Dog Heaven...

... in the heart of Hackney.

Dog Heaven from sarah on Vimeo.

Paw Treatment

I'm really looking forward to going away with Mimi and Alexis. It's years since I've been on a girly holiday...chatting about fashion and films, gossiping about celebs, swapping beauty tips, borrowing each other's cosmetics. "Go ahead ladies, get stuck in!"

LOTUS!!!

Super Model

Get My Drift?

No. You won't like it. 

No. It's too deep. 

No. We'll lose you.

No. They have much longer legs than you.

No. Because I'll put you down and you'll want to be picked up again straight away.

No. You'll be all wet and I'll have to carry a wet dog around.

No. You'll get that sweet little jumper caked in snow.

No. You'll eat it.

No. 

Oh go on then...

Calendar Girl

My photographer friend Alex Grace produced this fun advent calendar featuring all the local dogs. In at number 23 is Lotus.

Walkies!

Nah, you're alright.

Coco Canal

It was such a beautiful morning I decided to take my new accessory on a stroll beside the Regents Canal.

Needlepoint Handbag -  eBay USA

Regents Canal at Angel

Me in sunglasses with new bag, two whippets and a jug.

Hmmm... I am reminded of Coco Chanel's advice: " Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory." She's right. The jug will have to go. 

Devilled Pumpkin

Now that I've lugged the pumpkin home we need to dream up a really scary face for it: something truly bloodcurdling; the embodiment of evil; a picture of wickedness, let me think....

Late Night Joe?

Still LIfe with Dog

On Friday evening I like to get the whole family round the table.

Mad Dog

When you're a very small dog this must seem like a very big house. Forty five, steep, scary, cold, hard stairs from Ed's bedroom down to the draughty hall, across the living room floor and then another fifteen steps to negotiate down to the basement where breakfast is served. Even for a very brave puppy that takes some guts and after weeks of teetering on the top step plucking up courage to set off Lotus finally made her first descent unaided. Once she's off, like a roller coaster there's no stopping to catch a breath, no pausing on the thirteenth step to admire the view, no slowing down to check out that croissant crumb that someone's dropped and with no carpet to cling onto or cushion her trip it really is some white paw ride. After a day or two she is quite the expert and manages to weave in and out of the whippets legs on the downhill run. 
THEN came the ghastly silicone spray incident - see last blog.
The vile, slithery molecules had wafted through the air onto every horizontal surface in the house and so when Lotus launched herself off the top step yesterday morning things didn't quite go according to plan.
Boy was she mad...

James Bondage

My old friend James did a shoot here yesterday. He always photographs something…umm…interesting and I wasn’t surprised when two beautiful girls stepped out of his Hummer followed by a couple of stylists dragging Ikea bags full of stilettoes and some unrecognisable scraps of coloured neoprene.

While I made coffee, the stylists unpacked, the models went into hair and make-up and James took a load of pictures of the new dog.

“Latex” said James.

“Lotus” I replied.

“No, Latex. I’m shooting a load of Latex underwear today”

“Nice. What are all the aerosols for? I asked, glancing at an arsenal of canisters lined up on the mantelpiece.

“Lubrication. Makes it easier to slip the bits and pieces on and off. They don’t use talcum powder any more. They use this silicon spray stuff. Apparently it goes everywhere (smiles) but worry ye not, we’ll do all the spraying by the back door.”

“Fine. I’ll leave you to it. Give us a shout if you need anything.”

Brian and I stayed in the basement office most of the day until Joe came home from school and then we headed off to pick up Ed and take him to the theatre.

“Joe, stay down here with the dogs until James and that lot upstairs have gone. Understand? You stay down here. When you hear them leave, go up, let the dogs out into the garden and then check that they haven’t left any food around that they might eat. Got it?”

Brian, Ed and I got back at about 8.30. As we opened the front door a small fat dog came hurtling towards us, spinning across the hall floor like an ice puck. Frantic scratching noises came from the front room: two bewildered whippets were doing impressions of Bambi when he tries to walk on the frozen lake.

“Look, it’s sick!” cries Joe, gliding past in his socks.

Pup Fiction

How lovely! Here's ye olde Stokey balloon seller and his missus fussing over the pup. "We'll pop back later and buy a bunch of of your beautiful balloons" I lie. 

"Oh they're not for sale darling. We're just actors and you're in the middle of a film set"

Should have guessed.

Lotus Pest

It's been difficult to get anything done lately....

Autumn Knit

Lotus, photographed at Lordship Park in Mungo & Maud cable-knit jumper.

