Patch, I miss you

There is no way I can express how much I wish he was here. 

I was listening to a song that reminded me of him so much I decided to post a few photos of Patch.

Baby I Miss your beautiful soul.

Annie Japaud - photographer, blogger, baker and cake maker

Just an Ordinary Cloudy Day

So what is the perfect weather for you?

For me it doesn't have to be a sunny day with the gorgeous blue sky so I can enjoy myself out there along the winding roads of Connemara.

As long as my hands are not freezing off while holding the camera,  the wind is not blowing me away and I am not getting soaked to my bones... everything is fine. My walk is normally enjoyable.

To be honest I prefer a moody cloudy day for photos much more than a bright sunny one with heightened contrasts and strong shadows. And if you throw a bit of drizzle now and again to sharpen the air and wash off the colours in the fields and mountains around me..wow..there is no stopping me.

Today was just an ordinary cloudy day in Ireland but the light was bright and bouncy even dough there were clouds most of the time. Still the few images I took were lovely and I think represent Connemara at it's best.  Enjoy

Here  I managed to catch a rare boxer beast in a state of extreme 

happiness and joy

UNDERCOVER DOG

My dog has extra special training. He goes undercover. All the time now. 

He starts from one side of the sofa, dives under the covers and crawls all the way through until his nose shows on the opposite side. Then he is snug and comfy for the night. My boxer dog is so clever. He really has special training.  

We are so proud of him and we love him so much ;) 

sorry about the bad quality photos

My boxer story

For the last week or so we took care of a third boxer.

Yes, I am not joking. We already have two lovely chaps and decided we need more. When you have one boxer, it is never enough. You get so much love and attention from them it is addictive. Honestly, pure addiction. The way they look at you, the way they can read you and predict what you are going to do before you do it so they can join you and you can not say no.... Doesn't that sound like the perfect relationship?!

Anyway, we got the first one as a puppy, 7 years ago. He has imprinted on us all perfectly now. I never had a dog before him and I never knew it is so wonderful and rewarding. We got boxer books, we read, we watched a lot of dog shows and now I can say that we are pretty good with dogs. We walked him every single day for at least and hour an half, most of the time two and more. No matter the weather and believe me around here in this part of Ireland, the weather is pretty bad most of the time. As long as he has had his walk and a good meal after, no dog will create any problems after that, believe you me, he is only one big sofa cushion for the rest of the day and night... We always say he is our Big Love..

Then 4 years ago we decided to find him company and rescued number two. The poor thing has had a

lot of of problems in his short life. He was starved, totally dehydrated, scared out of his head, about a year old and not house trained, didn't recognise any name we tried. So sad!! But now, when people look at him they can not believe that he was rescued he looks as good and vibrant as any other dog. One of the most heartbreaking things about him is that he is always trying so hard to prove that he is a good boy, even after all this years, he still has the need in his heart to prove that. He looks in my eyes and assumes his best "I am a good boy" position and shows me that he is good...... he simply doesn't deserve anything bad to happen to him. We can only speculate what it was but he was definitely tied up in a confined space, he couldn't move much for a long period of time, the scar from the extremely tight collar never heeled, his coat didn't grow back. And he doesn't like to get dirty at all, amazing, isn't it?

So a week ago we sheltered another boxer with the hope that we will be able to keep him. Unfortunately nothing went as we planed. The boy was fabulous, I fell in love with him straight away. Unfortunately he had a big issue with our boys. We knew there will be a bit of tension, introducing new dog and all, but things went completely out of hand and at the end and we had to give him up.

We kept them separated, blocking the doors in the house so they can not reach each other, the house was divided in half basically and not very livable. On his own, the new boy was fantastic, quiet, so loving and adorable but the moment he spied the other two he got wired and tensed up and simply jumped at them to fight. And it wasn't about dominance anymore, they fought 6-7 times and he lost every single time. He attacked the others once even when they had their backs turned, when one of them was sleeping and so on.... So no matter how much I liked him, and how good his life could have been here with us, we had to say good bye. I am so sad. 

I hope you find a good family, my boy.

The very helpful kitty

Recently to complete the company of the two boxer dogs we acquired a tiny baby kitten just 4 months old. 

You would say that probably that was the most insane thing to do. But, she adjusted fast and furious into the household. Now she has the two old brutes wrapped around her tiny claw and she runs the whole parade. I bow to her.

She makes everyone get up and open the door for her (including the dogs) when she feels like she has to go for a snack or to visit the loo. And she really likes to snack often!! 

She likes to sleep on peoples knees and you better keep them straight, do not move because she doesn't like to be disturbed when napping. 

She likes to play with the dogs and attacks them from behind a door or a random wall and this is such an amazing site: imagine a tiny kitten suddenly flying with her paws spread wide and lounging herself at a dog 20 times bigger than her.

She loves to jump on my back with her claws first while I am washing the dishes and then just sits there on my shoulder looking at what I am doing. 

She also loves to help me when I work on the computer she loves to sit between the keyboard and the screen and to look at the images or the moving mouse, oh, and step on the keyboard and activate random actions.  Lovely. It is a very helpful kitty. 

That is why we love her very much, including the dogs, you should see how they snuggle together on the sofa or in front of the fire. It is the perfect addition to the madness that is our family. 

The very helpful kitty.  

  

She is really attracted to my plants and her mission is destroy and annihilate!!

He just looks at her all the time and wonders, what the hell is she up to now?!

After lots of playing it is time for a snooze

The gang is on the move, the leader is ahead 

She can be a real angel

And a few seconds later a real monster

The older boxer is tottally in love with her and follows her everywhere

She is so fast, she is just a blur most of the time, no camera can catch her!!  

thanks for being here with me 

Last of the summer

I was walking today in the countryside with the dogs and noticed an alarming occurrence - the end of the summer is approaching. Slowly, slowly it is creeping up on us, and before we know it, autumn will be here. 

This fact always makes me sad because I love the freedom of summer - holidays, beach, water, walks in the forest. Early mornings with crisp air and sun up high in the sky from almost 4 o'clock in the morning, sunsets so late you don't have to wait for them at all... You know...there are so many fabulous and gorgeous things about summer that we all love...

I am not saying that I don't like autumn, on the contrary, actually I really love the season when the colours of the trees change. It is one of my favourite moments as a photographer.

The end of summer means the cold is coming, the rains soon after, then the days are getting shorter and darker... The leaves will fall out and the then the greys and browns and all the other dark shades will be ruling in nature until the spring arrives again next year with fluffy blossoms and new wonderful light and all will be reborn again....

For now everything is still green, although the dark verdant colours of the full summer are gone and the grasses and leaves are tinting in hues of golden brown and orange, subtle in its change, no one can see them but me and still, I know it is there and it makes me edgy although I try to ignore it.

ok, I will stop, the last of the summer is still here, no need to go crazy...yet

 

Thanks for being here with me

Walking with my Boxers

I have to admit that one of the best things ever is walking with my boxers.

They are fun, they are a constant source of entertainment and they are always there for you when you need company and affection. All they ask in return is regular meals, hugs and of course long walks to keep their energy in check. 

There is nothing more fun than walking with my boxers. 

Here is a quick peak at my last walk when Patch decided to bring some turf home, and of course he chose the longest log he could find!! 

Someone even asked me: Is your dog stealing turf?! I have to admit that I did not have anything clever to say to that.....

Thanks for visiting!!