News from the front

I heard some very interesting and happy news a few days ago but I am not allowed to say anything for a few weeks.  Dave and Alanea are superstitious.  I however am on direct drive, full alert and cannot wait to spill the kibble.  I have no fear but then as Dave reminds me I have Alanea to protect me.  Stay tuned very very good news on the way.  2014 will be such a good year.  As Ashley Brilliant says: "Appreciate me now and avoid the rush".  What would a blog post be without a photo.  Here's Dave's latest pizza creation.

Dave's back

Dave has returned from his trip to Canada and none too soon.  Alanea bathed me twice, took me to the groomer and switched me to seniors food just like Dave.  She calls me a "pain in the ass" and then gives me a kiss no wonder I am confused.
So Dave went to Canada, yup he did and what happened?
Not much except Auntie Jane, Tracy, Dale and Sara moved 2 days after he arrived.  It was not toooooo disruptive except for the 6 stitches Jane got on the morning of her 45th birthday.  Dave hates it when something happens to his Jane, he still thinks of her as a new born baby sleeping peacefully on his chest.  Rule 5 Dave. The family reunion was fun, Dave's mother looks good and still enjoys a life saving Coors Light.  Dave's sisters are the best and his brother's hair is greyer finally, at least he has found a good woman that can tolerate him and appreciates the "little things".  Dave's mother eats like she never left the Moose Lodge.  Yes Dave went to Toronto after staying at Warren and Joanne's newly renoed farm house in Embro.  Dave had coffee at Mc Donalds with Jerry and Len from the 1973 Championship, ORC Blades hockey team.  Jerry's wife was an Embro girl.  That's a story that will go untold on these pages.  Dave stayed at Auntie Sharon's house in Toronto where he made a nuisance of himself for 7 days but took Cargo for a walk every day

.  Cargo and I are the dog equivalent of pen pals.  I write this and Sharon reads it to him.  Dave says he is a lovely boy but I think he is a pain in the ass Ha Ha Ha.  Dave is happy to be home in Roquebrune Sur Argens and completed his last English teaching course module in the wee hours of Thursday morning as he battled jet lag and a Bordeaux hang over.  I am writing this early on Saturday morning on Dave's new Mac Book Air while Alanea is sleeping and dreaming about Paris.  If the photos don't transfer don't blame me Alanea has not shown me how to do that part on the Mac yet.  Merry Christmas to everyone and O where ever you are, I look at your star in the sky every night.

Life goes on and I am happy

Alanea, Dave and I were outside looking at a brilliant new star shining brightly in the sky for my friend, see below the 2 photos.  It is dark earlier and the sun does not come up until 07:30.  The time change has thrown my breakfast and dinner schedule off and Alanea thinks that I have gone crazy.  Dave took a few photos while he was riding on Sunday, the vines a sleeping.  Dave is taking a TESL course from a language school in England.  He is always doing something, gardening is too hard on the old guy but he will work for Alex and the

Webbs.  I almost forgot I went to a Danish Christmas Fair in Mandelieu.  I thought about my friends George & Birgit in Denmark.  They are going to be grandparents of twins.  Maiken and Jens will be busy and Iben will be the best aunt in the world.  How cool is that?

Alanea's big birthday trip

We went to St Margherita, Ligure in Italy for Alanea's birthday.  It was very nice but the sea was stormy.  I have been there before but this time we stayed in a hotel at the other end of the town so that we could walk to Portofino.  Portofino is very nice but I liked St Margherita better because Dave could take me to the wine bar.  I had bread and cheese.  Alanea really had a nice time.  She gets younger everyday unlike that Old Dave.  She has a new iPad with my picture on it, how did the people at Apple get my picture?  The iPad is cool but Dave is still fighting to keep the old FrankenDell alive with duct tape and other life support.  He has the screen propped up with pave stones because he removed the hinges after the screws pooped out.  OH boy

that Dave is a piece of work.  The computrainer (and Dave) in the garage (Lance in the background, LIVESTRONG).  Now he is studying an ESL course.  If he tries teaching me English I will send him to French class.

