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I opened the pantry door and selected two dog-chew hats, one each for Emily and Poppi.  Emily pounced on hers immediately, but Poppi hadn't seen one before - so far as I know - and so she was more cautious.  She soon got the idea, though, as can be seen in this very short video.  For some reason, all the shadows have an unfortunate yellow-ochre cast which makes both Poppi and duvet look grubby.  Maybe this was caused by me filming under an electric light?  Both the dog and duvet are very clean, in actuality.  Anyway, apart from that technical glitch, I hope the video makes you smile.

The year has got off to a promising start for Spooky Cute Designs, as my online store has just been awarded Pro-Seller status.  Yay for me!  So, thank you to all those people who've treated themselves to a little something from Spooky Cute Designs!  And I've recently added a new product range, so if you're fond of jigsaw puzzles then feel free to discover what is available so far.

Richard spent Sunday afternoon doing battle with a rampant ivy.  I love ivy, and have several varieties growing in the garden.  This one is a broad-leafed variety - I'm unsure of the precise species - which clambers over a wooden boundary fence in the back garden.  Blackbirds have nested there for the past three years so it was a pity to have to prune it back, but it was starting to overtake branches of our contorted hazel tree (Corylus avellana Contorta) and if we (or rather, Richard!) hadn't pruned now the birds might have started nesting again before we (Richard!) could get the job done.  He got landed with the task as he's taller than me - but then most people are!  Several of the ivy branches had to be sawed through, and when it comes to me sawing stuff you'd find yourself thinking about chocolate frying pans.
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