Aby-a-Day – 9 September: Into the woods (Part 2) (Swedish Sunday)

As you’ll remember from yesterday’s post, two years ago last August, Jacoby, Angel, Kalle and I went out for an adventure around the lake near our apartment. We found a nice place to park, and Jake couldn’t wait to get out into the forest.

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We unhooked him from the stroller, and he couldn’t wait to get out and explore. Angel, on the other hand, was perfectly content to sit in the stroller.

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The forest behind the lake was like a fairy tale, so lush and green, with moss-covered boulders and lots of ferns.

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It was so beautiful out there.

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And, naturally, the photographer in me was stunned by the way Jake’s gorgeous ruddy coat looked against the lush greenery.

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Could you ask for anything more picturesque?

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Jake was fascinated by the wilderness.

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He and Kalle walked all over, exploring.

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They made quite a pair.

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I think Jake was a little frustrated by the length of his leash, however.

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Who knows how far into the woods he would have gone had it not been for that cord of braided leather?

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Finally, it was time to get moving again.

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Jake was a little cranky at having to get back into the stroller after getting to feel like a warrior for once.

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So I appeased him by letting him peruse the bird menu.

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After that, we got drenched in a random thunderstorm. I managed to keep the cats relatively dry, but Kalle and I were pretty soaked. On the way back, Kalle went to investigate a pond.

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Jake and Angel watched him with interest.

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It was a pretty impressive pond, though.

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Even though we’re living in the 20th largest city in Sweden, we still get views like we’re in the middle of nowhere.

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You can see the rainfall on the pavement as we head home.

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When we got close to home, Jake and Angel recognised where we were and hopped out of the stroller.

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Oh, now Angel wants to explore!

Other People’s Singas: Noodle the paddle boarder, Paolo the Brave and his brother, Keiko

This really awesome video of a Singapura paddle boarding with her human in the UK popped up on Facebook yesterday. Noodle and her human, Nigel, go paddle boarding regularly on rivers in Essex and Sussex. They even have an Instagram page.

But as cool as this story is, it gets cooler. Noodle (Singaneko Artemis) comes from a British cattery, and her father is Bakardi Minimali*PL (“Keiko”). Kinsey, the breeder, has also written two children’s books about Keiko and his littermate brother Paolo (Bolt Minimali*PL). I discovered – and bought – these books last year after we got Logan, delighted to find any books starring Singas.

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Of course, you know that our Izaak also comes from Minimali*PL. But if you look at Paolo’s, Keiko’s and Zak’s pedigrees, you’ll find that all three boys’ parents are Tinytoy Rus Mafoj*PL (father) and Angelina Minimali*PL (mother)…so Zak is Paolo and Keiko’s full brother, and Noodle is his neice! Paolo and Keiko are three years older than Zak…but how amazing is it to discover that Zak’s brothers are children’s book stars!? And his neice is a famous paddle boarder!? I guess Zak has a lot to live up to.