Non rolling roller blinds

I'd bought some black out roller blinds for the bedrooms which worked a treat at keeping the rooms dark at night.  The problem with both of them was that they had flimsy plastic chains that insisted on breaking no matter how I handled them.

I got a replacement chain from B&Q but that lasted only days before it too broke.  So the blinds have been pretty much non functional for months.  Well I finally got round to buying another replacement chain.  Seeing as I couldn't find one locally I went online and got a 3m length of chrome roller blind chain with 2mm gap from a seller on Amazon for a few quid. 

Fitting it was a little fiddly but luckily I have small fingers so it wasn't too difficult.  I did eventually determine that the blind needed unrolling all the way before threading on the chain.  The first time I did it I had the blind fully opened which meant that when I tried closing the blind I found I ran out of chain.  Second time I rolled it down halfway which didn't work either.  Then like Goldilocks I figured out the right option the third time, which was inevitable as it was the only option left.

It cost a few quid and a bit of fiddling and I now have functioning roller blinds again.  I know, it's a small achievement but so is everything in life depending on how you look at it.  Next step - window sills.

Painted stairs in walnut and white

It's a 1930's house with Victorian styling.  From the start I knew the decor had to change.  For the hallway it was either going to be something like painted stairs or carpet runner up the middle of the stairs.  You know, something stylish and eye catching that will bring a smile to the face when entering the house.

This is what the hallway and stairs looked like at the start.

Nice enough yes but everything was changed in the place and it wasn't long before the hallway looked like this.

So after months of neglect the poor stairs finally got cleaned and sanded and stayed like that for years.  A few months ago a banister was installed which made a big difference to the look and feel of the area.  However it was still bare plaster walls and bare wood when entering the house.  No smiles here.

So finally I got round to paying some attention to the the hallway.  I deposited the dogs at daycare for the day and got to work.  After lots of humming and haaing I decided on a painted stairway with walnut varnish for the treads and white paint for the risers and skirting board.  Once I'd decided getting started was easy.  I masked off the risers with bog standard masking tape.  Yes I could have forgone the masking as I was going to paint the risers and skirt anyway but by masking of the area I had two advantages.  Firstly I didn't have to worry about paint not applying properly to the places where the varnish had spilt on and secondly I could quickly apply the varnish without having to worry about staying within the lines.

I got a big pot (in hindsight far too much so will have to find other things to varnish now!) of Ronseal Diamond Hard Floor Varnish in Walnut and got the first coat down in no time.

It felt great to see something on the stairs after so long.  However one coat was clearly not going to cut it as I wanted a much darker colour.  So I applied another couple of coats over the next few days.  Once I'd got the colour right I masked off the treads and primed the risers and skirt with Dulux Primer & Undercoat.

At last I could see what the finished product would look like.  Unfortunately it wasn't going to be the perfect, high quality finish I wanted because let's face it, it's an old house and unless I was going to fork out for a new stairway I was not going to get a perfect finish.  So instead I resigned myself to rustic and charming and applied a second coat of the undercoat and then finished with a topcoat of Leyland Trade Satinwood in Brilliant White.  I then finished it off by varnishing the banister and newel posts and painting the spindles.  Lucky for me I think it still looks pretty fantastic.  Here is the picture of the stairs all varnished and painted.

I also got round to finally getting a mist coat of paint on the walls which makes a massive difference to the look and feel of the whole space.

I had no idea how depressing the bare plaster walls were.  Now they're gone albeit with a crappy mist coat it feels so much calmer and inviting.  Next stop is to finish painting the walls and then make a start of prepping and painting all the remaining woodwork - skirting, architraves, door jambs, cupboards - it's going to be a long winter.

Coffee table

The coffee table in the living room looked fantastic and was another one of those projects that needed finishing off.  It had been in the room for months looking good but not really practical as the surface was uneven and unfinished.  So I took it outside and got the sander on it to even out the top and sides.  I didn't have the foresight to take a picture at the start so instead the picture shows the right side of the table with the original pitted and rough finish and the left side shows the sanded finish.

And here is the table fully sanded.

I considered sanding out all the cuts and pockets on the sides but decided against it.  The whole feel of the table is rustic and I like seeing those notches and cuts in the wood as it reminds me of the imperfection of all things.

To protect the table I wanted a natural finish as possible that wouldn't detract from the wood.  I applied several coats of Ronseal Quick Drying Clear Varnish and again with the ta-da, here is the finished product.

Firewood storage

I have a log burner which is hands down the best thing ever in the winter months.  Problem I had was that I was storing the kindling and logs in boxes and baskets which try as I might I could never make them appear stylish additions to the decor of the room.

So a trip to the local junk store coughed up this little gem.

Not much to look at but it was solid, right size and had a hinged lid.  So a bit of cleaning, sanding, priming and painting and ta-da I now have a storage box that looks like it belongs in the room and I no longer have bits of wood and cardboard cluttering up the room.

Now let's see how long it takes me to get around to replacing the hinges so that the lid closes properly.  As long as I do it within five years it will still be a personal record.

