To Parnassus or the Scaffold
View allAll Photos Tagged Flynn s
You may have already flicked past this photo because it's a housefly, not the most beloved creature. But every living thing has its story. And this is Flynn's - a love story.
I was taking some macros in the kitchen one day, probably of broccoli or something equally as fascinating, when Flynn the fly came by & flew straight into a web on the kitchen window. His love, Cuddles the spider, came rushing straight out to meet him. I knew they must have been in love because she gave Flynn the biggest cuddle and wrapped him up safe & warm in a nice little web blanket. Flynn mustn’t like the heat much because he dragged himself away, unfortunately leaving the web blanket in tatters. Cuddles must have been very upset & sulked back inside her web. Flynn looked a bit disoriented and was staggering around a bit. I guess a cuddle & kiss from your true love will do that to you. Anyway, I managed to get a few shots of Flynn as he managed to straighten himself up a little & get his breath back. You can see the remnants of Cuddles' nice blanket on his feet and wings. It must have been well made! After regaining his composure, I guess Flynn decided he couldn’t live without Cuddles' embrace for another second. When my lens got too close he flew straight back into his love's welcoming embrace (some people will do anything to avoid having their photo taken). Cuddles took him back instantly, straight into the depths of her welcoming web home. Whatever they were getting up to then looked a bit private, so I left them to it. I wonder if they lasted, or if the fire of their passion consumed them. Here is one of the portraits of Flynn between his playtimes with Cuddles, the last I saw of him.
the Flynn provides a performance venue for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Vermont Youth Orchestra, and Lyric Theatre, as well as the UVM Lane Series, and many local and touring groups.
The Flynn has been at the center of Vermont's cultural landscape for over 80 years—from its earliest days as a vaudeville house through five decades as a premier movie theater to its present incarnation as the region's leading performance center and arts education organization. Today, the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts is recognized internationally for its significant artistic, educational, and community outreach activities; superb technical capacity; beautiful ambiance; historic setting; and world-class presentation
The Hotel Vermont classic building on Main Street in the bustling university town of Burlington, Vermont, New England, USA
The family of developer DesLauriers has owned and operated lodging and hospitality businesses in Vermont since the 1950's. Co-developer Jay Canning said, "As locals with many years of hotel experience, we have worked to create a uniquely Vermont lodging experience in our hometown 153
The Twin's Ryder & Flynn [me-seated on the floor]
spent some time doing photo's and revamped our twin looks a lil bit.. Loving these Cheerno DJLatex Tops!!
since I'm twinning out with Ryder in this look, I decided to name this look Flynn... ;)
If you like all things Tron and cyber then come check out this gorgeous build.
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Digital%20Frontier/125/250...
As the tide ebbs and flows.
No matter the weather, sunshine or storm the tide always ebbs and flows.
Flynn's Beach, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Flynn had crawled through a gap under a wire fence & was nicely silhouetted against a beautiful clear blue sky... I thought it would be a great spot for taking pictures - but unfortunately, had to take them from other side of the fence. I ended up with the camera lens stuck through the wire fencing, while I was half crouching, half lying on a very steep grassy bank.
It proved quite hard to accurately throw the tennis ball over a fence from such an awkward position, whiling keep Flynn both in shot & in focus - I need an assistant ;-) Luckily, Flynn is even more obsessed with catching tennis balls than I am about taking pictures, so he happily kept playing until I'd got at least a few shots! He even worked out roughly where he had to drop the ball so that it would roll down the slope & under the fence in order for me to throw it again.
I know it's the tribute challenge in the 52 Weeks group this week. I love this challenge & always enjoy picking a photo to copy. I can't say this shot is in tribute to any one picture but I was certainly thinking of the group when I started taking photos this week, as there have been some amazing silhouette shots over the years (I've linked to a few of my favourites below). I'll try to have a look next week, for a shot from this year to imitate properly!
Frolicking on Flynn's.
They seemed intent of taking selfies as waded through the incoming waves and enjoyed their time frolicking in the water on Flynn's.
The fence provided and interesting means to frame the subjects as the enjoyed their time together.
Flynn's Beach.
Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Click
www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/us/politics/obama-pardons-jame...
in a article by CHARLIE SAVAGE dated 17 JAN. 2017,
informs that:
President Obama on Tuesday pardoned James E. Cartwright, a retired Marine Corps general and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about his discussions with reporters about Iran’s nuclear program, saving him from a possible prison sentence.
Photographer on Flynn's.
It is 0650h and the day is dawning over Flynn's Beach.
This keen photographer was set to capture the morning as the water washed up around him.
Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Water views are today's theme. This shot was taken with a little point and shoot camera about 20 years ago, it was never a keeper, but now with a dash of generative fill, a small square shot is transformed into a panorama. Never delete a shot and keep an archive, there's no knowing how technology will change in the future.
Flying over Flynn's.
Driven by the divine wind this paraglider pilot soars on a thermal which grants him a birds eye view of the surrounding sea/landscape over Flynn's. Flynn's Beach.
Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Wild Bill Flynn's Hemi Powered 1968 Dodge Dart "Yankee Peddler".
This is one of 80 cars built for NHRA Super Stock racing, starting out as a 383 and shipped to subcontractor Hurst Industries for modifications and final assembly.
Powered by a race only 426ci Hemi with 12.5:1 compression, solid lifters, magnesium cross-ram intake, dual Holley Carbs and a 4 speed trans.
