Friday, December 31, 2010

IN RECOGNITION OF A YEAR...A TUMULTOUS YEAR!

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!
MAXMOM here...



Despite 2010 being a tumultuous year with some seriously "highs" and "lows", it has most definitely been a year of
 ‘LIVING LIFE TO THE MAX’.
The title of this blog has proved apt!

Please allow me to take a few minutes to reflect on this past, difficult year:

As 2010 dawned, it flagged new, desperate hope...

 You will recall that in the latter part of 2009, my beautiful "Maxdog" had survived a successful surgery to remove his dreaded “Mast Cell Tumour”.

The trauma of my mother’s  passing as well as Maxdog’s surgery had left me with a certainty that things could only get better. 
 I looked forward to what 2010 had to offer and celebrated this with some extraordinary activity:
abseiling and bridge swinging. 
I was determined to welcome in the new year with gusto...

However, on the 7th February, we received the dreaded news that Maxdog’s cancer had returned in the form of an aggressive liver tumour. At the time he was given only THREE days to live! I crumbled into a time of disbelief, terror and grief.

Thankfully the ‘hope’ with which I’d entered the new year took over and I resolved to seize each blessed day and to ‘Live each day to the Max!’ My logic told me that nothing was ever certain and that no matter what the Vets predicted, our lives were nevertheless in the arms of a higher power. Nothing is ever certain!

I resolved to spend my last moments with Max by writing his book and I embraced a new commitment towards this end. As Max deteriorated in front of me, my determination to complete his book before his passing escalated. He’d lie peacefully by my side as I spent hours on my laptop reliving all the various aspects of his life. It was a surreal time!
(The "Maxterpiece" by Kathleen Coy)

My blogging friends around the world were marvellous in their faithful, tenacious and unrestrained efforts to keep me positive during that heart wrenching time. They blessed me with endless comments and amazing blogposts in tribute to Max. (Including the Valentine’s Day special on the 14th February of “Max’s World Tour” where 42 bloggers colluded to uplift me with their wonderful posts of Max in their various homes and countries.)

Without you, my special blogging friends, I would most probably wrapped myself up in morbidity!

 Thank you so, so much!

Maxdog proved to be a tenacious fighter and went on to live another 107 “Days of Grace” – pain free and contented before we finally acquiesced and helped him across the Rainbow Bridge on the 24th May 2010. During my mourning, I continued writing...his book was nearly complete.

Exactly 2 months  after Max’s passing - on the 24th July 2010 - a sprinkling of Maxodg arrived in the world.

 A litter of pups was born in the same line as Maxdog and I was on the list to receive one. Zena and Alan – Max’s breeders at
RUFFITWOOD GOLDEN RETRIEVERS
 – allowed me pick of the litter...something for which I am eternally grateful. Within the first 24 hours, I had identified my new pup –
TOBY (“RUFFITWOOD: “Out of Africa”).
Thanks to Zena and Alan’s gracious nature, I had access to Toby from day one. I was able to watch his progress (and blog about it) during our seven long weeks of waiting.

During that time, Toby ignited something in my dark despair and turned it into new hope. By the time Toby arrived on my doorstep – in early September – “MAXDOG” the book was complete! I was able to turn my attention towards my new life with Toby in our midst.



Toby’s arrival necessitated the formation of this new blog –
“LIVING LIFE TOTHE MAX”
and I converted ‘THE ADVENTURES OF MAXDOG’ into a legacy for our Angel Max.

 It was the right move, so if anyone wanted to ‘spend time with Max’, his blog would always be available...

Toby has grown in leaps and bounds during his short 5 months.

He has forced me to ‘LIVE LIFE TO THE MAX’ with his endless energy and beautiful temperament. Together we have attended his six weeks at puppy school, where he has learned a number of obedience commands and tricks. He will resume his formal obedience training in the new year and will try out the breed show ring too.

 He has become an integrated member and loved companion in our home. Our faithful “Aunt Tam” took up the motherly reigns and placed Toby firmly under her paw too.

She’s taught him well – lovingly and with great doggie discipline. She has nurtured him with care, protection and pride.

King Toffee too rose to the occasion, by proving himself to be very amiable and not blinking an eyelid at the new addition.

Despite a few growls here and there, he’s accepted Toby’s presence quite comfortably and ‘almost’ ventured to play with him.

2010 has ended on a very high note for us all with one of my daughters – Miss “R” – finally being accepted into the esteemed Veterinary facility, ‘Onderstepoort’. She has always wanted to be a Vet and her two years of exceptionally hard work at tertiary level have finally paid off. Congratulations Miss “R”!

Although I’m under strict instructions to keep my other daughter’s achievements private, I still have to say that she too has excelled in her endeavours and I am also exceptionally proud of her! Both my daughters are on serious academic paths towards medical speciality...

To my husband:
Thank you for the opportunity for us to share our life’s journey with each other. Thank you for your tremendous support during this difficult year.
Thank you for your faithfulness, your patience and your love for your whole family
(humans and animals)!
You are an amazing father and I love you!