Oscaroo my good friend's visit to France

Oscar is in France on a well deserved vacation.  He has been through a lot of difficulty with chemotherapy and other nasty stuff but he is so strong and he is such a fighter.  We went to St Maxime for lunch in a nice restaurant yesterday then we went to 3 vineyards and tasted wine.  This is a very busy time at vineyards so we did not stay long at any one.  Domaine des Plane and Chateau Palayson are Dave's favorites and he was driving.  After the drive we came back to my house and Dave made 2 pizzas.  Everyone sampled the wine that Alanea and Uncles' Brad and James bought.  Today we went walking on the beach at St Aygulf and Oscar swam in the Mediterranean Sea.  He was a salty dog for sure.  We then went to the market in Frejus, very busy but good food there, and had lunch in a nice little restaurant.  Oscar left my house with Brad and James and went back to the house that they rented with Andy, Wil and Lola in Grasse.  I have not met Lola but she sounds brave too like Oscar and me.  I might see Oscar again on Tuesday before he goes home to England.  I sure do like seeing that boy.  We met in Toronto, he moved to England and I moved to France, we are always are together in spirit though.

 

Finally an update

Sorry from such a long delay in updating the blog.  Dave is such a negligent dork.  The camera program is giving Dave a bad time so he got pissed and decided to bother Alanea, instead of doing blog updates.  After several slaps on the head he went back to blogging.  Bon Blog.

Here are a few recent photos to kick start.  September is my favorite month.  

So who can tell us the name of the statue.  HINT:  Alanea went to Scotland last week.

Dave photoed the backside of the Roquebrune rock.

AND that is me on the beach this morning Sept 25 2013.  Oscar is coming soon and I am checking out the beach for my friend's visit.

Tout Alors   

September means a boat ride to Cannes

I went on a boat with Alanea and Dave.  Dave is not as sweet as Alanea but he carries me when the going gets tough for Dave.  We went to Cannes from Les Issambres on the boat.  It was an excursion that included a few hours in Cannes and then headed off to Isle St. Marguerite, an island with a "Masked" history.  Some guy lived there with an Iron Mask on his face and they made a movie about the guy.  It was not George Clooney but Alanea was still interested.  I really liked the boat ride and the restaurant in Cannes was good too.  The sea spray tastes very salty to me and Dave gave me a big bath, which I did not like, when we got home.  Alanea was happy because she has been wanting to go to the island for a long time.  She told me about it before we left so I knew what to look for.  Dave checked a few bars for Coors Light but no luck.  Dave needs more culture and less tondeusse

.  Tomorrow is my big friend George's birthday.  Happy Birthday George from Denmark.  Sharon knows George.  George is my friend he has a nice wife Birgit.

My 11th Birthday in France with Dave & Alanea

My Blog is acting weird, I cannot easily edit and make changes and my Birthday post is late.  August 12th was my 11th birthday and I was very cool about the whole thing.  August 12 is a special day, Dave says I showed up and JL checked out (not the same year though).  I liked JL and visited him in the hospital when he was sick.  He sure smiled when he saw me.  Alanea gave me cookies on my birthday and I was quite pleased with my long beach walk.   A very funny thing did happen a few days ago on Thursday.  Dave got up early to go out and Alanea stayed in bed because she was tired.  As usual Dave fed me at 06:30.  Alanea did not know that Dave fed me because Dave always cleans up everything.  Alanea asked me if I had eaten my breakfast and I did not say "yes".  When Dave came home Alanea asked Dave about it and Dave said "Of course I fed the boy as usual at 06:30".  I scammed Alanea for the very first time ever.
The pictures during the last year are: The restaurant that Alanea and Dave took me to on New Years eve, Me sharing Dave's birthday Tarte au Pomme at Pizza Napoli in St. Aygulf, me on my lounge chair on my terrasse and me taking Alanea for a walk on my birthday.  This sure is a nice place for me and now Uncle George and Birgit have come from Denmark to their house it should be even more fun, Iben their daughter is here too, I think that I can scam her for a cookie.

Another Jazz Festival

This time Alanea & Dave took me to the Jazz festival at Chateau Berne outside of Lorgues a 45 minute drive from my house.  Dave rides through Lorgues all of the time with the cycling group.  What a time I had dancing and eating food despite the heat and it was HOT HOT HOT.  The band was fabulous and I was very happy when Alanea took me walking in the cool grass.  Chateau Berne is a big, elegant and classy winery with an equally elegant hotel (Alanea and I fit right in but Dave is not so elegant even with his shaved legs).  Chateau Berne has the biggest wine sales outlet that I have ever seen, it is truly an upscale place with a helicopter pad and mountain bike trails.  The wine is not as good as some, Dave says, but they sure try hard with square bottles and a very broad selection.  I just like to go and eat, but Dave won't let me eat dessert.  This is a keeper, we will go again prochain annee.