The ground shook as this former racer rumbled by with its uncapped headers ;-)
PS by PAO is excited to participate in this month's ORSY EVENT Round 7, open today! ♥
Check out the exclusive "FLYNN" shape, designed for Lelutka Evolution 2.5 Irina mesh head, optimized for Maitreya Lara and Legacy mesh bodies by Meshbody.
This beautifully unique shape is available NOW exclusively at Orsy Event, along with other amazing items from several designers...! ♥ AVAILABLE UNTIL MAY 23rd.
Taxi to the Event:
See all the designers:
Event media:
Flynn had a few (very!) basic agility lessons last year - mainly just focused on establishing the groundwork obedience, things like start-line waits etc . We'd only just started on doing small jumps when unfortunately, his illness meant we had to stop the sessions. I'm not in a position to take Flynn to more classes at the moment but now he's fit & well again, he enjoys a bit of "cross-country" agility whenever we can find stuff for him to jump.
He had a fantastic time soaring back & forth over this fence today, working off a bit of energy, while I took photos. We'd already been out for ages when I took this & I had thought he might be getting a little tired but apparently, Flynn still had plenty of bounce left in his paws! It's a real joy to see Flynn like this, after all the worry last year, when he was so sick & at one point, was barely able to do more than 10 minutes of running about at a time, without getting totally exhausted. He tires me out sometimes but I do love seeing my springy pup having fun.
Apologies that I'm not as active with commenting on other people's photos at the moment - my internet connection is still limited (I'm using a dongle). Hopefully in the next month or so, I'll be able to set up broadband & be around more regularly again ;-)
Well, phew - Flynn managed to avoid a vet visit this week. His upset stomach lasted all last week (thanks for the well wishes!) & despite trying various things to help, he just didn't seem to be improving. To be honest, Flynn wasn't *that* sick & didn't appear to feel dreadful but I was getting worried - mostly due to the added strain on his kidney. If our vet practise had been open as usual on Monday, I'd likely have dragged him up that morning but as it was, we had a bank holiday & they were shut except for emergencies. Haha, Flynn must've heard me muttering about taking him in on Tuesday & decided that wasn't happening because he somehow magicked himself pretty much completely better within the space of 24 hours!! What a relief!
Anyway, we've still taken things steady for most of the week & stayed close to home but on Friday, Flynn decided he was going to go out to the woods... so off we went! This time of year, it amazes me how different everything looks week to week. The flowers Flynn is posing amongst had shot up since we last went by. I didn't ask Flynn to sit for too many pics as he was busy sniffing & catching up on the canine news by I was grateful he cooperated for a minute & even stuck his ears up for me ;-)
Update - oh no! Just after I posted this, Flynn's had what I think is a vestibular attack :( Poor baby is very, very dizzy/sick & sad. Vets in the morning!
Quiet contemplation.
She stood there for some considerable time simply watching the small ripples reaching towards her.
None would reach her and perhaps her thoughts did not allow any concern if the waves did reach her.
For her only concerns and thoughts were locked away in quiet contemplation.
Flynn's Beach.
Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Flynn had his 1st run on the fields yesterday, exactly 4 weeks post surgery :) Actually, due to the combination of his poor health & very difficult behaviour, it's the first time Flynn's been allowed to go for a proper off-lead walk since late October, so it was a fairly momentous day for us! I hadn't realised how much I'd missed even our regular routes over the farmland with Flynn. Needless to say Flynn himself was exceptionally happy.
He was visibly trembling with excitement as I unclipped his lead & then spent the entire walk bounding around in huge circles, joyfully squeaking his beloved orange ball... Well, except for the moment when he tried to roll in fox poop - but luckily he's wearing a training line atm, which I managed to grab hold of, thwarting the attempt! Flynn may have been celebrating his first day of freedom but I'd still rather not take home a stinky dog ;-) Questionable choice in perfume aside, I was very pleased with Flynn.
I had a flash of worry, shortly after letting the training line drop at the start of the walk, that Flynn might get too excited, after such a long time without a proper run & abandon me for a solo-adventure but he was actually really good. I was impressed that he even listened to me, when called off from chasing a pheasant that flew up from under him as he dashed through the crops! He also happily accepted the lead being reattached at the end of our walk, something I'd been concerned about as this had become an issue while he was sick last year. It might be a while before I fully relax on walks but it is so good to see Flynn enjoying life again!
We were unexpectedly caught out in an April shower one afternoon earlier this week & Flynn got - slightly - wet. He was unimpressed. The next day was nicer though & when he saw me getting ready to go out, Flynn barked & bounced about in excitement... However, we only got as far as the front garden gate, when Flynn put the brakes on & would not move for anything. He looked quite upset but I couldn't for the life of me work out what was wrong, so eventually, we just back inside.
As I stood in the hallway, wondering whether to try & coax him out again, or give up & take my shoes off, I asked Flynn "what do you want?". Obviously, I wasn't expecting a proper answer but I got one! Flynn dashed to where his waterproof winter coat was hanging up & stood in position for me to put it on, wagging his tail & staring at me. I laughed, he couldn't have been clearer if he'd used words! Flynn clearly didn't want there to be *any* risk of getting soggy two days in a row! Soon, Flynn was properly dressed & merrily prancing up the road, on his way to the fields! He looked a tad silly bundled in a jacket to be honest - the skies were clear blue, no signs of rain clouds & it was hot but Flynn felt happier in it, so never mind!! Glad he managed to communicate his wishes!
