Update on Baby Blue...etc. September 13, 2011

I am SO happy to report that Baby Blue has found her forever home!!  Last month the shelter I foster for got a new kennel maid.  She is a young woman who lives in a BIG household full of family and pets!  Her parents, her siblings and some of her siblings children all live under one roof not to mention various friends in and out.  She fell in love with Baby and just had to have her.  So Baby Blue was adopted and now lives happily in the big house with all these people to love her.  And she has THREE K-9 brothers!!  Linda contacted me recently and said that Baby had finally barked in her new home!  I was so happy.  I just knew she had it in her.  It only took her five months!  Yesterday Linda brought pictures and videos for me of Baby in her new home.  It actually brought tears to my eyes to see her running and playing with the other dogs.  She was having so much fun!  I was like a proud Mama.  She ran just a little here, but not much and never really understood playing.  I am so happy that she is learning from these other pets.  The three dogs are a small terrier, an older German Shepherd and a big white Staffie  who is also fairly young.  Linda said that Baby absolutely loves the Staffie and they love playing together.  This story couldn't have ended better.


Joe and I are leaving on a cruise tomorrow.  We got a great deal on a last minute cruise to Norway and Iceland.  It is a two week cruise and we will be stopping in five cities in Norway and three in Iceland.  We will be two days in Reykjavik (Iceland's capitol).  I have heard nothing but raves about the beautiful scenery through the Norwegian Fjords and can't wait!  Hopefully real pretty pictures coming on my next blog.  I even have a new camera to try out!  


Meanwhile we have been keeping busy puttering around England.  We went to Bradgate Park (a large park (840 acres) in our area) on a sunny day and enjoyed watching the Brits play.  Lots of children and pets.  There is a river (looked more like a creek to me) running through the park that was really drawing the folks.  There are no outdoor pools here.  (At least I haven't seen any or heard of any).  The weather is not warm enough and even if it is, the summer temperatures go down into the 50's at night during the summer months so the water would never stay warm.  The kids sure loved to play in the water.

                                                          Fun for the doggies too!

It came as no surprise to us that on the grounds of this park stood the ruins of an old manor house.  You cannot go very far in this country without running into one, (or a castle).  Bradgate House was built in 1520.  It was built by the grandson of Sir John Grey of Groby who was married to Elizabeth Woodville in 1464.  (After John Grey died Elizabeth married King Edward IV, the first commoner to ever marry an English sovereign.)  {In a previous blog I told how Elizabeth's two young sons (after their father the King died) were murdered at The Tower of London and buried under the steps by their uncle, who then became King Richard III}.


Bradgate House was lived in by the Grey family for the next 220 years.  It was the birthplace of Lady Jane Grey, later Queen for 9 days before being overthrown by Mary I and executed in 1553.  Her father was executed a year later and the house passed to the crown.  After many years of different owners the house went into decline.  Eventually it did end up going back to the Grey family.  In 1928 the Grey's sold the whole estate to a local businessman who gave it in perpetuity to the people of Leicestershire.  The ruins remain on the property.

We still have things we want to do here and aren't sure how long our stay will be.  The end of Joe's second year in a two to three year contract is up this March.  That is one reason why we are doing this cruise now.  I also want to see Wales, which is not far away at all.  But that is big on my list.  I am anticipating nice scenery similar to Scotland.  Hopefully we'll get over there.


Work wise things have been going well for Joe.  He doesn't like to toot his own horn but a lot of the changes he has implemented have resulted in more sales/profits for the company.  They actually had a record year last year and are beating that record this year.  The employees really like him (I haven't met anyone who doesn't yet) and will hate to see him go when his time is up. 


I have been happy to hold down the fort on the home front.  I don't like not having a dog but it isn't possible with my upcoming travel.  As soon as we get back from the cruise I am flying out to Washington state to visit my sisters and my mom.  So no fostering until I'm going to be here for an extended period of time.  


Sorry for the extremely short blog, but I have a million things to do!


Kathy