We Have Had Rain

Over the last few days, we have had considerable amounts of rain.

This does not seem like an exciting thing to write about. Normally, it would not be; normally, I would not write about it. Over the latest months, however, it has been very dry here, relatively speaking. It is far from a desert, but the water levels in the ground, in the lakes and the rivers, have been very low. We need much more rain for the water levels to rise to normal levels.

I normally do not like being out in the rain, but under these circumstances, I can endure it. I even hope there will be more rain soon. We will see what happens. Daniel does not want rain tomorrow, he wants to be able to mow the lawn.

Scent

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Humans struggle to understand why dogs sometimes roll around in excrements from other animals. There are a lot of theories, but they really do not know. I would say: let them wonder. Some of our behaviour is better kept an enigma.

Day Off

Paula had a day off today, after working throughout the weekend. This was nice, we could sleep together with her until late in the day. Sleeping is comfortable, especially when you do it with humans and dogs you love. We all love Paula. She is such a great person. She deserved this day of rest.

National Holiday

We celebrate Sweden today. It is our national holiday.

Daniel gave us dogs minced moose meat. Eating moose, perhaps the most iconic Swedish animal, seems fitting on the Swedish national holiday. It was also very tasty, of course.

Sweden is a great country. We have a fantastic nature and culture, and we have great laws against animal abuse. It is worth celebrating.

Hamburger

Life as a dog may seem easy to humans. We are often easy to please, we live here and now. Tonight, Paula and Daniel cooked some hamburgers for dinner. I got to taste a little bit. It was great, as it always is. Iwas easy to please tonight.

Busy Day

It is Pentecost and Sunday, so most of us have taken it easy and celebrated moderately. Paula has been off to work at the hospital, however. The injuries and diseases do not take any days off, so neither can nurses or other staff on the hospital. Paula had a very busy day. She did not come away from work until half an hour after the end of her watch. We commend her for being a heroine at work. She is needed there. We understand this, though we like it better when she is at home. Everything is fine now, in the evening.

Baptism

My granddaughter Soya's youngest human, Nadja, was baptised today. Paula and Daniel were there for the baptism.

Baptism is a way for humans to become members of a church, thus coming closer to God. Dogs are never baptised. I believe we are close to God anyway.

All of us dogs sent our greetings to Nadja for the baptism.

Good News

The world is becoming an increasingly better place to live. One example is that the number of children who dies from diarrhoea is down by one third from 2005 to 2015. A lot of children still die in this gruesome way, but not as many as before. Clean water and better hygiene amounts for much of the improvement. I guess this also has a positive effect on the health and survival rate of dogs. I hope it is so.

Black

Paula got a tip from a colleague about a red wine that was supposed to be very tasty. She bought it and she and Daniel tried it tonight. They agreed it was a great wine. It was called Black Stallion. I understand it was a great wine, with a name like this. The love of my life was Kuro-chan, a black and tan male shiba. He was my black stallion. Once you go black, you never go back. Black is great.

Cake

Daniel had received a coupon for a free cake from a grocery store in our neighbourhood. He got it, because he had his birthday this month. He had to fetch it before the end of the month, though, or losing it, This is why he went away late today, all he did was getting that cake. I can understand him, if you are entitled to a cake, you should use it. Cakes are tasty.

Cleaner

We always keep our little house clean and tidy. It is so important to us, that we cleaned and vacuumed the floors late tonight.

Polly claims, amusingly, that when we vacuum late at night, we disturb the gnomes who live between the ceiling and the roof. I claim there are no gnomes living there. We have a constant, friendly debate over this. It is fun.

Veterans' Day

Apparently, it is veterans' day in Sweden today. This is not to celebrate show dogs in veterans' class, like me, even though it sounds like it. Celebrating old show dogs would be a great thing. Instead, it is a day to celebrate humans who are veterans after having served in the Swedish armed forces. I guess these veterans are also worthy of celebration. Cheers to all the veterans!

Mother's Day

Hello, Karstuhl here!

It is Mother's Day in Sweden today. I suppose this is why my dear mother asked me to write the blog entry of today.

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!

Monaco

One of the most classic Formula 1 Grand Prix races is on tomorrow: Monaco's Grand Prix. It may be considered the most classic GP.

Ferrari driver from Finland, Kimi Räikkönen, will start from pole position. The other Ferrari driver, Sebastian Vettel, starts as number two. It will be an exciting race. I root for Räikkönen.

Dog Food

We were near a catastrophe today. We could have run out of dog food.

