Meet Pip



 

It's funny how the Universe works sometimes.

A and I had been talking about getting another dog to keep George company for a while now, but concerns about money (hello ,dog walking fees!) and what would happen when we went on holiday had held us back. 

Then one day I come home from work and A asks me if I'd consider looking after one of his friend's dog for a while. She needed a place to stay whilst her owner found a suitable home in London.

"Sure!" I said, thinking it would be a great opportunity to see what life with two dogs would be like.

Enter Pippin. An 11 month old bouncy Jack Russell with the sweetest eyes and the softest fur. I was instantly in love with her when she ran into the house.

The first few days were rough - George was so incredibly territorial, Pip could not even get near her without George growling or attacking her.  Not to mention Pip getting near me when George was close by. I worried that they would never get along and was a bit sad at the fact that George refused to play with her. After seeing what she is like when my brother's dog comes over, I thought that they would be playing all day every day.

Then there were the nights. I thought that Pip's arrival would be a perfect opportunity to finally get George used to sleeping downstairs instead of in our bedroom, as they would keep each other company. But I could not resist Pip's cries in the middle of the night and after a couple of nights spent sharing a sofa with two dogs, we decided to bring them upstairs and let them sleep on the floor in our bedroom...and join us in bed for a cuddle in the morning.

As the days went on, the growls became less frequent, and there were even some signs of companionship, like morning ear cleaning...

....and even full blown doggie kisses!

I think walking them together on a single lead has helped them bond, as they are forced to walk side by side and wait for one another during toilet breaks!

What can I say?  It's been just over 2 weeks and I am LOVING having two dogs. I love both of their distinct personalities, the way Pip inhales her food like it's a matter of life or death in order to get to George's bowl in time to finish her dinner, snoozing on the sofa whilst spooning George and having Pip curled up at my feet, the funny dialogues A makes up for each dog with different doggie voices, and the doubled fan club reception we get when we walk through the door.

I am a little bit in love with this little dog.

Happy birthday George

 

Whoever said money can't buy you happiness has obviously never bought a dog.

Happy 3rd birthday George, you light up my life.

Best £200 I ever spent.

Love love love youuuuuuu!

xxxxx

Today I am grateful for:

- A. making me laugh first thing in the morning with silly impressions
- George's sigh just after she comes into bed to spoon
- walks in the park before work
- mussels and kamut sourdough bread for dinner
- being lucky enough to be able to work from home on Fridays 
- the long weekend that awaits us - filled with cinema dates, tea parties, dog walks, attempting to bake a lemon meringue pie and tending to our garden
- seeing how excited A. is about his chilli plants and shed
- the fact that A. takes pictures of things he sees during the day and thinks I'll love to show me when he gets home

My "No-Shampoo" Experiment

Ever since I can remember, I've had unmanageable hair. I have a full head of fine, frizz-prone hair that makes it impossible to walk out of the house without some sort of styling. My GHD hair straighteners have been my friend for years, as has some sort of anti frizz serum.

In addition to the esthetic issue, I also suffered from what (after a quick Google search) is scalp psioriasis: Itchy, flaky scalp with occasional 'crusty bits' on the crown of my head. Yep, gross!

In my quest to simplify my life by finding more natural alternatives to modern products, I came across the 'no shampoo' method. I'd tried something similar a few years back, when I only used conditioner to wash my hair, but this did not agree with me at all and left my hair lanky and heavy.

The theory behind the 'no shampoo' method is that your scalp's natural oils get stripped by the chemicals in shampoos and conditioners, in turn making your hair oilier quicker. By not using any products, your natural oil levels are restored.

I decided to embark in this new experiment, and simply wash my hair with water. If you do an internet search for 'no shampoo', you will find a lot of blog posts about the baking soda and apple cider vinegar method, which seems to work for a lot of people, but I decided to go hardcore and only use water to see what happened.

I'm not going to lie, the first few weeks were rough. My hair was greasy, lanky and dull. Not the look you want when you have several meetings a day! Luckily it's long enough to be able to braid or tie in a top knot so I think I got away with it at work. And luckily it didn't put my boyfriend off!

I used my Maison Pearson boar bristle brush every morning and night and brushed my hair thoroughly. I had to clean the brush daily as I found I had a lot of greasy white sediments left on it (ewwwww). The one thing I did notice is that my head did not smell, which, considering the greasy state of my hair, was a bonus!

By week 3 I was ready to give up, as I didn't really notice any improvement in the condition of my hair. Then, by week 4, I started to notice the oiliness disappear, and was left with soft, shiny and manageable hair. Yippee!


Last week I was in the French Alps, where the water is a lot softer than the water in London.  I noticed my hair looked even better then, so am looking into a way to soften the shower water back in London.

I'm now in week 6 and can safely say that my hair has never looked better. My hair straighteners are tucked away in a cupboard, and the only styling product I use is my Mark Hill curling wand when I want to add more drama to my hair! I cannot believe that I can just 'wash' my hair and let it dry naturally, without serums or magic potions.

I'm excited at the prospect of being free from shampoo and conditioners for life. Watch this space!

This is the most recent photo I have of my mane...will update with a more close up photo!