And we're off..

..well, almost. Tomorrow we jump on a plane and head to Italy! Yeah!!! Our first real vacation here in Europe. Practically our first vacation by ourselves - ever. In almost 11 years of being together we have only gone on holiday by ourselves once (that doesn't include a night here or there at a B&B). After my sophomore year in college, the summer before DH headed off to graduate school, we stayed in his mom's condo in Florida for a week or maybe it was two weeks I can't remember. Other than that when we have holidays we either go visit family or end up at the beach with a group of friends. Don't get me wrong all those vacations have been fabulous (in fact we often think of how we can get a big group of friends here to do a European vacation together) but it will be nice to just have the two of us relaxing and enjoying Italy.

We will be staying at the Italy Farm Stay. It's definitely not everybody's idea of an ideal vacation, but we are really excited about it. We will be staying on a working farm and no, we do not have to work the farm unless we feel so inclined to lend a hand, the farm has vineyards, animals, orchards, the whole shabang. It is located near a town called Sora and is right near the Abruzzi National Forest. We'll go hiking, swim in waterfalls, visit a shepherd who makes cheese...we can go horseback riding, take Italian cooking classes...whatever we want to do. It will be so nice and relaxing. You can eat home-cooked meals with the family if you want and sample the wine made right there on the farm. How cool is that? I can't wait.

Ally is going to have a petite vacances of her own. She will be spending the week at a lovely little chenil - kennel (or pension canine - their fancy name for the kennel). Ally had a trial night there last week and seemed fine. Can you believe you have to pay them to take her for a trial and they have the power to reject her if she's too much trouble or whatever? In some ways it's a great way to weed out dogs, but then again it sucks that she had to stay there on a night when we were here AND we had to pay for it. Oh well, the things you will do for your dog!
The only big frustration has been getting Ally her vaccination toux de chenil (her kennel cough vaccination). I took her to the vet yesterday having a schedule an appointment for the kennel cough vaccination, I had a pamphlet in French about the vaccination which I immediately handed to the vet while saying, "elle a besion de la vaccination toux de chenil" (she needs the vaccination for kennel cough). The vet proceeded to look at Ally's little passport, which shows all her vaccinations and when she had them, when she needs her next one. She says, "OK. I'll get the vaccination." she injects Ally asks me if there is anything else. I say (in French)" No. it's her first time at the kennel, is there anything..." The vet says, "Oh! she needs a vaccination for kennel cough." What!??? wasn't that what she just got? That WAS the whole point of the appointment. No. For some stupid reason the woman gave Ally a vaccination for Rabies and distemper. Which, when I later looked at her passport she had clearly had in MAY - 3 months ago! I rushed back to the vets and asked if she was in danger? They said no, no, of course not. Then I asked why the vet had given her these vaccinations when it quite clearly stated she didn't need another until May of 2009? They tried to tell me that it was completely normal for a dog to get two rabies vaccines. In fact, that was what she was supposed to have. Then I asked why didn't the first vet tell me this? Because I would have come back in a year for her next shot and she would not have gotten 2 only 1. Then they gave me my money back. I'm glad I got my money back, but I'm still pretty furious over the whole thing. Thank god I said something about her going to the kennel otherwise I would have come home thinking that the vaccine they had given her was the one she needed. We would have showed up at the kennel this evening and they would have sent her back home with us, then where would we be?
ugh. I'm not good at confronting people in English, much less in French. At least I got my point across even if I wasn't completely coherent. sigh. I need a vacation.

speaking of which, I gotta boogie. ally and I are off to pick up DH from work then on to la pension pour chiens!

early morning beauty

Some mornings it's actually a joy to get up and walk Ally. The mornings when the sky is clear and the sun is rising turning the sky and the mountains varying shades of pinks. It's breathtaking.

I love the quiet stillness of the wakening day as Ally and I make our way around the still neighborhood.

The Jura Mountains














Ally runs free off her leash through the tall, dew-covered grass. Her happiness apparent in the lolling of her pink tongue and incessant wagging of her tail. She lopes along sniffing out the scent of rabbits and other fuzzy creatures she'd love to chase about.

Ally's joyous romp across the field gives me moment to turn my eyes to the splendor of the Alps at sunrise. A moment to silently contemplate the world that surrounds me. It's these quiet moments that...that what? Reminds you how lucky you are. Gives you that peaceful, contentment. A great start to the day.





After a good long gaze, I've had my fill of majestic contemplation. A sharp whistle brings a panting Ally to my side and it's time to head home to nice warm cup of coffee. And the beginning of a brand new day.

photos - finally!

Here are some photos I took a couple weeks ago when DH, ally and I went to Vevey for the evening. OK, well it was so that I knew how to get to all the places I needed to go for work, but it turned into quite an enjoyable evening strolling along the boardwalk, eating crepes, and watching Ally splash along in the water ruining her bandages.
So, without further ado..here are the photos.

