Manly Monday!

Tommy: Today is Monday and it is the day I go in to see Dr. C and hopefully get my stitches taken out! Woo Hoo! In the meantime, I had a nice weekend. Ms. M was really good to me, and on Sunday, Ms. M and Ms. L took me on a drive to.... see #1!!! She was very busy with all her responsibilities at the French National Percheron Championships, but guess what? I made a new girlfriend! She comes all the way from Italy!

Her name is SOFIA. Isn't she just lovely? She is so very elegant! She is a full-size poodle and she belongs to a very nice Italian friend of #1's who also has a magnificent Percheron stallion with whom she does dressage! You cannot see it in these photos, but Sofia has beautiful purple toenails!!!

Vidock: On the subject of toenails.. I finally got my hooves done. The new farrier came on Friday to give me and Violette our mani-pedis!

Genji: I am not sure if this is a manly pic or not. What do you think?

Da Beebs: It is always very manly to bring comfort to your cone-wearing big brother!

Snuggles on Sunday

Tama-Chan: Well, since #1 is off on a horsey weekend, I suppose it makes sense to start with some horsey snuggles...

#1 always seems to have extra special snuggles with Violette!

She has got to be the snuggliest big girl I have ever seen!

Although Big V Vidock could probably give her a run for her money:

Getting back to Poupounette Central, here is our Tommy with Ms. M:

That photo was taken when he was still sporting the cone full time.

Now that he's mostly wearing T-Shirts, he can have proper snuggles with Sei-Chan!

Here is my Beebs having a snuggle with him during a "naked" moment!

And Genji digging his claws into #1...

As for me, you know it's not always easy to get snuggle shots of me. So here is one from the archives of me snuggling with one of my kittens:

Wishing you all a very Snuggly Sunday!

SEIturday Sighs...

Sei-Chan: You may find this hard to believe but #1 has gone off again. She left us yesterday evening, reminding us that this was the last weekend in september and therefore, like every year, the time of the French National Percheron Championships. She will be working all day Saturday and Sunday, facilitating for foreign visitors, and she is also MC'ing the horse sale on Saturday evening. She'd better not do any shopping is all we have to say!

Anyway, she is returning on Sunday evening and has sworn that she will not be going anywhere at all for the whole of October!


I have been spending time in the basket above her desk, making sure I know everything that's going on...

I have also been simultaneously supervising the kitchen and enjoying late season sunpuddles:

And of course gracing #1's bed on every available occasion!

She will doubtless be missing me this weekend...

We are being looked after and spoiled by the very nice Ms. M who hails from Virginia!

PS: We're likely to be mostly MIA on the comment front until Monday. Our apologies in advance.

Violette and Vidock Vendredi

Violette: Pretty Neighs Everyone! I hope you have had a lovely week and will have an even lovelier weekend. I have been very, very busy, although The Big V and I are still waiting for our mani/pedi and new shoes.

As I can't do anything much due to the shoe situation, Mr. L thought he would see how I reacted to having a proper work collar on:

Maybe I should explain that, in French, "collier" also means "necklace" and all girls love necklaces, right?

Yep, I took it all "in my stride"!

Then, yesterday, a nice young man came over and pushed and pulled and prodded me in all directions. He is called an osteopath. #1 said it would be good to check me over and see if I had anything a little pinched or out of alignment.

He was very friendly right from the start!

His hands felt great on my back!

But YIKES! Look what he did to my hind legs!

I did feel great afterwards, and he admired my trot and said I was beautiful!

Vidock: No Osteo-Guy for me! I am just perfect, apparently! Well, for the moment, anyway... But I did get another visit from Dr. R!

Ms. C put on my head collar for the occasion:

I played it cool as Dr. R was preparing whatever it was...

It was one of those stabby thingies!

I was of course a very good boy. And in case you were wondering, he came twice this year because both Violette and I got vaccinations for rhino-pneumonitis too this year, in addition to the usual equine flu and tetanus. So we needed the initial shot, followed by a booster a month later.

Your favourite stud over and out!

Thankful Thursday - The Tommy Edition

#1 here. Tommy and I came home yesterday afternoon to find a message from Dr .C saying that the lab results had come back. It was good news! There is no sign of anything nasty. The lab confirmed that it had originally been some kind of impact that had eventually led to intense fibrosis with a very deep tissue bacterial infection. He may need to go on a longer course of antibiotics to make sure that it's all gone but he is now officially on the mend! She did say also that all his licking did NOT help. Hear that, Mr. Tommy?!

The boy himself is in great form. I have mostly managed to keep the cone off him the last couple of days, and just have had him wear a T-Shirt. When the grass outdoors is very wet, I take him out with no shirt. Here are a few photos:

Yesterday, the weather was really lovely and we had  lunch in town with a friend, siting in an outdoor café. Tommy really enjoyed it!

Thank you all, once again, for all the support during this rather lengthy episode!

Winsome Wednesday

Da Beebs: Despite what my Mama Tama (and some others...) might have you believe, I really am a very good boy, and it shows...,

And very handsome too...

Oh, and here is a baby picture of me, just for effect...

I was about nine weeks old in that one.

Tama-Chan Tuesday

Tama-Chan: It has been a while since I had my regular Tuesday post. How have you all been? We have been enjoying the return of sunbeams after some pretty cool and rainy weather. We're not sure how long it's going to last but we've been enjoying the cat run and the open kitchen window by the big cat tree.

You know how I love to perch on the top level of the cat tree...

...and observe ALL that is going on outside!

In fact, things have been so mellow that I have even tolerated hanging out with that Beebsy son of mine without hissing at him or whapping him:

Ain't that amazing?!

Manly Monday!

Tom: Woofs, Everyone. Tommy here! I have been so touched by the outpouring of kind words on this blog and also on FaceBook. You are such great buddies, one and all. The cone stinks. No doubt about it. And in principle, it's supposed to stay on until my stitches come out on Monday, September 30th. However, #1 takes it off when I have my meals and then it stays off as I have a romp outside.

Come on, #1! Throw something for me to catch!

Happy Boy!

Thanks, #1!

Also since yesterday evening, #1 has been leaving it off for longer periods as long as I am always within her line of sight, and being a good boy. I was a really good boy all evening and only got the cone back on at bedtime. WooHoo!


Vidock: Even though she is still quite gimpy (not much progress the last few days, sigh...) #1 decided I needed a good brushing yesterday:

She said I was beginning to get dreadlocks, so my mane took a long time!

Genji: I was so happy when #1 took the cone off Tommy because it meant we could play bitey-face!!!

In other news, #1 has been taking more ultra-close-ups of me...

I also kept her company the other evening as she watched "The Wonder of Dogs" although I am not sure why it wasn't about cats.

Da Beebs: I happen to think it's very manly to nap!

And even manlier to nap in your #1's bed!

Wishing you all a great week!