Friday

Well,
Ed spent ages in the bathroom so we were late of course and the bloke wasn't very happy but if you live in Bromley what do you expect. I don't know why they can't use a photographer in London. Anyway the pictures looked okay but they didn't even use the shirts I ironed this morning after all that trouble with the bloody ironing board. Have you seen this bruise on my hand? Then Ed was hungry so we went to a drive thru McDonald's on the way home but we didn't do drive thru coz I need the loo and then we got trapped in the car park by some white van man which meant we were late picking the dog up for her vaccines. Ed! put that puppy on the newspaper, she must be desperate. Anyway, I could have done without the 45 minute lecture off the vet about dog training... ENZO DROP. DROP. DROP. So then we had to head straight to the theatre which was fine because Ed wanted to show Lotus to Will anyway but the whole cast wanted to have a go and you know how small it is in that stage door area and one of the dancers has a dog phobia. Honestly. Then I was going to come home but it seemed a bit pointless as I'd have to leave again straightaway and Joe texted to say Phoebe's back from Turkey and coming to dinner so thought I'd better get some food in but I had the dog with me so went and sat in the car and had a think. I tried to wrap her up and put her in my bag but the bag's a bit small and she was fast asleep - I think her injections had completely knocked her out and anyway her head was sticking out so there's no way they would have let me in M & S so I went to Rokit and got this old airline carry-on bag. At the counter I pulled her out of the small bag and put her in the new one, quite a few people were stood around watching and the dog looked kind of dead which was embarrassing. Anyway it was fine, she was really cozy in the new bag with her blanket. I got some dinner in M & S  except there was a special offer on - a three for two thing but when I paid at those stupid DIY tills the offer didn't come up so I had to go and see someone by which time she was waking up and squeaking. Then I ran back to the theatre with the dog and the shopping and picked Ed up.
How's things been here?
"John and I could't do much really, what with the Ann Summers shoot going on all day, so we've been checking the computer to see what Arsenal's been up to: it's the last day of the transfer window you see and...." 

THE FIVE TENORS

Much excitement in Lordship Park this morning as the 5 Tenors, 7 stylists, 1 photographer, 3 assistants, 2 translators, 1 caterer and a bus driver showed up in an old route-master and parked right outside the house. They all loved Lotus and the 5 Tenors took it in turns to be photographed with her. EVERYONE loves Lotus, well almost everyone...
ENZO! Enzo, look at me. Enzo, listen! Listen to me. Are you listening? Right. PUGS ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD, okay?

Lotus

I'm pretty sure there isn't a make of car called a Thumbelina so Thumbelina was rebranded Lotus to fall in line with Capri and Enzo. 
Then she had tea with Baby...

Read up on Bonsai care...

And practised being a statue...

School Holidays Day 53

Friday Evening 5pm

Ed: I'm SOO bored.
Me: Well do something.
Ed: There's nothing to do. I'm SO bored. I've been in all day.
Me: Watch a movie.
Ed: Didn't you hear me - I've been IN ALL DAY.
Me: Ed, I've got to work. I need to get these invoices done.
Ed: But I'm really bored. I want a Bonsai tree.
Me: Really? They always die.
Ed: That one you threw in the bin wasn't dead. All it's leaves fell off coz it was autumn.
Me: Fine, we'll go up to those garden centres at Crews Hill tomorrow. They have a Bonsai specialist shop up there with goldfish and everything: it'll be a nice day out, now let me get on.
Ed: But I want a Bonsai tree now.
Me: The shops will be shut now Ed, it's gone five. 
Ed: This one says it's open 'till seven on the website.
Me: What one?
Ed: This one, this one in Notting Hill.
Me: Oh, that won't stay open that late tonight, not with the Carnival this weekend.
Ed: Ring them.
Me: Okay, they're open 'till seven... 
Ed: Lets go. PLEASE, I'll pay for it.
Me: Ed, it's raining and it's rush hour and I haven't made dinner... okay then, write down the postcode.

"You have reached your destination on the right"

Ed: There it is, quick park, it's 6.50, we've only got ten minutes.
Me: I'll have to park round the corner, it's all suspended here for Carnival.
Ed: What's that sat outside the shop?
Me: A cat.
Ed: It's a dog.
Me. Whatever. Quick, choose a Bonsai then. That one's nice.
Ed: That dog's cute. Look that guy out the back's holding a puppy.
Me: Let's get this one: it has little flowers on. Get your card out.
Ed: Wait, let me see that puppy.
Guy in Flower Shop: This is Margot's puppy. Do you want to hold her?
Me: How many puppies did she have? Put your credit card in the machine Ed, they want to go home.
Guy in Flower Shop: Seven. We're keeping this one, my sister has one, all the others have gone to our friends, there's just one little girl left downstairs, Thumbelina...

The following morning...

HELLO SUNSHINE

Welcome back warm rays of afternoon light...

Sunlit chandeliers...

Scrolling shadows...

and the sweetest silhouettes.