New Sofas
Things are gradually settling down at Eyam Hall as Mum and Dad get the house a bit straighter and more to their liking. Trouble is, the smarter things get, the fewer areas there are where a small white dog is welcome – especially a small white dog with muddy paws! Take the new sofas, for instance. Initially I was very pleased as they looked very comfortable but imagine my distress when having settled comfortably on their pristine white surfaces, I was ordered off and banished to the kitchen. The old ones were red and shabby and accommodated the dogs very nicely.
Extra Dogs
Freckles, the Springer Spaniel, who was living here part time seems to have become a permanent fixture now. He is good company but is very bouncy and never seems to get tired. Granny and Grandpa also have a second dog, an enormous black thing called Jack. Lulu and I feel quite overwhelmed at times by the sheer size and energy of Jack and Freckles. When Jack and Freckles are playing in the garden John, the gardener gets very annoyed as they rush around making great skid marks in the lawn.
It has been so wet that a small dog only has to take a stroll round the estate to cause apoplexy on its return. I’ve lost count of the number of showers I’ve had to take in the last few weeks.
Christmas
Everyone was very pleased with the way the Christmas tours went. All the visitors seemed very enthusiastic and the Hall certainly looked lovely. I was very taken with the Christmas tree which was huge and which Mum had decorated with delicious edible decorations. I particularly enjoyed the little iced biscuits she had made, though I wasn’t so keen on the ribbon she had threaded through. Unfortunately she got wise to my nibbling and the replacement batch went further up the tree and, try as I might, I just could not reach them.
Easter
Mum and Dad are planning another Easter Egg Hunt this Easter and we have been warned that the house and garden are open for Easter week so no Easter Egg hunt for us (unless some of those nice children miss a few!). Personally I think a few dogs around would be a terrific draw and I’m sure we wouldn’t mind sharing the eggs. The garden should look lovely for Easter as it is so early the snowdrops should still be around (Jack and Freckles permitting!) and it has been so warm the daffies will have flowered by then.
So there you are. Life as a stately dog isn’t so bad I suppose. Poor Lulu has been confiding in me that life as an ex-stately dog is nothing to write home about. She actually has to go under the hose when she gets muddy – no hot shower for her and at present she has to sleep in the kitchen instead of her own dog room. I am deeply shocked!
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