IT'S FLEA TIME IN THE CITY

Last week we  were told of the arrival of a warm and large yellow disc in the sky. Fearing the unknown, we all stayed indoors until we could be sure of the orb's intentions. It seems to have retreated now, but to be sure, we are all still eyeing the sky suspiciously. Someone suggested that we make a ladder so we can confront it. If you should see it, our advice is to immediately destroy all your clothes (to counter its powers of heat) and then shout loudly at it until it goes away. Stay vigilant, dear readers.

The sun brings out all manner of creepy crawlies and one of them is the dreaded Flea.
Unappealing little creatures  aren't they? but its a good idea to get rid of them as soon as you can.  One flea can lay 1,000 eggs and  before you know it, you have 30,000 of them invading your space.Then it becomes the canine version of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Is your dog scratching away, making you feel itchy in the process.  It might be a good idea to run your fingers through its fur to check for flea eggs.  These feel like grits of sand under your fingers. If it is a black piece of grit and goes bloody when you squish it, then its for sure a flea egg.  If you want to be 100% sure that you think your dog may be flea-ridden, then stand it on something white, run a comb through the fur and the residue will fall onto the white surface.  Lots of black bits will definitely be flea eggs.

First thing to do is give your dog a good bath with a flea shampoo (Bob Martins), that you can get from the supermarket or pet shop. Then cut open a pipette of Advantage, Frontline or other flea repellent, part the hair and run the liquid along the dog's neck to the base of the tail.   After that, wash the dog's bedding. Get a can of Bob Martin's home spray flea repellent and spray that along the skirting boards of your home.  That's where they like to live. Kill them off before they can hitch a lift on a hot, furry passing body.

As a form of maintenance,  I always dab some Lavender oil onto my dog's back once a week. Fleas hate the smell and that keeps them at bay.  Sprinkle it on the bedding as well. You can get small bottles of Lavender oil from the chemist or supermarkets. Another effective repellent is garlic powder (from the herbs and spices section in the supermarket), sprinkled on your dogs food.  Your dog may smell like a shish kebab but its better that than an itchy dog.

Eeuw! just writing about it is making me itchy; Im sure you are beginning to itch reading this and before long, we will all be itching.

Watching the cute little goats in Regent's Park Zoo every morning, I thought you would like to see a compilation video of some shouty ones. They don't all plaintively go "baa".

This and that ........ Dogs need to sniff the ground; it's how they keep abreast of current events. The ground is a giant dog newspaper, containing all kinds of late-breaking dog news items, which, if they are especially urgent, are often continued into the next garden, street, tree and lamp post.

That's about it for this month.  Enjoy Easter and don't gorge on too much chocolate.

Dawn (".")

SUPER DOOPER, POOPER SCOOPER!

Before we get onto the subject of dogs feasting on poo, has anyone found the pot of gold?
There have been rainbows aplenty in Regent's Park during the wet, rainy weather, but we have yet to locate the elusive pot. Looks like it's somewhere behind the Lord's Cricket grounds. We'll stop the car  the next time we see it on our way home and have a look. Promise we will share half with you if we find it! Hah!

By popular demand, I am writing again about the reasons for dogs eating poo.  To humans it’s a very disturbing and disgusting habit.  The veterinary term for this is called coprophagia, and it may comfort  you to  know (shudder) that this is quite normal.

Poo eating (coprophagia) is common in many other animals such as rabbits, rodents, pigs, horses and even primates. However, this behavior is considered to be a problem in dogs, as there doesn't seem to be any reason for them to be munching on other dog's doodoos. Puppies, of course, will regularly eat poop and anything else they come across. If this becomes a regular habit then its a problem. To many  dogs this habit usually signals a nutritional deficiency and hero worship if they eat the poo of another dog in the same house. 

Think about a diet change. I  would suggest first trying a quality premium food. If your pet is already eating one, then switch to one of the natural diets such as raw food from Weebox available from the larger supermarkets. Dogs are programmed in the wild to eat raw food and although your pet is domesticated and raised on pellets and pate, some raw food will aid digesion and take away the need to sample another dog's poo. You can also cook your own recipes, but this is often too much trouble if you have a busy life. A diet rich in fat, protein, and fibre and low in carbohydrates can sometimes reduce the tendency.  My dogs adore raw chicken wings. There are no big bones to choke them and it is very, very healthy. Ask any vet? They will agree with me.  A good doggie multivitamin will also help stop the problem.  A probiotic tablet (available from pet stores) will go a long way to aiding digestion and putting an end to that urge to sample someone else's poo.