Anyway, this pic was taken a few days later, on a dry but overcast, hazy sort of day. Flynn didn't feel the need to request his jacket thankfully! It's long been one of his favourite places but we'd not made it up to this particular field for over a month, so it was good to be back & see the changes spring has brought. Whenever we visit, I like to pause in this spot, as I love the view beyond the old gate - regardless of the time of year, or the weather, it's always pretty. Flynn knows my habits, so he was content to flop down on the grass, for a nice rest! Taken for the black & white challenge in 52WfDs.
A few weeks ago, I took another picture of Flynn jumping in almost exactly the same spot in the same field, just his head popping out above the grains... A few days ago though, the crop was harvested, leaving just the stubble behind. When we first came through the gate, Flynn was confused & pretty disappointed to find that his cover for stalking had been taken away!
On the positive side though, now the field is bare, he's allowed to play with a ball again. While the crops are growing, Flynn has to make do with chasing after tiny clumps of mud & pebbles because it's far too easy for him to lose toys & of course, I can't go stomping about flattening the grains, to help find dropped toys - not unless I want to risk the wrath of an angry farmer!
The ball Flynn's flying after here is a new one - a squeaky Kong ball. Flynn loves those Kong balls but it's a while since he's had one & it's been making me laugh, as Flynn's obviously a little out of practice at catching them! Flynn is generally very good at catching toys - but he's been used to catching a slightly bigger, lighter ball & this new one bounces a bit differently. He keeps mistiming his jumps, taking off a bit too early, or too late & looking surprised that his prize has escaped! This was a nice effort but ultimately unsuccessful...
Flynn thoroughly approved of this week's challenge in the 52 Weeks for Dogs group: "Catch". I suspect he'd be very happy indeed, if every week's photo for the entire year could revolve around games of catch...
It's funny having a more typical toy-obsessed pet border collie around. I had to teach Flynn's "big brother", Barney to play with toys when I first got him & despite a lot of encouragement from me, Barney's never developed that single-minded focus on them which many people associate with the breed. Barney will usually play with a ball if you happen to bring one along on a walk but generally, he rather quickly loses interest & wants to do something else. Flynn would play for hours without getting bored - with him, taking toys on walks isn't optional!
Flynn lives for games of catch & fetch, to the point where he'll attempt to force you into a game, if you try to stop playing. Whenever the ball goes away, Flynn will start hunting around for a twig or pine-cone. He then places the improvised toy so that it lies directly in your path & is impossible to avoid (he does with great care & planning - often involving him making several adjustments before he's happy it's in the ideal spot!)... If you ignore the offering & step over it, he rushes in to pick the "precious" back up, skips ahead a few paces & puts it back down in front of you again. He will repeat this as many times as it takes until you give up & start kicking it for him to catch. It's really easiest to just give in quickly - or better yet, not try to stop the game in the first place ;-)
'Cause you can't tell Flynn's half bald, when he's in silhouette ;-) Oh, also taken for the silhouette challenge in 52 Weeks for Dogs! Bless him, Flynn's fur is actually just starting to grow back after his ultrasound scan - from a distance, he now looks sort of mucky, instead of pink, as brown fur is slowly beginning to show up.
Health-wise, Flynn finally seems to finally be overcoming his digestive issues, which is an absolutely huge relief - he's not 100% normal yet but has improved a lot, just over the past week or so. He's seemed terribly thirsty though, so I've started keeping a record of water intake & some days Flynn's needing around twice the amount a dog his weight usually would! It is hot at the moment but we're not doing any hard exercise at all, so that's a bit of a concern. Ah well, I'll just keep monitoring him until we go back to the vets at the beginning of July & we'll see what they say then. At least Flynn's seems to be feeling better in himself & he likes his special new renal diet! Thanks for all the supportive comments :)
Soul therapy.
It is in the early morning when this person appeared in front of me.
She was walking along the beach when she stopped and spent sometime simply staring out to sea.
What thoughts were going through her mind we will never know but she gave the appearance of being in an almost trance like position.
Perhaps she was pondering the events of the forthcoming day or maybe her thoughts took her somewhere into the future.
We will never know for certain but what we do know for certain was that she came into view and despite our distance we were both entranced by the power of the sea as it ebbed and flowed.
Flynn's Beach.
Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Hurray! Sunset has reached 4.30pm... the days are starting to feel longer! It's been pretty chilly though - admittedly, not nearly as bad as many places in the US/Canada & northern Europe - but much colder than it has been. Flynn's wearing his jacket here although it's hard to tell from this angle & in silhouette! He was waiting for me to catch up - for once Flynn was more enthusiastic about heading home than me! I was enjoying the sunset but Flynn's paws felt cold! I'd planned to do the "up close & personal" challenge for 52WfDs & did get close-ups, but Flynn looked mildly annoyed because he wanted me to hurry up & keep moving - so I went with this instead - we'll try again next week!
Due to staying in to avoid the cold, Flynn's needed more entertainment at home. It can be a struggle! We live in a small bungalow - there isn't much space for running! Unfortunately, kongs & other food-dispensing "enrichment" toys seem to mostly just frustrate Flynn - I find he's often more worked up afterwards, not less! He really wants human engagement to work off mental/physical energy. So, we've mainly been practising "tricks" - specifically retrieval skills, which don't come naturally to Flynn. He's doing quite well... perhaps a little too well?
