Silver's first Aussie holiday

Hi everyone!

Silver here again. I'm starting to enjoy this blogging stuff. And I know I have to work hard to keep the fickle public wrapped firmly around my paws, lest they forget me and start reading about the global economic crisis, or worse, a cat's blog!


So, here's an update of the last week or so. The big news is that I went on vacation (here we call it 'holiday') with Mommy and Daddy.


But a few days before we went, I had to have a check-up with the vet. I know what you're thinking: I was just at the vet a lot before moving to Australia, so why do I have to go again? And that's a good point, but the fact is that I was due for some of my jabs. So it was time to go. Unfortunately, Dr. Jon lives too far away, being back in North Carolina, so we went to the Carnegie Veterinary Clinic which is about 5km or 2 miles from home, and I met Dr. Ketan. He's so nice and gives me lots of treats! He also told Mommy that some of the shots I had to have back in the US aren't necessary here, so I managed to get out of there with only one shot! Dr. Ketan is a great man. Mommy is also happy with him because, in her words, "he has a very good bedside manner, he's very laid-back and mild-mannered, and he doesn't dumb down the facts but does explain everything very well". Whatever that means. The important point here is that he gave me a lot of treats and only one shot!


So, a few days later, we were off for our long weekend in Metung, Victoria, close to Lakes Entrance. We did not get off to a very auspicious start because the smoke alarm in the house decided at 4am on Thursday morning to let us know that the battery was getting low. It beeped once every minute. Mommy was not impressed!


She was even less impressed by the 14 foot ceilings in the house that she had loved until that very moment, when she realised there was no way she could reach the alarm without a ladder, which we don't have. Daddy managed to climb onto a stool on top of a chair (don't try this at home, kids) and, as he and Mommy were discussing how this could only end badly for him, he did disable the alarm for two hours until 6:30 when it started up again. tee hee! For my part, I took the 'awake' time to go out and check for news in the backyard. There wasn't any.

At 8am Mommy and Daddy got up to take Daddy to work, and Mommy came back home immediately and started preparing for our journey. At around 3pm we went to collect Daddy, and headed on down east to East Gippsland, Victoria for our holiday.


At 6:30pm we arrived at the Hill View Cottage, where we stayed for three nights.

It's a lovely studio-style cottage set on a 15-acre farm that has lots of beautiful flowers everywhere, inside and out.


It also has an organic vegetable garden and free-ranging chickens. The owners, Ken and Lyn, were so kind to all of us, and I had a lot of fun running around the farm with their two Spaniels, Will and Scarlett. When we arrived, we were presented with a loaf of home-baked bread (which I wasn't allowed! Can you believe that!?), plus a bowl of fresh veggies and eggs from the farm, and homemade raspberry jam. Ken and Lyn told us about the area, and we settled in for the evening to be ready for our big day on Friday.


Friday morning we woke up mid-morning after a wonderful nights' sleep on the quiet farm, and we had breakfast with some bread and jam, and then Lyn gave us a list of dog-friendly walks in the area. We decided to go to the Tambo River Bay, where I ran around like crazy, rolled in dead fish -- yay! --and even was brave enough to chase the stones that Daddy was skipping into the water!


It was so nice to be on the sand and nobody else was around.


Afterward, we went to Lakes Entrance where we walked around for a while but then I kept trying to go into the shops so Mommy and Daddy had to stop. Tee hee! They punished me though by eating fish and chips for lunch by the river and they didn't give me any!


Well, they gave me a fry or two, but that's not the same as the fish! I was a good girl but they wouldn't give me any fish and even acted annoyed that I was salivating on them. They don't understand that drooling is a sign of affection and love. Living with humans is a constant exercise in training...You can never let it slip or else they'll back-slide and then it's nothing but work, work, work! Clearly, Mommy and Daddy need to be reminded of some things.

That evening they cooked local salmon on the grill at the cottage with some fresh vegetables and rosemary. Lyn, who had offered a lettuce from the garden earlier, instead brought over a prepared salad complete with olives, bell peppers, parmesan, and anchovies. Yummy! Of course, I didn't get much salmon because they never share the goodies with me, apart from a little bite. It smelled and tasted delicious!


On Saturday we took a special trip to Raymond Island. It was my first ever time on a ferry and it was weird!


First you cross water but don't actually get wet, and then the machine makes a really loud, scary noise, and then you get off! I was a very good girl but I was a little spooked by the loud noise. Anyway, the point of Raymond Island was to see the koalas, but I was much more interested in the Clydesdale horse pulling a carriage! Koalas are all up in trees and they don't do much, and I like to keep my nose to the ground, if you know what I mean. The horse was captivating though, but Mommy and Daddy didn't let me get very close.


We took the ferry back to the mainland and then we went back to the cottage for lunch. Mommy and Daddy had the farm-fresh free-range eggs from the farm, and I was given kibble. What's that about? Later on I ran around with Will and Scarlett and then we went for a walk on the Mouth of the Tambo River. That was pretty with lots of unusual flowers, but there were plenty of fishermen so I wasn't allowed off-leash very much. There were also biting flies everywhere, so our walk was a little shorter than the one on Tambo Bay the day before!

That night, Mommy and Daddy actually left me to go have a nice romantic dinner on their own! So rude! They wanted to have a seafood dinner at Ferryman's Restaurant in Lakes Entrance and they enjoyed themselves a lot.


They were worried that I would be distressed in my new wire crate, but Ken and Lyn promised to keep an ear out for me. I didn't make a peep though, because as soon as they left, I promptly set to work destroying the crate! I did manage to pull off a couple of the wires, but I was unable to make my escape. Mommy and Daddy were disappointed that I behaved that way, but really, they only gave me 2 1/2 hours to try to get out! If they had left me for longer, I would've escaped for sure, and then they would've been so proud at my Weimaraner intelligence and resourcefulness. Next time...


On Sunday we had to head home, and it was nice to be back but I loved my holiday on the farm! Ken and Lyn were such wonderful hosts, and Will and Scarlett were a lot of fun to play with on so much land! Mommy and Daddy definitely want us all to go back there one day. I can't wait!

Leans n licks,
Silver