Purple Sparkly Toilet Seat Award Time is Here!

Reminder!

From tomorrow, 1st February 2012, I will be considering posts for my first ever lovely shiny award:

 Deccy's Excellent Blog Award!

click above for full details

The category for this month is the post that Makes Me Giggle the Loudest!

I will be considering your posts placed online from midnight (GMT) until 23.59 (GMT) on 29th February 2012. I'll be making my own shortlist, but please feel free to nominate your own or a friend's post if you think it will make me chuckle! You can nominate as many posts as you like. Please send your nominations to 

Deccy's Shiny Award

Remember! This is the award that requires absolutely no effort. I'd love to get your nominations, but all you are required to do is collect your award and proudly display it on your blog if you win! And of course it is terribly exclusive. Only 1 award to 1 blog each month! 

Let the Giggles begin!

Check If Your Mum Is A Grumpy Old Woman Like Mine!

As some of you will know, Mum's friend Aunty Lou came to visit recently. As Mum & Aunty Lou were talking (and boy, can they talk!) I lay on the sofa and listened. We had the inevitable "You realise we were only 19 when we met; it seems like only yesterday" and quite a lot of looking horrified when realising that an eminent professor, President or Prime Minister was younger than them. No one younger than them could have achieved so much, right? Wrong! They finished on the depressing thought that rock stars and actors they had been in love with as teenagers were now drawing their Old Age Pension.

All of this got me thinking. I know, I know. I can hear you all now saying " Be careful Deccy, you will tire yourself out" but fear not; I lay down to do it and power-napped at intervals.

What I thought was, my Mum meets pretty much all the criteria for being a Grumpy Old Woman! You will understand, I'm sure, that GOW is a state of mind rather than a specific age, and anyway I would not be so un - gallant as to reveal Mum's age.

Here is a short quiz for your amusement:

• In what year was The Beatles Album " Sgt Peppr's Lonely Hearts Club Band" released?
• Three quarters of an hour is how many minutes?
• When did Elvis Presley marry Priscilla?
• 46 minus 1 equals what?

 You may want to use this handy check list to see if you too have a GOW in the house....

She Shouts at Other Drivers

 " Don't feel the need to signal; you go ahead and pull right in front of me. No really, I LIKE being cut up. Moron"

Teenage Boys' Jeans

"What possesses their parents to allow them out with the waistband 1" above their genitals, the back pockets behind their knees and displaying a good 6" of their underpants? And why don't their trousers fall off when they move?"

Teenage Girls

"It's the middle of winter and they are wearing 6" heels, a miniskirt and no coat. They'll catch their death...."

Children in general

"I don't mind them at all... as long as they are kept in an hermetically sealed box until they are 25".

The Supermarket

When asked by the spotty teenager at check out if she can confirm she is old enough to buy alcohol. She listens to the sniggers in the queue behind and then replys: " Take the legal age, double it and add 9. Oh I forgot. Your generation can't do mental arithmetic.."

Automated Call Centres

She talks to them. " My call is important to you? Well you would have answered by now if it was. What do you mean I'm 5th in the queue?! I've been on hold for 40 minutes. This is costing me a bl**dy fortune you know..."

Current Music

" It all sounds like a cat on Mogodon, possibly after someone has stood on its tail. Blondie, The Police, The Pretenders - now that's proper music"

Parking

When waiting for another driver to park. "Oh for God's sake, how difficult can it be? You could fit the QE2 in that space" Apparently this is a saying she picked up from my human Grandad. I assume he was a Grumpy Old Man!

So how many points does your Mum score? Grumpy Old Woman, or not quite there yet? I think the same test can probably be used on your Dads. Let me know how you all get along. Hehe!

My mate Kai.....

Last week, Mum's best friend, my Aunty Lou and her dog Kai came to visit us. Mum and Aunty Lou have been friends for years. In fact, every time they meet up one of them is bound to say, "Oh God, do you realise we've known each other for 26 years now?" And then they look really surprised. Why is that? It's not like they are not both distinctly middle aged.... hehe!!

