When Isla met Nova...

On Friday morning we finally got to meet Nova: another labrador, a few months older than Isla, belonging to some old friends of mine who have just moved back to the area.  Ironically, I first met Nicolla and Chris just after I got Amber (we had daughters who went trampolining together), and they had a black labrador called Luna.  Now the tables are turned: they have a dumb blonde and I have a black bullet.

Nova is on limited rations when it comes to exercise since she has a problem with her elbow joints.  As a result we've had to wait for ages before the pups were able to meet, and then only in the back garden.  We needn't have worried about them getting along, although it has to be said that Isla was distinctly "in your face" (as is her character) and poor old Nova was tiring of her attention after an hour or so in the firing line.  At the beginning they were both pretty playful, however.

Unsurprisingly, Isla decided that "elevenses" would be a good idea, and became terribly calm and obedient while the biscuits were out...

...but, of course, Nova decided that she wanted a piece of the action too.

What a pretty girl.

Apart from being darker in colour, and slightly heavier, there was a distinct resemblance between Nova and Amber.  Here's a picture taken when Amber was almost exactly the same age as Nova is now, and it's clear that they're very much alike.

Fathers' Day Tradition

Doing something once is a novelty; but, in our family, doing something twice definitely becomes a tradition.  So it was that Issy, Isla and I headed to Salhouse Broad in Norfolk for the second (annual) Fathers' Day swim.  Readers of this blog may remember that, a year ago, Isla wasn't exactly enthusiastic when it came to entering the water (see here).  What a difference a year makes.

What Isla may lack in style, she more than makes up for in enthusiasm.  She's a natural swimmer too, and now absolutely loves being in the water.

I thought it was about time that Isla met a frisbee for the first time.  She wasn't quite sure what to do initially, but she soon got the hang of it and was catching the frisbee like a pro.

After a couple of hours swimming, fetching and catching, Isla was cream-crackered and it was time to head for new (and excellent) snack hut at Salhouse Broad.  Thoroughly recommended, with free biscuits for dogs too.

End of an Era

Wednesday marked a major milestone, in that I retired from IPV after more than 24 years with the company.  We formed Telemedia Systems (as it was then known) from the late, and much lamented, Olivetti Research Laboratory in order to commercialise our work on computer video and audio over high speed networks.  Almost a quarter of a century on, and the integration of Broadcast Television with general computing is now all but complete.  Indeed, computers are so powerful - and networks so fast - that much of the functionality is now handled over the Internet and "in the cloud".  The end of an era for an embedded systems engineer who prefers to work with real hardware, so time to move on.

My retirement cake was a work of art, as well as being absolutely enormous.  The crowning glory was a replica Fuji X-T2, which was correct to the last detail.  Issy, eagle-eyed as ever, managed to spot a spelling mistake in the retirement message, however...

So what's next.  Lots of dog walking, definitely.  More opportunity to do work with the Royal Photographic Society and Cambridge Camera Club.  More one-on-one and workshop teaching.  More time to do the jobs at home which I've been putting off for many years (e.g. the dripping tap in the downstairs loo).  Who knows, maybe more of my own photography and keeping this blog up-to-date?  Only time will tell.

Give Peas a Chance

With plenty of fruit under our belt, it was time to tackle vegetables - in this case, peas.  These were eaten with exactly the same alacrity (and, it has to be said, lack of coordination) as everything else. 

Sadly I had to leave Joe in Bristol, but it was an absolute joy to spend time with him.  He's a real sweetie, and I look forward to plenty of "adventures" in the future.

Blowing Raspberries (and Prunes)

Having mastered bananas, Joe turned his hand to raspberries.  He was very good at scrunching them up (thereby creating baby jus), but the hit rate was fairly low when it came to putting the results in his mouth.  This is where the spoons (three of them, allowing for the inevitable effects of gravity) came to the rescue.  In addition to raspberries, Joe was being fed some puréed prunes in order to make him "regular".  He loved the prunes, which turned out to be equally good for creating brown face paint.

Having conquered fruit, tomorrow we tackle vegetables...

It's called Fashion, darling...

Joe has now progressed to a "Jolly Jumper" (a cross between a parachute harness and a bungee), and he absolutely loves it.  His coordination isn't great yet, and he will insist on curling his toes up when attempting to bounce, but this doesn't seem to dampen his enjoyment.  I'm not quite sure why, but his mother decided that he needed to wear a hat.  Why?  It's called Fashion, darling (apparently).

We Like Banana!

I was in Bristol last week for a couple of days of RPS Distinctions Assessments, and this gave me the opportunity to visit Baby Joe and see how he was getting on.  He's growing like fury, and is now on solid food.  OK, when I say "solid" I mean "something other than his mother's milk".  On the first evening it was banana for tea, and it was clear that he thoroughly enjoyed the 20% or so which didn't end up on his face, his clothing or all over the floor!

Watch this space for further adventures with raspberries, prunes and mashed peas...