Booming Banter

These last weeks it has been forbidden to speak to me between seven and eight on Sunday evenings. The Forsyte Saga is running on PBS.

It’s the 2002 version with Damian Lewis as Soames. My Mother was just as addicted to the original 1967 version when it ran on BBC. Everyone was silenced!

The trilogy is just as good as the TV series. Probably very racy for the time when it was published and definitely on my top ten list of best books. If you haven’t read it do give it a go.

Last night Soames and Irene the long divorced key characters meet in a museum with their children by from their subsequent marriages. It’s awful in its awkwardness and the looks of hate and hopelessness are horrible.

Made me ponder what makes a great story and the conclusion reached was that there has to be at least one character that becomes written onto your own heart.

This might be surprising but in the Forsyte Saga for me it’s Soames. He appears cold and mercenary but he is a good son and brother. He is sadly obsessed with his first love Irene but shows that he has redeeming character in his love for his only child Fleur.

Even though I was just a child when the first series ran I never forgot Eric Porter and his sad dark look. Damian Lewis as Soames has quite a different appearance but both of them you could class as creepy. Almost like Dracula. So what’s it that makes the character so pointent. The depth, the sadness the goodness that eventually come to light. Who cares to speculate?

Blessing # 576 – Redemption

Our house can be like a circus at times. Suppose that’s true of most homes. Today on the stroke of midnight all hell broke loose. Alarms starting going off all over.

I’d been sound asleep since ten so when I woke up my first thought was tornado! Scooby was going berserk when Aaron rushed into our room to let us know the popcorn he’d been cooking in the microwave had gone on fire.

Krishna and Scooby had waited for him to come home from work at 11:30 and as he’d headed off for the basement they’d come to bed. His plan was to settle down with a big bowl of popcorn and watch TV. Instead we had a little run around.

After a minute of all alarms ringing the security company called to see if we were OK or if we needed the fire brigade. Aaron had doused the fire and it was out by then so we declined the offer!

That didn’t mean the episode was over. We had to get the alarms stopped and reset the system. So there were a lot of frantic ups and downs and round and rounds. Fortunately Krishna could quickly lay his hand on the deactivation codes. It felt like an hour but in a matter of minutes we were all back to square one.

Scooby had had a hair raising  experience though. He stuck to me like a limpet. Think he needed a little reassurance all was well.

It was a tad toasty and getting back to sleep challenging. One thing was obvious though burnt popcorn is better than Febreeze! Best eliminator ever of wet dog whiff!

Blessing # 575 – Air Freshener

We had to dodge the rain again today and Scooby had to spend some quality time with his Dad as I was out and Aaron was sleeping.

He always gives a warm reception when we’ve been away and a few kisses too but is a little more clingy and less demanding at least for a hour or two afterwards. It’s like he needs a bit of time to reconnect.

Usually when we see people after an absence we rush into chatting and catching up. Maybe we should take a tip from furry friends and just sit still and silent.

Blessing # 574 – Welcomes Home

Miserable  is the only way to describe today if you are a dog like Scooby who likes to be outdoors.

No human right in their mind is going to walk far in rain like this. We dodged in between the downpours for a quick trot but Scooby had that depressed droopy dog look most of the day.

He took to his little kennel for a while moped around the kitchen and eventually resigned himself to the sofa for a sleep.

It’s certainly not our mood that was rubbing off on him. Krishna was happy as a clam, me too come to think of it. I was following all the latest on TV and YouTube about the royals and glad of the excuse to concentrate on this. Aaron was only home for twenty minutes after school before he went to work so it was nothing to do with him.

Conclusion? Scooby like all dogs can have their own little down days. They do so much to lift our moods maybe it’s because they empathize with us because they know what it’s like to feel low.

Maybe a little chicken chew will do the trick to put a smile on his face after all who wants a grumpy guy on a Friday

Blessing # 573 – Down not Out

Scooby has gained ten pounds since he came home in September. That’s more than a third of his original body weight. He’s far from fat and he has grown taller so it must be mostly muscle.

Food now comes way after exercise, sleep and play on his priority list. When he first arrived he’d wolf down everything now he has days when he can happily just nibble.

Yesterday he ate well and his bowl of kibble was empty this morning. When I gave him his breakfast he took a sniff and a couple of his crunchies and that was that.

He had his morning walk, a good car ride and a little snooze but still wasn’t interested in eating even after his long walk this afternoon.

We’re having spaghetti and meatballs as Aaron needed something fast before leaving for work. As always Krishna insists Scooby gets his share.

His three meatballs were chopped fine and mixed with his crunchies but he did what he often does just took the good bits and left the rest.

Now after a little more playtime he’s having another snooze.

Such behavior would be totally unacceptable in human society but just imagine for one moment it wasn’t.

