Springer Spaniels of course get hot in summer, but that doesn't stop them wanting to run around as usual like there's no tomorrow! This is Jillie, who lives next door to Janet - she's been plonked onto a stool after having her ball taken away which she'd grabbed as soon as Janet arrived to take her photo (Janet's her number one ball-thrower!) So she's not a happy bunny in the photo and is looking at her owner, Alan as if to say “What have I done wrong, gimme back my ball!!”

She's now (June 2004) 5 years old, the same age as our Poppy, below.

[Somercotes 4th June 2004 - Image reproduced with the kind permission of Janet's neighbour Alan]

Mel took this photograph of Poppy whilst I wasn't around. I asked him how he managed to get her to lie down nicely and he said he just told her to... Same as Alan, above just told Jillie to sit on the stool...

Yes, well... I wonder why she never does the same for me? Hehe!

My multi-lingual cousin Glenn in Boston, NE, tells me my Poppy would be called ‘La Pavotte’ in French (the feminized version of le pavot - poppy); in Italian she would be ‘La Papavera’.

[Donnington 29th May 2004]