Flynn's started fetching items, regardless of if I want them fetching. I get a pair of socks out & he demands we play fetch with them before I put them on, which... I mean... OK. However, what's less OK are the times I've actively been putting my sock on & Flynn'd darted in & tried to yank it back off my foot - purely so he could pass it back to me & get a treat for being "Good"! Apart from socks, Flynn's decided he likes bringing me teeny tiny scraps of paper. I don't know where he finds it all! I do know if he can get hold of something bigger, like a whole receipt - & Flynn will stick his nose in my handbag, if it's in reach - then he'll shred it up 1st before carefully bringing me all the little shredded pieces, one at a time! Some bits of paper have been so tiny, I don't know how he's picked them up & he can hardly spit them out into my hand. Flynn expects "payment" for every scrap presented.
(Thanks for the comments about my camera woes last week - sadly, my lens is still playing up but hopefully it'll continue working well enough for a few weeks until I can get a new one)
Just a bit O' Fiction for anyone interested in that sort of thing
When Connor Flynn applied to join the Army Aircorp in 1942 the recruiter told him no, he'd not be able to see over the dash. Connor suggested that the man stand on the flight line and he'd take his hat off with his wingtip.
He finished training top of his class and a year and a half later he was an ace three times over.
Called Scrappy by his friends for his tenacity in and out of the cockpit, the fiery redhead found himself on yet another bomber escort mission. The Luftwaffe knew just how far his wing could fly and wouldn't rise to engage until he and his cohorts were forced to turn back for lack of fuel. Connor had had enough. Enough of the repeatedly failed missions, enough of this endless war, enough....On this day he feigned engine trouble and backed out of formation, then climbed to 35,000 feet and throttled his Jug back to save some gas for the hungry turboprop and he waited. Soon enough the order to turn back came and still he waited. Then the scattered calls from the airmen in the B-17's could be heard, it was time. Easing the throttles forward and smoothly dropping below the clouds he soon found the melee ahead. He made out about twenty 109's and they were having their way with the lumbering bombers who he knew, if this kept up they would drop bombs and head home nowhere near their target and they'd all have to do it again tomorrow. Scrappy dove into the fray and scored five more kills having taken the German's by surprise all the while getting cheers from the kids in the bombers, but eventually he got raked turning for the next pair ahead. White smoke billowed from the engine cowling, a sure sign that water was getting into the oil, and he turned back toward England. He knew that he wouldn't make it, of course, but the fight was over for him, even now two Messerschmitt's were lined up on his tail, but they didn't fire. They were waiting for him to bail out so that they could drill him in his chute. They'd no doubt seen the rows of swastika's painted on his fuselage and were now toying with him. The engine temp light blared red in his eyes and the nose dipped on the crippled plane, "God, I love flying," thought Scrappy, "There's nothi"
Yes, I know that this isn't a P-47, sadly there were none at the McChord Air Show. I wanted to talk about the processing though. My friend Wayne has a painting that's about 30x60 on his wall by Barrie Clark that is just amazing. It is coming out of daylight to the viewers right and flying into clouds/smoke/certain death, it grabs your heart. Look it up, the link is in the first comment box.
For the February challenge in 52WfDs: Catch!
Flynn was diagnosed with mild-moderate hip dysplasia at a fairly young age (5, I think) & he's treated for arthritis. We have him on a low daily dose of an anti-inflammatory medication & thankfully, his pain is now generally well under control. Flynn will be 10 in May, so he's not exactly a youngster anymore but I very rarely see him looking visibly stiff on his back-end (it's actually one of his front legs which looks a little sore from time to time!). As well as the pain meds, I do also have to manage how Flynn exercises - it's important to keep arthritic dogs as fit as possible, so they maintain muscle mass but at the same time, not allow them to do too much twisting, turning, jumping & skidding about, which puts strain on their joints. That's tough for a border collie, they do so love darting & diving around!!
Flynn is a typical toy-crazy collie... so it took us a while to find a good balance between still letting him have fun but not overdoing things! It's lucky he does enjoy "herding games" so much because that allows us to play for long periods of time, without Flynn repetitively chasing after a ball. I often only actually throw a toy a handful of times & then Flynn happily spends the rest of his walks slinking about at a steady pace, while he *watches* me hold the prize. Haha, I'm not sure him crouching down to stalk me is brilliant for joints either but it's definitely better than launching himself in the air, or racing about & sliding in the mud, trying to grab fast moving toys! When I do throw the ball, I try to either chuck it low, while he's running in a large circle, or toss is slowly up (or at Flynn!), so he can catch it without too much wild, uncontrolled leaping in the air. He's always had superb reflexes - it's hard to get anything past this pup... although, if you're wondering, on this occasion, the ball escaped Flynn's jaws & he had to hunt it down as it bounced off into the plants - it was caught in the end though! Probably my fault - my aim isn't as quite as good when I'm also trying to hold the camera ;-)
Back in August, in Week 33, just a day or 2 after the hay had been cut, we came through this field & I took Flynn's photo lying on top of one of the bales. We've not been back there since that day until on Tues this week, we ducked into the field, to avoid another dog, who was coming along up on the path behind us. The dog, a handsome vizsla, is one we've passed before... I think this vizsla seems like a sweetie but he's large, young & bouncy - exactly the type that makes Flynn's hackles go up & can turn him into a bit of a grumpy old badger (Flynn does NOT like being knocked, pushed or jumped at!).
