Summer in September

Happy Sunday everyone! Wow, September is turning out to be quite beautiful. We are enjoying every minute of this Summer type weather. I read that this will continue well into October. Bring it on!

This past week was good although on the low key side. Russell is recovering nicely from his encounter with COVID. I thought I could escape it but I didn't. My symptoms were milder than Russell's, the worse one feeling low energy. This too shall pass. 

We didn't do much other than enjoy the gorgeous weather. We got a bit of work done outside and cut the grass. We had planned on going apple picking but we didn't feel up to it. It's on our agenda for this week.

Merlot and Sherlock are doing very well. They are both such wonderful boys, each with its unique personality and very endearing.  We have nicknamed Sherlock "FOMO", for Fear Of Missing Out. He doesn't miss a beat, what a character! Merlot is a snuggler through and through. He loves the comfort of his blankets and adores being picked up.... but he also loves to play "catch me if you can" with his buddy. He's very good at that game! Those two have become very close yet they are independent in their own way. It is nice to watch them grow.  Sherlock is now 10 months old and Merlot is coming up to 16 months. We have a 1st birthday coming up in November!

Yesterday, I took Sherlock to his first Obedience class. He made me proud. There were six other dogs with us. It's a small class with lots of space to practice. Our instructor is Janice, she  taught Cooper and I back in 2016. It was nice to see her again. The assistant instructor is our front door neighbour Peter. We have six more weeks of training then it will be Merlot's turn. It's all good and fun.

On Tuesday, we decided to book our trip to Italy for May 2025. We will start off in Sorrento as our base camp for one week. We will be staying at our favorite hotel, Bellevue Syrene. We still have lots to explore in that area. On top of our list is to have dinner at Lo Scoglio, in the seaside village of Marina del Cantone on the Amalfi Coast. Highly recommended by many. From Sorrento, we will make our way to Rome for 4 nights, staying at another of our favorite place, Hotel De La Ville. Unlike all of our previous trips, we will be flying out of Montreal. It will be so much easier than going through Toronto. Our pooches will be boarded with Myriam. Easy peasy. 

Those are my little news for today. Russell is getting ready to give our boys a bath. I might do a bit of yard work. Tomorrow, Sherlock gets his Leptospirosis vaccine. It should go well. Merlot gets his mid-October.

Have a great week everyone! 

On the steps...BBQ Buddies hoping for a
tasting....not happening

A fragrant stream of applewood
smoke reaches for the sky. Wings
for dinner.

Sherlock and his giraffe...can you
see the auburn coming in on his coat
in the bright sunshine

The boys bouncing on the trampoline.

Merlot inspecting the yard beyond the fence.

Merlot loves his comfort.

Merlot on his Muskoka chair or is 
that Cooper? Uncanny resemblance

Game on...the giraffe is always in play.

A little worse for wear the 
alpaca is missing a few body parts.

Cooper and his deck mate Spicy enjoyed 
surveying the backyard as seen in the 
photo from September 25, 2023.