To my daughters:
 I am so, so proud of you both!
You have both made motherhood an immense privilege and pleasure for me. It has been such a blessing to have been able to watch you blossom, grow and emerge into such exceptional women. I wish you all that you hope for in fulfilling your ambitions and talents.

To my overseas family:
 I miss you immensely! Although you are living across the world, you are never far from my thoughts.

To my dogs:
Thank you for being my wonderful companions. Thank you for being my cheerleaders on my life’s path. It is a privilege too to have you etched so intimately into my life.

To my South African friends and my International blogging friends:
Thank you for being my incredible support group!
Thank you for sharing your lives with me and for uplifting and strengthening me at the occasional unbearable moments. We have so much more in common besides our dogs and our blogs! And for that I am truly grateful!

I would like to take this moment to wish you all a truly
"PAWSOME NEW YEAR!"
I hope 2011 is filled with happiness, joy, love, companionship, health and spiritual fulfillment. I hope too, that I will be able to uplift you, in my own blog posts, the same way in which you continue to lift me up.
I love you all!

So...

I lift my glass of “Amarula on Ice”, look across the vast African landscape and make my toast...

“Cheers to 2011!
Cheers to my family, my friends, my blogging buddies and my animals companions!
My best wishes for a wonderful New Year”

With love

Thursday, December 30, 2010

TOUR GUIDE TOBY PRESENTS:...BLYDE RIVER CANYON

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!
"TOURIST GUIDE TOBY" here...

Hello there every-furry-buddy!!!

I'm playing 'TOUR GUIDE TOBY' today:
(This is an old photo of me...Maxmom still has to get her act together!)
...and I was thinking...

I wanted to do something a little different on my blog - something a bit special for all my furry friends and their humans!

As you know, I love my beautiful country
SOUTH AFRICA!!!

But I also know that many of my blogging buddies may never get the chance to visit this part of the world. This is why I like to sometimes post special little snippets of interesting things about my country.

I also know that you might be getting tired of me and my swimming pool:


So here is my offering to you today...
It is a short video of one of the popular tourist sites in my country:
THE BLYDE RIVER CANYON...


If for some reason you can't see this video on my blog, please click
HERE
I really hope you will enjoy my video...
Now I'm off to play games with my Aunt Tam' again...
Don't I have some beautiful pearly whites?!
Sending lotsalicks

"TOURIST GUIDE TOBY"  IN SOUTH AFRICA


 

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

WORDLESS SPLASH DOG...!

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!
GO TOBY GO!!!













Sending lotsaluv to you all!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

AM I THAT BAD?

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!
TOBY here...

Hello there to all my buddies across the world.
Geesh it's beautiful summer weather here and I am having the time of my life!
I've got so much energy I don't know what to do with myself, but I think I'm now in bad books!

Yesterday, I ate some disgusting 'unimaginables' and Maxmom is seriously miffed at me, so I've been banned to the garden.  They were really smelly - under the tree in the park - and I had a good munch on them. 
BUT then Maxmom marched me back to the house...
I got my mouth washed out thoroughly with a hosepipe for doing this?
Why? What's so bad about foul-smelling, puky looking stuff?
Anyway, I've been banned to the garden. Not that I mind...!
Aunt Tam' is always around to snoopervise me and 'King Toffee' keeps me well entertained.


I think I'm growing up...mmmm...yes, my danglies are getting bigger and I'm finding Aunt Tam a lot more attractive nowadays.  Even the King smells good sometimes.  Is this normal for a poochie my age?
I'm five months old now.  ...?

I have noticed that King Toffee marks his territory regularly by lifting his leg but I'm not doing that yet.  I'm still a bit outa balance! Perhaps I'll try soon.

Anyways, our garden is very interesting. Maxmom told you a bit about our masked weaver bird yesterday, so I thought I'd show you some more of him building his nests.

First he strips the branch of all its leaves.

Then he ties two branches together with strips of grass or palm frond, so that he can balance while he weaves his nest.

Cool hey?!

There are other birds in the garden too.

I think this one is boring, but Maxmom says doves are beautiful too. 

Maxmom's cherry tomatoes are doing well too...I'm sure it's time for me to dig them up for her....?

I'll have to think about it! What do you think?

Anyway, I'm not sure what I've done wrong lately, but Maxmom has thrown me outside for the moment.
I think it could perhaps be one of these things:

---xXx---

* I've been raiding the rubbish bins
* I'm eating unimaginables
* I wake Maxmom in the mornings with a good back SCRATCH!
* My brain is short-circuiting a lot recently and I'm not really interested in Maxmom's instructions
* I'm humping Aunt Tam and The King when they smell good.
* I run into the house after my swim. It's fun to watch the humans yell at me.
* ...and rub myself on everyone when I'm wet.
* I raid Miss "R"s room and chew up the toilet rolls
*...and much much more...

---xXx---

So which one is wrong?
Please tell me!?

I's a Toby pup!
"I's A SWEET HOOLIGAN!!!"

Am I that bad?

Lotsalicks

Toby in South Africa