Altering the flavour can help. Your dog will stop eating poo if it tastes bad. Poo left in the back garden or in your cat’s litter box can be sprinkled with Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper.  That should send them into orbit!

There are a few things that you can add to your dogs food to alter the taste of their poo.  Schwartz Meat tenderizers (from the Herb section of the supermarket), can be added to your dog’s food; this will help with digestion but also make the stool taste horrible. The dose is 1/4 teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight. Another option is to purchase a product - called Stool repellum - from your local vet  or from the site,  PetVet  on the internet, . It gives poo a taste that your pet will hate.  My personal remedy is to mix in some pumpkin into the food. You can buy this in a tin from the supermarket. For some reason this stops the urge to eat another dog's poo poo.  Pineapple works well too but often the dog will toss it out of the dish so best to puree it and put in a spoonful at each meal and mix it in well. Many dog owners have found that by supplementing  the diet, the coprophagia then stops. My dog stopped once I added vegetables to their food. Buy the supermarket own brands of tinned carrots and mushy peas and add a spoonful to each meal.  I promise you it does work after a few weeks and they love the taste.

Finally, using a citronella spray collar  works quite effectively on dogs that persist in eating the stuff. A citronella spray collar reduces the frequency of coprophagia in dogs and the habit gets broken.This requires the pet owner to be alert and involved, triggering the spray in response to a quick chomp.

Do NOT  punish the dog when you see them gobbling up something unspeakable but distract them instead with a treat or a ball.  If you tell them off, they associate that with bad behaviour and they will eat their own poo to hide it in case they get punished.



And my point is ........
"If you want to test cosmetics, why do it on some poor animal who hasn't done anything? They should use prisoners who have been convicted of murder or rape instead. So, rather than seeing if perfume irritates a bunny rabbit's eyes, they should throw it in a perp's (cop speak) eyes and ask him if it hurts."

Some nice doggy ads:

These are classified ads, that were actually placed in U.K. Newspapers:
FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER.
8 years old,
Hateful little bastard.
Bites!

FREE PUPPIES
1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor's dog.

FREE PUPPIES.
Mother is a Kennel Club registered German Shepherd.
Father is a Super Dog, able to leap tall fences in a single bound. 

Here is an amusing video clip for all those cat owners.  This is what your bored cat does when you are out at work all day.

That's it for this month.

Dawn ("")

WHAT YOUR DOG WOULD WRITE IF IT KEPT A DIARY.
Dear Diary............

                                                                        
7.30 am  Wonderful walk in the park. Probably the best activity in my life, followed by food and then licking my balls. The gang were all there and we sniffed around together.  Its amazing how you can miss things every day. Diego discovered the most wonderful smell for all of us to try out.

8.45 am  Watched poor Beagle being dragged out of the park by the scruff of its neck. He says he is not allowed to sniff bottoms or anything else as his stupid owner thinks its unhygenic.  For god's sakes, that's what we dogs do.  Poor dog! Definitely going to end up as one of life's social misfits.

8.50 am Caused consternation and loud protests from the humans in the car going home. There were cries of  "Phwoar!  You stink! what did you roll in?"

9.15 am Back home. Jumped out of the car, raced into the house, fell down the stairs in my excitement to get to bowl. Yummy! yummy! Aside from ball chasing, this is my favourite activity of the day.  Oh goody! a toothball as a treat.  Dont you know what a toothball is? Its a biscuit that is as hard as a rock, tastes wonderful and cleans my teeth.  I could eat a whole bag. No probs!

9.20 am  Uh! oh! my owners are showing sadistic tendencies, whispering and spelling out words. For no good reason, I am being dragged to the bathroom for the "water torture". This involves gallons of water being poured on to me and then a burning, foamy chemical called shampoo. What sick mind could invent such a thing.  Only way to feel better is to rush to the bed room and roll all over the bed to dry off. Hah! that'll teach them.

