Bob hears the church bells, barks and appears in the kitchen. His day has started.
Sophie isn't far behind. She gets a morning kiss. This is not appreciated.
Bob leaps into the back of the car and sits in his sisters spot. This causes a ruckus. After much howling Bob repositions himself . The angelic duo are then ready for their morning excursion into town.
Easter eggs make a appearance en masse on the supermarket shelves.
We try a baker we've never been to before. The choice unexciting. The PONs are ignored. The baker will not be on our fixtures list. Sophie gives a '' we shall not return " yelp as we leave. The Scarlett O'Hara of the dog world.
So starts a Sunday morning in deepest France profonde. It would be a quiet Sunday morning were it not for the PONs belief that every day should be greeted exuberantly.
The French teacher phones to say she's spotted the first procession of poisonous caterpillars. Her two Labradors are now kept on their leads. Bob and Sophie will be too. http://anglophone-direct.com/pine-processionary-caterpillars/
12 comments:
Sophie must be the only girl in the Universe that doesn't want a kiss from Bob ! Those really are most uninspiring cakes.
The caterpillars (called procesionario del pino, here in Spain) have started to leave their nests here too. About a month ago I found a lone dead one on our terrace outside the living room, so since then I've been keeping a close eye on things. We once had a young dog who was stung, but fortunately rushed him to the vet just in time. The vet told us that it's mostly puppies and young dogs who are attacked because they are so inquisitive and tend to sniff at everything. A tip a friend gave me is to spray them with hair lacquer, which seals their hairs and prevents them from stinging.
In Italy one of the PONs got up close and personal with a procession of caterpillars. Over the phone the vet instructed us to put a hose pipe in his mouth, turn it on full and wash the mouth out thoroughly and repeatedly . The biggest threat is the damage to the tongue caused by the irritating hairs. This frequently requires surgery and can lead to the complete loss of the tongue if not treated quickly.
Helpful info; noted and thank you. We are nestled in a valley of pine trees and after 16 years I should have been aware.
The caterpillar nests in trees close to our favourite walk have thankfully been removed. Thanks for the warning, we'll be vigilant if we venture elsewhere.
WE have them at Luby, too. We once saw them on New Year's Day. It was about 20 degrees; and there was a massive procession of them heading across the lawn. One of our guests cam rushing in and said they'd seen a 3 foot caterpillar (they "process" touching nose to tail). My immediate thought was "that would make one heck of a big moth!"
That bakery looks awesome. You must have to walk those two for hours.
Poisonous caterpillars that bite dogs, mushrooms that give Sophie psychedelic fits.. France is a dangerous place! Do the caterpillars bite other animals?
Unsuspecting humans mostly.
A bakerery that ignores PONs? I should think you wouldn't go back there. Hmmph, the idea!!
🐛😱
Oh but Sophie, you are so lucky to have such a loyal and affectionate brother.
Somehow the fact that they march in a procession makes them seem even more diabolical.
The caterpillars, that is.
xo
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