How many of us are clearing our plates because we’re polite rather than hungry?

How many of us just want the sausage but eat the hotdog bun as well?

Who among us stays awake by eating when we really want a little sleep?

Mind you if you were eating the same thing day after day with only the odd treat thrown in you might be a bit more picky.

Or if you were truly hungry like our dear fluffball once was you’d be only too pleased to tuck in.

Blessing # 572 – Food Fantasy

A very important role of any canine companion is to protect their humans.

Anthropologists would tell you this is why the bond between the wolf and primitive man became so strong. Of course all good relationships are reciprocal.

Scooby was as quiet as a mouse when we got him but now he is a true defender of the home. Even with eyes closed he always seems to be vigilant to the unusual.

One of his favorite spots to sit is upstairs where he can survey all the doors and all that’s going on. Sense a scene in silence.

He also loves to ride shotgun when we go out in the car and will bark at people on foot who gets close. When out walking though he is fine with people and dogs moving at a steady walking pace. Once something is moving faster though like a jogger or a biker or ever a fast moving critter he’ll make his presence felt. He seems to see and appreciate differences.

Not only does he look like a little wolf he takes very good care of his pack and we are grateful.

Blessing # 571 – Lord Protector

If you are to be ready to walk at anytime you must be well rested.

Scooby’s so skilled at sleeping soundly.

He snuggles into bed between Krishna and me and never says a word till morning. Occasionally he’ll move a bit to the foot of the bed or up to the top of the pillows but he does so very discreetly you don’t notice. He has the talent to behave like a warm Teddy Bear.

When morning comes he gets up quietly with me and after a quick nip outside wakes up Aaron. While Aaron takes his shower Scooby snuggles into his warm bed. Never miss a chance for forty winks. 

The pattern continues throughout the day. There can be a nap after a morning walk or after the afternoon outing. Any soft spot will do to rest your head.

Never ever ever though does sleep happen in the evening. It’s essential to keep moving then. Play ball, torture your humans as they try to banter or play war games. Make sure that you go to bed tired and ready to sleep.

Just put the blinkers on and chill.

Blessing # 570 – Sleeping Dog

A lot of the day evolves around a certain fluff ball so for a few weeks we’ll look at life from Scooby’s perspective.

His absolute favorite thing is walking. He’s ready to roll anytime of day or night. Never miss a chance to go places. 

Generally this is done at a great pace that gets the heart racing but there is an occasional need to stop and sniff. Must mix the muscle groups!

Ideally if the walk can be enjoyed with a pal it’s more fun but if you can’t be with one of your own you can chase a squirrel or a bike. Just interact!

There is so much to do outside it’s hard to understand why humans spend so much time indoors. Maybe it’s because they don’t have that great fur coat. Wrap up and get going!

The smells are so fantastic especially the closer you can get to drains. Just breathe it in it’s a real brain teaser trying to decipher whose down there. Use your nose.

Its also a good idea to make sure your presence felt. Leaving those calling cards on the mail boxes will get you noticed. Drop a little hello often. Stay in touch.

Blessing # 569 – Tips from Toes

 

This morning thanks to the wonderful WHATsApp I talked to two of my sister in laws in Indian. Hema who lives in the USA is visiting Hamsa. Just a short chat got the day off to a good start!

The weather was perfect for taking down the outside lights, bright, sunny and calm.

Scooby was my in the yard helping me when his big buddy Enzo arrived out for a walk with his Dad.

Enzo is about the size of a small pony he’s a Leonberger and they see each other twice a day. We decided to let them have a little romp around the yard together and they had some fun.

While we were busy Dad made a great early dinner for us as Aaron is working 5-10.

So now that’s all done and dusted we’ve hunkered down to watch for the umteenth time the epic Gandhi.

The flavors of Christmas are over but there is always some spice to count on in this household and a still a few flowers too. Let’s hope they’ll  still be going strong next time the tree goes up

Blessing # 568 – Still Blooming

If you follow British tradition you need to have your decorations down before twelfth night. Seems the idea dates from the druids and the belief that spirits live in the holly and ivy and need to be released from the home back into the forest before they get naughty!

So today they were liberated! It took quite a long time as each year more decorations accumulate. They must multiple during their hibernation in the garage.

To lighten the mood, as this job makes a body a tad sad,  Solid Gold Oldies was called on. Ironically they were playing Turn Turn Turn!

Panic set in half way through the process. Two very big boxes were already filled with baubles and snowmen. Where on earth were we going to put the rest?

When the tree was dismantled and ready to be packed away there was a huge sigh of relief. Two more storage boxes had been tucked into the tree box and forgotten about.

Wonder did Mrs Robinson forget things too?

So now we are all set inside for Chinese New Year on January 25.

It’s so good to have a reason to keep the party going

Blessing 567 # Seeing Red!