Day One Hundred and Eighty Seven

Miss Pancake 

I was very very busy today. Even when I woke up.

Because I had to help Niamh watch her homework on the big television in the den. 

And then I had to have my breakfast and help Zita with hers. 

When we were finished Craig was awake but I could not help him.

Because Zita and I had to drive Niamh to her lovely store. 

And when I got back Craig talking to his old friends. But he had a hot cross bun. 

And I got a bit.

But it was not very hot and it was not even a bit cross. Because it was a bun.

People are very silly sometimes. 

I saw all his friends on his flat computer, but they were not talking about interesting things.

So I went to fast asleep on the sofa. 

But then while Craig was talking Zita and I went to my very very favourite place. The giant farm.

Because that is where I do do my fast running exercises. 

And it was not even cold and there was sunshine everywhere. So we stayed a long time.

But when I got home I was so dirty I had to have a two towel bath. 

Dugal and Festis and Furrgus

Last night on returning from evening patrol we discovered that we had missed April the seventh. 

The anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath.

And we had completely missed it, due to the wholesale disruptions caused by the failure of the electricity.  Good Lord in Heaven.

This is the first time we have missed celebrating since the Sudan expedition. 

But Dugal, being the senior member of the clan present decided to invoke the nearly forgotten power of denial. 

So we are officially celebrating it today. 

So that put us in a bit of a pickle. Which of the trunks held the Mess Uniforms, where to find our copy of the Declaration, so we could read it aloud. 

And what were we to do for a scrumptious dinner.

It was too much to ask of Mrs. T, burdened as she is with intransigent Irish hospitals.

Fortunately we immediately phoned Cantina Gia and they will gladly cater our dinner. 

Our only instruction were, easy on the vegetables and heavy on the sauces and desserts. 

Then there were the crucial decisions - on the before dinner Scotch, the during dinner Scotch and the après dinner Scotch. 

All of which needed to be decided upon before a compatible brandy could be chosen. 

We then took advantage of the abundance of sunshine and went up to the Glebe Central for waffles and home fries.

We got one of the coveted window seats, naturally. 

Miss Pancake 

After my bath I was so hungry I was nearly starved away. 

But Craig got my lunch when I got out of the bath. So I was all right. 

Zita was talking to Auntie Eileen because Nana’s hospital is not such a good listener.

They should get our Doctor Alice. She is a good listener. And she can fix your insides too. Ha.

But her hospital is not even near Dublin, because it is in Cork. Oh dear. Too bad for us. 

Today is an important day for us. 

I was having my afternoon nap when I heard it on the radio. 

A long long time ago there was a very big battle on a hill.

And that hill was in Flanders. 

Where all us Bouviers came from. 

And I was very worried that some of my far away cousins needed my help. Oh my goodness me. 

But Craig told me they were all right. Then he started to explain it to me.

Our soldiers won the battle. 

But lots and lots of them got killed, and they could never go back home to their families.

I think their dogs must have been very very sad.

Because dogs like their families to be all at home. It is known. 

Especially dogs like me. 

But later we built giant sad statues right on top of that hill. 

And right on that statue we put the names of all the soldiers who could not go home.

So everyone will remember them. That was a good idea.


Festis and Furrgus

We finally got home, after an admittedly long brunch, as we wondered about the neighbourhood looking at the storm damage. 

When we got in Mrs T and Susan had left to stimulate the economy.

But poor Miss P was in a bit a a state.

It is Vimy Day here and when the radio talked about Flanders she thought that something unfortunate had happened there. 

And she was extremely concerned that perhaps her some of her distant relatives might need her assistance. 

We all know how distressing it is to be far away when there are family concerns. 

So Craig was trying to explain about the battle when we arrived.

I immediately intervened before Craig or Dugal could bore the poor young thing into insensibility.

I rather glossed over the tragic losses, and rather focused on the wonderful monument that dominates the hill. 

You can still see the pockmarked remains of the battlefield.

And I told her all about Dugal’s father’s second cousin Major Oban-Mór, of The Royal Engineers, who commanded the 179 tunnelling company.

All the Blackthorn-Badgers are tunnelling experts, as you might well imagine. It being genetic and all. 

Well, weeks before the battle they had dug a tunnel right to the enemy’s front line, and packed it with explosives.

When those Canadian boys advanced up the hill, he blew a bloody great hole in the enemy line, they called the hole Lochnivar, as it was nearly as big. 

Now as I remember, when he returned home Oban-Mór married that young widow from Sky. The one that inherited that distillery 

Smart man Oban-Mór.

I was about to go on when Festis pulled me away as we needed to attend to tonight’s soirée.

Just as well I suppose. 

As there was alway some family contention due to the rumours of smuggling shiploads of prime scotch away from His Majesty’s revenue inspectors and not shared with the rest of the clan..

Which should properly be for family ears only I must admit. 

Anyway I was bundled downstairs to the back basement to rummage through the various trunks until we all found our regimental Mess Uniforms.

.

Lord it has it had been years since I needed it and was a bit concerned about the fit. 

Fortunately a tight cummerbund hid the evidence of indulgence. 

Miss Pancake 

Before dinnertime Mister Furrgus told me very interesting story about his own relative. 

The one whole made giant holes in the ground. Ha.

I told him I was a very good digging holes dog, but I always got in trouble when I dug very nice  holes. Oh well. Too bad for me. 

When Zita got home it was time for our dinner and after Craig and Zita were finished I had mine. 

And then it was detective program time. 

That is always a good time for me. 

Because I get to fall asleep beside Zita. On the comfy sofa.