Anyway, the moment we got through the gate, Flynn made me laugh because he spotted the now rather bedraggled looking hay bales in the distance & immediately took off towards them... The bales were all still sitting where they'd been left back in the summer. Flynn made a beeline to the same one I'd asked him pose on 3 1/2 months ago. He had eagerly hopped up on top of it, before I'd taken more than a dozen steps down the path. So here's a shot Flynn apparently decided *needed* to be taken ;-)
Oooh!!
What is it Flynn?
I'm just SO excited!!
Oh, what are you excited about?
Life! The Universe! Everything!.... And that pebble you're holding. Mostly the pebble, to be honest!
Wait - you know about the Universe?
Duh, of course I do.
But how can you possibly know about that? You're a dog! Erm... no offence meant, Flynn!
Hmph, plenty offence taken! I'm a border collie. We know these things. Mummy-Collie gave all us puppies a crash course on physics. An' space an' time an' sheep, while we were living in The Barn. I had to pass a test on Everything, before she'd let me go off to live with the hoomans. Never mind all that though, throw the pebble!!
But... but... I have questions... What do collies know about the universe and physics?
Well, for one thing, that whole String Theory thing hoomans talk about is all wrong. Things are more woolly than stringy. It should be called Wool Theory. That's why sheeps are so important, an' why collies are important too... cause we shuffle the sheeps around. In space. And time. Some of us do anyway. I got other stuff to keep me busy.
Wait, you were learning about String Theory at eight weeks old?
Oh, no, we'd moved on by then! We learnt about Wool Theory at six weeks.
Um... o-kay? I think I might have more questions?
Ask me later, I'll tell you all about the true importance of the Dog Star! Now, come on: THROW THE PEBBLE!! It's for Science.
Haha, do you ever wonder sort of job your dog would have, if they were a person? If Flynn were human, he'd probably be an expert in some terribly obscure branch of science. Absolutely mad keen on that one, very specific topic. I think he'd be more of a researcher, than a teacher. I suspect Flynn might get slightly annoyed when posed "stupid" (totally reasonable!) questions by students! As to what sort of science Flynn would specialise in... Given how much border collies enjoying watching & controlling movement (everything from sheep, to pebbles), perhaps he'd be a physicist, with complex equations scrawled all over the walls. That, or Flynn would go into biology & become The World Authority on discovering & categorising ridiculously rare species of fungi, found only in very specific sorts of woodland. Flynn enjoys excitement in his life, but he prefers it to be organised excitement!!
Oi, Hooman!! Hoooooman! HOOMAN!! Pay attention to me!
Oi, Flynn, stop being a pesky pesk.
But.... Barney, Hooman is ignoring me!
Yeah, only fer a minute, cause she's pointing the clicky box at ME! I expect I'll get a snack for putting up with the clicking soon, an' then she'll probably throw ya ball for you, or summat!
But why is she pointing the clicky box at you an' not ME?! S'not fair.
Pfft, Flynn, she is CONSTANTLY pointing the clicky box at you! Aren't you bored of it yet?
Nope! Move out the way, it's my turn to be in front of the clicky box! Hooman, look at me!
I can't believe you're actually begging for attention, little brother!
Haha, look though: it's worked!! Now who's going to get a treat?
(They both got treats!).
Barney had got a bit bored of posing by the time he was about 9 or 10 years old & ever since, he's been much happier only having a camera pointed in his direction a couple of times a month. Some days he just says "no thank you" to having a photo taken - other days, he'll cooperate with me, at least for a bit! Luckily for me, Barney taught Flynn to pose, before going into semi-retirement :) Flynn is now 9.5 years old himself & he is showing no signs of wanting me to stop pointing the clicky box at him. If I take a picture of the landscape, or a plant - or of Barney - Flynn inevitably appears & demands inclusion on the fun. I had been taking photos of Barney & had not asked Flynn to sit pretty here - he just started doing it, until I gave in & took Flynn's photo too.
In his previous home, Flynn generally had 2-3 walks a day. When I adopted him, I stuck to the routine for a week or two but it was leaving me utterly exhausted (I had cancer a few years ago - my energy levels are better than they were but I still tire very easily). Despite multiple outings, Flynn was still being hyper at home, adding to the problem. I soon realised that either Flynn would have to adapt to less exercise, or, although it would break my heart, I'd need to find someone better equipped to keep up - perhaps a dog sports enthusiast.
I desperately wanted to make things work with Flynn & thankfully, we quickly found a good compromise. We generally go for one walk a day but I make sure Flynn gets a thorough mental & physical workout while we're out. I've stopped feeling continually cross-eyed with exhaustion & because Flynn's so intensely busy outside, he's far quieter in the house, in fact, he now spends most of the rest of the day snoozing. For a young, working-bred border collie, he's learned a good "off-switch"...
Flynn's quite happy with the changed routine but he's still a collie, which means he always leaps at the chance for extra walkies! He couldn't believe his luck when I waved the lead at him for a 2nd time today. We'd had our regular walk around lunchtime but the weather cleared in the afternoon & I thought it'd be nice to take some photos on the first day of spring. Flynn thoroughly approved :) It was a very pretty sunset, almost more like summer than spring... but the "haze" above Flynn here is his breath, a reminder we're not quite that late in the year yet!