Anyway, I digress. Kai was the best mate of my Uncle Flynn. When I say best mate, they had a unusual relationship in that Flynn would sit on Kai and steal his bed and Kai resigned himself to that fact many many years ago. Kai is not a very big chap, being a Border Terrier, but Flynn, being the saint that he apparently was (yeah ok, I get the message Mum....) never chased him or tried to hurt him. Flynn would go and stay with Aunty Lou when Mums went on holiday & Kai would stop with them too. The boys would happily share the back of an estate car, though Kai would moan that he couldn't breathe when Flynn sat on his head......

However, I am, as you may know, a slightly different kettle of fish..... Fairly small furry things are to be chased. Period. I'm fine with other Greyhounds, obviously. I've had polite sniffs with a Border Collie & a Retriever. I got a bit spooked when 3 dogs closely examined my bum all at the same time, but I bounced in a somewhat "go away cos I am a nutter" manner at a Pekingese that tried to make my acquaintance in the beer garden one day. Add all this to the fact that Kai is getting on a bit and isn't so steady on his paws anymore and Mum thought there might be trouble ahead.

This is Kai

This is me killing Mr Teddy. Anyone else spot the resemblance.....hmmmmm?

So it was decided that it might be best if Aunty Lou & Kai stopped in a nice dog friendly hotel not far from where we live. The hotel is opposite a lovely park called Lister Park, which won Britain's Best Park Award in 2006. It has been a public park since 1870, when the land was sold at a very cheap rate to Bradford Corporation by Samuel Lister, a member of a family of prominent industrialists who opened the first of their textile mills in the area in 1838, on the condition that it was used as a public park. 

Anyway, I'm rambling again. Mum and Aunty Lou decided it would be best if Kai and I met on neutral ground, so we met in Lister Park. The funny thing was that I totally ignored Kai; wouldn't even look at him! He's a bit too old to bother with a whippersnapper like me and his sight isn't so good, so there was no problem at all. Admittedly, I did look a bit surprised when he came back home with me & came in the house and I didn't think it was entirely right that Mum put my muzzle on and kept me on my lead! But I just lay on my sofa and pretty much ignored him apart from one little growl when he came too close. 

"Kai is NOT Mr Teddy... Kai is NOT Mr Teddy... Kai is NOT......

We've decided next time Aunty Lou visits it should be ok for her and Kai to stay with us. 

I haven't told Declan that Kai will have to sleep upstairs... bet that goes down well! - Deccy's Mum

Unfortunaely, it was raining so hard when we went to Lister Park, Mum wasn't able to take any photos, but here are some that we found on the web

Samuel Lister                        

  © Tim Green

Cartwright Hall is a purpose built civic art gallery that stands in the park

 © Tim Green

 © Tim Green

 © Tim Green

 © Tim Green

Nearly Wordless Wednesday 25/1

Having heard that the evil KC was on the prowl.....

.........Declan knew from bitter experience that he would be safer if he put his muzzle on....!.

You Can Win My Brand New Shiny Award!

I've noticed over the past few months that there are quite a few awards floating about. I've been lucky enough to get some myself and lots of my friends have too. I'm sure we all think getting an award is great; after all who doesn't like a pat on the the back from their pals?! I know a lot of you out there lead pretty busy, hectic lives and as happy and grateful as we all are to get an award, sometimes its hard to find the time to comply with the conditions. Writing a list, identifying half a dozen pals who haven't already been nominated, then letting them all know you nominated them can take time that's hard to find alongside regular blogging commitments. So.... I have decided to take the hard work out of receiving an award and have designed my very own......

Deccy's Excellent Blog Award!

Let me explain how it works:

• Prior to the beginning of each month I will announce the category under which the award will be given for that particular month.
• 1 award will be given to 1 blog each month.
• Blog posts placed online between 24.00 GMT on the first day of each month and 23.59GMT on the last day can be considered.
• I will read my friends' posts in the usual way and make a short list of potential recipients.
• If you would like to nominate any of your own posts or those of your friends (as many as you like) you can do so by emailing me a link to Declan's Dogs Blog.
• Once the nomination period has closed I will consider my own shortlist alongside any nominations received from you and will make the award.
• My decision is final. Because it's my award and I can say that. HeHe!!
• The winner will be notified and invited to collect the award from my blog. They may then display it proudly & prominently on their own blog!
• Unless they object, the winner will also be named Blog of the Month on my Declan's Dogs Blog Directory

How easy is that?! So for February 2012 I am seeking the post that

Makes Me Giggle the Loudest!

