Meet Louie

So much has happened in the last couple of weeks it's taken for ever just working out where to start. This blog was supposed to happen about a month ago, as promised in the last blog, as a welcome note to our newest family member. He kind of got in the way, as puppies often do, accompanied by a bunch of other events that conspired to prevent any and all blogging until around about now. There's still so much to do that I'll have to blog it in bits or it'll never get blogged at all.

Here's the thing: we've moved house. This isn't something we secretly planned or even contemplated, apart from the time back in September when our landlords decided they were coming home early, we baulked and they agreed to find somewhere else until our lease ended. For now, let's just say we took a broader view on things and decided to get out. More about the house, the move and all that, later.

First, the dog.

He's very naughty, has mad floppy ears and a metronome tail. After literally weeks of indecision, we decided to call him Louie, or Louis I suppose, considering he's named after King Louis XIV and his daft haircut. Recently we've been wondering if Bluey might be better since it sounds very similar and we discovered during a preening session that he has skin the colour of a faded tattoo, like he just had his roots done and they put too much dye on.

He was Big Black Boy for ages but he's actually blacker than black, a kind of ultra-black that blends into every shadow and renders him invisible even in broad daylight. This, combined with that thing puppies do where they lapse into deep sleep as soon as the food runs out, means he can be a complete nightmare to find. A couple of times this week I've searched high and low inside and out and eventually got back to my desk only to find him unconcho under my chair.

So he could easily have been Shadow or Shady or something equally lame, but he seems to like Louie. Another short-lived but popular proposition was based on him spending all his outdoor time in the impenetrable undergrowth of the jungle that was Voelas Road: Russell. It very nearly stuck, except for the fact that when you shout it out it sounds like you're trying to get him to chase a cat. And he doesn't really do that.

No, louie's hobby is chewing stuff. I forgot about that bit; my recollection of puppy training (apart from the entire house becoming a doggy toilet) was being woken up far too early for no apparent reason and lots of random, hilarious antics. Thing is, we keep forgetting to put things out of reach so his tally has been quite impressive; he's had a go at just about every shoe we possess and completely destroyed four pairs, including Nik's fave pink sandals. Yesterday he decided to eat the living room carpet. It's really old and threadbare but that's not the point! He really is very naughty like that. I also forgot they lose their teeth just like kids do. If he doesn't buck his ideas up it could happen sooner rather than later...

Right, that's all for now. I've missed out loads of stuff but it'll have to wait. There's some pics in a doggy album on the LosNemo site and I'll follow up with others as I get the chance, along with details of the new place. Anyone who gets missed off the "new address" email (that I still haven't sent...) for whatever reason speak up (leave a comment) and I'll include you in.

Remains to say we're all good, no worries, sweet as, etc. Both of us enjoying our work (a first?) kids handling the disruption reasonably well, weather really lovely and bloody awful, usually at the same time.

Back soon with more.

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