunately he only ate one. He put the rest in our dish on top of the kibble so I was able to sneak out later and gobble them up. Delicious even if they were rather cold by then.

Saturday, July 17th

My mother phoned! She is in Yorkshire.  I was very upset.  She is probably messing around with one of those frivolous little dogs with bows in their hair.  What if she falls in love with one and never comes home? Grandma let her talk to me on the phone.  I did not know if I was coming of going.  (That is not unusual for me.) I got excited and licked the phone receiver, then I  walked away, made a circle, came back, listened some more, and licked the phone again.  She did not say anything about coming home.
 

Sunday, July 17th

We went for a picnic at Spider Lake with my great grandma and grandpa.
 
 

Sunday, July 18th

Grandma found a new trail for us to walk.  It goes through the woods for a very long time and then it comes out at a park.  Many news sniffs along the way.

Thursday, July 22nd

Grandpa took us up to a rock quarry.  Kiwi and I played wild doggies in the woods.  We hated to have to leave.

Saturday, July 24th

My mother called again. I refused to speak to her.  She and dad are going to stay in Vancouver for a few days after they get back from Britain.  They obviously do not care if they ever see me again. Grandma told them about my new web page but they did not even ask for the address. I suppose they will come home and try to pretend they missed me.

Sunday, July 25th

My friends Brock and Carlie came over.  They like to chase Koi too so we had a wonderful time.

Wednesday, July 28th

We went to the rock quarry again.  Great fun.

Saturday, July 29th

My mother called again today.  She and dad are heading off to London this week.  Do  I care???

I have better things to occupy my mind.  FINALLY I got to go to a wedding!  My neglectful parents are always pawning me off on grandma and grandpa because they are visiting friends and are going to weddings.  Why can't they take me!?!?!  They never do!  Well today, I found they had no good reason.
Grandma arranged a wedding here just for me.  The bride, Cynthia, asked me to be a  bride's maid.  My mother would never have believed I could do it!  I was perfect!!!  Kiwi was the matron of honour but she was so busy baby sitting that she was not much help to Cynthia.  She kept lying down.   See the wedding pictures.