Paula and Daniel usually buy dog food online. The food is then delivered to our home. This time, it was Daniel's turn to place the order, but he had forgotten about it. What a terrible thing to forget!

Luckily, online orders can be placed any time of the day or night. Daniel did this. We expect new food early next week. We will not run out of food until then. All is well that ends well.

Summer

Summer is here now. It has been warm and sunny weather. I also heard on the radio that older generations in Sweden usually considered the Feast of the Ascension, which we celebrate today, the first day of summer. It is suitable, then, that the weather corresponds to this view. I like summer, it is nice and warm.

Poodles

We have got visitors tonight. A human friend of Paula and Daniel and two Poodles of his borrows our guestroom. The humans had a great time all evening, talking to each other, just like humans often do when interacting with each others. The Poodles stayed in the guestroom or went out in our garden by themselves. This is all right, we know they are just visitors and will leave again. It is still our turf. The night is just like any other night, nevertheless.

Birthday

Today was Daniel's birthday. He got presents from us as soon as yesterday, but we did congratulate him today as well. He is woth being congratulated.

The big party will be this weekend. I am already looking forward to it. I am sure there will be a lot of good things to eat.

Whisky

We gave Daniel his birthday presents this evening. He celebrate his 45th birthday tomorrow, but we did not want to wait. The present he liked the most was a bottle of single malt Scotch whisky, Glenmorangie. He loves whisky. We love to give Daniel things that he loves.

Final Game

Sweden plays Canada in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. We all root for Sweden, of course.

The USA defeated Sweden in the group, on the group but lost its quarter final game. I would have hoped for a final between Sweden and the USA. On the other hand, the USA has never been one of the great powers of ice hockey; these are Sweden, Canada, Russia, and Czechia. Russia won the bronze earlier today, so this year, great powers will win all the medals.

Sweden has defeated Canada many times, but never before in a World Championship final. We hope this will change tonight.

At Home Despite a Show

Paula and Daniel went away to a dog show just outside of Örebro today. I was not entered and stayed at home. This was just as well, since it was an unofficial show. These shows are mostly for dogs or handlers, or both, who are not used to dog shows and needs training. Nobody can say this about me, nor of Paula or Daniel (though Paula is the more experienced handler). Paula and Daniel were there as ring stewards. They had a good time, they told me afterwards. I am sure they did. For this show, I was just as glad staying at home, however.

Abdication Made Possible

The Japanese Emperor Akihito is veryold and physically fragile. He has expressed wishes to abdicate, but this is not possible under the current rules of succession.

The Japanese parliament has, however, gotten a bill about a special law allowing Akihito to abdicate. The law will be specially designed just to allow Akihito to abdicate, not anybody else in the line of succession.

I believe this is a good law. Your reverence for the Emperor has to extend to allowing him to abdicate, should he need to. This is what the bill is all about.

Long live the Emperor!

Late Train

Daniel has been away from our home town in the line of duty. He travelled by train. Unfortunately, the first train broke down and the replacement train was late. This is not the first time he is late coming home, when travelling by train. It must be terrible for people who often depend on trains for their journeys, that trains seem to be late so often. I am glad we usually go by car to and from dog shows. Our cars are much less likely of breaking down or running late for other reasons. Cars are good.

National Holiday

Dad would have celebrated today, had he still been alive. He was from Norway. It is the national holiday of Norway today. I always come to think of Dad, when I think of Norway. He was proud of his Norwegian heritage, thus, so am I.

To all of the dogs and humans out there who are Norwegian, have Norwegian roots, or just love Norway: happy 17 May!

Make Up Countries

Some people make up pretend countries, not just in fiction, but as a hobby or art project. The Slovenian based art collective NSK has done this. They even issue make up passports for this make up country. They claim the country has no territory, which all real countries must have.

I just wag my tail at make up countries like this. Fake countries are a bit amusing. Fake passports do not bother me, legal authorities will not recognise them anyway. The only thing I hope is that there are no made up kennel clubs and dog show championships from these countries – this would be fraudulent.

White Sheets

We have got a new set of bed sheets. They are all white. The sheet which we lie on is usually white, but not the sheet protecting the blankets. It looks nice when it is clean. I hope it does not get dirty too soon.

Affenpinscher Specialty

Today, I accompanied our Affenpinscher friend Morran to a specialty dog show for her breed. Daniel worked as a ring stewart and Paula and I was hanging around the Affenpinschers and their humans.