Haha, not really - Flynn would HATE to be a Jungle Collie - there would be far too many pokey, scratchy, spiky plants & buzzy, bitey, stingy insects around for his liking, not to mention Flynn dislikes both very heavy rain & hot weather (he's such a little fusspot)!! However, Flynn does enjoy slinking through the ferns in our local woods, & watching him reminds me of a creepy, sneaky little jungle cat :)
As you can probably tell, Flynn takes his herding, stalking games really seriously - although his focus is very specific. Flynn stalks me - or whichever human we're walking with, who has got his toy. I've never seen Flynn stalk up on an another animal, not once. Cows get eyed, with extreme suspicion - he expects me to deal with them! He's been around sheep many times & if they're at a distance, he ignores them... if they're super close & stomping at us (sheep speak for "back off!"), the most Flynn will do is lunge at them (in a panicked "argh, no YOU back off!!" response!). Small animals - squirrels, rabbits, pheasants might get chased from time to time but it doesn't appear to have occurred to Flynn that he could try creeping closer first! Quite a few border collies I've known like herding other dogs... but again, Flynn has no interest in that (which I'm pleased about - not every dog appreciates having a wild-eyed little stalker circling them!). I'm even more relieved Flynn's never taken into his head that he should "herd" traffic...that is one fairly common border collie habit which is definitely not fun!!
Surf school.
School's out for summer so where do the school students go?
For some it will be back to school at Flynn's Beach where they yearn to learn how to become surf board riders.
The boards are lined up on the sand whilst the teacher hones their skills with drills before heading into the water.
Flynn's Beach.
Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Flynn thinks flying reindeer are very exciting - even though this one is a bit funny looking & didn't seem to be able to fly very far!! Never mind, Flynn was ready to catch Reindeer & erm, herd him back to me, when he landed ;-)
Another new toy for Flynn, a festive reindeer!... Reindeer came from the same place as purple Mr Elephant, who featured in a photo a couple of weeks ago: the V-E-T-S!! Not where we wanted to be going during the week running up to Christmas... but I noticed recently that poor old Flynn's right dewclaw was looking a bit nasty & then the whole nail fell off on Monday. No bleeding but he has definitely been sore in the area. We suspect he has had a nail bed infection going on for a while, so Flynn came home from the vets, with the reindeer & some strong antibiotics to take. Luckily though, he's not had to be bandaged & can still go out for walks! The area where he nail was is looking better already & I think Flynn is feeling happier too, so seems like the antibiotics are working - just hoping that when the dewclaw regrows it'll be normal!
***
Happy Christmas to all our lovely Flickr friends! We hope you have a wonderful holiday & that Santa & his flying reindeer bring lots of nice presents :)
Flynn loves to "show" me any empty benches he finds on walks. I feel like he already had this habit when I adopted him - I didn't regularly benches then but nevertheless, he began pointing them out to me & over time, I began using them more! It makes me laugh because Flynn very rarely wants to rest himself & he finds me stopping for any length of time to be a huge bore... & yet, for some reason, he still really likes to find benches & encourage me to sit on them? The funny dog seems so proud of his bench-finding skills & delighted when I sit (as long as it's not for too long)!
From time to time, if I initially seem inclined to ignore the seat he's kindly pointed out, Flynn will go so far as to physically herd me (or my friends, if we have company) over to a bench. He will drift into your path & stand still right in front of you, body angled carefully, so you have to step in the direction Flynn wants you to go in - toward the bench! - in order to get around him. The instant I've taken a seat, Flynn's happy: job done, Hooman has been "rested" & literally seconds later, he's prancing about encouraging me to get back up. He is an eccentric character, even by collie standards!
The bench he's sitting by here is one I actually DO often voluntarily go to sit on - without being herded to it. Flynn ran ahead to wait, clearly expecting I'd willingly stop once I caught up! It's on the main path in the wood closest to town, which is simply known as "Dog Wood" by locals. It's certainly popular with the local dogs! In early evenings, it can be like a big dog party up here... pups bouncing around playing together, popping in & out of undergrowth, running up & down the paths! Flynn's not a fan of crowds of excitable canines, so we try & avoid the busiest periods but it can be hit & miss - sometimes it's quiet - as it was when I took this pic, sometimes half the town seems to be up in Dog Wood ;-) Luckily, most of the pups we meet are familiar & everyone usually sticks to a brief, polite "hello" & moves on.
After last week's nasty stomach bug, Flynn's been mostly feeling better this week - he's still not 100%, but seems to be on the mend!
Gosh it's been hot! This week in particular, as we've had a heatwave (our area was the warmest in the country on Sat) but really, since pretty early spring this year, we've just had exceptionally warm & dry weather. I like sunny skies & Flynn prefers not getting rained on but neither of us like this heat. Flynn's always moped & melted in high temps. He refuses to do anything all day long, until late evening. Once the sun begins to set, he perks up & decides it's playtime & walk time & dinner time & also time to yell at me about how inconvenienced he was by the heat & how it's shameful I didn't fix the issue.
Flynn is forever convinced that given hoomans can do magic like opening tins of delicious food, stopping rain & turning too-hot days cool should be easy. My refusal to do simple weather control causes great disappointment! He's also disappointed at my inexplicable reluctance to let him kip on my bed in a heatwave. Last night I told Flynn he must sleep on the floor all night (he has multiple dog beds to choose from!), because we'd both cook otherwise. I lasted til around 4am when Flynn's pacing & panting & urgent demands for "potty breaks" he didn't need, broke me. I resigned myself to finish the night with a hairy radiator. Flynn doesn't just want to sleep on my bed... he sleeps on my bed, on a pile of blankets, plus a cushion, all pushed up against my legs. Nothing else will do. Clearly to him, nighttime blanket hot is not the same as daytime sunshine hot because Flynn immediately went to sleep & baked happily for 3-4 hours.
