Digging up the Past

I bet you thought that us pups only dig holes so that we can bury bones. Well not so - some of us are archaeologists now. Well one this one is anyway. I followed Endeavour round to the other side of the castle wall, and there was a whole team of people carefully digging and scraping away in a hole in the ground. At first, I thought they were all just playing it the muck, and, as that's a favourite thing amongst pups of all ages, I jumped in and started to scrabble around madly. I got quite a telling off, I can tell you. Apparently, Endeavour's detector had revealed signs that there might be hidden remains in this part of the castle, and I had pounced right into the trench where they were trying to find it. Apparently it's very bad form to jump into an archaeologist's trench without first acting permission, and even worse to start scrabbling with your forepaws and covering the site director in soil.

So I was feeling a rather sad and sorry pup when suddenly one of the team cried out. It turned out that my mad scrabbling had actually uncovered part of a low wall and that was just what they were looking for. As you can see from the picture, I was allowed to stay and help while they cleaned up and revealed the remains. It's all very interesting, and I hope we will soon know what it is we have found. Apparently the next stage in my training would involve wearing a striped jumper and meeting someone called Tony, but I'm not too sure about that. I'm not sure that I'm patient enough for this job!

School Trip Time

Well, all the snow melted over the last two days, and we all thought that things were going to be a bit boring after the Winter Sports mayhem we'd all enjoyed. But when we got to school, Mrs Ewe announced that, because the snow had all cleared up we would now be able to go on a school trip. Mrs Ewe wouldn't tell us where we were going so as not to spoil the surprise.You can imagine how excited we all were when the coach stopped, and out of the windows we could see a real life castle!

Mrs Ewe led us up to the castle gate and told us some things about the history, but to be honest we all just wanted to climb up the towers and run around the battlements pretending to be knights and damsels in distress. So Mrs Ewe sent us off to let off steam, and she said we could do some history later.

After we had completed our mad half hour, I went down to have a look at the castle walls in more detail from the outside. After a few minutes, we met up with Endeavour Mouse, who was wondering along waving a very odd contraption just above the grass. I asked him what what its was, and he said it was a metal detector, and they are used for finding things hidden under the grass. He said that he was working in a team who search for hidden things to find out more about the past. So now we are going to meet the rest of the team to find out how to "dig for history".

My new home from home

Just look what my friends have built for me! After school this afternoon, I was told to shut my eyes tight and hold paws with two of my friends while they led me to a "special place". When we got there I was told I could open my eyes, and when I did, I saw the most beautiful, perfect little log cabin, just like the ones we have at home. Not only that, they have even put a Canadian flag over the door! Now whenever I feel like a taste of home, I can just go and tea (waffles and maple syrup of course) with some of my friends in my very own log cabin. It's just about the best present ever and Mr Panda and Granpa Cat are very clever to have been able to build it themselves. back home, we have beavers to help, but I've never seen one round here.

Winter Sports for the Advanced Pup

Now everybody had got used to basic stuff like snowmen, snowball fights and sledging, I decided that it was time to introduce my friends to the advanced stuff. I found some bits of wood and shaped them to points at the front, fastened them to welly boots, and hey presto, instant skis. With the addition of a pair of sticks as ski poles, I was off and away down the hill. Everyone looked very impressed as I zoomed down the slopes, and as I got used to my skis, I tried to show off - perhaps a little too much, as I fell off and landed in a big heap of snow. Everybody laughed, but I didn't mind - you can't learn anything without making some mistakes. Well, after I had done some more "learning", I started to get a bit cold and damp and we trudged off back to the the thatched cottage, where a lovely surprise was waiting - a nice hot cup of hot chocolate all round!

The funny thing is, although I have enjoyed playing in the snow, it is starting to make me a bit homesick for Labrador. It's not that I want to go back there - I'm having too much fun with my friends here. But sometimes I would just like to see some familiar things to remind me of home. I mentioned this to Grandpa Cat who lives in the thatched cottage, and he just nodded and said "Hmm, we'll have to see what we can do". I wonder what that could mean?

We've made a new friend

This time we really have made a new friend! After we got tired of throwing snowballs at each other, we decided that the best thing to do would be to make a snowman. Everyone helped to collect snow and roll it up into a big pile for his body, and then a huge ball for his head. Then we needed a face. Eyes were easy - we found two pieces of coal and pushed them into the snow. The nose was a bit more of a problem until I trotted off to the stable and "borrowed" a carrot off Dougie the Donkey. He wasn't at all sure at first, but I promised to chop up a few apples into his feed, and, as he has such a sweet tooth, that persuaded him.

After we finished the snowman, the smaller animals were getting a bit tired, so I gave two of them a ride on the sledge. That may have been a mistake, as all the babies then insisted on having a ride. I mean, I know I'm a pup from Canada, but do I look like a husky? Anyway, I'm worn out now, so it's home to a nice warm bed. I hope the snow is still there tomorrow, as I want to try something else out.

It's snowed!!

Sorry that I haven't been in touch for a while. The main reason is that it snowed a few days ago, and ever since then we have been far too busy having fun to worry about diaries or blogs.

Anyway, about the snow. I woke up on Tuesday morning and it seemed strangely bright - even through the curtains it seemed like there was a strange glow. I got up, threw the curtains open and squealed with excitement when I saw the scene. I rushed to tell the others about the snow, and we all rushed out without even stopping for breakfast. Of course, coming from Labrador, I'm very used to snow, but some of the other animals had never seen it before, and so didn't know what to do. Luckily, I was on hand to show them some games to play. First of all, though, mayhem broke out - nobody needs to be shown how to have a snowball fight. As you can see, a certain raccoon got hit right on the nose, but don't worry - he soon got his own back.

Anyway, I've got to go out and play again now, but I'll give you some more news tomorrow.