I gave Morran some valuable tips. The main thing is to enter the ring with a positive attitude, because when you tell yourself you are having fun, everything becomes easier and youoften perform better. Morran did not do very well, but she had fun, and this is the main thing.

Over all, we had a nice day, even though I never entered the show ring myself. I guess there will be new opportunities for me later in the season.

ESC

It is the night of the European Song Contest, the ESC. In part, I root for Sweden, but I do not believe in the Swedish song. We will have to hear if any song is worthy of our votes.

Dance

There was the final of a dance competition on TV tonight, Let's Dance on TV 4. Dance is a little like freestyle, but for humans and without dogs.

Late Nightt Snack

We watched TV tonight, and Paula went out into the kitchen. she came back after a little while with grilled sandwiches. I love grilled sandwiches. Fortunately, I got to taste some. It tasted really good. Eatimg late at night is great, it is unfortunate that many humans and dogs have not discovered this.

Kennel Försvarsmakten

The Swedish Armed Forces breed German Shepherd dogs. For a couple of years, they have not fulfilled the higher standard required by the Swedish Kennel Club, so their dogs have not been registered. An agreement has now been reached and dogs can be registered under the kennel prefix Försvarsmakten again. This is great. I do not think I have to justify why I think so.

Allergies

Paula could not sleep last night. She got some allergic reactio, probably from some of the trees outside, this time of the year. We feelsorry for her.

I am glad Shibas do not get allergies of this kind, at least not that I am aware of. Shibas are, over all, healthy dogs. We do have compasion with humans and dogs who have allergies, though. I wish noone had allergies. Perhaps medical science can cure allergies in the future. I hope it will.

Gender Neutral Awards?

I read this article about perhaps scrapping the gender specific awards for actors and actresses. I think they take the wrong aproach. Why would you want just one gender neutral award? Learn from dog shows instead. We have a dogs class and a bitches class, then chose best of breed by pitting the best dog against the best bitch. Make one competition for best male actor, one competition for best actress, and then pit best actor against best actress. The winner in the last cathegory would be the over all winner. This would make the best of both gender specific and gender neutral competitions.

French Election

The French had a general election today, to chose a President of the Republic. There was a low turnout. A lot of voters did not like either of the two candidates who remained from the first round. As far as I am concerned, it is an unnecessary election. The French has a man who is a decendant of their Kings. They could reinstate the Kingdom. Then nobody would have to vote for a candidate they thought was bad, in order to avoid the candidate they thought was even worse. A king or queen stands above politics and is the Head of State for everybody, not just those who elected him or her. This even means that the king or queen is equally much the Head of State for the disenfranchised, such as children and dogs. I like monarchies better than republics.

Pizza

We got some pizza with our food tonight. It is always nice to get food you do not eat every day. There are a few things I like better than pizza, but not many. It made the evening great.

Working Late

Paula was working late tonight. She ended work at eight o'clock in the evening. This is what it is like being a trained nurse. The hospital has to be open around the clock. I think it is great that Paula and her colleagues do this.

Tacos

Paula made some tacos for dinner. Some Swedes would say tacos is a dish for Friday evenings, but there really is no old tradition saying that this is so. I believe tacos is tasty enough to eat any day of the week. Pancakes, on the other hand, is supposed to be eaten on Thursdays. In my granddaughter Soya's family, they had pancakes today. This is good.

Birthday Sausages

Hello, Karstuhl here!

My daughter Soya celebrated the birthday of her human Mia today. Mia is also sister of Paula, so Paula and Daniel went there to participate in the celebrations.

There were grilled sausages at the party. Soya got some. I wish there would have been a doggy bag with leftover sausages for me. It was not, Soya ate all the leftover sausages. In a way, I am disappointed, but I am even more proud. Soya is a true Shiba and true to her female line from me, Mommy, Granny, and probably further back through the generations. When you can have good food to eat, you eat it. You do not share. Soya did just what I would have done. This makes me so proud of her.

May Day

It is May, and sunshine and warm weather is here. We can say "May day", without sounding like an old time flyer in distress, because it really is a May day.

I wish spring will continue on, all the way until it is summer. It is May, so it is supposed to continue on. Now all we need is a bit more rain, our well needs it.

Flag Upside Down

Even the Royal Palace staff can do wrong, when hoisting a flag. At the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway, the royal flag was hoisted upside down this morning. As soon as the fault was discovered, the flag was hoisted again, the right side up.