 

2 Highlights of the week

So the 100th Tour de France finished last Sunday with another victory for the UK as Chris Froome and The Sky Team showed the world once more that they are the champions.  If you watched any of the TDF you could not help but be impressed with the stunning scenery and aerial photos of Corsica and the rest of France.  I am going to Corsica with Dave and Alanea in October for Alanea's birthday.  The photo of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was taken by Dave right off of the TV screen.  Note riders between 1 and 5 PM.

The other photo was the second highlight, a Jazz concert that Alanea and Dave went to see on Wednesday with Chas and Di their neighbours from the UK.  Alanea said that the concert was extraordinary and Dave agreed that it was a masterpiece by the sea.  Indeed the concert took place in a little park in Les Issambres, a village close to our house.  I could not go to the concert but Dave told me all about it.

There were 6 musicians called the Hot Antic Jazz Band.  There was a Banjo player, a piano player, trumpet, tuba, clarinet and saxophone.  They were incredible and played a  lot of old classics including "3 little words, St. Louis Blues and Horse Feathers.  When Dave was 17 he worked with a guy named Johnny who played Jazz music and sang words to St. Louis Blues that were not suitable in mixed company so Dave had fond memories sort of.

Imagine a fabulou

s jazz concert in a beautiful private park setting, under a full moon, surrounded by Parasol Pin and Palm trees 100 metres from the Mediterranean.  If I had been there it would have been the best concert in the world.     

Whooo what a nice car ride

Alanea and Dave took me for a car ride to Italy because they know that I like salami, gelato and scenery.  We went to Lake Como for 5 nights.  We stayed in a nice little hotel called Orso Bruno (Brown Bear) in Carate Orio, Italy.  It was very nice because we had 2 windows, 1 looked down the road and the other at Lake Como and Sylvio Berlusconi's house, Dave thinks he is nuts but would not pass up a "bunga bunga" party especially if there was Coors Light on tap.  George Clooney, he's an actor, owns a house right beside the hotel and we almost saw him at Villa d'Este, the problem was that we went there at lunch time and old George did not come until night time for the July 4th party and fireworks.  There would have been fireworks for sure if Alanea had met George YIKES.  Alanea was devastated to discover that George was so close and she missed her chance to see him, she went and sat on a bench beside his house and we had to get her or she might still be sitting there.  She had to explain to Dave who George is, Dave is good for driving and stuff like buying gelato but not too bright.  The bus and the ferry boat stopped right outside of the hotel.  The boat took us to Bellagio where we had lunch and looked at everything and walked in a little park.  Como is a nice city full of shops and old historic sights, Dave carries me sometimes because there are too many people and I get tired, which is why I need gelato.  We and then drove over the top of the lakes through Locarno to Lake Orta where Alanea quickly got over George and was very happy.  It was a beautiful small lake with an island in the middle. We took a little boat to the island but it is protected and I could only walk around the perimeter on a path.  Lake Orta was smaller but better for me because no cars are allowed to drive in Orta San Giulio, the town where we stayed.  The hotel was managed by 2 sisters that looked nasty but are very nice.  I really liked this trip because it was only 1050 km of driving plus lots of walking, food, sightseeing but no George Clooney.  Alanea took lots of photos.  If you want any info let me know and I will ask Alanea to send you a photo. 

It is officially summer

I am quite busy right now because most of our absentee neighbours are here on vacation, the garden requires lots of surveillance because there are cats that look through the fence, I must take Alanea for a walk on the beach in the early morning, Alanea goes to Russia and Greece, Dave is busy with gardening, cycling and golf, vigilance is required to ensure that the cookie jar is never empty and that I never miss an opportunity plus I have this Blog to update.  I am truly The Yorkshire Journalist.  I am always looking for unique opportunities to post on my Blog and after next week when I go to Italy, Lake Como, there will be many new things to post.  For now I thought that I would show you a truly remarkable achievement.  Alanea put this ball in the tree when hitting her 3d shot on the 16th hole yesterday.  I can't go to the golf course so Dave told me about Alanea's shot  Try

it sometime, it ain't easy.

Summer time summer time sum sum summer time

My favorite place is the beach at St. Aygulf, we go early to avoid crowds and traffic.   Alanea says that I run like a horse.  It is so much fun to go like a free boy especially knowing that Dave will save me if I get into trouble.  I never go near the salty water though.  It is a very big beach and we walk for an hour.  Alanea knows when I am thirsty and tired.  I don't like leaving so I just sit when Dave says we have to go home.  Dave found a shovel and brought it home.  I wish Oscar, Cargo, Ivor and his new little sister were here to run with me. Alanea's acebea has grown right over the top of the arbour.

