Today’s post marks the 10th posting of a Weekly Love list (I know it says edition 9 above, but there was a New Zealand version, as well). I can’t really believe it. I’ve only been writing this blog for a couple of months, but I am so thoroughly enjoying the experience. I would like to say a big thankyou to those who have been reading along, whether it’s every post or just every now and then. I really appreciate the time you spend reading through what I’ve been enjoying, and I hope I have turned you onto something that you are enjoying also.

This week’s list is a little doggy, a little sporty and a little blue, but all still summery. Enjoy!

blueberry stud muffins

I’m not the biggest fan of blueberries by themselves, but these blueberry stud muffins are scrumptious. Soft, spicy, and sweet with just a little something extra.

This is a blueberry muffin with a twist. Instead of just throwing in fresh blueberries, you boil the blueberries in a chamomile tea mixture, which can later be used as an iced tea. And rather than just having a boring muffin top, these are topped with a brown sugar and cinnamon crumbly streusel.

These muffins are an absolute winner. I force fed these to many people in my life over the last week and none of them were upset. In fact, they even liked them.

The recipe can be found here.

cardio tennis

In January each year in Australia, when we’re all over and done with cricket, we sets our sights on tennis. The Australian Open has just started, we’re inspired by those epic five setters that continue through to the early hours of the morning. We get behind our homegrown heroes and we cheer on the legends.

If you’re having trouble finding a free tennis court, or a buddy to play with, why not try Cardio Tennis? It’s not as intimidating as it sounds.

The best way to describe Cardio Tennis is like tennis camp, but for adults (although kids are also welcome). You do a fun warm up, you do a couple of drills, you play some quick games of doubles or singles (depending on the class size), and you finish off with a fun warm down game. But in between each of your skills, you will do cardio exercises like sprints, skipping, running through ladders, weight baring exercises like pushups and squats. You are provided with a pedometer at the start of the session and you will record your steps throughout the session, then compare with the class at the end.

I have been doing Cardio Tennis for the last seven years, starting not long after I moved to Sydney, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. You don’t have to have a strong tennis skill set or extensive background. I have played tennis on and off throughout my life, and am by no means a champion player, and I seem to hold my own. You don’t even need to be that fit, as exercises can be modified to your fitness level. It is enormously fun, it’s not too serious, it’s just a great opportunity to meet some people who also play tennis and have an enjoyable run around the court.

Cardio Tennis is a Tennis Australia sanctioned program, and there are coaches and classes available Australia wide.

muster dogs tv series

What a surprise?! Claire’s watching a tv show about dogs. It’s always food or dogs.

Last year the ABC aired a wonderful tv series named Muster Dogs, about a litter of kelpie pups becoming herding dogs. Five puppies are split up and sent to the far corners of Australia to be trained up by stock handlers to work the land and become fully fledged herding dogs. This is part documentary, part experiment. Herding dogs typically take between 2-3 years to be fully trained up, but this series puts its participants to the test, seeing if these perfectly bred pups can be totally ready to go within twelve months. They will undergo tests at specific points throughout the year to see if their training is adequate and whether they’re likely to be successful at the end.

Muster Dogs is back for a second season this year, but instead of kelpies, we will see the journeys of five border collie pups with five new trainers. There are a few differences between kelpies and border collies in their learning and working styles; kelpies are a lot more independent, while border collies heavily rely on instruction. These pups are sent to properties all across Australia, from the high temperatures of Katherine in the Northern Territory, all the way down to the rolling green fields of Tasmania. They encounter the typical challenges of farming including weather, staff shortages, and the lack of spare time, all the while creating beautiful, lifelong bonds between handler and dog, and find their life’s purpose. It has been declared that border collies are the world’s smartest breed, but will they make it to their twelve month mark as fully developed muster dogs?

This show is in equal measures heartwarming and informative, and it does a great job of showcasing the beautiful and vast landscape of the Australian agriculture industry. It is impossible to not fall in love with both the puppies and the handlers. The puppies, as curious, clever and mischievous as can be, and the handlers, real salt of the earth types. You run the emotional gamut with the participants, you see all the highs and the lows, the puppies learning and succeeding, the toll the Australia weather takes on crops and stocks, as well as just the general life events that occur over a twelve month period. It is the perfect watch for everyone, from those who have experienced farming and herding first hand, all the way to those who live in the city and can only dream of what it’s like to live on the land. The wide open paddocks and bushland are very tempting.

Season One and Two of Muster Dogs can be watched on ABC iView in Australia. The first season can be seen on Netflix.

kong stretch knot chew toy

We’ve been on a bit of a journey with Harry’s behaviour. He is the absolute perfect dog about 95% of the time. He is a sweet, snuggly, loveable, goofball of a pup, but that 5% can be monstrous. Aggression and barking seems to be the problem. We had a couple of trainers visit us and home and assess his behaviour, and they said I have made the mistake the vast majority of dachshund owners make. 

Something that I am all too aware of is that dachshunds are very smart little dogs. Dachshunds are also working dogs. They were bred to chase down vermin through their burrows. While I thought I was giving Harry enough enrichment to keep him happy and fulfilled, I was working him the completely wrong way. Harry is essentially that naughty kid in the classroom who is mucking around and causing trouble because he is bored. I take him for regular walks and indulge his favourite past times, like throwing the ball at the park. While he may be physically tired, mentally, these activities aren’t too taxing for him. His natural instincts are not being satisfied. I don’t live on a farm, and am morally against Harry tearing small animals apart for fun, my solution to Harry’s hunting desires is the Kong Scrunch Knots Squirrel Tug Toy.

This toy is a realistic looking tug toy, made of a plushy, furry material. The toy scrunches around an internal coiled rope, while the stretchy sides create natural movement and the loud, high pitched squeaker encourages Harry to play and chase. One of the best things about this toy is that there is no fluff inside, so if a tugging play session gets a little overzealous, I don’t have to be quickly cleaning up. So far we haven’t had any rips or tears, but Harry is infamous for destroying soft toys, so I’m not holding out hope for a long lasting toy. 

So far, Harry is obsessed. He will chase anything that squeaks. The way that we play is I just move the toy around, and Harry chases after me and the toy. Every now and then I let him grab it, so we can tug against each other. Then, I hide the toy, and pretend that the prey got away. Then we go all over again. Sounds complicated, doesn’t it?! This sort of playing wears him out very quickly. He needs to concentrate on where the toy is moving, plus because he is naturally driven to chase prey, he moves quickly and powerfully to try and get the squirrel. Ten minutes straight of this play wipes him out for a couple of hours. And as they say a tired dog is a happy dog.

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