Gentle Lady

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

This gentle lady has made house sitting for my SIL so entertaining. She is a darling!!

She was actually delighted to see us but I got the impression she was allowing us to stay under certain conditions! Those were that she was given a generous amount of pats, hugs and tummy rubs daily.

Who could resist those eyes anyhow! Not me!   

I was told to be careful because she jumps up on you but not once did she do that to me not even when she got excited and playful hearing the rustle of my hand dipping into the complimentary dog bone biscuit pack, that I had bought for her! By the way it took her just a few hours to learn that sound meant extra goodies coming her way. 

I would have so loved to have taken her for a long walk in the country lanes there but we were told absolutely not to do that. It seems she is a bit of an escape artist and also goes for other dogs as well. Only my nephew can take her for walks as he can manage her better than anyone.   

She certainly has a lot of space though inside the villa grounds and she has her fill of running from one end to the other patrolling her territory and generously woofing warnings to anyone who should walk too near to her wall. 

Front

The Front garden

The Gardens at each side of the house

The back of the villa in front of the swimming pool

I had some good walks in the mornings going around the garden lap after lap. Torka would just sit and watch me walking at first then she would trudge along following me slowly, continuing to watch me. She would poke her head around each corner to see what this new human "the bikkies lady" was up to but it seems she decided it was ok with her and she decided to walk beside me after that each morning... lap after lap.   

The weather was so mild that most mornings I had breakfast outside which Torka obviously thought was an invite and she enthusiastically helped me to eat my breakfast. As you can see she felt it was necessary to nudge me a bit to remind me she was also there participating.   

It is evident that she considered her one meal a day quite ridiculous and bordered on starvation!

Torka was quite vocal evening times but so were the other dogs from the other villas in the area.  I think and call me weird if you like but I bet you they are having a chat about all their human goings on during the day. Something like this perhaps... 😀

"She's forgotten to brush me again today" "No way did she?" 

" I had a go at the postman this morning...nearly got him this time" "

Have you seen those new fences they have put up? Do they really think they are going to keep me in!"  

OR  

"Hey! you know what I have some new humans here that I am taking care of "  "They love me and give me hugs all the time!"

She certainly kept her eye on us:

She knows she is not allowed in the house at all so she guards the backdoor.  

My adopted Christmas tree

The beautiful patio garden in the centre of the house

Goodbye Torka. We've enjoyed our Christmas break with you. Thank you for taking care of us 💚

Replies to comments in previous post completed

  Happy Blogging

Amanda :-)🔔

Christmas tree blues

 

Seeing all the beautiful Christmas decorations and trees on display in blogland reminds me I have to get cracking and get on with decorating my home too.

This year I will be putting out very few Christmas decorations mostly my Christmas tree front door decoration and a few other bits because I won't be staying at home this Christmas I shall be Christmas House sitting at my SIL's villa. 

I shall not have a Christmas tree of my own this year. 

We retired our 32 year old Christmas tree (seems so callous to say I threw it out after all it has been a Christmas fixture in my home for so long...that is daft isn't it...but!) last year and thought we were going to buy a new one this year but then I thought I might as well take advantage of my SIL's beautiful big tree that they always put up each year. After all I am going to enjoy it more than my SIL’s family as I am going to be staying there Christmas Day included🎄. My SIL, my nieces and nephews and their children my great nieces and nephews are all going away for a short trip over Christmas and it isn't good to leave the houses empty particularly over the Christmas season even though there are Security guards patrolling the complex! We will alternate between homes of course and Sr P will stay at our place and I will stay at my SIL's with my daughter and grand-daughter. 

We will be there for several days keeping an eye on the place and caring for Torka their Spanish mastiff who is far too big to come to our apartment.

Spanish Mastiff...Google image

Torka isn't quite as big as this mastiff in the photo above. Torka's head comes to the top of my legs but she is still a big girl. I am not sure how old she is but she isn't young. She is though a gentle giant at least with the family members, I haven't seen her in action when a stranger rings the doorbell at the gate as yet. My SIL usually has to lock her in her kennel before she opens the gate. She is always happy to see any family members and rushes down to the gate to meet us. Sr P has to stand in front of me though as Torka gallops... yes... gallop is the appropriate word to describe it, she ain’t a dainty lady by far ! I am certainly not afraid of dogs far from it as I have always had cats and dogs as pets but Torka does get rather over enthusiastic about greeting people and is inclined to jump up. I am no squirt by any means but she nearly knocked me over once. I think she is gorgeous! As I said a gentle giant because she is very loving as well and very obedient.  She is also bilingual as I speak to her in English and she does sit when I tell her to and will come to me when I call her and looks at me and leans on my leg (pretty heavy lean by the way) when I chat to her.   

OK!  I can guess what you are thinking it isn't a question of which language you use but the sound of your voice ...of course 😀

Torka

Crochet 

I haven't much to show you this time as I am just finishing off a pair of fingerless gloves to send to my sister in the UK . My next project will be another baby blanket. I really must start very soon.  This time it is for my niece who lives in Queensland, Australia, her baby is due next March. This is a very special baby ... a surprise babe!  My niece has had to undergo several operations over the years and it was understood that she could not have children of her own but ,lo and behold, Mother Nature will have her way! What a wonderful surprise for them after all that she has been through she is now expecting a little girl. They are of course ecstatic and I am so happy for them.

As they are animal lovers (horses, ducks, dogs, cats, parrots etc) I thought the following pattern from Repeat Crafter Me would be nice for the blanket.

It won't be in these colours though as my niece has sent me a photo of her nursery and I'll be following the colour scheme they have used there. The nursery is also full of soft toys, all animals, so I think this blanket will fit in very well.

REPLIES to comments on my previous post completed 🖋

Happy Blogging

Amanda :-)