For Lori's benefit from What Remains Now  you may also think of it as "the post that makes me spit coffee all over my keyboard...."!! The thing that makes me giggle can be anything at all; word content, a photograph, drawing, something you've made. It's up to you to decide what will appeal to my slightly quirky greyhound humour! All posts made between 24.00GMT on February 1st and 23.59GMT on February 29th can be considered. 

I really hope everyone will see this as a bit of fun and want to join in. Remember, you don't have to do anything other than collect the award if you win! However, if you would like to nominate yourself or your friends we'd love to hear from you. 

Really, can you resist the chance to win an award the looks like a sparkly purple toilet seat?!

An Award, Live Chat and PJ's!

1.Pawsome Blogger Award


My thanks go to Two Doodles & A Dane for nominating me for this award. I'm honoured guys! This happened a while ago now, but because Mum is still being a bit useless we've only just got around to saying thanks and passing it on.

I now need to nominate 8 of my friends for the award. I've had a look around and a lot of you seem to have it already, but I have come up with eight of my pals. If you've already got it, I apologise and if I've missed you out then please accept it anyway, with my love!

Crafting 4 Greyhounds is about Sara who lives in Norfork and her Greyhounds (her own & those she fosters) and her craft work that she sells to raise funds for Greyhound charities. You can also buy  lovely packs of cartoon greyhound cards designed by her husband. We have some and they are fab!

Bringing up Bella is all about Bella - a beautiful, ever so slightly scared, mixed breed dog rescue from the streets of Puerto Rico and now living in Massachusetts with her Mum Leslie & Dad Jan. 

Fabulous Flo is a Ridgeback living in Northern Australia with her Mum and two cats.

Graceful Greyhounds chronicles the life of Song and her Mum Sue who live in Norfork.

Katz Tails - the life and times of Au, Guido & Target - 3 cats living in Malaysia.

Pip is a very popular Yorkshire Terrier living in the States with his humans and assorted pets.

Terrier Fun is all about Molly, Taffy Monty & Winnie - 4 terriers living in the UK.

Two Greyhound Town - the adventures of Joey & Scout, 2 retired Greyhounds living in the States. 

2. Chat with me live!

Some of you may have noticed that I have now got  Messenger Pingbox in my sidebar. It's an idea that I have quite blatantly pinched from Bunny! Anyway it means that if you happen to be online at the same time as me, we can have a live chat with each other. I'd love it if you stopped by and said hello!

3. My new pyjamas!

Just this week I received a belated Christmas present from Mums. I wonder what it must be like to have organised parents, but I guess I'll probably never know.... Anyway, I thought you might like to see a picture of me in said Jim-Jams!

I look pretty cool don't I?!!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday 18/1

Declan was considering auditioning for the part of Scrat in the Ice Age movies.......




Scrat from "Ice Age"© 2010 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Baking with Declan

Don't you think my resemblance to Michel Roux Jr is remarkable?!

As some of you will know I got a book for Christmas called Cooking for Your Dog. Now that Mum has more or less managed to detach herself from the sofa I've been pestering her to help me out with some baking. So yesterday we had a go at the  Beef Crunchies. I understand my good pals over at Two Doodles and a Dane have also tried out this one, so you might want to pop over and get their opinion on them too!

There are a lot more interesting sounding recipes than this one, but these sure are tasty and so easy to make, even Other Mum can manage it ... Just kidding Other Mum, Hehe!

