2014


Bob's year 2014
Life in France

Bobby has had a mixed year, being very ill in May but recovering well and being generally OK. We have to remember that he is no spring chicken and give him extra time to get his legs going and make sure that his walks are a bit shorter than in the past.
King Bob: Here there is a tradition during January for people to share a galette du roi. In each galette (cake) there is a small figure (a bit like a sixpence in a traditional Christmas pudding) and whoever finds the figure is king/queen for the day. Each cake comes with a paper crown for the king/queen to wear. Michelle at the baker's short circuited the system by giving a crown directly to Bobby.
Snow. As always, Bob loved the snow in January. However he wasn't so keen on his day-glo raincoat so it didn't see many outings.
Archaeodog: Always one to help with the digs on Mont Beuvray, Bobby has been nicknamed after the archaeologists whose French name is archéologue.
Poorly Bob: Bobby was very, very poorly at the end of May and spent two days in hospital on a drip. It turns out that he has a problem with his pancreas and his birthday treats had pushed it over the edge – not really what you want out of your birthday presents. Fortunately the local vet here is absolutely excellent and Bobby has made a full recovery. The downside (as far as Bobby is concerned) is that he is now on a very strict low fat diet with very limited treats. Most of the little extras that he was able to prise out of people are banned. While he often looks hard done to he also looks really healthy at the same time.

For a while he needed a little help on long walks (although looking at him he seemed to enjoy being carried) but he has recovered enough for a two or three mile walk now. It is, of course, a balancing act of walking enough to keep him healthy while no too much so that it aggravates his arthritis. C'est la vie!
Talking of walks There are lots of opportunities for walks in the countryside around here, and just because the walks need to be a little shorter than in the past doesn't means there have to be less of them.
We've managed to get out on the bike together a few times and Bobby has been as far as the museum on Mont Beuvray in his trailer. Unfortunately (for us) he is so excited that he barks for most of the journey. Anne looked around for a while to see if he was in distress but it was just a look at me bark so that everyone (and every dog) in town knew that he was being taken out in his trailer.
The supervisor: We'd like to say helper but Bob prefers to supervise most activities. Here he is helping in the garden.
Snoozing: As Bobby gets a little bit older snoozing becomes a bigger part of his repertoire. He prefers to snooze in the warm sunshine but will cope with a log fire, a radiator or a lap if needs be. It is always intriguing to see what it evidently very comfortable to a dog but wouldn't suit us at all.
Presents and toys: Always a theme with Bobby and there was no change this year.
Art exhibitions: We've had the opportunity to visit quite a few art exhibitions this year. Bobby isn't too keen on the photographs and paintings but he is quite OK with the outdoor art installations and statues. You need to ask Bobby how the steel statues get their rusty patina - we try to stop him helping as much as possible.
Visitors: Bobby had a lady friend (Biscuit) to stay for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Expressive as always - here's Bobby's How can they take so long to put their boots on - are we ever going for this walk look.
And finally a few miscellaneous pictures from throughout the year.

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