I wonder what my Dad would have said about this. He was born and raised in Norway and always a Norwegian patriot. I do believe he would have recognised it as the mistake that it must have been, however. When you think about it, it is quite funny. We all hope it will just be a one time thing, though. It is not funny if repeated.

Day of Bonfires

It is the evening before Walpurgis Mass, and the Swedish custom is to celebrate spring this evening by lighting bonfires. We were planing on going to a bonfire, but decided against it, because Paula has a cold.

We also made a toast to the King, since it is his birthday.

Finnish Victory in Russia

The Finnish Formula 1 driver Valteri Bottas won his first victory in a Grand Prix today. This was his fourth race in Mercedes. On third place was Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen, driving for Ferrari.

I wish there would be Swedish drivers who were at least nearly as successful as the Finnish drivers. Still, it was nice to see the flag of Finland on top and to hear the anthem of Finland. This is especially nice when the race was in Russia, the country Finland won its sovereignty from a hundred years ago, and the country that tried to reclaim Finland in wars of aggression in 1939-40 and 1941-5.

We hope Valteri Bottas will win more races, and that Kimi Räikkönen will also win races this year.

Leave from Work for Pups

The Scottish brewery Brewdog has a new perk for its employees. It is odd, but I think it is very good. the brewery offers one week of leave for any employee who adopts a puppy dog or a rescue dog.

I think this is great. It would make it easier for many humans to make up their mind that they have to get a dog. Most human loves are better with dogs, and although many can see some reasons for this, others just might need this kind of perk to decide they need a dog. It must be up to the employer, of course, but I think most employers would benefit in the long run. The employees would be happier and healthier, as humnas tend to be when they have dogs. Thus, there would be less sick leave and with happier employees, there would be a better production. More dogs would also get loving humans.

It is a situation positive for everybody involved. Who can oppose that?

Settle Land

The town plans to make a lot of land around us open for settlement. We have a lot of land around us, where there are just forests and meadows. We like this. Still, when the town grows, people moving here has to have some place to settle. Daniel was at a meeting about this tonight. He said most people living around here wanted less buildings, and smaller buildings, than in the sketches shown. No decisions are made yet. I hope they will not build much. I like to have free land just outside us.

Statistics

A government agency will move its headquarters to Örebro, our home town. It is an agency working with statistics. I guess it is good for the town to get a headquarters here. Perhaps some more people will move here or find good work here. Nevertheless, I guess it is nice, statistically.

Hail

This April, the weather is exciting. We had hail today. This was not the first time this April, yet hail is normally a very rare weather. We have had warm, sunny days, cold, rainy days, and days when snow has fallen and cold winds have chilled us. It seems like we can never know what to expect. It is rather interesting, actually, even though I would rather have more stable, warm weather and a lot of rainy nights. We need rain, but I rather have it when we are sleeping late at night. Nevertheless, I think I will remeber this April for its weather.

Caravan

We had rainy weather today. Friends of Paula and Daniel had been allowed to park their caravan on our property, but their car could not drag the caravan up the slippery slope to the parking space. They made several attempts, then they gave up. I felt a little sorry for them, even though I am not that fond of caravans. It would have been nice to be able to let a piece of our property out. It is big and we do not use all of it. It was not to be, however. I fuess there might be other opportunities

Fun, but It Cound Have Been Better

It felt great being back in the show ring today. I think I did a great performance. I also won Excellent and CAC, but was not Best of Bitches, neither Best Veteran. My grand daughter Soya also performed well, but got a surprisingly low quality prize. We believed she would fare better. On the other hand, this is part of what is fun with dog shows: you can never tell in advance what your result will be. Soya will surely get her final Certificate, to become Champion, soon.

Show Tomorrow!

We are going to a dog show tomorrow! I get to come along and will compete in Veterans' Class. I am so excited.

Of course, those of you who are long time readers of my blog, know that I think dog shows are the best thing you can do over a day. It is so much fun going into the ring and getting the attention of everybody. I hope this is just one out of many dog shows for me this season.

Ancient Roman Coins Found in Japan

At an archaeological excavation by a Japanese castle, four old coins believed to be from the Roman empire has been found. The research is still going on, nothing about this find has yet been published in a scientific journal. It still looks like the coins have been lying in the ground in Japan for many centuries. If the coins have reached Japan in ancient times, it must be a fantastic discovery. Imagine the trade, this long ago, from Southern Europe to Japan. It will be nice to know what the researchers settle as the probable year for the arrival of these coins to Japan.

