Two strikes against this weekend, not enough friends visiting to make up a decent poker game and Saturday was rainy while Sunday was showery. We were pleased to be able to get down to the beach both days in between the downpours and heavy showers so that was a plus but the driving wind made it kind of hard to enjoy even this favorite pastime. 

So, we spent a lot of time following Mary and Kelsea around the house as they tackled some cleaning jobs and Sunday had some periods of sunshine in between the showers, so we did get to take some pleasant walks.

Here are some photos that Kelsea took at the beach and as you can see, the wind was blowing hard enough to make LaVie and Ocean's ears stand up. Hali enjoyed racing up and down the sand and the view looking East out to sea was very sunny and quite a contrast to the dull skies to the West.  

  

Back at the house, Parker was exploring and he willingly posed for a couple of photos as a couple of blue-sky patches appeared. 

 

That's about it as far as our weekend was concerned so we are really looking forward to seeing the regular Monday crowd get dropped off tomorrow. That should liven this place up, for sure as long as there isn't to much rain.   

 

Friday was a great day after the rain with lots of sun and lots of the regular day-visitors as well as a couple of overnight guests. Big smiles were the order of the day as we greeted one another and found lots of interesting things to do. 

   

   

Sharing valuable sticks, racing at top speed or just sitting in the bushes watching the silly antics of our friends. It's all good! 

   

Of course, the best times were those spent on the beach getting our feet in the ocean, surfing the breakers and nosing through piles of seaweed and driftwood. 

    

In the afternoon, Ellie, Mary and Stephanie did some Spring cleaning in the barn after which they got busy straightening up the collection of birdhouses and placing the new Gnome figure in a good spot to allow his flags to flutter in the breeze.  

   

While that was going on, the irate Mrs. Squirrel kept up a constant stream of scolds because the peanut bag was empty and all she cared about was having it filled back up again. After the work was finished, Stephanie managed to capture her quick return to the newly-filled peanut cache. 

As you can see, the Daffodils are still putting on a lovely show and Stephanie captured the close-up beauty of the blooms along with the elusive Golden Dogflower.  

    

Yes, if you spotted this bird   on the telephone wire then you have seen our first swallow of the season. After that long migration, flying back to Seaforth from South America, they must be very tired and hungry but the first thing they do is check out the previous year's nesting site and start planning for the new family. Year after year we have seen these wonderful creatures do all the stuff that is described in the Hinterland Who's Who segment. 

Hinterland Who's Who - Barn Swallow 

The rain that arrived overnight continued this morning but there was only one cancellation due to the weather. Our new friend, Layla   , arrived early to spend the day and to say she was underwhelmed would not be an exaggeration. She wasn't interested in meeting any of us and she found a quiet spot in the house from which to watch the action. Jasper's puppy antics did not appeal to her and Merle's sheer size was somewhat intimidating.  Later, she did meet another new guy, Archie   , who was a little more to her liking at least where size was concerned. Mary just let Layla move at her own pace and get used to the place so she wouldn't feel like she was being pressured after all she has reached the age of twelve human years which is eighty-four in dog years. 

We spent most of the morning over at the cabana with Stephanie and, when the rain was too heavy, we played inside. 

     

  

It started to clear around noon and the rain mostly gave up so Stephanie organized us for a beach walk which was a welcome, albeit muddy, diversion. We just carried on with our silly games and today Juno got to accompany us on a long line while she is still on probation. 

     

 

Otherwise, it was a mostly routine day without a lot of excitement but it was nice to hear from Layla that she had a good visit and she thanked all of us for showing respect for our elders. She says she plans to be back next week.  

 

Here we are, mid-week, and thirteen regular day-visitors join the fun and games. They are determined to make the most of their time and since they are all regulars, there's no need to go through the time-consuming introductions. 

Mylea was feeling very friendly and insisted on kissing anyone that crossed her path including Bronco and Drake before she got weak in the knees and had to take a rest. 

        

Snickers was thrilled to find himself being chased around the yard at full tilt by the charming Ocean. Thanks goodness there was a fresh bucket of water ready to quench their thirst after all that racing. This morning he arrived with a new family member to show off to Mary and Stephanie. His name is Rolo and he's also a Labradoodle but only eight weeks old so it will be a couple of months before he can join his big brother on his Wednesday visits. 

