Saturday was another hot and humid day. and we were lucky to have a bit of a breeze up here on the hill while we waited for Lyla to arrive at nine o'clock, for her usual Saturday of fun.

Mary and Stephanie decided we would skip the beach walk for a few days as there is still too much rotting seaweed and the mosquitos are nasty. We're not exaggerating when we say that we are worried about being carried off. We spent a few hours playing around outside with Stephanie and watching the two families of Swallows. The Barn Swallows, have a nest on the back of the barn and the Tree Swallows built a nest in one of the modest bird houses. They fly around together and every now and then they all assemble on the power lines. Today, Mom and Pop Swallow decided to check out a new place to raise the next family and they seem to think they can upgrade to the multi-story townhouse on Dr. Seuss Street in Whoville, if they can swing the rent.  

    

The day was getting hotter and we were all feeling a bit tired, so Stephanie decided to run some errands in Cole Harbour while we stayed back with Mary and had a nap in front of the window fan. Stephanie returned later in the afternoon with a carload of supplies, but no liver treats for us! The nerve. After dinner, Marley and Milo struck up a game of tag   and Stephanie though how sweet it was for Marley to enjoy playing with Milo, given the gap in their ages and the difference in size.    Marley, the German Shepherd, is almost ten years old and Milo just had his first birthday.

Stephanie offered to go home, where she has air conditioning, and make Mary some tea biscuits for her strawberry shortcake, since she wasn’t able to score any in town. She arrived back an hour or so later with four huge biscuits fresh from the oven. She used her Nanny Callahan’s recipe and they turned out just the way Nanny used to make them. Mary said they made her Strawberry Shortcake dessert worth waiting for. 

Sunday was a nicer day as it wasn’t quite so humid and there was more of a breeze. After breakfast we helped Stephanie wash the windows on the west side of Mary's house and a few other things. Then, she took the rest of the day off to spend with her family. We stayed with Mary and had some nice naps and enjoyable walks.

We went to the cabana and sat watching Mary while she planned out her vegetable garden. It’s a bit late in the season, but the weather in Seaforth just hasn’t been co-operating and this latest extended dry period makes Mary think about cutting back on the planting if she will have to rely on her wells for watering. Sam had a suggestion for a better use for any extra water  . 

      

It was another hot and humid day and Stephanie came to get our breakfast, even though she was sad to be without her devoted friend and constant shadow, Felon. She was happy to see all of us and many of our humans took the time to pass along their condolences. 

Here are some photos  of our day and the news that the Swallow babies are out of the nests and flying around, showing off their aerial stunts.  They swoop over out heads like daredevils, almost like they are trying to provoke us into chasing them but they fly by so fast, we almost get whiplash trying to follow their maneuvers. 

Once Sam arrives, Stephanie wants to get us down to the beach so we can enjoy a cool dip in the surf. We all second that motion and off we go to join the family of ducks.   

    

     

    

After we return to the house, it's time for a rest in the cool cabana, while Stephanie  does some work on the computer answering the messages from people who want to comfort her during this sad time. 

Throughout the day, we continue to get photographed in some of our favorite spots before Stephanie turns her camera to the garden activity.  As we stroll along with her, the garden can be appreciated as a backdrop as we watch the world go by.  

        

   

   

Here are some of the newer blooms. 

Peoni                                                   Cranesbill Geranium                               Diablo Nine Bark 

     

 

Goldflame Honeysuckle                    Shrubby Cinquefoil (potentilla)                         Musk Mallow 

   

Wednesday and Thursday are kind of a blur because we're all thinking about Stephanie's dog, Felon ,  who had to be admitted to the hospital with Aspiration Pneumonia. She has been on oxygen, antibiotics and steroids and monitored very closely in what would be considered Intensive Care in the human hospital. The recent hot and humid weather has been a problem for dogs like Felon who suffer from Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS).  The anatomical airway abnormalities of flat faced breeds, like English Bulldogs, restrict airflow, causing severe breathing difficulties, exercise intolerance, and a high risk of heatstroke. 

Stephanie took us to the beach so we could swim on the ocean and then rest in the cabana where the air conditioning keeps things cool. We knew that Felon was on her mind and we could sense her worry and hope that she gets some good news.  

    

   

Thursday was very much like yesterday , except hotter, and Felon is still hospitalized so we are told that Stephanie will not be here today  so she can be with her at the hospital. Desi is ready to help and she arrives to get our breakfast ready after Dolly, Koda and Gimli are dropped off. Most of us are content to stay with Mary while Desi takes Koda, Gimli and Lulu to the beach so they can run off some steam. 
Unfortunately, word reaches us mid-morning that sweet Felon   has not been able to recover. She is on her way to the Rainbow Bridge where she will meet many of her friends that went before her and they will take good care of her. She will be sorely missed by a family that loved her and by all her critter friends. 

The hot and humid weather continues which makes the beach walks very appealing so, as soon as we could, off we went to cool down in the surf. 

         

    

   

Neave has been working toward a goal ever since she first explored the beach with her buddies and today, she was ready. Click on the link below to see how she did. 

 

Today was also busy for Mary and her handyman helper, Gary, as they installed the new, submersible, fountain pump in the pond as well as the old waterfall pump.  Installing is one big part of this operation. Plugging them in and testing them is the next challenge and the hip-boot waders, that Gary borrowed from Randy, come in handy as Gary makes several trips in and out of the pond, with his trusty wrench, to tighten the connections to the waterfall hose which kept disconnecting. Mary stays on shore, unplugging the pumps from the power source, to make sure they are not running while Gary is in the pond.  

Once everything is working pretty much as expected, the last step is to stand back and admire their work and take some photos. 

    

Monday  was cool to start but as the day wore on it got hotter and the humidity  was high, without much of a breeze. 

