George, the good and the bad but never the ugly

The Good
George went swimming yesterday! His first time.

He was wading in quite deeply so I threw a stick a bit further out in the deeper part of the river. He waded as far as he could and then, very tentatively, launched himself into doggy paddle! I was ever so slightly over-excited. It's a good job we were alone in the woods (apart from the fairies but they don't mind).

He brought the stick back and I sent him in again twice more. What a star! Then we walked on a bit further and he kept running to the water's edge and waiting. I was the one who was reluctant to send him in as the poor little thing is so skinny that he was shivering when he came out.

But then he lost his nerve. And would only fetch the stick if he could stree-tt-cc-h over and reach it without swimming. I think the trouble was that he was swimming with his mouth open - and under the water with a lot of resulting spluttering when he emerged.

Still, next time ...

Then this morning he brought some mail in to me that the postman had delieverd through the letterbox. Admittedly I think he only fetched it as he was planning on settling down to eat it but at least he's getting the right idea.

The Bad
He escaped again this morning. The wind in the night blew away my barricade and he was off. I think we need an electric fence.

He dug up the plants in the tub. Not the new ones that we bought to replace the ones he destroyed last week - they have an old metal mesh tray over them (from a freezer I think) - but the ones in the other tub that weren't covered. They - or what's left of them - are now - with a seed tray and a watering can.

Never the Ugly
Then he squeezes in between the desk and chair and puts his front legs up on my lap and looks into my face with his big dark eyes and I have to stroke his silky-soft ears and give him kisses and tell him how beautiful he is, and he lays his head against my chest and keeps looking up at me ... oh, he is so gorgeous.