   

The hounds were well represented today with both Quiver, the Foxhound, and Lucy, the Beagle sniffing all the scents and comparing notes on what they found.  

   

The daffodils were a big attraction for Bronco and LaVie who posed for some shots amidst the blooms. 

          

We had a great run to the beach and there wasn't another soul down there so we could spread our and enjoy the sand and surf. The only ones who didn't go in for a swim were Nala, Hali and Arthur so most of us got back to the house soaking wet and tired out. 

We relaxed on the veranda and some of us napped while the youngsters carried on their games of chase and ball. 

   

Time for the big exodus as the four o'clock crowd departed and the rest of us waited for dinner and the rain started. 

 

 

The weather was great and we enjoyed the company of a bunch of hard-playing boys and girls. The first arrival of the day was Georgia, that fit Black Lab gal, followed by Ollie, another player from the Black Lab brigade. Then we welcomed a Chocolate brother, Jasper, and our regular Berner, Maggie. While those four were busy trying to get a game of chase going, Stephanie got the horse fed and moved into his field just in time to meet Emma, the lovely Pointer.  Then Benny and Jasmine got here so the games became more focused on the big, red Jolly Ball.

   

      

Once Bella and Luke got here that meant we could head down to the water to enjoy the surf and sand with Briar Rose and Tilley. 

   

   

After the beach, the day was full of sun-induced naps and a few races around the yard before we had to say goodbye to Briar Rose and then Tilley, followed by Benny, Jasper, Georgia, Jasmine and Luke. Dinner time was a pleasant interlude, without a lot of fuss, and then the after-dinner departures were followed by a short nap in front of the TV. 

It turned out to be a bustling kind of day with our regular Monday visitors along with an overnight stay for Tilley and Briar Rose. Today, we had two extra escorts to the beach as Stephanie invited her husband, Christopher to tag along with Ellie. We had lots to investigate on the beach and we didn't bump into anyone else today so the piles of seaweed were un-sniffed and the sand was piled up from the heavy wave action last week. 

   

   

    

When we returned from the beach, tired and thirsty, we settled down for a rest so Ellie could attend her Zoom French Class. Briar Rose arrived soon after and she was keen to say hello to all of her old friends as well as introduce herself to the new ones. Mostly though, she just wanted to play with the big black ball which she enjoys pushing with her nose across the fields. 

 

Hunter and Parker's attention was focused on this critter who we think has a family of babies in one of the bird houses. She was making good use of the light pole to hide and then suddenly appear a few seconds later much to Hunter's frustration. 

    

There were some chores to be done over at the barn so we hung around outside while Stephanie and Mary were busy and we took every opportunity to pose for those cute photos. 

   

There were some garden spots that wanted to be featured today and here they are including a patch of Double Daffodils. 

     

 

 

In the nineteen years between 1992 and 2011, there were approximately two thousand Daffodil and Tulip bulbs planted in and around this place by Mary and her sister, Cathy who couldn't say no to a bag of Daffodil bulbs.  Most years only a few dozen Daffodils would flower and very few Tulips. Well, this year the Daffodils have more than made up for their lack of enthusiasm and they are flowering like crazy which prompted Mary to get out with her camera and take some photos while we went for a nice walk. I guess the lesson here is to be patient and wait a decade or two and your Daffodils will reward you with a beautiful show.  

   

     

    

  

  

 

Overall, it was a pretty quiet day with just Parker and Hunter arriving to stay overnight and Teddy leaving to go home so we just enjoyed the good weather and the abundance of pheasants who torment Parker  and Hunter  by strutting around like they own the place. Mary spent some of the day making plans for her new coop/shed   and checking up on her Garlic  and Rhubarb  crop. 

So tomorrow morning, it's back to the hustle and bustle with the arrival of our day-visiting  friends and the start of another week. The builders likely won't be here since the power company did not come to safety wrap the power lines over the roof where they are working so we'll pretty much have the run of the place.       

