The Widders Morrismen

Last night was quite an experience as we came under attack from some very strange looking people that everyone referred to as Morrismen. I quickly cottoned on to the fact that they were only pretending to be scary, but Maggie had to be dragged away barking and kicking before she saw them off. It was all clearly some sort of scam as they weren't even all men. Lots of them were wearing skirts (not like James' skirt though) and even had boobs - so they were definitely not men.

They call themselves "The Widders" and do this morris dancing stuff all over the place. They were here in Magor last December dancing at the Frost Fayre just before Christmas.

I declined the offer of joining them but did agree to pose with them for a team photo... as you can see above. This was taken just before they started drinking big jugs of beer and scoffing loads and loads of chips which came out of our kitchen in massive big bowls. I don't like chips, but Morrismen obviously do... just as much as they seem to like beer.

James got really grumpy later on in the evening when the police car came round. The policemen had been stopped in the street by a really miserable grumpy git (even grumpier than James -and who doesn't even live in the square) - and he complained about the cars having to go around the monument to make way for the Morrismen. I heard James and Nic (the Post Mistress) talking with the policemen about it and the horrible man had said cars were having to reverse up the street, but we all knew this was nonsense - all the cars had managed to get through the square for the previous hour and there was no problem at all. In fact, all the drivers were smiling - which is a bit like us dogs wagging our tails. Nic was mad, James was grumpy and everyone though that the police didn't like the Morrismen - which wasn't the case at all. In the end, the policemen made a note to say that the Morrismen were "official" and all was fine, but everyone was left asking why someone would want to try and disrupt or spoil a lovely evening in the village square. That's the thing about humans, they can be devious and just like to interfere and irritate each other. Not like us dogs, but I have told Maggie about the grumpy man and we'll make sure that we scare him off from the square by barking at him next time he walks through. Have I said that Maggie barks louder and in a lower voice than me ? She sounds like a rottweiller, so SHE'LL scare him !!

The weather is picking up now and James isn't quite so grumpy in the warm weather. Lots more people seem to come and sit in our garden at the pub when the weather is good. I like that because we get to meet lots of people and they often bring their dogs. We are a "Dog friendly" pub but they aren't allowed in the Lounge. Only Maggie and me are allowed in the lounge because we are special and its our pub - but we are not special enough to be allowed on the grass in garden in case we poo there....

Doggy Heaven

I haven't had a chance to get on the computer for a few days as James & Julie have been busy doing work in the flat, which is now thankfully becoming a little more comfortable. I have had quite a busy week though...

The main bedroom is nearly finished and James is going back to our old house next week and has promised to bring me my bed. When I first went to live with them, Julie designed a four poster bed especially for me, and James made it, but there wasn't room in the lorry when we moved, so I have been sleeping on the floor for the past 7 months!

We all went off on a trip to the pet crematorium yesterday. Thankfully though, it wasn't to make any necessary preparations for either Maggie or me, but just an excuse to go and meet Deb & Ross's 2 huge Russian Terriers. How they can call themselves terriers is bizarre as they were the biggest dogs I have ever seen, but they did look remarkably like giant Maggie-Morags!

There's clearly another bank holiday on the way as the pub was jam packed yesterday and today and I spotted the chefs getting the BBQ ready and the man that brings the sausages.

The highlight of my week so far was managing to catch the postman on thursday. He seems to think that if he sneaks up to the front door and just throws the letters in I won't notice or won't be able to catch him, but with Austins help (leaving the side door open) I managed to make it all the way behind the bar, through into the public bar and out the coachway doors before he got to the end of the building. I wouldn't bite him or anything but he clearly doesn't know that.

My 1st Prize

Maggie and I went off to see Val yesterday. I had my usual trim which is all us gents really need and look remarkably good on it, even if I have to say so myself, which I obviously do...

Maggie, being a girlie, had to go that bit further and have a total transformation, to the point that she no longer resembles a "grizzly bear".