All you have to do is get a pack of stewing / casserole beef and cut into bite size cubes. Place on a baking tray and put in a cold oven set to 150 degrees and leave for an hour. Then open the oven door slightly (to allow for drying out) and turn the oven down to 100 degrees. Leave for 2 hours then remove from the oven and allow further drying at room temperature overnight. As I have access to the kitchen, Mum thought this was a particularly bad idea (bu**er, thought I was on to a winner there.....) so we left them in the cold oven. 

Apparently they will last for a year in an airtight container - I think we'll be doing well if we get three days out of them!

Look out for further Baking with Declan slots in the future (I hope!)

I'd also like to say thanks very much to Bringing up Bella for my Kreativ Blogger Award. I confess that this was a few weeks ago now, but what with my malingering Mums I haven't had a chance to acknowledge it until now. I am now supposed to tell you 10 things you don't know about me and nominate six of my pals for the award. Unfortunately, It has taken me so long to get to it, all my friends seem to have it already, so I'm going to cheat and miss out that bit! I will say though, that everyone I know deserves it, so if you haven't received it yet, please take it with my love!

As for the 10 things you don't know... well I don't know if you know some things or not so take your pick from below!

• My racing name was Barrigone Bank
• I had 61 races and retired on 14th Frebruary 2011
• I can fart louder than any dog my Mums have ever met
• My favourite treat is chicken & vegetables
• I'm not sure if I love Mr Panda, Mr Teddy or Kong best
• I growl really loudly in my sleep and sound quite vicious. I also chatter when I'm excited.
• I have quite a pronounced over-bite that makes me look really goofy sometimes.
• I'll happily have my teeth cleaned and barely open an eye when I have my nails clipped, even though Mum spent weeks working herself up to it! (Uncle Flynn had black nails and very long quick, so was a nightmare in the nail cutting dept.)
• My favourite game is called Mr Crocodile, which involves me lying on my back with legs in the air, snapping my jaws whilst Mum slaps my chest!
• My favourite person in the world, after my Mums, is my Ganny. She spoils me and has a big garden I can do zoomies in.

Favourite Presents

I know. Christmas seems a very long time ago now, but with Mums behaving like an average bloke with a slight cold not being very well at all, it's been very difficult to get help with my blogging. Other Mum has now dragged herself back to work amidst much groaning but Mum is still malingering not so good and now seems to be developing a cold. Personally I think she just watches too many episodes of Casualty & Holby City and cherry-picks symptoms to suit, but don't tell her I said that. Anyway, having discovered the supply of medicinal whisky, I have bribed her to move her substantial weak and frail body and turn the computer on for me. Best not let her have more than a wee dram or she'll be asleep on the couch with her mouth open when Other Mum gets home and that will really give the game away.

So, as this is the first chance I've had, I thought I'd show you my favourite Christmas presents.

Oooh Ganny! What is it, what is it?!

FANTASTIC! I shall call him....... Mr Teddy!

My next present was from Aunty Steph. Mums will have to help me with it as I make a terrible mess if I have to cook for myself.

I think "A Crunchy Cure for Wind" is worth considering Mum.......

And finally, this is one of my presents from Mums. It's not my first, it won't be my last, but sometimes the old favourites are the best!

Oh you can't beat a good Kong! I like mine stuffed with schmackos & carrots.

Well there we have it; better late than never I guess! I best be off as I think Mum has found the whisky all by herself. Why she thinks adding hot water, honey & lemon to it, makes it socially acceptable to be drinking Scotch at midday, I don't quite know...

It's me...... Deccy!!!

Well, finally one of my typists has managed to drag herself off of her sick bed and switched on the PC for me!
I have done my best to make sure that my Mums were properly cared for, offered them my favourite salmon and potato biscuits, fetched and carried for them, got KC to do the housework etc. but they didn't seem to appreciate my best bedside manners, so finally, in true Yorkshire fashion, I had to tell one of them to pull herself together and stop coughing, spluttering and sniffling, because I needed to wish my pals a Happy New Year!!!

So, I hope that you all have had a brilliant Christmas and got lots of treats and toys and things, and I will catch up with you all when my Mums have stopped feeling sorry for themselves.... honestly, you wouldn't catch me being such a drama dog over a tiny bit of flu, would you?!!!