Blizzard Day

The snow that we've been waiting for has finally arrived. The forecast has called for 50cm! It started falling last night and big, wet flakes have been falling steadily all day long. Oslo and I got ready to go to my sister's this afternoon, and on our way out we spotted Chase, a 6-month-old Brittany Spaniel outside. They enjoyed a half hour frolic before we got in the car. An exerpt of their play, you can see that Oslo has a bit of old man in him now:

Road Trip!

Como es navidad, hay que hacer viaje para ver la familia. Desafortunadamente, Oslo no puede ir en avion en esta epoca, porque no permitan perros en la bodega por tanto trafico, y Oslo es demasiado grande para ir en la cabina conmigo. Entonces, vamos en coche!

Fue la primera vez que hicimos el viaje los dos solos. Ha sido bien, sin problema, y hicimos los 1,253km en un dia. Oslo paso la mayoria del viaje durmiendo en su sitio. Una companera, P, me preparo una cajita de caprichos de navidad:

Muchas gracias P!

Cuando hemos llegado a la casa de mi padre, Oslo dio una vuelta oliendo la casa entera. Mi padre se preparo un sandwich para un snack, habia bacon, entonces Oslo se convertio en su mejor amigo. O su asediador! Aqui esta Oslo esperando que su abuelo se vuelve a la cocina:

"Abuelo! Yo tambien tengo hambre! Pa bacon!"

No hay nada de nieve aqui, lleva unos dias lloviendo a cantaros. Hoy no estaba tan mal, entonces dimos un paseo. No pudimos bajar al rio porque esta muy alto. Aqui esta Oslo disfrutando del campo, sin correa!:

Hay bastante viento estos dias, se puede ver un poco en el pelo de Oslo:


Aunque Oslo podria pasar el dia entero al aire libre, me parece que no le importa volver a casa y disfrutar un poco de la chiminea:

Ay, que confi!

A weekend away

Oslo spent the weekend at his Nan's while I was away celebrating F's birthday. This weekend was a bit different, as Cousin I was staying with my mum. Awesome kids with awesome pets make for good photos. This photo of Cousin I and Oslomight be my all time favourite:

Frame worthy!

Cousin I went to play in a play structure:

Oslo clearly saw Cousin I as a leader and followed him for new adventures:


Nothing like a day at a park with ducks!

All that snow on the ground and running around can really work up the Hot Chocolate Appetite. Luckily Nan is awesome and knows that hipster hot chocolate is where it's at!:

*heart*

Day at the Parlour

You've probably noticed how shaggy Oslo has been getting. He's got a lot of fur going on, and gets quite a few comments. It was time for a haircut. Dawn of a New Day is really quite crafty and called me just as I was thinking I should make an appointment. Today was the day for a haircut. Oslo has got quite the strut going on in the first place, but tell him he's handsome after a few hours of grooming, and you'll get a knowing smile like this:

While we were waiting to pay, there was a cat on the counter, which allowed me to get a decent standing photo. You can see his tail moving in excitement here:

It's been pretty cold in these parts lately. There is a lot of salt on the streets now, so I use Invisible Boots on the pads of his paws to protect them and keep them moisturized. I picked it up from Wag in the Glebe for $8.99, and I've seen it at Bark & Fitz in Westboro. This works until about -20. When the temperature gets this low we can only go a few steps before a paw is lifted and a pair of big brown eyes looks up at me. So the actual boots go on. Dog boots are a pain in the butt. First, you have to put 4 of them on, getting around two dew claws, making sure that they're pulled on high enough, and you tighten the velcro enough to reduce the chances of them falling off while walking. They're going to fall off.

Next, if you live in a place with stairs, as I do, you have to carry your dog down the stairs, because their coordination with boots on isn't very good. Maybe it will get better, but Oslo's isn't there yet. Outside, you get to keep an eye out for lost boots, they'll come off at random. Don't try and put it back on, it's hopeless.

On the plus side, it's highly entertaining listening and watching the dog walk with boots on, it sounds kind of like if people were walking in flippers. Oslo is definitely comfortable in them, and can be seen frolicking down the sidewalk in his blue and green gore-tex boots.

When you get home, you'll realize that dog boots collect frozen slush, just like your boots do. You don't want to track this salty mess inside and step in it with your dry socks, so you'll leave his boots on the mat outside the door with your own:

Dirty Saturday Morning

Los sabados por la manana tengo clase a las 10. Intento sacar el senor durante un buen rato antes. He decidido documentar lo que hacemos normalmente.

Primero, preparando para salir al invierno canadiense. Esta bien matar dos pajaros con un tiro y mostar tu apollo del mejor equipo de futbol:

Segundo, hacer la parada que da camino al resto del dia:

Y tercero, hacer nuevos amigos en el parque, esta es Riley:

Ella tiene 9 meses y es muy juguetona. Habia un poco de pelea en un momento, pero despues se relajaron y seguieron jugando despues.

Esta claro que Oslo tuvo un bano cuando llegamos a casa no? Si no, aqui esta un video:

Cuando hay sal por la calle

En realidad, el invierno no es tan mal. Si, hace frio, pero se puede vestir bien y no molesta tanto. Si, el sol se pone pronto, ya es de noche a las 4 por la tarde, pero se toma la vitamina D y no pasa nada. Lo peor de invierno es la sal. Cuando nieva, echan sal por las calles, las aceras, las escaleras, por todos lados, sino, todo se resbaleria y habra una gran aumentacion de visitas a los hospitales. Pero sabemos que la sal se come de todo. Los coches, las rejas, etc. Tambien se seca la piel, incluso la piel de las patas de los perros [cara triste]. He empezado a echar un tipo de cacao a las patitas de Oslo para protegerlas este invierno, como a el no le gustan las botas. Pero tenemos que limpiar las patas tambien. Asi es como lo hacemos:

"Que guay, la pelota en el bano!"

"Es como estamos en la playa!"

"Oye, juega conmigo!"

Y como parece que os gustan mucho los videos:

de vuelta al parque

Esta manana tuvimos la segunda cita con Bark Busters. Fuimos al parque! Hace tiempo desde que fuimos alli, el birib ha pasado de lujo. Tiene unos nuevos amigos, y creo que vamos a empezar a visitar mas. Un poco de Oslo en el parque: