Foundations

I've had this silly idea for ages now to get my girls into some agility training. It looks like loads of fun and I think the dogs would love it too. But I didn't know where to start. I actually bought a mini agility start-up set between Ethiopian and Tanzania that's just sitting in the corner of the study still in the box.

In late January I stumbled across the work of a dog trainer named Susan Garrett who does phenomenal things with dogs. She's a world champion in agility (Her. Her dogs. Who do you attribute that to?).  She has the kind of dogs that make others envious and a little ashamed of our own pets' training. I got completely addicted to her blog and her youtube channel and was trying to figure out, how do I get me some of that dog training? Wouldn't you know it, she offers online training courses, but with no imminent start date for the next course, I was still searching.

That's when I found Fanny Gott, a "a professional dog trainer with a passion for clicker training and dog sports" based in Sweden. And wouldn't you know it, she was offering her "Foundations" class starting in March and enrolment was opening in a few days. And so I kept checking back and as soon as enrolment opening, I registered Natasha and me. I've been looking forward to the course starting and finally it did.

Our first lesson is called "Play with your dog". We get a lesson posted every two weeks, some focus areas and a homework assignment that involves working with your dog and filming the sessions. We then upload the clips and Fanny makes comments, gives tips, and guidance. Dog-training on the internet! Who knew!

While Natasha is my course participant, I'm also working with Shaki on the same things. You know I love my dogs and I'm going to share some of that love with you. Hopefully you'll see us progressing! I have to say, I feel a little bit silly propping my computer up on the bbq in the back yard and hitting record to film myself for an online dog training class. I figure this is just one step further in the re-spatialization of social space.

From the dashboard of MM

Argh. Despite my best intentions and starting the year off with a roll, I've been lagging behind in my posts.
So today I bring you a random assortment of photos taken from the dashboard of MM. When I take the pictures, I always have good intentions on blogging them immediately. Alas, here we are.

I don't even know what to say about this one!

Hear, hear! Keep Dar Beautiful!

Happy hounds after a beautiful trip to the beach!

I'd never noticed that orange and green paint job on the building beside the (I think) Hindu temple

Sweeeeeedish

Glad I'm not crammed on to that dala dala

This pink and green lorry full of people was just too awesome NOT to snap a picture of!

Happy Birthday Cicero

Remember this little guy? Cicero joined the family at 8 weeks old in April 2011. But his birthday is February 9, so yesterday we celebrated the kitty's birthday with extra peace from the dogs and super cuddles.

Here he is on his first birthday weighing in at 5.25 kgs. He's grown into a fierce hunter (lizards and mice beware) and is slowly learning not to love-bite toes when he wants a cuddle.

Boxing Day run

Five o'clock rolls around which means its time for my daily outing with the dogs. After a walk on Christmas Eve and a run yesterday, I decided a run today would be good too. After all we did lots of walking (in wellies, well at least me) last week when our usual routes were turned to mud.

I had to wake the dogs up from their afternoon nap. Hardly looks as if they have extra energy to burn off at this point.

We get all harnessed up. Running with three dogs requires some coordination.

We run the the start of our usual route, then branch off along the ocean for a bit of a change - all three were  suddenly like deadweight as they were busy taking in the sea of new smells - and looped around to end the same way we came.

It seems that rather than re-inforce the napping and lounging around, all three have a new spurt of energy. So rather than 3 more-tired dogs, I have three rambunctious dogs. 

Now, time to whip up some pasta with my homemade pesto to re-fuel. 

Christmas Eve

It's pretty much the perfect beach day today. But I think I'll lounge around home with the dogs, read my book and relax. This is Christmas Eve in Tanzania. Had a delicious fruit salad for breakfast with a yogurt with cremino sugar in it. YUM!

The jury is still out on whether I should roast a chicken tonight or put those 2 kgs of  tomatoes to work in a pasta sauce.

Merry Christmas out there in the big world! Lots of love from Tanzania.

Current Conditions

30°C2:54 PMCLOUDS AND SUN

More Information

RealFeel®40°C

WindsNNE 9 km/h

Relative Humidity82%

Dew Point26°C

Barometric Pressure1007.9 mb

Pressure TendencyUnavailable

Visibility10 km

Sunrise6:06 AM

Sunset6:38 PM

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Change Location  |  Metric  |  English

Current Conditions

28°C9:57 AMCLOUDS AND SUN

More Information

RealFeel®35°C

WindsNNW 11 km/h

Relative Humidity82%

Dew Point25°C

Barometric Pressure1013.9 mb

Pressure TendencyRising

Visibility32 km

Sunrise6:06 AM

Sunset6:38 PM

It's raining cats and dogs!

It's not the normal rainy season in Tanzania. But we've been pelted with stretches of rain since mid-November. This week it's gotten worse. 

Yesterday morning I woke up at 4 am to the fan in my room dying. Power cut. The sound of heavy rain outside would have sent me crawling under covers (a light cotton sheet) but without the air circulation I threw it aside. It was still pelting down when I woke up to get ready for work. Threw on my raincoat and wellies to wade to the car. At the second last stoplight before the office, a crack of lightning crawled across the sky, the loud crash of thunder instantaneous. A fraction of a second later a transformer blew in the parking lot of the petrol station beside me. Some people screamed and ran. Others carried on. 

By mid-morning the rain had waned in the city centre and Msasani peninsula where I live. But other areas of Dar were not so lucky. Reports of flooding in other areas of town brought with them news of drowning. (http://thecitizen.co.tz/component/content/article/37-tanzania-top-news-story/18142-disaster-as-floods-kill-4.html).

This morning just before 6 am, another loud crash woke me up and the ceiling fan slowed. Another power cut. The rain rumble of thunder hangs in the air as I debate with myself whether it’s smart to take a shower in a lightening storm. Just a quick one I decide.

I try to get Shaki and Natasha to go out to pee, they look at me like I’m crazy so I prepare their breakfast and get myself ready; make coffee, pack a lunch, arm myself with my raincoat and wellies and out to the car again. It takes a lot of convincing to get the dogs outside. Shaki crawls straight under the outside couch, doesn’t even leave the veranda. Natasha dashes out for a quick pee and back in under the veranda roof.

The rain continued all morning. When I arrive at the office a colleague said some people weren’t making it in to work because a bridge on one of the major arteries into the centre had washed out. I watch the rain pour down outside as I go about my work and later have my lunch break. A craving for chocolate sends me to the hotel next door to buy a pain au chocolate in my armor.

At 2.30 pm my friend and colleague comes into my office and says, what are we going to do about getting home. Rumors are circulating that the bridge on our route home is closed. Some say collapsed, some say closed for some maintenance so it doesn’t collapse. No one knows. The sound of horns honking outside signal that traffic is piling up.

I made a few calls around. No one knows for sure what’s going on. Our Director is already on holidays and the deputy on her way out. She doesn’t want to issue any sort of precautions. But she leaves the office and we’re all stuck here with no information.

In the meantime some reports are that the bridge is flooded, some half-washed out with traffic reduced to one lane.  But the only thing anyone knows for sure is that people have been sitting in traffic for over an hour in some cases.

I get a hold of my neighbour who also works in town. She’s heard of the flooding and that it’s also high tide, making the situation worse. Her strategy is to stay in the office until after 6 pm when the tide starts going down, easing the pressure on the bridge. The hope is that the backlogs of traffic will also start to be resolved around then. Emergency back up plan, girls trip to the 5-star hotel’s spa in town for stress relief.

It sounds reasonable. Waiting. But then part of me is worried that if I don’t get in the queue now, maybe the bridge will be completely gone later and then how will I get home.

To add to this, we’re in a fuel crisis again. The government has (again) issued a guideline on fuel prices. And the retailer and suppliers have (again) refused to sell petrol and diesel at that price. This means there’s not where to gas-up the car or buy generator fuel. And the power cuts keep coming. This has been going on for a few days now. I should have filled up last weekend but thought I still had just over a half of a tank so it wasn’t urgent. Should have known better. Now I’m hovering around a quarter. Queuing in traffic for the next two hours isn’t going to be good for the fuel level.

I can’t make up my mind. Should I stay at the office and wait until later? It’ll be dark by then and will no streetlights it’ll be impossible to see what’s happening on the road, under the puddles. Or should I go now, and hope I don’t get caught in several hours of queuing.

The internet has mysteriously dropped off as well.  I can only wonder whether it’s a side effect of the flooding or an intentional measure to stop information flows. Good thing my dongle seems to be working still.

I guess this is Africa. Now hopefully I make it home to feed the dogs.

The weather forecast doesn't look good for the rest of the week.

Current Conditions

25°C6:43 PMRAIN

More Information

RealFeel®32°C

WindsCalm

Relative Humidity98%

Dew Point25°C

Barometric Pressure1005.8 mb

Pressure TendencySteady

Visibility10 km

Sunrise6:05 AM

Sunset6:36 PM

Three-Day Forecast

WednesdayPeriods of rain

RealFeel®: 38°C

High Temperature: 30°C

Low Temperature: 24°C

Details | Hour-By-Hour

ThursdayA couple of morning thunderstorms around followed by occasional rain and drizzle in the afternoon

RealFeel®: 38°C

High Temperature: 29°C

Low Temperature: 24°C

Details | Hour-By-Hour

FridayA t-storm or two in the morning followed by periods of rain and a thunderstorm in the afternoon

RealFeel®: 36°C

High Temperature: 29°C

Low Temperature: 24°C

Details | Hour-By-Hour

This Week | Next Week