Anyway, this pic was taken a few days ago, on a late evening stroll. Our outings often end with us sitting for a while on the bench to the left here & enjoying the sunset. Since Flynn's been ill, I've mostly been pushing him to the seating area in his buggy, he'd just get out once we arrived, then I'd push him home. Lately, Flynn's been choosing to walk most/all of the way back, which makes me so happy!
No surprises that Flynn wins every time ;-) How I wish I could bound up the hills the way Flynn can, he makes it look so effortless... Oh well, he's fun to watch!
We're moving in a week's time, so Flynn & I have been doing a few more walks on the Malvern hills than usual & will hopefully get up there again sometime next week, before heading off for new adventures. Flynn has no clue about the upcoming house move but of course, he thoroughly approves of any chance to play on the hills, so there's been no complaints from this pup. Hill walks have one added advantage: even a bouncy border collie will be relatively quiet at home, if he's spent the entire morning racing up & down steep slopes!
It turns out, that in preparation for the move, my dad had ended our home broadband contract at the end of April & he forgot to tell me!! I was very confused when I woke up this morning & couldn't get on-line... Luckily, I'd already uploaded this photo but I'm now limited to using a mobile dongle, which doesn't have that much data on it & is very slooooow, so I probably won't be on Flickr too much. It might take a few weeks to set up our internet once I move but I'll be making sure to keep up with the Flynn & Barney projects & drop by whenever I can :)
Autumn sends Flynn a bit bonkers. All those crinkly, rustly fallen leaves are just SO exciting & there are so many of them around, that he doesn't quite know what to do with himself! He usually ends up grabbing one leaf, or a bunch on the end of a small twig, like here & then carries his prize around, occasionally shaking it vigorously, while skittering backwards, watching in great excitement as I toss (or even better: kick) more leaves towards him.
Haha, Flynn must have pretty good rear-end awareness because he can walk surprising distances in reverse, holding his leaves, keeping his eyes on my feet, all without tripping up. It's a fairly simple thing to do here, on the wide, grassy stip between the orchards & woods. Walking backwards gets more tricky when we're on the narrow tracks through proper woodland though & Flynn has to navigate roots & twists in the path! He's quite good about taking the odd backwards glance as he goes, or even spinning in a circle to check his surroundings but I do occasionally have to warn him the daft dog he's about to back into a tree, or ditch!
Anyway, this shot was really just a snapshot... I got a few where he just looked sweet, holding his leaves nicely but when I saw this one it made me laugh. That face! It sums up Flynn's feelings about the season :)
Flynn, enjoying a run in the buttercup field, on a beautiful evening at the start of the week. Flynn's mostly been kept pretty quiet & not done much running about since this was taken. He had a stressful day on Thursday & is now sporting a new haircut for the summer.
Following a blood test last week, my vet wanted Flynn's urine tested. Unfortunately, Flynn is losing protein in his urine & the urine is too dilute. Given he only has a single kidney & these symptoms indicate that kidney is being put under strain & *possibly* isn't functioning very well, it's a real worry. With his digestive tract also still not 100%, liver enzymes raised, & now potential renal issues, it was decided Flynn should have an ultrasound scan on Thurs - hence his very peculiar haircut (I'll add a pic below!). I'm always horribly stressed about leaving Flynn at the vets because he has it in him to be very difficult but, he apparently behaved quite well & didn't even need to be sedated for the scan!!
Anyway, nothing terrible showed up - Flynn's gut & kidney looked OK (although apparently it can be hard to see damage to a kidney), the main concern is that his liver is possibly inflamed in places. However, the vet who did the scan was worried Flynn may be "teetering on the edge of having kidney disease", & said it's important we get his symptoms under control because there's a potential for a dog to quickly go into kidney failure :( Obviously, not what we want to hear... I'm really hoping this is a bit of a blip due to all the GI problems & we can stabilise Flynn & keep him healthy for a long, long time to come. We're keeping him well rested, giving him lots of water, he's on a renal diet, got supplements for his liver & we'll take more bloods at the start of July to see how things are going. Fingers crossed we'll get good news then!!
ps apologies I've been rather slack on commenting lately, I'll try to catch up with the group soon!
Flynn came on a snowdrop hunt with me this week! It always make me happy to find these first little flowers of the new year... I don't mind our winter weather too much (unless we have an unusually soggy one!) but the short, dark days are a drag. Once the snowdrops begin to bloom, it's a sign that brighter days will soon be here again!
Other than the day we went to the woods to hunt for flowers, Flynn's had a pretty quiet week. It's the first full week of him being on new meds, so we've been taking it steady, in case he feels funny. I won't stop fretting til he has blood work done & but as far as I can tell, Flynn seems to be tolerating these drugs better than the ones he tried at the end of last year - admittedly, he is currently only on a 1/2 dose, so I think that's helped limit side-effects! The first couple of days were rough - first night he was really agitated, the next, he seemed to be dizzy... but he now appears fairly normal, if a little tired at times (hard to say if that's the medication or his health problem). Anyway, we're just doing as much as Flynn wants really! Today, it's tipping down with rain, so we're having an indoorsy day...
