We get at least 30 minutes walking off the lead every day, whether we want to or not! Even in the rain we take several short walks. When you adopt a dog this is one of the main responsibilities. One of our neighbours has a Sheltie, who is left in the garden alone for hours. That is not proper exercise and it makes a dog anxious.

Hooray – went to the Elephant Inn last night. One of my favourite pubs, perhaps I was a bit over excited as I knocked my water bowl over. Thanks to Tristan the bar manager, all was cleared up in a few moments. He owns a poodle – the only dog that does not give him an allergic reaction to dogs. The sausages were not top quality, so that means I got extra dog treats..

We watched a bit of TV last night: Gordon Ramsay’s F Word‘. I lost count of how many times he actually said F***. That could be why Mum watches it when we are home. Last night one of the guest chefs was Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

He made apple rice pudding tart – sounds like a good dog’s dinner to me. Sadly the customers thought so too and Hugh lost out to Janet’s baked apples – yuk. A dog likes a stodgy home made pudding, not a piece of fruit! Mum says I need more exercise, I wonder why?

Summer is over in London – it has been raining and I am not getting as many walks. I am also getting extra grooming as we may enter the Dog Show in Friern Barnet this weekend. If you want to see Kevin the Collie in the flesh, please leave me a comment.
Last year I won two rosettes in the Muswell Hill Dog Show. They were so proud of me, just like two doting parents.

Yesterday was better – went to Epping Forest, a top fave with all of us. They like foraging for mushrooms, I just like foraging for anything. Also a chance for some agility training over the fallen logs and streams. The best bit is the tea hut:

it is a biker hangout, so there is always someone to talk to. They serve great tea, rolls and cakes right in the middle of the forest. Some children came over to say hello and I did my ‘paw’ trick: this is a great way for me to get extra treats, so I play along.

Summer seems to be over in London but I am still having problems with bites and itches. Mum sprays me with a weak solution of lavender and tea tree oil, which helps a bit,,

and I am using drops in my ears. We got soaked this morning, but at least I get to decide when I want to head home cos Mum hates the rain as much as I do. This is a picture of me drying off. Mum lost all her pics when she got a new laptop and only just got them back, so we went snap happy today: I will post more pix from now on.