This year has certainly felt quite tiring, emotionally and physically. This is most likely due to raising and training our Sprocker spaniel, Fearnley.
We are so proud of what he's achieved as he approaches his first birthday, I'd thought I'd list the best moments:
- Learning 'down' at 10 weeks
- Gaining the confidence to meet, greet and play with every dog we meet
- When Matt had concussion, Fearnley at 10 weeks knew to snuggle next to him on the sofa to help him feel better
- Reaching the advanced stage of puppy training
- Learning bang, leave, wait, off, stay, speak, paw, jump, find it, circle and currently learning stop (running after a ball and then stopping immediately)
- Overcoming his car sickness to enjoy his car journeys
- Being a joy to everyone he meets, so kind natured, inquisitive and full of beans
Other things we are to still master:
- Bathtime
- Come, when asked first time!
- Crying when not allowed in our bed..
We're sure we can conquer these in time, after all he's still technically a pup! Who knows what next year will bring. We hope to enter Fearnley into either agility classes or to partake in beating. It's in his blood after all, his favourite game is searching for things, his tail spins like a helicopter in excitement!
We're also planning on doing more to the house. We need new fences outside, a new shed and we'd really like to get the veg patch going again. I hope we can achieve this by next summer.
Also on the list is updating the bathroom further, it's crying out for brand new Victorian style taps. We're also looking forward to another holiday in Cornwall, this time with the family, along with perhaps a weeks stay in Europe for just the two of us. Although this does make us feel rather spoilt! Two holidays!
I haven't mentioned this previously, but we recently acquired some money which came just in time to help us purchase a new car which accidentally got written off a few months back. It's got bags of space which is ideal for whatever the future may bring, but for now, Fearnley is quite keen on making the most of the space in the boot, with his bed spread out everywhere. I hope we get to go on more day trips together as these are my favourite times.
I also look forward to doing more baking and cooking. We've been so busy lately that we haven't been making delicious, healthy meals like we should be, so we're going to get back into this and very much enjoy eating it.
I also enter the new year with some loss, a dearly beloved family member passed in August and I'm still struggling with the thought that they won't be here with me in the new year.
A nice surprise though, is seeing my cousin yesterday for whom I haven't seen for six years. He's so grown up and I have the blessing of spending new year with him and my friends and I can't wait!
So, family, friends and Fearnley made my year, what about yours? X