9.35 am  Chased one of those pesky tree rats, (known in our household as "Squiggies"). How dare they frighten off all the garden birds. Im not having it. Burst of frantic yelping and barking soon saw it take off like a rocket.

9.50 am  The household is getting ready to do serious things. My man works  as a graphic designer on the computer - seems to fall asleep a lot in front of it. Didn't feel like following her around. Prefer to doze in my basket.

10.00 am   Had a pee on the kitchen floor. Laziness.  She bellowed at me, grabbed my collar and dragged me to the puddle. "Who did this?" she yelled.  "Whaddya mean, who did it?"  "I did for god's sakes". You would think that I was a terrorist who had blown up the kitchen.

10. 15 am  Opened one eye as she passed me. Oh! boy! she looks cross. She glared at me as she went up the stairs. Uh! oh!  I shall stay put.

12. 00 am  In  a deep sleep; having a very serious dream. Just had that  pit bull terrier, Tyson  by the jugular; the gang were all cheering me on....  doorbell went. Back to bed (yawn!).   Heard a can being opened.  Time to sit by the kitchen door and drool.

1.00 pm  Lunch time for the humans. Lots of delicious smelling things around.  Something might jump off the table.  Time to engage my appealing look.

3.00 pm Oh goody! Lead coming off the door knob. Means "walkies." Good smells. So many designer dogs living in the area. They leave messages for help.  Poo things, cooped up every day.  No toys, no music, no treats, no company. Can't help them.  Im so lucky, (or as my owner sometimes sings,"Im so yukky! yukky! yukky!") to that Kylie Minogue song, "Im so Lucky."

4.00 pm Wonderful walk!  Senses overloadeded with interesting pee mails. Left several of my own. Owner says I have  a bottomless tank. Time for a zzzzzzzz-z. Catch you later, dear diary.

5.00 pm   Awake and refreshed.  Can hear kibble rattling into my dish? Wow! and leftovers.  I am  full and happy. Time to lick my balls and clean my paws.

6.00 pm  That mangy cat from next door is wandering around my garden.  What a half-wit he is?  Same routine everyday.  I chase, he runs like hell.

That's it for today, dear diary, until another day.
**********************************************************************************
We had January in a rainy headlock. Sad to say February looks set to be the same.
Are you caught between the call of the gym, and the call of the comforting January chocolate eclair? You're not the only one. (The eclair wins every time. It's just tastier than the gym. Don't try to fight it.) But don't feel bad, just doing a few ankle rotations and some simple stretches while you're reading this and watching this excellent video, will keep you trim, toned and eager.
 (Cleverest dog food commercial you will ever see, sent to me by my friend, Barbara Barbour. )

                                       http://www.youtube.com/embed/AA56LgpFbSw?rel=0

That's it until the next blog.  Have fun with whatever you are planning to do.

Dawn (-"-)

New year...... new you....... new dog!

Only kidding! You're still the same old you, we're still the same old us, you haven't recycled the dog and we're still in the same old beautiful world. And we wouldn't have it any other way would we?   
                                         Happy new year! 
  

I trust you've recycled your Christmas tree sustainably. You've ironed out the used wrapping paper. You've trimmed the Christmas cards you received to be made into next year's home-made Christmas cards or gift tags. You've looked round at your cupboards and shelves, and thought about having a clear-out.    
And now you and the dog have gone on a diet-and-detox programme to lose those extra pounds gained from over eating.

Here are some basic, common sense rules for helping your furry friend to become svelte and trim again.

Exercising your dog in the morning is far better than midday or at night. By walking your dog in the morning you dog’s metabolism will be primed to burn fat all day long, even when lolling around in its basket.  Walking your dog before breakfast in a fasted state helps to increase the amount of fat calories burned per week. (This also works great for people who would like to lose a few pounds.)
Don’t use people foods as dog treats; instead use healthy dog treats like carrots or celery. These treats can still allow you to reward your dog without adding unnecessary calories. Don’t think your dog will eat carrots. Give it a try; you’ll be surprised. On the other hand, you could end up with a carpet load of spat-out carrot chewings. Sorry about that!
Spend some quality time playing with your dog
Dogs love it if you play a little game of tug or throw the ball down the hall.  Just 10 minutes of your time will make your dog the happiest creature ever.
A little grooming or some stoking/massage
A little brush down to get rid of loose fur, dirt and anything else stuck to the coat will stop your dog from rolling in wet grass or mud the next time you go out.  Dogs roll in dust or anything abrasive when they have itchy skins.

