Our two other family members ... Sophie & Lilly

Apart from myself, one husband, one son and one daughter - our household also has one dog, Sophie (a Cairn Terrier/Scottish Terrier combo) who thinks she's human ...

All these photos were taken by my daughter, Hayley

and one cat, Lilly, who came with us all the way from NZ. She definitely does not think she is human (why would she lower herself to that level). I'm sure she is under the impression that humans were put on this earth to feed her when she meows and to be there when she has the urge to rub against your legs ... mmmm, I think her expression says it all really.

 

I've been taking Sophie to dog training on Sunday mornings and she's been learning how to sit in the perfect position, heel, drop and stay until she's released, and come when I call her name (this one's still a work in progress).

I tried another method of training a couple of years ago which wasn't terribly successful - it used doggie treats as motivation which worked to some degree but was a pain in the neck as far as having to make sure you had treats on hand and, most importantly, didn't teach them to respect you as the leader you really need to be.

Anyway, Alpha Dog Training is working well for both of us ... yep, it's really the owners who need the training! It's all based on using the tone of your voice for praise and discipline, along with another action to let your pooch know when they've done something wrong.

The thing I noticed on my first visit was how quiet all the dogs were ... no barking, even though there were about 50 dogs! Well, almost no dogs barking ... Sophie definitely had something to say but after a correction by one of the trainers she pulled her woolly head in and has behaved from that point on. Amazing.

I've finally taken the plunge

Here I am sitting at the computer getting to know the 'behind the scenes' world of blogging.

For the past few months I've been one of those 'invisible' followers who pop in to read and enjoy other people's blogs while sitting there thinking that it might be fun to 'join in' ... so here I am.

I recently pattern tested for Nikki (Nicole Mallalieu Design) her new Shell Purse. It's such a cute, versatile design which was very straightforward to make - thanks to Nikki's step-by-step, easy to follow instructions that also have some great tips that you can use on other sewing projects.

This wee purse is actually quite roomy for the size of the frame (100mm) and it has already been on an outing to the ballet. It fitted all this in ... plus a packet of Starburst Babies (the jelly kind) which are my favourite (needless to say there were no lollies left at the time of taking the photo!). 

The fabric was a sample piece of cotton sateen that Nikki had in her 'free to a good home' basket. The beauty of making a purse this size is that you can make great use of small bits of fabric that might otherwise go to waste.

I'm currently testing another pattern for Nikki this weekend ... I'll upload some photos of that very soon, once it's in the frame and has a handle.