swimming merit badge

This is to certify that

Doubledaire Trust Me (Gracie)

has earned her Airedale Terrier swimming merit badge.

She successfully passed the stated criteria of

plunging in and swimming to the target (Neil).

We knew you could do it, Gracie! Congratulations!! An Airedale really should be able to swim, I reckon. She even got the hang of jumping over the waves to get to the sticks - but she didn't often get there before me! I love swimming and I am sooo fast.

Here's Gracie demonstrating her new found talent (with her Auntie Megan).

a word from Gracie

Hi - it's me, Gracie. We've had a bit of an adventure and Ruby isn't here to tell you about it. So I'm going to.

First, Neil found another old motorbike to buy. It's a 1930 BSA and it looks like this:

Except it really looks like this:

We had to drive all the way to Victoria to get it last weekend. Neil was very happy about it. But even better, the motorbike lived right in the same area as my Dad - Romper Stomper.

I had never actually met him, so I was really excited that we were going to go visit. Ruby was excited too. It has been ages since she has seen him.

They were so happy to see each other after all this time. He was big and shaggy and very handsome. We played chase around the paddock while everyone else had a cuppa tea. He is great fun.

Then, when it was time to go... Ruby decided to stay longer. Something about they wanted a little 'together time' or something.

Neil and Kay and I came back to Sydney that night - and gosh, that was a long drive - 16 hours by my calculation. We were in the car forever and hardly ever stopped. I complained loudly from the backseat...quite a lot. So boring.

I've been an only dog ever since. At first I didn't like it, but then I realised that I get all the attention, I get all the petting, I get all the balls -now I think it's pretty good.

Ruby is coming home sometime next week - she's flying back from Melbourne (1.5hr flight). Smart dog.