Show

It all started with heavy rain, as we were preparing to go to the show in the morning. The rain continued on and of most of the morning. Then it was warm and sunny in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we were not as lucky with the show result as with the weather. Javier was the most fortunate of us Shibas, he won Best of opposite sex puppy. Out of all of us, the most lucky one today was the Poodle Momoko, whose son became Best in Show "special colours" yesterday and won a CAC today.

Borås

we went to Borås this afternoon. It is a town about three hours away by car, where we will be at a dog show tomorrow. I get to go into the show ring! I am so looking forward to tomorrow.

Vacation

Both Paula and Daniel will have vacation now, for several weeks. This is great, it means they both wil be home with us more. It also makes us all a little lazy, this is probably why I do not write this blog entry until after midnight, making it less than daily. Oh, well, if you have a vacation, you must allow yourself to do things like this, don't you?

Spain v. Italy

Hello, Orange here! We are watching the second semi final in the FIFA Confederation Cup today. Brazil won against Uruguay yesterday. Spain is playing Italy today. We hope Spain will win. Italy was the better team in the first half of the game, but unable to score any goal. I have heard the Netherlands has a rather good national football team, playing in the greatest colour of them all: orange. They do not play in this tournament, though. I hope to see them in next year's World Cup, though I will rather see Sweden, Spain, or Japan as winners.

Japanese Acquisition

The Japanese company Softbank will purchase US mobile phone operator Sprint for $21.6 billions. This is the largest overseas Japanese takeover ever.

I expect the US company's customers will get a better service in the future. Japanese companies are good at that. In this way, they are similar to dogs of Japanese breeds, like Shiba Inus. We are great at providing any kind of service.

Summer TV

Two Swedish summer TV classics started tonight. One is the sing-along show Allsång på Skansen, live from Stockholm. The other is new episodes of the British criminal series Midsomer Murders. We watched them with Paula's parents, as we were there for dinner tonight. While it might not be the very best you can watch on TV, especially the Midsomer Murders feels a little overexposed, it is still great just because it is summer tradition. Traditions must be adhered to, unless you have somthing way better to do.

Sleeping Tight

It is Monday, so Daniel got up early and took us out for walks. It feels a bit harsh when you are used to sleep longer in the weekend. However, we can always go back to sleep afterwards. Paula slept too, she worked in the afternoon, so she did not have to get up at all in the early morning. Just when waking up, that seems like a great idea, but I actually like the early walks followed by another turn into th realm of dreams.

Rain

It has been raining on and off all day. Daniel has not been able to mow the lawn, as he said he would if he could. He has a cold, so it was perhaps for the best that he stayed indoors. Resting indoors is the best way to cope with rainy weather.

Midsummer

Happy midsummer to you all!

Spain Versus Tahiti

Hello, Orange here!

In the football tournament FIFA Confederation Cup, there was a game tonight between the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Tahiti. Confederation Cup is a tournament mainly between the winners of the national team tournaments different continental football associations that are members of FIFA. Spain is, of course, the winner of last year's UEFA European Championship, while Tahiti is the winner of the last Oceania championship.

Javier and I watched the game together, rooting for Spain, since both of us have close relatives there. We did agree, however, that while the game was fun to watch, it was far from exciting. When Spain scored its eighth goal, while Tahiti had not scored any, we started to feel a little sorry for the Tahitian team.

The final score was 10-0. We are happy about the victory and hope Spain will win the whole tournament.

Amazing Number of Followers

I suddenly had a burst of readers viewing my blog today. The statistics said 110 views. A normal amount per day on my blog is about 30. I do not know why this would happen today, but I am happy for it. There are probably be new readers there, I hope they will come back.

Waffles

Paula made waffles for us for lunch. She is so nice to us. Waffles are great food.

In Sweden, we have a Waffle Day on the 25th of March. There is still nothing in this great tradition saying that you should not eat waffles other days. Waffles can be eaten any day. This is good, since they are so tasty.

RIP

Rest in peace, Peanut!

Last Night

The last night with a dog is mostly when that dog is a pup who will leave us for his or her new family the next day. Not so tonight. Peanut will leave us and this whole world.

Some die young. This is life. Still, it seems unjust anytime it happens. With someone so happy, friendly, and nice as Peanut, it feels very unjust.

