In Holland Yatzie has some very good Barbet friends -  Toutes and Fraise from the Barbedoux kennel. Toutes and Friase were not into hunting before they met Yatzie. She taught them the joy of it (sorry Brigitte!) and here they are hunting together in the waters of Noorder park in Utrecht. When Yatzie is hunting she forgets about me  - for about 5 minutes. Then she comes flying to catch up with me! Just to disappear again the next second...

There were both active and lazy moments during our five days at the Bella Tola camping in southern Switzerland. Yatzie was off leash around the camping most of the time, she listens well as long as there are no cats or rabbits around! There were quite a lot of dogs at this quiet camping at the foot of a mountain. Nearby were streams that the kids enjoyed making dams in, dogs helping out! Here is a mix of pictures from our days there.

When we sat down for a break during our mountain walk a tame goat came to us. It was such a sweet goat! She wanted to share our picknick! So we gave her some cookies. Yatzie had to fight to get her share. First Yatzie was afraid of the goat but then saw that it was friendly - despite eating part of her share of the food... When we continued our walk the goat followed us. After a while Yatzie thought - enough is enough, you are a mountain goat, you should stay up there. She barked at the goat but the goat did not care at all but continued following us. There was nothing we could do. Then we heard someone shouting from up the hill. There was a shepherd who tried to get in contact with us. He told us this goat can follow you all the way to the hotel - because you gave her something to eat, didn't you? Yes, we had to admit, we did... But how on earth did the shepherd know that his goat was on her way down hill?

Yesterday we took a cable car up the mountain in one of the Swiss ski resorts near our camping. Yatzie enjoyed the view sticking her head out of the window! For two hours we walked a mountain trail surrounded by snow covered alps and glaciers. It was a fantastic afternoon but with some tribulations. Our friend's dog Bo was lost for almost half an hour. She has a bad habit of running too far away from the flock. With the wind, the hills and the loud sound from the streams it was difficult for her to hear or smell us. We had to walk back and with the help of another mountaineer we finally found her!!! After the tracking we ate a tasty Apple strudel in a picturesque restaurant at the foot of the hill. Bo, who is much taller than Yatzie, always puts her head on the table hoping to charm someone and taste the goodies. She is usually successful!

Yatzie and I share the same passion for the mountains! She runs joyfully over the stones and streams as if born there. I breathe in the fresh air and capture the beauty of the wild. I think Yatzie and I could live happily as contemplative hermits in a cave! What more do you need than love, freedom and beauty?

With Tuscany comes wine tasting! Excellent wines are produced at local wineries all around the area. It is  free to try but of course you leave with an empty wallet and a car filled with bottles! Yatzie liked to play peek-a-boo with Chris in the Poliziano vineyard near our villa. The weather was a little cooler which was appreciated by the dogs!

Just sharing some beautiful pictures of Yatzie and Chico as they are playing. See how sweet they are together! We are crossing our fingers for many great Barbet puppies!

During the past few days Chico and Yatzie became fond lovers! They have had a fabulous time enjoying the company of each other! Yatzie quickly learned the name Chico, and when the two were not together and I said the name Chico, Yatzie started to intensely look around for her new beloved one. Now we are crossing our fingers and waiting for the result of this amazing combination of Barbet lovers! We will miss you Chico, Ezia, Vittorio and Mario! I will post more photos and news when I have an internet connection again. (It is not always around when on the road.) We are now leaving for Switzerland for the last part of our vacation. Bye bye Chico!

Today we did a second blood test for Yatzie to determine her readiness for the mating. The two of us got up early to drive to the chosen veterinary 140 km away... Now we are sitting at a cosy café in the city center of Montecatini Terme, drinking an excellent cappuccino, blogging and waiting for the results… How exciting! Will it be today, tomorrow or Monday…We are ready to go anytime!

We spend lazy days here sitting for hours around the table, spoiling ourselves with nice Italian food and wine. The dogs also get to taste the pizza and the spaghetti. I think everyone is really enjoying being together, relaxing, playing, talking, just having vacations. The dogs handle the heat well aswell. When it gets too hot they go inside for a while or stay in the shade, drink lots of water and just chill. In the evening we sit on the upper terrace which has a magnificent view and a lovely breeze.