Raining Cats and Dogs

We had some short, heavy rain showers today. It was the kind of showers where people say it is "raining cats and dogs". This is metaphorical, of course, otherwise I would feel sorry for the falling dogs.

Not Telling Much

In some cultures, not telling much is a good thing. The Japanese culture is one such cukture. It is Japanese being a little bit of an enigma. Today, I read this interesting article about a friendship in Japan where not much was said.

Shibas also tend to be a little enigmatic. We are Japanese.

Close, but No Hit

A rock about a kilometre wide just passed by Earth. It passed at a distance of 1.8 million kilometres. This may sound like a huge distance, but it is close by astronomical measurements. It is called 2014 JO 25. The first designation stands for the year of discovery, if I remember correctly.

I am glad the rock passed Earth. It would have been a disaster, if it would have hit our planet. A lot of dogs and humans would certainly have died, the rest would have been affected in other, negative ways. We all have to hope rocks like this passes Earth, as long as we do not have the means ready to push them off course.

Dish Washer

Our dish washer does not work properly. Daniel has tried to figure out what is wrong, but have not succeeded. He had to wash the dishes by hand instead. I guess we have to ask for professional help. It is just that neither of us really likes to bring in people from the outside, even though we need their services. It would have been better, if Daniel could have fixed the problem. The main thing is that it will get taken care of, however. I guess this will have to happen. So be it.

Benefits of Daydreaming

Humans these days often turn to their mobile phones or other devices connected to the Internet, whenever they have a spare moment. This may be a bad habit. It may be much better to et your thoughts wander, to let your mind rest, to dayderam a little.

Dogs daydream a lot. We have no bad habits of looking at mobile phones, but use them very little. I also know Daniel usually daydream, when we go on walks. I suppose this is good for him. More people should probably daydream more often. It makes you more creative, which is good.

Go ahead, let your mind free! Daydream just a little bit more. You will get a healthier, less stressed mind, I am certain of this. Dogs do this, it makes us feel good.

It Will Be Interesting

The Formula 1 season of 2017 will be interesting. For the first time in years, there are two car manufacturers who are actually racing for the victories. Apart from Mercedes, which has dominated the last three years, Ferrari is also competitive. Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari has now won two out of the three races so far. This is good, it makes for a much more interesting sport. We like it.

Good Friday

We made this a boring day. It is supposed to be, in reminicense of the torments and the execusion of Jesus. Still, we got minced meat for food, which was tasty. Everything does not have to feel bad on Good Friday. It was enough that winter came back, with cold winds and a lot of snow. I hope spring will be resurected on Easter Day. It would be fitting.

Could Scotland Join Canada?

It seems like a far fetched idea, but when the idea was made public a couple of days ago, many Scots and Canadians liked it: if Scotland would leave the United Kingdom, it could join Canada instead. Scotland would then become the eleventh province of Canada. It would still have the same Queen, since the UK and Canada shares Queen.

It is an intriguing idea, but I do believe it is not very likely.

I guess the Scottish Kennel Club might join the Canadian Kennel Club, if this would become true.

Having a Cold

Daniel has a cold. He has been at home today, but at his computer, working. Having a cold does not stop him from working, it is just that he does not want to spread the viruses unnecessarily to work mates.

Having Daniel at home to spend time with us dogs is the best. He does not do this, when he is working. This is still much better than when he is away at work. In some ways, I wish he would get colds more often, sitting at home to work.

Brighter

It is daylight outdoors on the morning walk as well as on the evening walk these days. It is still fairly cold, but I like the light. Some of the days of January even had temperatures like we had today, just a few degrees above the freezing point. It will be warmer further on, though. I am looking forward to summer.

Late Service

There are days when our humans are busy. Days like this, they may be late in serving food to us dogs. This was the case today. Paula and Daniel was away on a meeting in the evening. They came back home around nine o'clock, and it was not until then we got food. Serving food to your dogs is among the most important things you have to do each day, if not the single most important thing. We did get food, anyway. We never have to worry about that.

Dog Casualty

In the terror attack in central Stockholm last Friday, four humans and one dog died. There are memorials for all of them now. I am glad the dog is commemorated, just like the humans are. It is also commendable that there are news papers writing about this. Casualties of wars are not only humans, but also dogs and other animals. It is important to describe this, to make a fuller picture of what has happened. Dogs are family members and important individuals in the civilisation.

Saturday

We are just taking it easy. It is Saturday and weekend. Life is good.

