Saturday, January 1, 2011

OFF TO A BANG...!

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!
MAXMOM here...
2011
HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!

On a New Year's eve I prefer to stay indoors and cuddle up with my family and my animals.
For some reason, the world goes mad in anticipation of ...?

 It’s not so much the craziness of people on the roads across our city, but the FIREWORKS which people let off so indiscriminately! It is hard to understand. Our dear ‘Aunt Tam’ has a serious fireworks phobia, so it's home for us, with a simple evening on the cards!

Last night we had a very enjoyable evening. Our dogs were comfortable and lazed happily at our feet. Miss R” made pizzas for us all and we settled into watching a video together.  When that was over we took on a competitive game of “30 seconds” (one of our favourite family games!)  As midnight approached, we put on the TV and echoed the count-down towards midnight. It was all smiles but we did wait, with some anticipation at the back of our minds, for the first "lunatic" blasts into the New Year.

Setting off fireworks in residential areas is against the law here in South Africa, but somehow everyone ignores it and it becomes a ‘free for all’ in our city. The poor animals inevitably pay the price and usually the SPCA’s are filled to the brim with distressed escapees who flee into the night to their unknown destinies. People can be so thoughtless and so stupid sometimes and it’s heartbreaking to watch!

For the past three years however we have been blessed with significant thunderstorms around midnight which has curbed this lunacy significantly. The rain has been enough to extinguish people’s firework intentions in our own neighbourhood – effectively ‘peeing on their turf’!
 I always send up a prayer of thanks for the rain at this time.

Last night there were one or two bangs which made their mark in the midnight storm. It was enough to get poor “Aunt Tam” clawing away at our laps.
Toby however slept though all her angst (imbuing the enclosed room with graceful fragrances of doggie farts...urrgh!)

Geesh! Toby's comfort levels know no bounds – the more comfortable he is, the more effective his farts are! He’s becoming a gun dog of note :)
Anyway, all’s well this morning. The rain has settled in and a brand new year is upon us.


WISHING ALL MY READERS A WONDERFUL, HAPPY, HEALTHY  and FUN-FILLED NEW YEAR!
Tomorrow (2nd January 2011) is...
MISS "R"s 21st BIRTHDAY!!!

(It would be greatly appreciated if you could perhaps stop by her
brand new blog
 and wish her well.) 
She's new to blogging...please?

Sending lotsaluv to all my friends across the world.
I love you all!

20 comments:

Tama-Chan, Benny, Vidock, Violette, Ollie, Heloise, Momo, Ryu said...

Wishing all of you a Very Happy New Year!

Ms. ~K said...

So happy I found your blog while Max was still with us!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful land, culture, and life w/ your amazing pups w/ us!
I wish you all much happiness and peace in the coming year.
Hugs and belly rubs,
~K

WFT Nobby said...

Happy New Year to you all and Happy Birthday Miss "R" (what a milestone).
Ah yes, dogs and fireworks. Hamish hated them with a vengeance and in his prime he would run around the house in an agitated fashion, barking at the top of his voice for hours, having heard just one firework in the distance. Only in old age, when he went deaf, did this stop.
So far, touch wood, Bertie seems to be much more mellow in the respect, surprising given his generally excitable nature. Long may it continue...
Best of luck to Miss "R" with her blogging venture!
Cheers,
Gail.
PS from Bertie: Toby, I'm embarrassed to say I never did get a chance to tug at that famous tablecloth. Next visit maybe? (We're back in Scotland now).

rottrover said...

Happy 2011 Mr. Toby and all of your family!! We have the same firework issues her in dry southern California on July 4th. Our own angel Max used to FREAK out. Our mom would put him in the bedroom with the noisy air conditioner on, windows shut and the TV on. It seemed to do the trick. Thankfully, Toby, we're like you -- confident and relaxed!! We are so glad to have met you this year and look forward to many more adventures!

-Gizmo, Bart and Ruby

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

Hello Caryl! I missed your last couple of posts and wanted to say how much I've enjoyed being part of your blog for the past year. You have taken me to an amazing and beautiful place I'll never get to see--Thank-you for that and for sharing the lives of Maxdog, Tammy, Taffy and Toby all of us! Happy New Year!!

♥I am Holly♥ said...

Happy New Year to all of you!!! Happy Birthday to Miss R!!! Twenty one years old...that is a wonderful age!! We hope she has a great birthday!!

The fireworks are the same here. They are against the law but the police do nothing and the dogs all run away if they are outside. People are stupid that set them off and very uncaring.


Have a wonderful day!!!
Lots of love, Holly and mom

Sheila and Bob said...

Happy New Year and a very Happy Birthday to Miss "R".


Sheila, Bob
Hamish & Sophie

Maggie Mae and Max said...

MaxMom,

Happy New Year to all of you! I hopes dat 2011 will bring nothing but happiness to you!

Woofs and Licks,
Maggie Mae

sprinkles said...

Happy New Year to you and Happy Birthday to Miss R. She's very pretty!

Off to go check that blog out.

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Happy New Year!

AND

Happy Gotcha Day to Miss R!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Lorenza said...

Happy New Year to all of you!
I wish you the best!
Happy Birthday Miss R!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

Anonymous said...

We just wanted to wish you all
a
Happy

New Year!

woo woos, Tessa

The Life of Riley said...

Happy New Year to you all. I'm glad Toby isn't worried by the fireworks so far, but they are so unfair to dogs who are. The fireworks started here around 9.30pm and went on for over three hours! Riley managed to sleep through most of them.

Molly the Airedale said...

Happy New Year to all of you and Happy birthday to Miss R!

Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch

Dexter said...

Happy New Year! Sorry about all the loud sounds. Hope things have calmed down a bit.

Slobbers,
Mango

meowmeowmans said...

Happy New Year to you and the whole family, Maxmom!

Piappies World said...

Happy New Year MaxMom, the boss, Miss R, Tammy, Toby and King Toffee!!! We also want to greet Ms R a very Happy Happy Birthday!!!

Love,
Piappies Fudgie, Princess, Frappie, Mocha, Sugar, Wai-Pai, Wai-Max & Forgie

Kasha The Dainty Great Dane said...

Happy New Year to you and your family Toby!

AARF Kasha the Dainty Great Dane

Two French Bulldogs said...

Happee New Year!!!
Benny & Lily

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Happy New Year to all of you, and I hope the air smells sweeter today!
Happy Birthday to Miss r
love
tweedles