The Barn Swallows chose this bird house to raise their family and the parents have been swooping in and out, all day, bringing food to the four youngsters.  There is a second nest on the west side of the barn, with another pair of Swallows  raising their family but it is not easy to get to for photos. 

   

Stephanie's daughter Ellie and her cousin, Monica, came to help out and they took Marley and Sadie K to the beach which was quite exciting for them to have that big beach all to themselves. 

 

   

After they arrived back at the house with Marley and Sadie, Stephanie took a bunch of other critters down the hill to play on the beach. 

   

 

Earlier in the morning Stephanie managed to capture a great photo   of the phenomenon called Fata Morgana which we have seen in the past when the right combination of  water temperature, air temperature and the calm ocean produce mirages, like ships seeming to float in the sky above the water.  This container ship was seen at the mouth of Halifax Harbour at 9:44 in the morning. 

Here are photos of two of the fragrant Peonies taken today. Ellie and Monica have been a big help in getting water to these flowers so that they will not be adversely affected by the lack of rain. Their fragrance is beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Saturday was another very hot day with thirty- plus temperatures throughout the province but the half mile trip to and from the beach on that hill was not something we wanted to do. 

Marley showed us what our best option was to cool off ... the wading pool and garden hose and she demonstrated the proper way to use these tools. 

     

   

   

   

Sunday brought cooler temperatures which was a welcome relief so we did get to go to the beach and enjoy the surf. 

   

      

   

   

Now's a good time to check in on the garden.

Wild Strawberry

   

Snowball Bush

 

 

                                                Rosa Rugosa rose plant

Blanc Double de Coubert rugosa rose

 

Red Prince Weigela

 

Water Lily 

Blue False Indigo

 

 

Snowball viburnam 

 

Yellow Transparent and Golden Russet trees planted last fall bearing some fruit. 

 

 

There's no excuse for not keeping the DogBlog up to date so we won't even offer one. We'll try to get caught up this week and last week will be a photo gallery because we can't remember the details. 

July 1, Canada Day 

There were eighteen of us for Stephanie and Mary to keep tabs on and we had lots of sunshine and temperatures near 20 degrees. Here we are enjoying the beach. 

   

   

   

July 2, 2026 - Thursday 

We were all feeling the effects of the heat and humidity but we knew that getting into the water at the beach would make us feel a lot better. 

   

    

   

July 3, 2026 - Friday 

The hottest day yet, 30+degrees and today we were beginning to feel the weather sapping our energy. We know if we get down to the beach, the cool water will make us feel better, even if we  have to face the walk back up the hill.

    

     

   

     

 

 

It was a lovely morning and we enjoyed our breakfast then waited for the day-visitors to arrive. Along with the three additional Goldens, Rosie, Griffin and Gemma, there was Rusty, Marty, Lyla and the Golden Wanna-Be, Molly. 

 

If you're keeping track, that means eight of Golden friends are running the show today and here's the first test. Can you recognize which dog belongs to which bum?  

1. Piper

2. Neave 

3. Belle L

4. Willie

5. Sam 

6. Rosie

7. Griffin

8. Gemma 

 

A                                                                    B                                                               C

    

D                                                    E                                                            F

           

G                             H

         

Stir them all together and you'll have a Golden Bummer Soup with a side order  of Golden Wanna-Be.  

      

 

Marty, Rusty, Bella and Lyla didn't need any Goldens to have their own good time.  

   

The two Golden Girls, Neave and Belle L, arrived in time for the beach hike so, after we did a big Poop Patrol, everyone was well acquainted and we raced down the hill to see what was doing at the beach. 

 

Neave and Belle L  swelled the ranks of the Golden Gang already here, which included Piper, Willie and Sam. They had loads of fun confusing Stephanie who wanted to make sure that all of the Goldens were obeying the rules and not dining on the seaweed and kelp. 

   

      

The Lilac ,that took ten years to produce, is putting out lots of blossom this year and the fragrance is wonderful. 

Now, tomorrow's Tuesday, which is our usual Golden Day, so we might have a little fun with them, as well as our Golden Wanna-Be, Molly.   Make sure you tune in tomorrow. 

Saturday was very foggy here in Seaforth and there was the threat of showers most of the day.  That didn't deter Stephanie, her husband Chris and daughter Ellie from driving to PEI so they could visit a place called the Butterfly House .  They left early in the morning, after Felon was dropped off to spend the day with us, and then Desi came to assist with our breakfast and dinner. 

Koda and Gimli arrived to stay overnight and Lyla was here to spend the day. Because of the weather we mostly just relaxed over in the cabana and took short walks with Desi when it wasn't raining. We can't remember what the highlights were but there must have been a few. Stephanie and the family got back home late and Felon was very happy to see her. She took lots of photos of the butterflies instead of us so here are some for you to enjoy. Google Lens was used to identify the butterflies. 

Whitened Bluewing (Myscelia cyaniris) 

Malachite butterfly (Siproeta stelenes ),

    

Emerald Swallowtail (Papilio palinurus )

Juno Longwing (Dione juno )

 

Blue Morpho butterfly (likely Morpho peleides ) 

The brown underside of the wings is covered in false eyespots designed to deter predators by mimicking the eyes of larger animals.

While the underside is dull brown, the topside of their wings is a brilliant, iridescent blue.

Great Mormon (Papilio memnon)

Sunday turned out to be a sunny day, hot at times with fog lingering close to shore. We waited until Daisy    ,

Sam    , Tilley      and 

Packer   got here so they could go to the beach with us. 

We had a good time getting aquainted with some new friends and cooling off in the surf. 

     

    

There were a bunch of departures today including these two   who were enjoying thier sun bathing on the back veranda.