The orchard runs right along one side of the wild(er) woods - just
a narrow strip of grass separates the farmland, from woodland. You'd think Flynn would find the proper woodland more exciting, than farmland - but he frequently drags me down here instead! I guess Flynn IS a farm dog (he was born in a barn!), so farmland is where he belongs. (Admittedly, the landscape where Flynn's from is more windswept moorland, grazed by flighty hill sheep than green fields & apple trees!). Flynn really likes the tiny, neatly lined up apple trees - the low branches provide excellent, year round cover for sneaky collies, hiding from their Hooman, but the grass beneath his paws is soft & the tree trunks are easy to run between.
Well usually the apple trees are easy for a collie to slip between but the farmer has been doing some pruning recently. There are piles of branches & twigs in many areas & so Flynn was easier to spot than normal, as he was forced out into the open! Haha, often, when we're in pottering along in this area, my only clue about Flynn's whereabouts are the squirrels. As Flynn progresses through the orchards, squirrels suddenly come dashing out from the apple trees, bounding across the path & up to the safety of the big trees, in the wild woods beyond! The squirrels are sometimes joined by rabbits, pheasants & even the occasional Muntjac deer. The orchards seem as popular with the local wildlife, as they are with the local collies!
Flynn is generally more focused on hiding from & stalking me, than on deliberately terrorising fleeing bunnies & pheasants but he does sometimes make a halfhearted effort to chase the slowest squirrels. I think he feels it's his Duty as a Dog! He's not daft though - Flynn has no intention of getting his nose chomped by an angry bushy tailed rodent, so he always allows them to escape!
Hey, Barney?
Yes Flynn?
I met you SEVEN YEARS ago today!!
Pfft, how could I forget? My life was so peaceful an' quiet before I got a little brother!
Dull, you mean!!
No, that's not what I mean! Honestly, I don't know what Hooman was thinkin'!
Aw, you love me really!!
Hmm, you've improved slightly over the years. Very slightly. At least you're no longer quite so... bitey!
Slander!!! I was never bitey. Not much anyway.
Hah! I'm old Flynn, not senile. Hooman literally used to call you "Lil' Brown Bitey Dog". "Bitey" for short.
She meant it affectionately.
Well, I always did say Hooman was weird. It's why I picked her as my Hooman... I thought she looked like she needed a nice sensible collie to look after her. Me.
Sensible? Hooman told me about the time you nearly dragged her under the wheels of a car cause you got scared of a circle of PAINT on the floor!
I was young! I hadn't seen paint in that spot before... it could've been dangerous.
I never did anything like that!
No, YOU were just bitey. Very, very bitey.
Shh! Anyway, Barney when did you meet Hooman?
Fourteen years ago. In fact, it was seven years to the day before I met you... Bitey!
February 19th is The Day that I get given wild young border collies - Barney & Flynn share their "Happy Gotcha Day!", 7 years apart. Barney arrived on the scene in 2008, when he was 15 months old & then Flynn joined the family in 2015, when he was about 21 months old. Both came to me after their previous owners couldn't cope with various behavioural problems. I had thought Barney was a handful as a youngster (yes, he really did get so spooked at a small circle of dry paint that he dragged us both into traffic)...
Then, along came Flynn & he made Barney seem easy! Flynn earned his nickname - I was bitten pretty frequently, for a while. Although, Flynn never, ever bit, or even snapped at a stranger, visitor or friend & he did have extenuating circumstances - an undiagnosed but painful illness... Anyway, Flynn is no longer called Bitey because it's a long, long time since he bit - instead, I (affectionately!) call him "Grumpy". Flynn is still an opinionated pup, just much more polite about it!
Haha, anyway, while we've had some slightly terrifying moments along the way, the collies have definitely been worth it. I am so glad they each found their way to me, I can't imagine life without dear old Barney, or his naughty little brother Flynn :)
Just!!
Flynn does so love summer, when he can go slinking through the wheat! He's pretty good at doing it sneakily - barely making a rustle as he slips through the plants. Quite often, as we make our way round the fields - me on the path, him in the crops, I only have a vague idea of where Flynn is. I know roughly how far ahead he tends to go & how deep into the field he'll venture. I don't worry about his seeming disappearance, because Flynn keeps track of where I am. Every now & again, he pauses in his slinking & shows himself to me - just a little. A pointy ear, a beady eye appears in between the crops! He stays put until I've spotted him & we've made eye contact: "I see you!", "I see you!". Then, unless I throw a toy to chase after or tell him it's time to go, Flynn ducks back down & resumes his slinking!
It wasn't just Flynn sneaking & slinking about in the crop fields today! We kept surprising - & being surprised by - wildlife. Mostly the hares, who I presume are enjoying having a feast on the grains! Hares are incredibly quick but they prefer to hide as a first defence & they're very good at it, much better than a collie (sorry Flynn!)! Several times on our walk today, Flynn must've gone right past a hidden hare, without being aware of its presence at all... Then, I'd come along behind him & after nearly getting stomped on by a second scary "predator", the hare would apparently have had enough & finally break cover. It's quite alarming when this happens! The field will be still & quiet, I'll be keeping my eye out for my sneaky collie up ahead & then there's a flurry of movement in the crops right beside me & a hare springs up from nowhere, almost out from under my feet & is OFF! Flynn takes notice of the commotion & he'll peek his head out to take a look, but the hares are so fast, he never bothers giving chase. He & I both just stand there, gaping like idiots for a few seconds, while the leggy creatures bound past & away, before vanishing silently back into the plants.