Next stop - DIY

A couple of months ago I had a major life change.  It knocked me back initially but I recovered and remembered that every cloud does indeed have a silver lining.  So new start, new me and I'm finally pulling my finger out and decorating my house.  I've been putting off so many tasks for so many years for so many reasons and now those reasons are gone and the tasks are getting done!

Nail clipping

Let's be clear, the B's hate having their nails cut.  The only way to do it was to wave a really tasty treat in front of their nose, have one person grab and hold them in a bear hug while the other quickly clipped nails as fast as possible.  Then it was a case of letting them scrabble down to solid ground and to safety and wolf down the treat.  So fair to say it was a stressful event for everyone involved.  In fact it was so stressful we often put off the task for weeks on end.

This weekend it was clear their nails needed trimming and I was home alone with no partner in crime.  I considered doing both the bear hug and clipping myself but quickly realised that was never going to work.  Luckily I found a super easy way to do it all by myself.

I sat down next to them and cut up half a dried chicken sausage into tiny pieces.  The noise and the smell was enough to get their attention and before I'd finished they were both lying at my feet waiting for the treats.  So all I did was pick up a paw and give a treat.  Then I clipped one nail and again gave a treat.  And that was it.  They both sat there quite happily while I picked up a paw in turns and clipped a nail.  No struggling, no squealing and no stress.  All I can say is thank you for greedy dogs.

Training two dogs together

Decided today that I need to get back into a training regime for the B's.  This was after standing around for 10mins this morning waiting for the little monsters to come back after disappearing into someones garden.  So as with almost everything I do now I started at the usual place - Google.  After a bit of searching found this great YouTube video about how to train more than one dog at a time.

First thing I did was cut up a hotdog as I didn't think the usual kibble would cut it for this session.  I then started by calling their respective names and giving them a piece of hotdog.  I then worked on having one of them stay while working on simple tricks with the other.  It took them a few tries to get it right and by the end of the short session I had them responding individually to there names and commands.  Not sure it was a fluke as they are still super tired from daycare so will continue this over the next few days before moving forward.

Doggy Daycare

I've started taking the B's to a doggy daycare and can report it's a raging success.  Originally I didn't think this was an option as Bella would get nervous and anxious around other dogs (ducks = curious; chickens = let's play; dogs = what the heck is that thing!) but a weekend away with friends and their dog showed me that it might be possible.

After an initial consultation day where she had no issues they now go once or twice a week.  I get regular pictures and videos and can see they both love it, running around playing crazy tag, playing with other dogs and lots of wagging tails.  And the best thing - they are absolutely knackered when they get back!

Surprisingly it looks like Bella is the manic, active one and Benji is the calmer, reserved one when they are at daycare.  This is bizarre and it's like they do a Freaky Friday switch when they get there then switch back when they get home.  Speaking to other dog owners it sounds like this is pretty normal that the active dog at home is more reserved at daycare and vice versa so I'm not worried.

Benji is currently curled up at my feet in a patch of sunshine and Bella is lounging in the garden - doggy daycare rules!

Looking good

Yep, the B's are there usual selves and the evidence of the chocolate orgy is starting to appear.  Looks like they both got to the choccies.  I wanted to be sure, who knows why, and must have looked like one of those bizarre-o dog owners who pick up and start examining their dog's poo in the park before satisfactorily if disgusted bagging it up.

Other than the colourful poops the only symptom is Benji seems to be sleeping more than usual but that could be due to the Adaptil diffusers I've died round the house in preparation for Bonfires Night.

I'm just thankful it wasn't the Green & Black's 80%.

Chocolate badness

Today Benji managed to find half box of Quality Streets and scarfed the lot.  I popped out for an hour and when I came home the only evidence was a shredded box.  Not a single chocolate or chocolate wrapper to be seen.

As it's not the first time he's found and eaten chocolate I am concerned but not panic stricken like the first time.  I know there's not going to be much theobromine, the toxic ingredient, in these chocolates but they're packed with sugar and fat.  Silly rabbit has a rubbish sense of smell but can always hunt out the stuff that will kill him.  He seems normal enough so far so I'll just keep an eye on him. 

Bella may well have eaten some too.  She's currently sleeping but as that's her usual behaviour again I'm not overly warned.

Fingers crossed they'll be fine as I really don't want two poorly border terriers on my hands.

Agility rules

Have been taking Benji to agility classes now for several weeks to get him used to being on lead around other dogs. He's a bit better but still pretty sensitive especially around boisterous dogs.  However he loves the agility exercises and "graduated" top of the class - yay!

Training days

I meant to keep a complete diary here of my dog training attempts but life got in the way of that plan.  So instead just to remind myself, I had the behaviorist in four weeks ago to understand Benji's leash reactivity.  It was well needed as he'd started barking at everything when on the lead - dogs, trucks, birds.  The behaviorist had lots of good advice and suggestions and drew up a training plan for Benji and Bella.

So it's been four weeks and I have to say it's been a success.  Yes he still barks and lunges sometimes but it's a marked improvement.  Bella is getting more confident too which is wonderful.

For the past month I've been walking them separately to focus on their different needs.  This afternoon was the first time I took them both out together and it felt great.  Sun shining, dogs playing, no barking!  Admittedly I avoided other dogs and people but still feels like a successful walk.