Feeling Well Again

Gunde is feeling well again. He says we had not had to worry about him. He is a true Shiba, eager not to whine, not to look like he is feeling bad. I did worry a little about him, anyway. I am glad he is feeling well again.

Now I will go to sleep rather early. Daniel is off to the train early tomorrow morning, so we will have an early morning walk. I and the other dogs can go back to sleep afterwards. Daniel may, perhaps, have a chance to sleep a little on the train. I do not envy him.

Feeling Bad

We were worried about Gunde today. He felt sick this morning. None of us knew what was the matter with him. It is always worse not to know, than to know, even though Gunde was not very ill.

By the evening, Gunde was feeling well again. He thinks it was just some temporary sickness due to indigestion. This can happen to anybody. If he is still in his usual, happy mode tomorrow morning, I will be sure he is all right. Then I do not have to worry anymore. I hope this will be the case.

Tacos

We had tacos for dinner tonight. Some people say tacos is a dish best served on Fridays. Thus, it would not fit serving it on a Tuesday, like today. I do not agree. There is no long term tradition of eating tacos at all in Sweden. It is tasty, and with no real tradition, why not just eat it any day you want to? I liked our tacos of today.

Landslide

There has been a huge landslide in Mocoa in the south of Colombia, killing many people and devastating houses and other things. It is not in the city where Paula and her sister were born, but we are still concerned, because it is their original home country.

As always, I have been searching in vain for news about dogs killed or dogs losing their humans.

Officials in Colombia have promised aid to rebuild the town. I guess this is necessary.

No New Name or Flag

No, F.Y.R. Macedonia will not change its names and flags. This was just my April's Fools joke of this year. I guess the difference of opinion on the name between this republic and Greece, with their provice of the same name, will go on. It seens silky, really. Why not just make up another, similar name? Well, I am lucky I am not in charge of trying to solve the problem, anyway.

I am glad that I reached a lot of readers, anyway. The statistics say more than two hundred readers have opened up this blog entry. I like that. Thank you!

F.Y.R. Macedonia Changes Names and Flags

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will change its names and flags.

The country has been in constant conflict with its southern neighbour Greece over the name. There is a province in the north of Greece called Macedonia, and the Greeks claim they have the historical right to the name. This is why the country Macedonia is formally known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and not just Republic of Macedonia.

The Macedonians are tired of this, for obvious reasons. This is why they have now decided to change names for their country. The new name is similar to the old one, but different enough to make the Greeks happy. The new name will be Macdonaldsia. It will take effect on the 1 April 2017.

The new name will be accompanied by a new flag as well. The new flag reflects the new name. Another advantage of the new name, is that Macdonaldsia will be the very first country with an international corporation as a sponsor: McDonald's. This will not even pose a problem in the Olympic Games, since McDonald's is also a long time sponsor of the Games.

This is the new flag:

Rain

It is raining a lot. The ground needs it. I am glad to hear the rain, when I am indoors.

Nothing New

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Sometimes, Mommy decides she does not want to write a blog entry, and demands that I do it instead. I have to, in order to be allowed to write blog entries when I ask to. Nevertheless, I decide what I write and this means I can decide to write about nothing in particular. There just is nothing new today. There you go, a blog entry. Do come back again, it may be better tomorrow.

Splendid Isolation?

British Prime Minister Theresa May has now formally signed the bill triggering Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union. The United Kingdom will leave the EU.

I cannot say I am surprised. It follows the outcome of the referendum last summer, even though there was a small margin. It also follows the British tradition of "splendid isolation". The Brits believe they are better of alone. They do the same in the dog world, where the Kennel Club in the UK is not a member of the International Kennel Federation FCI.

Let me just say, I doubt this isolation will be very splendid. Free trade, which is the main goal of the EU, is a positive thing. I believe the British exit will be negative both for the UK and for the remaining countries of the EU.

On the other paw, who am I to tell? I am just a dog. British dogs were not allowed to vote in the referendum. It might be that the exit will have beneficial consequences. We will have to see.

Sunshine

We have had sunshine and warm spring weather for a couple of days. I guess it can be colder again further on, but I guess there will be no winter anymore. Rain would be needed, but preferably in the nighttime, when we are indoors sleeping, anyway. Life is good, any which way the weather choses to take.

Gonza

Today, Karstuhl and I have been worried about her son Gonza. He has hurt his back and has to have veterinary care and probably some form of rehabilitation. We are not sure what have caused this, but we think there must have been some kind of accident causing this. Hopefully, Gonza will be fully recovered. He is still young and should have many happy years to come. We just have to follow the news about him and hope for the best.