I thought it a bit funny that there was a swimming pool, right next to the lake!










Ally REALLY wanted to go swimming in the kids ONLY pool.































Eating crepes by the lake. mmm....

still alive

Gosh, it's been ages since I've posted anything. I'll do a decent post this weekend...I promise. I've just been so busy with work and when I wasn't working I was just exhausted. DH spend 5 days in Manchester playing soccer in the Corporate World cup tournament. The CERN team came in 3rd place, not too shabby. He had lots of fun and got to see and play in the Manchester United training facilities. Not too bad for his first trip to England.
I ended up having to drive to Vevey, about an hour 15 minute drive to the other end of the lake, everyday this past week. The theatre was holding a workshop there and I had to go along to help coordinate and all that good stuff. I was wiped out from the drive and though there weren't many kids they were not the most pleasant group I've ever worked with. the week felt long, but it went just fine. The kids got their performance together and the parents loved it and in the end the kids all claimed they loved it...so all in all a success, I guess.

I'll post some pictures of Vevey and the small town St-Legier where we held the workshop. It really is a beautiful place.
gotta go eat. Later!

pauvre chiene

Our poor little Ally has done quite a job injuring herself. Monday afternoon I ran out to the store for some groceries, as usual I left Ally sprawling on the couch, the door shut, the living room window I left open. I don't seriously think we'll have any criminals climbing through our window to steal anything. We have nothing to steal and besides Ally can sound pretty vicious if you don't know her. A potential thief would never know all she'd do is lick them or hide under a table depending on her mood. So, yeah, I often leave the window open with no dire consequences. When I returned from the store Ally had miraculously transported her lazy self from the couch to under the rose bush (her new favorite place to sleep) oh and it's not much a bush...more like a rose stem...branch? anyways, I found this puzzling. Our neighbors weren't home so they couldn't have let her out, then I realized she'd jumped through the window! Quel surprise! I had no idea she was so agile and what possibly could have motivated her to attempt such a physical feat? She was happy to be outside and she seemed fine so I didn't really care. It was actually pretty funny to think of her leaping out the window. we went for our evening walk all seemed normal.

the next morning we get up and she's limping. Hmmm...what could she have done to herself? Dh takes her on an abbreviated morning walk due to her limp, we leave her sacked out on the couch per usual. I only had to work a half day on Tuesday when I got home she's still in the exact same spot. She wags her tail aggressively to greet me, bu t doesn't get up. Two hours later she still hasn't moved from the couch. Not to get some water, to go outside, no movement. I decide to check out her leg/paw and see what's the matter. I thought maybe she has a thorn or something in her paw. She lets me look at her paw and gently feel up her leg. No reaction. So I, ever so gently move her paw up and down. With almighty squeal she gets of the couch and hobbles outside on three legs giving me a reproachful stare. Now I feel terrible, like I'm the one whose injured her. After a little coaxing she let's me come near her and pet her but she won't put any weight on her paw.

I call the vet to see if I can get her that afternoon. "non, madame." is the reply, "demain." Tomorrow, OK. I make an appointment for first thing in the morning. DH, who can be a little over protective of his puppy has a small fit but soon gets over it when I tell him he can call the vets and explain to them in French why they must see our dog today. We decide it's only her leg she's not going to keel over on us in the night because she hasn't seen a vet.

The next morning she won't eat, she has trouble getting off the bed. DH carries her to the car, but is forced to let her get in on her own because she's too big and our car is too small for him to put her in without injuring her more. The vet takes x-rays shakes his head over how much pain she must be in. We did the right thing giving her aspirin the night before, he approves. After a traumatic few minutes with the x-ray machine we look at the pictures of her bones. Nothing seems to be broken. The vet, a balding Frenchmen with a gold chain with whatooks like a large piece of tooth or small bone fragment on it, which you can see clearly bouncing against his bared chest - his shirt was left unbuttoned down to his round belly, wraps her leg up and gives her a shot for the pain and swelling. A pulled muscle or torn tendon was the verdict. Honestly, I'm not too sure which because everything was in half English half French. She goes back tomorrow for a check up.

I don't think it's too serious as she perked right up and even wanted to go for a walk later that day. She's been trucking along on her bandaged leg with only a slight limp now and again. We've been careful not to let her over do it. but I think she is, thankfully, on the mend. I can't wait to see what Monsieur Veterinaire will be wearing tomorrow!

look at her walking along. What a faker. We were so worried about her and now she's just hunky dory. OK, OK you're right it's the pain killers and wrapped leg support, but still. she seems awfully normal for having us so worried! Les chiens, heh!