These are a few tips will help your dog to be healthy, happy and look trimmer, so that you can both enjoy the coming months of 2014.

One of those urban myths.......

Did you know that when your dog is circling ready to go poo, it is because it is trying to find south? The position has to be just right. That magnetic force field somehow makes it more comfortable for them. Who knew such things? Personally, I think thats a load of tosh. Just as people don't like to go just anywhere, dogs have to get it right too.


This video is for all my cat owning friends who whinge that I never, ever feature anything about cats. So, specially for you, here's a compilation video titled "You Shall not pass, Dog!"











I hope that if dogs ever take over the world, and they choose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with really good ideas.
 
Until the next blog.

Dawn (")

Hurtling inexorably toward Christmas.
It's coming...... the goose is getting fat, advent calendars have been opened, birds are singing, the mornings are dark and the tension is high. This week everyone is starting to panic about Christmas shopping, posting cards and generally getting into a flat spin but  in all the excitement, don't forget the dog and those christmas left overs.

Fatty foods, nuts, raisins, chocolates and left overs can, and does make your dog very ill so make sure that no one is slipping tit bits under the dining table.  If you want to include your dog in the christmas lunch, then by all means, chop up a slice of turkey with a smidgen of gravy but no more than that.  Make sure that food has not been left on coffee tables.  (A plateful of smoked salmon and other appetisers can make your dog spend the night throwing up on your clean, carpet.)

The RSPCA have re-issued this little cartoon video about the effects of slipping titbits to your pet.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQCwHluBqFc‎

Other danger points to watch out for are christmas wrapping paper. You know how all that rustling can make excited dogs pounce on the discarded paper when the presents are being unwrapped. It can get caught in their throats because it has a shiny coating.  The other hazard to watch out for are pine needles from the tree that can stick between their toes.  That is almost as painful as a thorn in the paw.

This 'n that corner..... of the blog this week is the "Aren't Some of the Crazy Myths We've Been Told In Our Lives True' corner? Im going to be honest with you – I didn't do any research before writing this week's news, so I don't really feel equipped to tell you what's true and what isn't.
         
However, I do know for a fact (because I saw it on the TV programme, 'Mythbusters') that elephants really are scared of mice.  They are also afraid of ants.  It is also true that you can actually get cold feet if you're nervous and  just like they do in the films, you definitely can slap sense into somebody. (wouldn't we all like to do that to people we come across?).So don't say I never teach you anything.

"Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer."so said someone.

Before I go, here is the sweetest, lump-in-the-throat video of a dog waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Have a terrific christmas and I hope Santa brings you exactly what you were hoping for.

Dawn (.".")

Do you ever wonder what is on your dog's mind when they gaze at you adoringly?

 

Do you ever wonder what your dog would say if he could talk? I bet you say "I wonder what's in his mind?"  each time he looks up at you with those big, warm, brown eyes?
You might be surprised to learn that what you’re doing to your dog is confusing him—maybe even driving him crazy. Here are five bad habits you need to stop before they wreck your relationship.

1. You’re trying to communicate with your dogs through words.

You adopt a dog from the rescue home, and you know it is not the first time he has been adopted, but you are confident you will be successful. One of your worries is that the previous owner had given the dog a name you don’t like, so you have renamed him Dexter. But will that confuse him? Guess what? Dogs don’t care much whether you speak to them in Spanish, English, Chinese or Serbocroat, because they don’t hear words as words, just the sounds. So "C'mon now, be a good boy" merely sounds like "mmnn-num-num". You know how people have that irritating way of spelling out "t-r-e-a-t-s"“w-a-l-k” and “l-e-a-s-h”; (and I am just as guilty of that too!), they may be fooling themselves but they certainly aren’t fooling the dog. Dogs are smarter than people give them credit for. They can sense something much deeper than the words you use; they also read your body language. That is why you can’t lie to a dog. When you speak to a dog you must speak from the inside, from your mind, your heart, and your body. Otherwise he will be scratching his head with his paw in puzzlement, trying to figure why he can see your lips moving with strange noises coming out.