You have made the world a better place, in the brief time you were here, Peanut! We wish you bon voyage to wherever you will go, while part of you will always be with us in our hearts and memories.

Breeding Trees

Scientists in the UK have discovered a variety of the ash tree which is resistant to the attacks by a certain type of fungus killing off ash trees. This fungus has recently been discovered in the UK, but scientists trust that they will be able to grow resistand ash trees from the resistant variety. The downside is that the resistant variety consist of so few trees, that they have a very narrow genetic base. However, by cross breeding the resistant trees to other ash trees in the UK, the scientists hope to get a wider genetic base of resistant trees, which will also be better suited to the UK climate. It is amazing what breeding can do over generations, not just for dogs.

In the Countryside

Hello, Orange here!

I have been elevated to the status as sometimes guest writer in Hailey's blog. This is an honour, I have been told. I do believe it is.

This evening, I was the only dog who got to come with Paula and Daniel, as they drove out into the countryside. We visited Paula's sister and her boyfriend, the latter living in a typically Swedish, red house in the countryside outside of our home city. They are very nice people and I had the opportunity to taste some cat food. It was not my favourite, but quite good, nevertheless. It was a nice evening.

Peanut's Disease

We are facing a tragedy in our pack. April's daughter Peanut, who was born last spring, has an autoimmune disease, causing her own body to attack her eyes and pigmentation. This is why she has trouble with her skin and recently also her eyes. The disease is not hereditary, but exist among several dog breeds and also among humans. It is due to a mutation. The disease cannot really be treated, the effects can only be surpressed for a while. She is already over sensitive to light. We will not have her with us for much longer, but she will always have a place in the heart of everyone of us.

Norwegian Salmon

An organisation in Norway, Norges Sjömatsråd (Norway's Seafood Council), has recommended that salmon from Norway, when sold in Sweden, should not be sold under the Swedish name of the fish, but the Norwegian name. Swedish authorities believes this not to be an issue. The law already says that you have to state the origin of the sold food on the package, so whether "salmon" is written in Swedish or Norwegian is really of no consequence. I agree, whether it is from Norway or any other country, it is still salmon and still good, tasty food. It remains to be seen if Swedish food chains adopt this recommendation, but I would not count on it. It just seems unnecessary.

Oldest Living Man was Japanese

The worlds oldest living man, and the oldest man ever to have been recorded as living so long, was a Japanese who has now died. The title of being oldest living human is inherited by a Japanese woman. She is not the oldest woman ever to have been recorded as living so long, that record is held by a French woman. Still, the Japanese population brings forth relatively many humans who live to very old ages. They are healthy, the Japanese humans, just like dogs of Japanese breeds are. Japan must bring forth something good for the health and longevity of humans and dogs.

Paula Is Back Home!

After eight days in the hospital, Paula was allowed to go home today. (Hospital care of her kind is voluntary, but you have to be stupid to go home against the recommendations of the doctors.) We are all excited to have her home. Life is not the same without Paula. Our house is not the same without her. We need her, and we believe she needs us too. Now life can return to normal.

Not a Great Victory

In the World Cup qualifying game today, Sweden played the Faroe Islands. This is a small group of islands in the North Sea. It belongs to Denmark, but has some self government and its own football team. It has a very small population, smaller than the city we live in. There are, of course, always eleven players from the start in each team, but a smaller country has fewer people to chose from, thus a lower possibility of having a good team. Despite the odds, Sweden did not win by more than 2-0. It is a victory, which is a main thing, but it is not great and does not do well for the amount of goals made, which can be of importance if our team end up with an equal amount of points to another team in the end of the qualifying round. Well, Sweden still has a chance to get to the World Cup, and this is the most important thing now.

Not Much Fun

So, reigning world champion and leader of this year's championship, Sebastian Vettel, won another race from start to finish today, in Canada's Grand Prix. It is not that he does not deserve it, he is a great racer in a great car, but the championship would be more fun to watch if it was closer and if it looked more like we would get another world champion this year. It is a little like French Open in tennis, where Rafael Nadal won his eighth title today, he deserves it, but it is not much fun for the spectators.