We have made a few visits to the picturesque cities around the area – Montalcino and Montepulciano. I attach a few photos from there. Yatzie comes along as always. She is so easy to bring around. But I have to watch her well these days… Last night she met a white golden boy and their behaviour showed that she is getting close to her day!

What a fabulous place we found for our holidays! In the very heart of Tuscany, a few km from the famous city of wine Montepulciano, lies a complex of Italian style villas called Il Pantano. On our site there are 4 apartments, but we are the only two families here. A swimming pool is right by the house to cool down both us and the dogs. Once in a while I throw Yatzie into the pool. Sometimes she jumps in herself as well to get her water dummy out of the water. The kids play with a ball in the pool and Yatzie has made it her task to go get it each time it happens to be thrown outside of the pool. She does not always bring it back so Peter gave her a scolding as you can see in one of the pictures. Bo, their sweet Scooby Doo dog, does not like to get into the water and is very upset to see all of us in there so she is constantly barking off leash. Earplugs recommended! Yatzie is wearing a cooling jacket which works quite well. I soak it in water which evaporates and cools her down. It is needed in this heat! Bart is sorry I did not order one for him!

Saturday morning Marion escorted us to a fantastic river area outside of La Spezia where he tales his Barbets every day to swim and play. It was so good to see the strong bond between him, Chico and Mati. They seem to mean everything to each other! So much affection from all parts. Chico and Yatzie had time to get to know each other during two hours of playing and relaxing. Yatzie is still clearly reluctant too get to close to Chico who is very interested! It felt so good that they could spend this time together before the actual mating which will take place after another 8-12 days. After this nice get together we continued our trip to the final destination, Tuscany, where we have rented a house together with our good friends Maike and Peter.

Chico was delighted to make acquaintances with Yatzie. Yatzie, on heat, but not ready to welcome admirers yet, kept a distance when Chico was getting too interested. Yatzie can really say NO then -  I taught her that! Their first meeting took place on the beach walk in central La Spezia. Marion, Chico’s owner was there and also brought with him his second Barbet, Matahari. Ezia, Chico’s breeder, was helpful in setting up the rendez-vous.

Chico proved to be a joyful, lively dog with much affection towards his owner and breeder. He has a strong male appearance, with a wide breast and a strong head. His 60 cms make him a nice match with Yatzie who is 54. His fur is nice and curly and a bit more woolly than Yatzie’s, which is a good combination. After an hour of walking around the park in 35-40 degrees we were so hot we headed for a swim in the sea. Tomorrow the to be lovers will meet up again!

Preparing for the upcoming holidays in Italy I have equipped our new Volvo V70 with a Dog guard, dividing the luggage area into two parts to make a big and safe space for Yatzie. I found a good alternative to Volvo’s expensive ones at the Dutch site but when it arrived it was not possible to mount it on the already existing dog guard separating the passenger area with the luggage area (my Dutch not good enough to read the details on the site L). But with some creative help and plastic thread it was finally acceptably stable. The kids were helpful in cleaning the windows to mount the heat screens that was another part of the preparation to make the car trip bearable for both kids and dogs.

On our way to Italy we stayed the night in a very nice hotel in Buochs. Yatzie and I took a morning walk, enjoying the scenery and pondering on the fact that we were going to meet with Chico in La Spezia in only a few hours.

Finally the day we have been waiting for for a long time arrived - Yatzie is on heat again! On Friday we leave for Italy and the chosen stud Pierodellafrancesca. So exciting!

We had a fabulous evening at the Svarte Pad beach in Den Hague with good friends. Sunny, windy, warm water - some of us even had a quick dip! Yatzie loved every minute on the beach and especially when she was chased by everyone! We had dinner at the cool restaurant Buiten. On this part of the beach dogs are allowed not only on the beach but also in the restaurants. Yatzie walked unleashed the whole evening. She is not a food-thief like Saartje who had to be stuck to a chair to guarantee some kind of peace for the rest of the guests. Evenings like these are to be treasured and stored in heart as fuel for the greyer days...

On a warm summer evening it is lovely to stroll by the canals in Amsterdam and eat out at one of the many street restaurants. Yatzie always comes along and for her to see the view papa Bart puts her on the shoulder! But honestly, she does not enjoy the view - she just wants to get down on solid ground again.