Silly

We have "daylight savings time" from today until October. I have always felt this is silky. Why would you want to turn the clock, to convince people to rise earlier in the morning? The clock is just a device showing the time. Let things start at 7 in the morning instead of eight, instead.

New Season of Formula 1

We will get up early tomorrow morning. It is time for the Australian Grand Prix in Formula 1, the first race of the 2017 season. It is exciting, with new rules and cars that are supposed to be faster. Daniel is the greatest fan of us, he believes Formula 1 is the very best of competitions. I think it is among the best, but the very best is dog shows. There is no dog show for us tomorrow, however.

Taxes

Why do humans pay taxes? It is something I cannot understand.

First Come, First Served

If you go to bed first of all, you get to chose where to lie. I did this tonight. Daniel was a little bit annoyed, as I occupied part of the bed where he likes to lie. I was here first, however. Life is harsh for Daniel, sometimes.

Is Spring Coming?

We had a little snow last Monday morning. Since then, we have had temperatures well above the freezing point. Spring equinox has passed. Is spring finally here? I hope so, after a boring winter without much snow. I would welcome warmer weather. Any more precipitation can be in the form of rain. We will see what happens.

Circular Runways?

Runways for aircraft requires a lot of place, in part because they are long. A new idea to remedy this problem is to construct circular runways.

I am not sure this is a good idea in countries up north, like Sweden. what would happen if there is ice on the runway in the winter? It is more dangerous to go in a curve than straight ahead, when there is ice on the ground. Has the inventor given ice a thought?

Music

There was a documentary on TV today about music. Archaeologists have found flutes made by bones in stone age times. These are the oldest musical instruments ever found. If I understood correctly, this was from a time when dogs and humans had already teamed up. I believe the love of dogs inspire much music. Music often express love, dogs and humans always have love for each other. This may have been the case from the earliest times that we were together. History is fascinating.

Zip Line Rescue

There has been massive floods in Peru in South America. In one instance, a zip line was used to save a dog. This was a mighty fine piece of news, I believe. Dogs are important in society. Humans who can save dogs, but do not, do not have enough compassion. If given the chance, dogs would always save humans.

Disturbed in the Morning

It is Saturday and we were going to sleep until late in the morning. Some of the younger dogs rose early, anyway. They woke us up time and time again, one after the other. Why can they not appreciate a calm morning, undisturbed in any way? You do not have to go out early in the morning, sleeping until late is more sweet. When will they ever learn?

It has happened that I accompany the other dogs outdoor. This is certainly not because I need it. If it was up to me, we would all have continued sleeping. All of the others know that I am never the one waking anybody up early in the morning. When waking up anyway, however, I may just as well go out, when the others do. The I hope we can all go back to sleep. Sometimes we do. I wish we would always do.

Saturday mornings can be a treat. Too often, they are not. I hope this upcoming Sunday morning will be better.

Friday Night

It is Friday night. This is good, because I know we usually sleep until late in the morning on Saturdays. The most common case when we get up early on Saturdays, is when we go to dog shows. If there is anything better than sleeping until late in the morning, it is going to dog shows. I am looking forward to sleeping until late tomorrow morning, and to going to dog shows on Saturdays later in the year. Saturdays are good days. Fridays too, because they are just before Saturdays. It feels good tonight.

Clean Sheets

We have got clean sheets in the bed tonight. It is sweet, it feels good. I am not always sure what makes Paula and Daniel decide to change the sheets, but I always like it when they do. Then I lay on the sheets, putting my own scent there in a mild manner. This makes the sheets about its best after a night or two. Now I can look forward to this.

Roast Beef

There was roast beef for dinner today. It smelled nicely. I wanted some, but since I had already eaten, I was not given any. I wish there would have been some leftovers for me, at least, but the roast beef was evidently so tasty that nothing was left. Perhaps I can get some next time.

Pie

It is the 14th of March, or 3/14, as my American Mum would write. This is the Pie day, the day when we celebrate the tasty pastries known as pies.

It is actually pi day, the day when we celebrate the infinite number that is designated by the Greek letter pronounced as pi, that stands for the mathematical relationship between the radius and circumference of a circle. A pie is also circular in its shape, and since it is pronounced the same way as the infinite number, we can celebrate pi by eating pie.

I wish all days would be as tasty as pi day.

