Happy milestone, Zoomies
March 20th 2011 02:54
With these words, Zoomies becomes a 200-post blog.
When I started this blog, almost three years ago, the only consistent creative writing I had done was a series of stories about my daughter. In her first 10 years, I wrote about 70 anecdotes of life with my first, and only, child.
It was enjoyable, and I was pleased at the time that I had managed to write so much.
In case my daughter should read this, I should explain that writing 200 stories about the dogs over three years does not mean, my precious darling, that I love the dogs more (although there were times, before you finally learned to sleep through the night, that it was close).
The reason I have written so much more for the dog blog is the people who come here - the Zoomies readers. It still astonishes me to think that every day, all around the world, hundreds of people come here to read about my dogs, and occasionally stories of other people’s dogs, and more occasionally still stories from the wider animal world.
It’s like making hundreds of new friends, quiet ones who slip in for quick but regular visits.
I am quite proud of the material I have created here. But I wouldn’t have done it without all of you. Thank you.
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Comment by Janice Cali
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Comment by heidiclyde
I realise that you are very proud of your blog writing but aren't you being a little bit unfair? Adding up your efforts I think you can take credit for about 2/3 of them. Daisy and Scratchy wrote the others and they have a much harder time of it hitting the right keys so they should get huge credit for their bits. I know it is easy to get excited and forget the real workers, but where would you be without their contributions?
I do wonder though if you should reduce the amount of time Daisy spends doing research on your compooter. Her taste for weird and peculiar events is a little macabre don't you think? I could understand it in a boy dog like Scratchy if he actually had the brains to do research but it is surely a bit beneath a lady as elegant and suave as Daisy?
Your loving friend,
Heidi.
Comment by Roux 'b Doux
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Chris when she's right she's right (which is always).
Roux 'b Doux
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Comment by Chris Champion
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You are absolutely right, and I want to thank you for pointing out that I have been hogging the credit.
I have given some thought to how I can correct my oversight and I have decided that full and substantive accreditation shall be given to the efforts of Daisy and Scratchy in both Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the development of the Zoomies blog.
Stage 2, as you will probably have surmised, is Zoomies the Book, and Daisy's invaluable contributions will receive full recognition in the Foreward and, more importantly, in co-writing bright lights on the cover.
Stage 3 will be Zoomies the Film. No need to plan anything special for Daisy and Scratchy there for they will be the stars of the show. It will be me who will be lucky to get a mention.
Thanks again for your astute observations.
Tickles and hugs,
Chris
Comment by Chris Champion
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You make a good point. Our non-greyhound model, however, was the best picture I could find to denote the festivity occasioned by this 200th Zoomies blog post.
He does it well, I think. Scratchy could match the doleful look, but no greyhound would look quite as comfortable in a party hat and surrounded by balloons.
Greyhounds, I think, are good for many things, but natural clowns they're not.
Ear scratches and cuddles,
Chris
Comment by heidiclyde
How exciting! A Zoomies book! Do you think you could persuade Chris to dedicate it to Clyde and I for our loving support? The grown up girls up here sometimes show us a book dedicated to them by a man called Max Fatchen and I get a little bit jealous. It is a nice book with nice poems in it but I think a Zoomies book would be better.
Big licks,
Heidi.
Comment by Chris Champion
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Well, we'll celebrate a Zoomies book when we see one. I know the Big Boss - he's big on ideas, and dreams, and short on follow-through.
I can tell you, though, that Big Boss used to work with Max Fatchen at The Advertiser and remembers him very fondly. We have a book of his poems in our house too.
Licks,
Daisy
Comment by heidiclyde
There I knew there was a good reason for you being such a good friend. The book that Max Fatchen dedicated to the girls wasn't just for them, it actually says "For Heather, Bronwyn, Mhairi and Woodruff, the dog, on Kangaroo Island" and we all know it was specially for the dog because the dog in the pictures is Woodruff and he is on the front page too. Max really liked Woodruff, a dignified old English Stafford, he even wrote about him in the Advertiser once.
The Missus says that anyone who likes Max has to be a good bloke. I say anyone who loves Me has to be a good bloke. So you see, two good reasons for being such a good friend.
big cuddles,
Heidi.
Comment by Chris Champion
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The day I started work at The Advertiser, which seems like a thousand years ago but was actually, I think, in the early 1800s, I got to work a bit early and so had 20 minutes to kill before my boss, the venerable chief sub-editor, arrived.
So I went over to the "files", huge, loosely bound piles of back issues of The Advertiser, which in those non-digital days were a constant source of reference and fact checking.
They also represented the great tradition that a 100-plus year-old newspaper builds, with the builders being events and people.
There had been many great events covered by The Advertiser, and its corridors had seen many great journalists. But they had arguably seen only two legends, and for those of us lucky enough to be there at the time, it was a wonder that their careers largely overlapped.
One was Des Colquhoun, one of the greatest journalists of any generation. Shortly after his death in 2006, Natasha Stott Despoja told the Australian Senate: "He confronted bigots and those who wanted him to censor, censure and condemn with a hugely expansive, Fer Gods sake! and a torrent of lovely words that reminded even the worst of them that life is for living, enjoyment, embracing and dancing."
The other legend was another man who used lovely words to remind us that life is for living. He was also the only Advertiser staff member who walked up to the new kid standing by the files that day to say a word of welcome. "Hello," he said, appearing by my side, "here's a face I don't know. I'm Max Fatchen."
He made me feel 10 feet tall. But I learned, over the years, that you always felt 10 feet tall when talking to Max Fatchen.
Hugs,
Chris
Comment by heidiclyde
We've been meaning to visit him for ages (Jean died a couple of years ago) and introduce the new generation but have somehow always been too busy. You remind me you can never be too busy for Max.
Jennie.
Comment by Chris Champion
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