A fence is built

I have probably said this before, but I can not be bothered going back through all posts to check, but one of my favourite people of all time was my Puppa Commins. Sometimes I think he may have seemed as gruff as Rumpole of the Bailey, but he and I got along beautifully. It is not obvious why because his nickname was sporting- and I was 13 by the time I could catch a ball. 

But I know one of the things that we shared. 

We both loved pets. 

Most of my earliest memories were around Puppa. I remember Aunty Jane warning me not to lick my knife because Puppa would murder me. I have it in my head that it was when Pip was born. But it can't be - because I was only 3 1/2 at the time
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This is the store long before my time but looking more like I remember it than it does these days. I have just found out that both it and the family's office on the left were both built and owned by my Great Great Grandfather, TC Humphrys.

I can remember when Jock was born. That was June 1970. I was staying with Aunty Jane above the office and at lunch times Puppa would come up the stairs to spend time with us. One lunch time he took me next door to Keast's General Store (The store was so 'olden days'. It sold biscuits at the back and habby at the front. It was dark and interesting). He talked the lady there into giving us an empty cotton reel box which we took back upstairs next door.

Puppa cut a hole in the lid and from then on, when he came to lunch he would pop a few coins in there and we were saving for fireworks!

I don't remember the fireworks at all but I do remember the cotton reel box. 42 years later.

The office and the next door store before the office was sold after more than 100 years in the family- maybe 115 years?

 The lane way was still open between them in 1970 and we had a side door into the building from the lane.

There was a Goldeana (sp?) tea sign painted on the wall of the store. I took a photo of it in 1981,  before the not-very-sympathetic extension to the office buried it for ever.

After that, Puppa and I hung out together a lot. I would run down the hill to his house and visit. We would spend hours in the aviaries sitting and talking. Cleaning and feeding. I am going to guess that I talked a lot and he listened.

I remember chatting with him while he worked in his shed. He was a great one for pottering around in the shed. I think there was an urge to create in him that was never expressed in the career that was chosen for him as a lawyer. 

When he and nanny set to retire from Junee, he commenced building an aviary in our back yard so we could have his birds. It was my first year of commuting to Wagga for high school, and I arrive home to join him on the grass as he tied wire. Amazing how much of the aviary was constructed in a sitting position. But maybe by the end of the day it was sitting time.

By the time his birds joined us, we had a menagerie to match his own. Dogs, cats, birds and fish. And so this has always defined home for me.

Moving into this new home I was leaving behind a fairly impressive menagerie. Fish, lizard, 6 birds and Rusty. Since moving here I have been slowly replicating it. (I wonder how frustrated Andrew might feel, being left with that host of pets?)

The fish are in the pond outside;

I brought most of the canaries with me. 

But I am not going to bother with the lizard- definitely not on my list of creature comforts.

The dog issue though had been simmering. 

'No fences, no dogs.'

 I have been chanting the mantra at the kids who are completely aware of what a soft touch I am.


They are well aware that I was regularly trawling the web, looking for cardigan corgi pups. As the year progressed though, it was becoming very apparent that Cardis were in short supply. So I started wondering if I would instead consider for a pembroke (the sort the Queen has). But even the pembrokes were nowhere handy and maybe I would have to look at freighting or a very long trip in the car. I got a little serious with that idea until I found out how much it was going to cost.

Anyway.

I got a fence quote or two and the fence was begun.

In the end I chose Colorbond as it looks neat and will not be relying on me to be a good girl and keep it painted. And a plug for the Exclusive Building Group and Marco who did a fine, fuss free job!

Tadah- side gate completed. Limited shot as the side looks dreadful with all the neighbouring builders' mess

So I was looking through my usual sites at pups when I saw straight away that a new ad had been listed! Cardigan Corgi Pups. 6 of them at Cootamundra. Only a couple of hours drive away. 

The pups shown were not from this litter

As luck would have it I had a day off the next day and so at the first decent moment to ring in the morning, I did. It was my usual 'casing the situation' call when more often than not I get cold feet and won't commit, but before I knew it I was completely carried away and two hours later had agreed to buy a little tri-coloured pup called Andy. And to save me from too much driving, Peter offered to meet me in Yass. So instead of a two day trip to goodness knows where, we had a 50 minute drive to puppy paradise!

Meet Ponyo aka Llynrick Prince Andrew (OMG)