And what a fuss I have had to endure ever since with all the women swooning and clucking over her saying how beautiful she now is. I don't quite get it though as most human women usually insist on having their facial hairs removed and yet somehow Maggie who now has these ridiculously long and bushy eye brows and a BEARD! is "beautiful"...

Julie is now planning on entering her into the next local dog show and somehow thinks that she could win at Crufts next year. She made me and James do it once too and we actually managed to get a 1st prize in the best 6 legs competition (4 out of the 6 won it for us!) and I got 3rd in the overall pedigree section. Lets see if Maggie can beat that!

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of people today as there are lots booked in for Sunday lunch today and then there's a really good band with a silly name playing tonight...

Maggie and I are also going to have some photos taken later so I'll be able to show you all Maggie's bushy eyebrows tomorrow!

This is me standing very very still on the piano and pretending to be one of these china ornaments. I took up this position just so that I could keep an eye on Bob (Keith the Westie's pet human). That's Bob playing the piano - which he does on a very regular basis in the Golden Lion. I don't think he noticed me because I'm just so like one of those wee ornaments. My being there also helps remind Bob what a Westie is supposed to look like - Hairy !

Julie's mum Beryl came to visit me today. She stayed for lunch with John, Julie's brother and his wife, Pat. They are always good to me and Beryl always has a bit of meat ready for me to eat when I visit her house, but they didn't give me any scraps today. They were probably too hungry to share it with me. Julie's Dad, Jack, didn't come with them today because he's at the hospital getting fixed. He had a sore leg and the doctor (that's like a vet for humans) is keeping him over-night. There's nothing worse than staying at the vet over-night. I hate it, so I can imagine Jack is hating it too. I'll get down to see him as soon as he's out and get Jack out for a walk.

Bowen...

Bowen started to wobble again tonight and he'd only had a half, so we had to help Julie walk him home again - Thanks Bowen...

On the way back Maggie found a builders dust mask and got it on the end of her nose which made Julie laugh nearly as much as she did when she was trying to get Bowen up the stairs!

We're all off to bed now, night, night xx

The Culprit was Bob!

Look at that smile on this man's face. It was down to him all along! This is S.M. Bob and he's Keith's pet human and it was him who attacked Keith with a pair of scissors. (see below)

He may well be able to play the piano, but he shouldn't be trusted with a pair of scissors around us dogs...!

Forget the petition, I'll just get Maggie to bite his ankles the next time he comes into the Golden Lion.

Julie & James have a new beer coming in next week. It's called "Bob" from a far-away brewery. With the same name as Keith's pet human, I suspect that they wish they hadn't ordered it now. Perhaps I can get them to add a penny a pint onto the price of Bob so that the money can go towards a disguise (or al least a new coat for Keith...)

Keith's Bad Hair Day!

What a terrible shock I've just had. Julie had just called Val (my personal stylist) and booked both me and Maggie-Morag in for a tidy up this week.

Then as we got back to the pub I got a sniff of my dear friend Keith. Can you imagine my surprise when I ran through the bar and found this.

He should look like me..... and not a "pretty pit bull"

My nerves are now in tatters. What if Val does this to me, nobody will take me seriously as a Westie looking like that. And what about poor Keith, it has got pretty cold the last few days and he'll be feeling a chill in places that he shouldn't be feeling a chill. I have already started a petition in the bar to force the boys to make Bob put the heating back on. If you would like to add your name to the list please pop in.

It's Just Not Fair!

I just took a little wander around the square to make sure that all was in order and spotted Megan locked behind her bars again. Megan is my girlfriend and lives right next door. I tried to get her out but couldn't budge the gate. The last time that I tried to get through the bars I nearly got stuck so decided that it wasn't worth the potential humiliation (Maggie does it regularly and never seems to learn, but she is a girl so there's no surprises there).