Wedding

The Swedish princess Madeleine got married today. The marriage was, of course, shown on Swedish TV. We had the TV on this channel most of the time, but changed channels when the qualification to the Canadian GP in Formula 1 started. You have to make priorities.

We wish Princess Madeleine all the luck she can have as a married woman.

Austria - a Historical Anomaly

Sweden is playing Austria tonight, in the qualifying round to next year's FIFA Football World Cup.

Austria is a strange country. The people speak German, just like in Germany. Until the middle of the 19th century, there was no doubt that modern day Austria was a part of the many German countries which existed at the time. Then in 1871, the rest of Germany united into a German Empire, while Austria stuck to their own Emperor. After the fall of the monarchies in 1918, many people was in facour of merging the new German and Austrian republics. This would make sense, since the only real reason for the countries not having united sixty years earlier was their different monarchs. The victors of the First World War did not want Germany to gain Austria, though. Later, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, but the victors of the Second World War did not want Austria to stay part of Germany. Furthermore, the Austrians wanted to be independent again, to show they had also been victims of Nazi German occupation (even though a lot of the Austrians had been in favour of the annexation and gladly fought on the Nazi side in the war).

In short, the main reason for Austria being a sovereign country, is that it had its own monarch in 1871. Being a separate country as a republic is just strange. Austria should reinstate its monarchy, then there would be a real reason for the country to exist. Now it is just a historic anomaly. Because of this, they should lose the game.

D Day

Hello, Sunni here! (Hailey's Mum.)

In Sweden, you may think you have all the reason to celebrate your National Holiday today, for ending a union with Denmark and Norway in 1523. In the rest of the world, this is celebrated as D Day, when in 1944, Americans, Brits, and Canadians landed in Normandy, in Nazi occupied France, and started to liberate Western Europe from tyranny. There were a few Swedes among the troops, but Sweden took no part in this war against tyranny.

I was born and raised in America, but this is not the only reason for me to say this. You should remember D Day on the National Holiday festivities today, because without D Day, you might still have had nothing to celebrate in Sweden.

Name Day

Today is Daniel's second name day. Just like dogs, humans have long official names, but they usually just use one first name and one family name. Daniel has two first names besides Daniel, his second name is Gustaf, which is the name day today.

Gustaf was the name of the Swedish king who was made King of Sweden on this day 1523, finally ending the Danish dominated Kalmar Union that Sweden had been a part of for more than a hundred years. It is thus the latest day that Sweden has become fully independent, which is the main reason for it being the National Holiday.

We do not only celebrate National Holiday today, but celebrate Daniel a little bit, too.

National Holiday

Today is the National Holiday of Sweden.

Daniel has a day off from work, but he says he celebrates by working anyway. He is reading important papers on an upcoming new statute, all in line with his job as a legal adviser on the Swedish Transport Agency. Daniel is of the opinion that you celebrate your country in the best way by working for a better country, as he is doing. In a way, I can agree with that, though I always enjoy resting while celebrating Sweden as well.

Happy National Holiday to all the Swedish dogs and humans out there!

Hospital

Paula is at the hospital. She has had trouble with her stomach, so she had surgery yesterday. Now she is alone at the hospital after the operation.

I wish I could be there with her. We all wish we could be there with her, or at least that some of us could. There are, however, restrictions on visitors. As far as we can understand, dogs are not allowed. We do not really understand why, but those are the rules. Humans can visit for some hours during daytime.

We hope Paula can come home tomorrow, so we are able to give her all the love that she deserves.

On Having a Blog

Orange, the pup who is the youngest member of our dog pack, went with Paula and Daniel to Paula's sister and sister's boyfriend tonight. When returning home, Orange told me Daniel and Paula had been asked about my blog, and that these humans had had some doubt that I am the one who really writes it. Well, it may sound implausible, but dogs are capable of more than most humans believe. You are, of course, fully free to make up your own mind on the question of who is the real author behind my blog, but I am not in doubt. Whatever you believe, though, I hope you find the blog interesting and come back often.

Whale Candy?

Rumour has it, you can buy dog candy made from whale meat in Japan, from endangered species of whales. This is not good. There are so many non-endangered animals to make candy from, so why make it from the meat of endangered animals? We want the endangered animals to live on for generations, and when they are of enough numbers, we can make candy of some of them.