New addition to the pack

During the xmas hols I found a local ad for an adult border terrier. We've talked about maybe getting another dog but didn't feel ready to commit however as it was 15 mins down the road I figured I owed it to myself to check it out.

Long story short Benji now has a new friend Bella.  She's a nervous little thing but I think once she settles in she'll be giving Benji a run for his money on the mischievous stakes.

I took them both for a walk today.  As usual it was raining so we all got back happy but wet.  Got back home and did the usual routine of entering the house first.  Old hat Benji knowing the routine sat on the mat, waited to be towelled and then ate his treats and trotted off.  I then focused on Bella who was still standing by the door wearing her lead.  I told her to sit and she ... well she just stood there.

Now I know she knows the command as she was following it yesterday.  So I figured that she didn't want to sit and as she couldn't see anything in it for her was refusing to do so.  And so the battle commenced.  She stood there, I stood in front of her.  I occasionally repeated the sit command but with no affect.  Each time she tried to move I tightened her lead to keep her on the spot then relaxed it.  After about 15 mins her back legs started shaking.  Poor thing was tired and wet but still refused to sit.  I felt like a bitch but have seen enough It's Me Or The Dog to know that I had to hold strong and not back down.

All this time Benji was hovering around, intermittently sitting and lying down in different spots but always in my line of sight.  I hoped Bella would get the picture but no such luck.  For me though the sight of him working so hard to please me kept my resolve strong and reminded me of the amount of work needed to train a dog.

Ten minutes later she finally sat down.  I immediately made a big fuss over her and got her towelled dry.

Success.  And it only took 25 mins!  Let's see what happens tomorrow.

Wag the dog

I just watched It's Me Or The Dog USA and Victoria mentioned that a wagging tail, especially a rapid movement, doesn't always indicate a happy dog.  It can also mean that the dog is aroused.  Now I'm choosing to use the ready for action interpretation of the word but you can make up your own mind.

I now understand his reaction at the vets earlier today.  Also explains those dogs with super fast wagging tails that look like they want to attack.  You know, those dogs that come running up, stop dead inches away and stand there with their tales wagging a mile a minute.  I thought I was being overly cautious and a killjoy by not letting Benji off the lead to play but I am now glad that I didn't succumb.

Spring boost

I took Benji to the vets today to get his booster vaccinations.  That means it's been a year since he padded into our lives.   One year in which he's completely and utterly become part of our way of life.

He was the most well behaved dog leaving the house, in the car, in the waiting room (well a little excited playing with the other dogs but pretty tame compared to his past self).  Then his usual vet walked into the waiting room and he went ... well crazy.  Jumping, barking, hiding behind me but still curiously wagging his tail.  I think he now has a love/hate relationship with him so I'm going to have to be careful about his visits.  Like any sentient being he's losing his innocence and naivete through experience.  I'm not sure exactly how that makes me feel.

I don't know if it's the border terrier breed or just his great nature but he was wonderful with the vaccinations.  The kennel cough is a syringe that's squirted up the nose and he didn't make a peep.  Then with the injection he didn't even flinch.  I only wish I was that well behaved with the nurse.

Only reason he got the KC shot was so he can go to doggy daycare.  There was a bout of it going round a few months ago and most of his friends had it but not him.  Hardy little terrier.  So now it's daycare centres research.  Long live the internet.

Going to give it a few weeks then give him the rabies vaccination to complete his pet passport.  Not sure if we'll ever get away but I'm sure that the dogs paperwork won't be the cause.

Sun bunny

Nothing better than lazing in the sun.  At times like this I wish I was a dog.  Politics, computing, heck even keeping your home clean are alien concepts.  There is no thinking just pure instincts.  Much like The Fool it's a simple world full of delights.

Monday morning

It's the Monday after another crazy DIY-filled weekend and we're all feeling a little hazy

Damn those trumpets

The little fella is curled up by my side.  Since the cold weather has set in he's gotten a lot more "affectionate" and likes to curl up in my lap and go to sleep.

He was fast asleep and completely relaxed when he then farted.  In his typical 0-60 in 1ms he was up like a shot looking around for the intruder.  Seeing nothing suspicious he gave me an affronted look and then settled back down again.  One minute later he farted again and did the whole thing again.

He's still next to me but now his butt is pushed into me and his head is stretched out down the couch, with this face buried in the couch cushions.  Little stinker.

Mmmm ... peanut butter

Yesterday I cooked up another batch of peanut butter cookies.  Used my bone shaped cookie cutter which means they look great but take forever to cut out.  Cooked them at a higher temperature (190C) for longer (30mins) and kept them in the oven for over 12 hours to dry out.  Seems to have done the trick as they've turned out really hard and crunchy.  Benji loves, loves, loves them but then again I could put peanut butter on cardboard and he'd wolf it down.

Benji

Welcome to the Benji blog, a place where I can post my musings, training tips, feeding fiascos and everything else related to Benji.

Benji came into my life seven months ago as a cute little fur ball with legs. He's now one of the most important things to me and makes the smile and usually laugh every day.