Post May Day Blues

Everybody seems to be too tired to play with us this week. James, Julie and all the staff at the pub have been too busy clearing up after the busy May Day weekend. Some of the staff have also been poorly so all in all Maggie and I have been feeling a little neglected and if it carries on for much longer we have decided that we may contact the RSPCA and ask for a new pub to go and live in. We did pop out for an hour or so this afternoon to go and look for a great big container to sit in the back yard to store all the tools and outside equipment (or so Julie thinks! Secretly James wants it so that he can keep his motorbike in it but knows that he wouldn't be allowed it for just his motorbike). George and Nancy came to stay over the weekend but didn't bring Chloe as she is a little too old now to come and play with me and Maggie, but it did mean that George had plenty of time to do some work whilst he was here and managed to completely rebuild the bar in the function room for Julie, which she was very pleased about. I forgot to add earlier, but Maggie managed to finish off yet another pair of James' shoes today so is confined to her bed in the office. Hopefully she'll still be in bad books tomorrow morning when the chicken gets shared out for breakfast....

May Day Celebrations in Magor Square

Everything was different in the square outside the pub today... It all started going strange mid-morning when some humans started erecting little fabric kennels around the square. Then more humans came along and put human food and other stuff in the kennels and then more people came along and took it away again. There was also strange dancing and music going on that we haven;t seen in the square since the Frost Fair last year. There was lots and lots noise again today and more people than I've seen since James took me on the London Underground. I went out in the car again this morning with James and his friends looking for BBQ gas. It doesn't seem to have been an easy thing to get hold of judging by James' grumpy tone every time he came out of another shop or garage that didn't sell the gas he needed. There was talk about going down for a walk at the sea wall with George & Nancy, but that didn't happen and we ended up back at the pub. Uncle Chino and Karen came to the pub and Maggie and me hung out with them for an hour or two whilst Chino got himself topped up with Stella (He fell behind in his Stella dosage yesterday after the coach from Yorkshire wasn't allowed to stop at a Stella station and he went from 11.30am until nearly 6pm without his medicine.) Anyway, that done, Karen took us off for the day at Che Karen&Chris. We had a great day there with lots of attention from Karen. Although we like it at Karen & Chino's palce, it's still nice to get back to our own bed. James met us at the door and played with us both on the carpet for a while before we all went off the bed for a well-earned rest.

Missing the Burgers!

Thanks to Maggie going missing again today and causing havoc at the pub with everyone out looking for her we are now missing the BBQ and all the dropped Burgers and Sausages... Typical! It's not too bad though as we are having a lovely afternoon with Karen who spoils us rotten, especially when Chino (Chris) isn't around. The pub was just a bit too busy for us today, there were 2 whole football teams bouncing on a big green thing in the garden so we couldn't really blame Maggie too much for going off and hiding. I'm hoping that they will save me a few sausages though as the BBQ is still going on this afternoon and we'll be back later on tonight for the mad Crimes Against Folk lot (I'm sure it will be very noisy, so I'll have to fluff my ears up ready).

Out of the Pub for an hour or two

We've all been out in the car again this afternoon. I've borrowed my Granny's computer to keep in touch. I'm sitting here looking over the river Usk near Caerleon. I like it here. Maggie & me were playing with some plant pots before we came indoors. Julie bought a thing called a kettle - no idea what it's for... and the most ridiculous hat I've ever seen - with flowers all over it.

We're off back to the pub shortly to prepare for another noisy night. There's a bouncy castle thing set up in our garden. I'm guessing it will be full of kids jumping all over it when we get back !!.. James & Julie left Rachel and Colm in charge and everything seems to be OK whilst we are out.

Seeya later

2nd May 2009

Nice Day today. Very noisy in the Pub last night. Lots of visitors, lots of eating going on in the Lounge, but no-one gave me any food scraps. I'm not allowed in the restaurant and I think there's a conspiracy going on.... people are told not to feed me. It's not fair. I can't even sit nicely beside a table without getting told off by James.

Maggie was in trouble again yesterday.. She jumped up on a chair beside a table when a man was eating in the garden and nearly had his dinner.... just as well Julie and Cookie were on hand to stop her taking the next step up onto the table....