Anti-clockwise

We usually walk the same morning walk, clockwise. I want variation once in a while, so I suggest we walk the same route, but anti-clockwise. Sometimes, we do. I like this. It is a variation of our everyday habit. We also get to look at things along the road from another perspective, which is nice. Variation is good, if done with moderation.

Dog Show Again

For the first time this year, and first in a very long time, Paula and Daniel went to a dog show. They brought Gunde and Karen, while I had to stay at home. Neither Gunde nor Karen got any terrific results. I believe I would have, but, alas, I did not go. I hope I get to go later this year.

Swedish Qualification Round

The final installment of the Swedish qualification round to the Eurovision Song Contest was held today. Paula and Daniel were not quite satisfied with the result. On the other paw, I guess most Swedes are not, because the winner did not get more than 50 % of the votes.

I did not root for anybody. I would have, had anybody had a song about a dog. The only one in the qualification contest known for a song about a dog, was one of the hosts: Hasse Andersson. He sang this song with the rock group Mustasch in one of the earlier qualifiers, but not as part of the competition. It was still my favourite. I wish someone would compete with a dog song, sometime.

Petting

Some of my dog friends are more keen on being petted, than I am. I almost think they overdo it. I like being petted, but moderately. There must be limits to this. Meanwhile, I let them being petted the way they want to,

Long Meeting

Daniel was at a meeting this evening. This is not odd, as such. He is at meetings in the evening rather often. This time, however, the meeting went on until late. We missed him, because we thought he would come home earlier than he did. Well, he felt glad when he got home. We were happy that he finally arrived home.

International Women's Day

Humans have a day they call International Women's Day, to make themselves aware of discrimination against women in society.

A day like this is not necessary among dogs. Bitches rule.

Repeat

Paula likes to hear the same song again and again, once she has discovered a new song she thinks is great. Daniel often grows tired of it much quicker than Paula does. For my part, I do not care much. Music is not a big thing in my life. If Paula wants to put a song on repeat, I let her do it. Her happiness is important to me. Letting her repeat songs is just one way to help her being hapoy, which is good. I can just think about other things.

Colder

It is getting colder again, even though we are a few days into March. This winter, the weather seem to vary more than ever. It might be that I just do not remember the variations of every precious winter I have experienced, but still, I have this distinct feeling. I am getting tired of the winter now, especially since there is no snow to play in, anyway. Now I want spring to come. We will probably have to wait for a couple of weeks more, though. The only good thing is that it is always socially acceptable to complain about the weather in this country.

Vasaloppet with Dogs?

The oldest long cross country ski competition, Vasaloppet in Dalecarlia, Sweden, is always run on the first Sunday in March. We got up early to watch it on TV, as we usually do.

There are a lot of minor conmetitions in the week preceding the main competition. I believe there should be a dog and ski competition. Sled dogs can run alongside fast cross country skiers and the fastest pair would win. I am sure this would make for great TV entertainment, just like the ordinary Vasaloppet.

I claim no copyright on this idea. If the enterprise behind Vasaloppet would want to arrange a dog competition, I would just be happy about it.

Lazy Day

We just took it easy today. It felt lazy, but I believe you need to be lazy once in a while.

When I have taken it easy all day, one might think I would put more effort into the blog post of today. It is just that I still feel lazy. I just do not feel like writing that much today. If you want to read more, there are years of earlier blog posts to get back to. I hope you can find more interesting stuff to read there.

Friday Night Party

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Paula and Daniel are at a party this Friday night.

Meanwhile, we dogs are having a party of our own back home.

I hope we do not trash too much, before they come home.

Sparkling Drinks

Paula and Daniel drink sparkling drinks sometimes. They like it, so does Javier. The downside is, you have to drink it before all the bubbles are gone. You cannot let it stand in a glass or a bowl through the night, the bubbles will disappear and part of the taste with it. I do not care much, I rather drink plain water. Paula, however, has a glass of sparkling drink to finish this evening. This cannot be good, feeling obligated to finish it. I hope Paula think it is worth it.

Australia, 25 Years of Growth

Australia has a great economy. It has now had 25 years of uninterrupted economic growth.

I often think about my late friend, Auntie Linni, when I think of Australia. Her father was from Australia, so she held the country in high regard, often rooting for Australia in sports. For Auntie Linni, the tremendous economy of Australia would not be a surprise. She always trusted in Australia. I guess I cannot do anything but the same, given the aticle I have a link to from this blog entry.

Too bad Auntie Linni is no longer with us. I miss her every day.