I love my walking at the Ski Nautique

SHHH, Dave and Alanea took me to my favorite place today, now I am tired.  Alanea always carries water for me to drink from her hand.  At this time of the year the roses grow at the end of each vine at Chateau Vaudois.  I get very tired after my walks because I am a little chubby after a long winter without 2 walks per day, Alanea calls me the Porky Yorkie but I don't care I love my cookies.  At the golf course where Alanea and Dave go there is a new family of baby Egyptian geese.  Very rare geese and beautiful colours.  Now that spring is here (I hope) I will go for more walks.

It's a dog's world

Hello to all my many friends and before I go any further I wish all your mothers a Happy Mothers Day.....so Cargo I have bailed you out in case you forgot.

With the numbers

growing in my fan club I wanted to clear up one thing for those of you who are new to the blog....Tiff is NOT short for Tiffany or The Toronto International Film Festival.
I am named in honour of Timothy Irving Frederick Findley or Tiff to his friends.  He is one of the best writers ever from Canada and also a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France.  He passed away a few years ago but his amazing books remain.

So hello to some dear friends this week....Oscaroo from the UK who has been helping his parents work on their garden....we are waiting for pictures to see if Oscar has green paws like me....as you will see in the pictures of my garden.

A big " hello and way to go" bark to Cargo the Border Collie in Toronto who is helping his mum Sharon supervise backyard renovations...he is happily herding  the workers and keeping an eye to make sure the squirrels don't sneak in when he is busy working.  You will see a picture of Cargo playing with his frisbee.

And my Auntie Pat is waiting for her new addition to join the family in June.  Her name is Carys and she is a mini schnauzer and adorable as you will see her picture at 5 weeks old.  I think she looks like she will be a little princess and everyone, including her big brother Ivor, will adore her.

And finally our good friends in Hong Kong have a new addition to their family named Aleysha....she is  5 months old and came to live at their place from an animal shelter.  BIG licks to Jeff, Cindy and Ty for finding her there and making her part of their family.

Phew....I have many friends to keep up with...so now I must have a nap to recover from all this typing.

My friend Alanea is back from Toronto

Wow I can't believe she did so much stuff there without me.  She had many many reunions with old friends and family (way before my time but I promised not to rub that part in)....everything from her old high school friends who shared old stories  which are still very funny...she has invited them all to come to France to escape the law...all I know is it's something to do with stolen silverware!!!
If that wasn't enough she had lunch with two of her CT buddies and  heard all about attempted midnight robberies and injuries in pursuit of the perps.
And finally she got together with her friend Pat and they will be in the next issue of the Vic Report....their alumni magazine.  My auntie Pat was Alanea's roomie at university and they are still dear friends.
Check out the pics of the two good friends.....it's a good thing I like my AP or I could be jealous....and who is Northrope Frye and why are they hugging his statue?  I will have to look that up on Google when I can get to Dave's computer.

The garden is growing like crazy...Dave was put to work as you can see...it's a good thing we had a rest when Alanea was away.

Stay tuned for the next post when we will talk about Sharon and Cargo, Pat's new puppy, a new friend in Hong Kong and more stuff.

In Spring a young dog's fancy turns to Tarte au Pomme, walking outside and peeing on Alanea's flowers

I am really liking this spring outside stuff, too bad Gorge is in Denmark shoveling snow and Alanea is in Toronto dodging ice pellets.  I am going for a toilettage today, what a pain in the ass, if the girl was not so pretty I would protest.  Dave said he would go for me but the thought of those sharp scissors so close to his tail put him off.  Here are a few spring photos and Dave's birthday lunch, I love tarte.  Alanea's Jasmine almost died last year but it now looks about to take over the world.  The Acebia over the arbour is going crazy and everything is alive and well.  Alex just returned from Italy and Pierre might show up today.  I really miss Alanea, she is in Toronto with Sharon and Cargo the Border Collie.  Alanea cleans my eyes and talks to me every day, I am her business partner.  If Cargo was here he could chase those stupid looking sheep.  The fattest ones are near St. Tropez, figures.  Maybe

Francoise and Heinz will come and give me a treat soon.  Anne is back from England.  I have to get ready for my grooming a bientot.