Monday, May 2, 2011

That irrepressible mischief.







Our morning walk shows that there are guests at the Gites next door. A family from Brittany together with a young female beagle. The beagle is very taken with Wilf. She darts out of the front gate and tries everything to attract his attention. While she dances round and round , whimpering seductively , our insouciant hero marches on . Those rheumy eyes completely oblivious to her presence. The old fellows much more interested in christening the fire hydrant. Not much chance of a holiday romance for our young , dangly eared , Bretonne.


Wilf is learning to walk with a paw tentatively feeling the air ahead of him. This technique has cut down the number of collisions between large black nose and furniture by at least sixty percent. Mornings are spent lounging half in and half out of the front door. Afternoons are passed dozing in the cool of the hall. The rest of the day spent curled up on the floor of the kitchen ready to pounce on any culinary accidents. We've had to give up on trips down to the stream . The uncertainty of navigating his way down to the waters edge and then judging when to stop , before falling in , is just too stressful . He much prefers to be in a world bounded by the house, the garden and the village green. Through it all he's remained calm and gentle . His trust in us total. The old fellow may be slowing down but that irrepressible sense of mischief is firmly in place. As Wilf might put it : " Love and laughter are what you need most in life. They'll fill out all the potholes in the road " .

23 comments:

  1. I can only imagine the smells going round in his head.

    ReplyDelete
  2. He just goes with the flow, doesn't he...

    XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

    ReplyDelete
  3. Smart lil guy... he knows how to adapt and thrive. I sure hope more culinary "droppings" happen in the kitchen for you Wilfee!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wilfee - well she is not Kelly... his heart is captured. Cared for and loved as you are your quality of life is amazing - well you are doing great. I hope the croissant trips will go on... love from Southern Italy little polar bear Susanne, Daisy and Foxiie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wilf reminds me of what I love most about dogs--they learn to live with their 'handicaps,' never complain about them and continually show us what's most important!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Glad to hear that Wilf is doing so well and more importantly adapting so well. Long may it continue.

    take care
    Clive and Murray

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful photos of your gorgeous Wilf. Shame the river trips are over but it's great that you have reacted to his changing needs.

    x (for Wilf!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I certainly understand about the world shrinking a bit to fit those older dogs. It sounds like Wilf is very content, though. May many crumbs fall on his floor! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wilf is the perfect example of making the best of your world. I love the vision of him dozing half in and half out of the door. I hope that his vigilance in guarding the kitchen floor pays off!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wilf is certainly a proper Senior Citizen.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bring the mountain to Mohammed!

    Is there any reason that a little babbling brook/fountain cannot be built in the garden? Perhaps with a bed of peonies to boot? And an essence of vanilla trail?

    ReplyDelete
  12. The blind Bloodhound (from birth) who was with me a short time before she was adopted and is LOVED, would use her nose to touch steps or whatever may be before her - or not! You are so smart, Wilf. I check on Wilf and your blog first thing before any other blogs. But, Wilfie, a BEAGLE! A Beagle! Oh, my fav breed; course, ahem, I have not yet met a PON :). Savor those crumbs and the sun. We have a growing lake now in the basement, too. The grass area cont. to shrink. Sigh. The sun will come out tomorrow....

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wilf's road is smooth. God bless you.

    (Our Wilf obviously has preference for the tall, willowy type.)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Playing hard to get, Wilf? ;)

    Love,
    Homer

    ReplyDelete
  15. hey Wilf,

    You are such a handsome pup it is no wonder that Miss Beagle is taken with you!

    I am glad that collisions have lessened considerably and that you are adjusting. It sounds like you have such lovely days and are surrounded by comfort, warmth, and love.

    Suka

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautifully said Wilf! Love the pictures of the day as well, handsome boy!! Keep on going darling Wilf!

    With love your Canadian pals,
    Dianna along with Tor, Willow and Tucker

    ReplyDelete
  17. We love to lay half in and half out of the door :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a wise dog! We can all learn from your Wilf!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wilf,

    Tell Angus that we always enjoy reading your blog – his way with words (we’ve learnt some new ones!) and the obvious love that he and “the font” have for you shine through as we follow your journey and life in France.

    Wishing you all the best,
    Riley (and his mum)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dear Wilf, so lovely to hear that he remains calm and gentle, when he could so easily, in different hands, be feeling grumpy and anxious.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wilf always was the wise one, wasn't he?

    My dad has beagles. One is really ancient for dog years (15!) and reminds me a lot of Wilf as I see her go downhill. The other one is only a few years old and always into everything.

    You know, I've mentioned this before but we used to have a blind poodle. She wasn't always blind and we didn't even realize she couldn't see anymore until we were moving and had to stay in a hotel for a little bit. She kept running into the walls and couldn't seem to find her food or water. Once we settled into the new house though, it was as if she wasn't blind again as she found her way around quickly and stopped running into things all the time. Funny how different dogs adjust. Just like people, I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  22. He is sooo wise..a lesson we could all learn :-) Hugs from Utah :-)

    ReplyDelete