For The Love Of Poodles!

    Yesterday I travelled over to meet my sister and we went to see my Dad as he had a doctor's appointment which showed everything is still improving. After the appointment we took my dad shopping. It is very hard to watch how much the stroke has affected his mobility but it is improving so we have to stay as upbeat as possible about it all. I'm really getting to find my way around Marks and Spencer food now. We rarely buy food from Marks and Spencer as it is expensive but one thing that has really struck me about this store near my Dad is how much they reduce the food after about 4pm. I had to travel home on the train so couldn't buy too much but I got two delicious looking stuffed peppers for 70p and an enormous tray baked chocolate cake that was £6.50 reduced to £1.50. They will be past their sell by dates when we are still eating them but that never bothers us as long as the food looks fine.
  One thing I have noticed a lot where my Dad lives is how many beautiful little poodle mix dogs there are. It's strange how dogs come in fashions and dog ownership has changed. In the 1960s I remember that dogs were all called names like Whisky, Brandy, Rex and even Rover. Non of the gender specific dog names of today. Dogs often wandered about all day and then returned home to their owners in the evening. I don't think dog wardens existed and the lack of traffic on the roads mean't that they were relatively safe to wander. Our little poodle Whisky however was far to precious to us to allow her to wander about. She was the original pampered pooch.
    In the 1960s poodles were everywhere! There were poodle ornaments, poodle china, poodle toys, plastic poodles and even poodle headscarves. All clipped in different cuts, there was a poodle parlours in every town. Whisky was as pretty as a poodle could possibly be with her little "lion cut". I was so proud as a child walking her about. She would go on all our holidays with us at a time when dogs were allowed to go in so many more places than now. Every holiday snap has her little face looking up at the camera. I took this photo with a little Box Brownie camera that used to belong to my Mum. We were on holiday in Devon at the time, obviously with not a single car on the road.

     Now all these years later I can't help but stop and talk to poodle owners when I'm out and about. These days pedigree poodles are not nearly as common as they were, they all seem to be poodle crosses ending in oodle or poo. I'd love another poodle one day but in the meantime I make do with poodle collectables from the 1960s. I bought this poodle print in the local charity saleroom. It reminded me so much of Whisky.

I couldn't resist this kitsch poodle ornament I found at a car boot sale. Any poodle lover out there would just love to own this! 

  Dogs certainly don't wander about now, which of course is much better and safer but around us the in thing is "doggy day care" ! I'm not sure if this is progress or not!

   It's a lovely sunny day here and Tom is off work. We have lots to get on with as I have planned a move around in the house. I love a good furniture move almost as good as a house move but without the stress. I hope everyone has a lovely day what ever you are doing. xx