2. You treat your dog like a child.

We have all visited those houses, right? The ones with the framed pictures of Bubbles hanging on  the walls. Embroidered cushions everywhere of dogs of the same breed, name on toys, bowls and blankets of every kind, scattered from kitchen to bedroom to bath. And Bubbles’s owner never stops faffing over her as though she were a one-year-old. You can see how the human starts to get confused sometimes and starts thinking that Bubbles is a child—but of course Bubbles is under no illusions at all. She is a dog, and she wants to behave like a dog—that is in her DNA. And like all dogs, she wants to run, smell bottoms and other dog's poo;  she loves to chase things, and she wants to use her nose to track. She wants to roll in unspeakable smells and eat yukky things. Your “baby” is also a pack animal and needs the structure and routine and discipline in her life to feel fulfilled and not become frustrated. There is nothing wrong with showing your dog love, but remember the basic rules of dog ownership: first exercise, then discipline, and finally oochy-coo and cuddles.

3. Your dog doesn’t have a job and he’s bored.

So many times people are worried because their dog has picked up an irritating habit.  Perhaps he’s chewing the carpet, or racing in circles around the house, or showing surprising aggression. And so often the answer is the same: Your dog is getting bored—he wants something to do. Dogs were not born  into a 5-star life style, expecting to be waited on hand and foot, with gourmet meals produced at  supper times; no creature in the animal world is. In the wild—from the time they are puppies—dogs have  had to work and fight for their food. The pack rule is hunt it down or go hungry. Dogs have been bred over the centuries for different jobs—from rounding up cattle to hunting to hauling. When their natural instinct is denied, they become frustrated, and that is when they start to show signs of aggressive behaviour.  Pay attention to what your dog asks and give him a job. Put a pack on his back when you go for walks or create obstacle courses so he can put his scent-tracking abilities to good use. His body language will tell you how exciting and stimulating his tasks have been. His tail will wag in circles, not just left and right, to indicate pure bliss.

4. You’re acting like your dog’s playmate

.....not  the pack leader. Its important that you re-claim the role of pack leader from the dog the first time it joins the family. The moment you come home, your pooch greets and licks you enthusiastically then tries to tell you that they are ready to play. The next thing you know, you and your dog are racing around the garden or the park with a ball and all the rules have changed. At least the rules have changed in your mind—until you are ready to signal "that's enough" and go back for dinner. How is your dog supposed to understand what has happened? You gave up on being pack leader to race into playing with them instead of making it clear that play begins only when they have calmed down.  So now they are confused about who’s the boss. Remember: Being a pack leader is not a part-time occupation; it’s all the quality time. Your dog is always looking for consistency and structure, and without it they are going to become confused about when to follow your directions and when you two are just playmates.

5. You’re tense and nervous around your dog

Your sister-in-law is one of your least favourite people. You hate it when she comes to visit—you know she is checking out your home for dust and grime, running her finger over the furniture and you can see the critical disdain in her face. To make matters worse, whenever she’s near Dexter, your otherwise well-behaved mixed-breed dog,  goes crazy, as if to demonstrate your poor dog-handling skills. But he doesn’t know there are problems with you and your sister-in-law; he just knows that his pack leader is tense and nervous, so he may become tense and nervous too. Our dogs are incredibly finely attuned to us—we’ve been living together almost from the beginning of time! That is why they need calm, assertive energy to relax. Remember: Dogs are predators in the wild, so if they become nervous, their fight-or-run response is almost always more likely to be fight. Nervousness in dogs will soon come out as aggression. It is they only way they know to deal with a problem.

Listen to them carefully, they are trying to tell you what they want. Their needs are really very simple, and if you satisfy those, you will have a happy and fulfilling partnership. That is the kind of bond I have with my dogs.

And there ended the sermon.  Now let's finish off with some bits and bobs...............

Two of our dog friends in the park will be holding a Crimble Dog Extravaganza this Saturday.  See poster below.  It looks worthy of a special trip just to get some unusual doggy presents that you wouldn't see anywhere else.