In a word, Friday was wet. It rained pretty much the whole day so there wasn't much to do around here but nap and try to stay dry. We took us residence in the cabana with Stephanie so Mary could concentrate on boring tax returns.  

    

 

Stephanie made sure that we had some fun but we couldn't get to the beach due to the inclement weather. 

Saturday was a much better day for dogs although it did rain at time but it somehow wasn't as tedious as the rain of Friday because there were lots of sunny breaks in between the showers.  Harry arrived mid-morning for his first visit after his recent 'operation' . He told us that he wasn't sure what happened but he woke up feeling like something was missing. He was happy to be back and he played with Teddy pretty much the whole day. 

We got to meet a new friend by the name of Layla and she is a twelve-year-old mix-breed lady dog who would like to come and visit us on occasion. While she wasn't interested in playing, she was friendly and joined us on a tour of the East pasture with Kelsea. That's when one of the heavy showers rolled overhead and we were all caught in the torrential downpour that lasted only a few minutes. We told Layla that we hoped to see her next week and that we'd make sure she had a good time.

After those showers, Mother Nature treated us to some lovely sights including this intense rainbow after dinner. 

   

Thursday brought the regular crowd to enjoy the day, along with the builders who are trying hard to finish the roof on the house. Mary's having trouble remembering exactly how we passed the time because no one took any notes, so maybe it's best if she shows you the photos. 

Juno wanted to play with everyone but first she had to find some Pheasant Poop and roll in it. We hope she's prepared for a hose down later. 

   

Jasper and Teddy enjoyed one another's company and were as thick as thieves, both of them having a talent for getting into mischief. 

   

Benson and Hali waited patiently on the veranda for the beach walk to get organized 

 and they soon got their wish. 

The ocean was still full of surf and we were able to chase down some balls that Stephanie chucked for us. Ellie was with us today so she escorted Juno on her first beach walk, keeping her on the leash until she can be trusted not to wander off.  

    

Those two Labs thought they should stay in the water all the time and, even when they were swimming, they wanted to be close to one another.   

   

Benson was showing off his dance moves and Nala waited patiently for a ball to come her way. 

     

The rising sea levels has made our beach the subject of much study by scientists from the Geological Survey of Canada and we met some of them on today's walk. They continue to measure the erosion levels and photograph the beach and the cliffs and they will consult with people in the area to get first-hand observations, particularly the impact of the big storms. We could probably tell them a thing or two about changes that have occurred since we spend more time on his beach than anyone else. We just haven't figured out how to communicate with them.

So, back we went to the house and, after a good long drink of water, we relaxed and let our coats get dry in the sunroom. Four o'clock rolled around and a bunch of us had to go home including Baxter and Nala who were very happy to see their humans after a four-night stay. Mary was the recipient of a wonderful piece of flummery from Baxter and Nala's humans and she found just the perfect spot for it though Nala Jr. wasn't too sure about this new arrival and his waving flags. .  

After dinner, another new arrival drove through the gate and, not without considerable, maneuvering, was moved from the truck's flatbed into position over by the pond. It was a new shed and the plan is to convert it into a coop for some feathered friends which will likely arrive in May or June.  It was a bit tricky as the big truck sank into the saft clay ground even though there had been seventeen ton of gravel put down to make the area more solid. It all turned out well in the end as the truck got out of the mud but left behind some deep ruts that are going to need to be filled. 

 

Stephanie got lots of great shots of us today so that's what will be featured on todays DogBlog. 

Bronco, the first one through the gate this morning and Oliver and Drake were second and third. 

       

Emma, back for her second visit and very excited when she was introduced to Snickers. They both love a game of Chase.

     

Then Lucy arrived and suddenly the game of chase got even more interesting until Emma just had to call a time out. . 

   

  

Hamish wanted someone to kick his ball and Parker took his best shot which Nala could have told him was not going to go anywhere because Hamish hung on to it. 

      

    

Quiver was feeling playful and did a few laps with the racing enthusiasts before going ff in search of some tender shoots of early grass. 

  

Stephanie took a crowd to the beach and took another bunch of photos. 

    

Duck, Arthur, Duck!