Orla

Finally got a pic of my niece Orla not screaming her head off! Poor little thing has started teething already - she's only 4 months old.

Went over to Telford today for my cousin's surprise 40th bday party. Lovely family day with lots of babies there and the weather was gorgeous so we were all sat outside. Thinking that this time last year such an occasion would have been unbearable for us and realised how far we have come and how much has happened in 12 months.

Poor Alf got into a bit of a scrap on his way home from his walk. There's a really nasty dog several doors down from us who has previously attacked Charley out on a walk and also jumped out of its garden three times and gone for our dogs as we've walked past. It's owner is a complete @rsehole and once threatened to set his dog on me in the dark on a winters morning because Alf was off the lead and was trying to get his dog to play. He was walking in the dark without a torch and I didn't realise he was there until it was too late to get Alf on the lead. (despite him we do live in a really nice village!) Alf is ever so protective over Charley and this afternoon when the dog was out in it's garden Alf ran over to the fence and somehow got bitten through the fence. He has a really deep cut on the inside of his ear and has lost the tip of his ear. :0( It can't be stitched so he has a huge bandage wrapped right round his head.

It looks like there was a lot of blood as Alf had obviously retreated to his bed inside and shaken his head as there was blood spattered everywhere - 6 ft up the walls and all over picture frames and ornaments etc. It was pretty gruesome - bit like walking into an abattoir! Put a bit of a dampner on the day but although he is shaken I'm sure he will be fine. And losing a bit of an ear won't make too much difference to a dog as handsome as Alf! In the human world it would make him more attractive to some!

The worst of it was that because we were out all day, Kate had come to take the dogs out and ended up having to rush him to the vets for us so BIG thanks to Kate for getting him patched up and we owe you one!