A sweet story to melt the heart!
A shop keeper was putting up a sign that  that read "Puppies for Sale." Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough a little boy appeared. "How much are you going to sell the puppies for?" the little boy asked. The shop keeper replied, "probably between £30 to £50." The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have £2.37" he said. "May I please look at them?" The shop keeper smiled and then whistled, and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five tiny balls of fluff.

One puppy was lagging way behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?" The shop keeper explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered that it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. "That's the puppy I want to buy." The shop keeper said, "No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I will let you have him for free but I can't sell him to you.

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the man's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, "I don't want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you £2.37 now and 50 pence a month until I have paid for him."

The shop keeper said, "You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies." To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his trouser leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop keeper and softly replied, "Well, I don't run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands."

Here is a 'cute overload' picture that will bring on comments like "ehrmagherd! berldogs and babehs eh!." Couldn't have said it better myself.                                  I don't want to say this, but   I feel I have to. After  today there are only 5 Wednesdays until Christmas. Well! that's it until the next blog. Have a good time, whatever you have planned. Dawn (.".)

IS YOU DOG A SECRET DRINKER?

Do they slurp up excessive amounts of water throughout the day? 

Pools, puddles, horse troughs, garden pots and even the toilet bowl.

When this happens it is often the signs of of an health issue. The medical term used by vets for increased water consumption is polydipsia.

The term polydipsia refers to excessive thirst brought on by excessive water intake, that in turn usually leads to polyuria, which is the formation and excretion of a large volume of urine.  (I can sense that you have already lost the will to live!)  Polydipsia and polyuria are early signs of several diseases, that include:

 

Kidney failure

Diabetes mellitus

Uterine infection 

Liver disease

High blood calcium

Uncommon abnormalities of the pituitary gland

Inability of the kidney to re-absorb water properly

Dogs normally take in about 3 to 4 cups of water per day for a 20 pound dog. Anything more than that, under normal environmental conditions, is considered to be polydipsia.  Keep an eye on  your dog if it shows signs of increased thirst and peeing. Some dogs may begin drinking from a dripping tap in the garden, and slurping from any puddle they come across or from an open toilet bowl. However, if you want to monitor how much your dog is drinking, allow them only one bowl of  measured water and subtract the amount left in the bowl after 24 hours from the amount you put in originally. If you feel that your pet is drinking excessively, make an appointment with your veterinarian. Older dogs seem to be susceptible to one or more of the symptoms listed above.  Best to keep an eye out for excessive drinking.

Pic  on left echoes my sentiments exactly.

Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing, right in your ear.

Do you suppose this is what leaves say to each other every autumn?

Have you noticed how people have taken to using the 'word' literally to describe everything?
Literally is literally the most misused word ever. It was literally the size of a house when describing something huge. "My dog was literally shaking with fear when it met that pit bull terrier".
"That comedy show was so funny I literally wet myself." "That aubergine was so slimy I literally died." You will literally love the onset of dark, autumn nights.  Probably.

Dogs love chasing cats but  aren't they wimps when it comes to confronting them on important issues such as bed stealing.

chickpea  dog biccie
(your dog will be drooling for a taste)
You will need:
2 cups chickpea flour (the asian section of most supermarkets)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (or replace it with unsweetened apple sauce or mashed banana)
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 egg (to bind the mixture)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180F.  Line a baking tray with cooking foil.
Mix all the ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and knead well.
Cut into desired shapes and place on baking try.
Bake for 20 minutes, then turn down oven to 150F and allow to bake for another 40 minutes.
Leave biscuits to cool in the oven.
Store in an air tight container or resealable sandwich bag

Have a good week and enjoy squishing through wet, soggy, yellowy-brown leaves that stick to everything and make a mess of the car and the house.
Remember, You are a child of the stars, cosmically connected to every single other entity in the universe. (Roll of the eyes and a muttered, "Hippy crap"!)
So yes, you do deserve a third biscuit while reading my latest blog.

Ive been in hot and sunny Mallorca for 5 weeks and my blog page says accusingly that "you have not written a blog since September 8."  So, here it is!

Enjoy!


Dawn (")