TBK tells- life as a dog

Chester waiting outside the CR for me to have my shower- photo by Joven

Having written about what I do in a typical day I thought you might like to know what Chester does. So, we will take today as a typical day in the life of a makulit (naughty) puppy. Chester woke me up at 4 am being sick (someone else's food, I think the dog next door, that he should not have eaten). I quickly got out of bed and took him outside while I cleaned up. Having been sick he was hungry, so I made his food (chicken liver and top breed puppy food) and then he went back to sleep while I did some work on my recipe book.

Once I made my coffee and toast Chester woke up and wanted me to throw his plastic bone around the house to "Fetch". At 6.30 am I put his bowl and my camera in the car, but he ran off down the street and even the usual treats would not entice him into the car. I went for breakfast alone at the Microtel and returned to find a scene of destruction behind my house. Chester had obviously got annoyed that I left him behind and had eaten the mop bucket, watering can and ripped my one house plant, a 3000-peso gift from my landlady to pieces. Once I let him in and he calmed down and drank a bowl of water he went back to sleep.

Breakfast by the pool alone at the Microtel at 645 am

I then cooked some more dishes, for the recipe book, from Colombia this time, thanks to Miss Andrea in Bahrain. I photographed and then ate Ceviche de Camaron (a slightly spicy salty prawn cocktail) and Arroz con Leche Colombiano (cold sweet rice pudding) before making my lunch of Thai fish and some cheese and biscuits. Chester slept!

Part of the campaign to educate people that Colombia is spelt with an O featured in our recipe book alongside the Colombian recipes

Chester did wake up when I went to feed the ginger cat and played his usual cat and mouse game with Benny, the girl next door, the cat and I . He pretends he is being a good boy and lies in the sun. Then when we are distracted he races up the stairs and grabs and eats the cats fish, just as the other cats arrive for lunch! After I shouted him, he packed his bag and left home. I found him on the front step an hour later looking very sorry for himself (32 degrees today) and drinking the contents of his water bowl in one go before going back to sleep in the doorway.

Why block one doorway when you can block two!

I then decided to write this blog (one can only type so many recipes a day!) while Chester decided to venture outside. He did his usual con trick of lying opposite the back door pretending to sunbathe while planning his next escape. When I went back inside to make a cup of Earl Grey Tea Chester ran off out through the gate left open by the owners of the Chinese Laundry that has started business next to me. He ran down the muddy lane opposite (where lots of his doggy friends live) and will doubtless return exhausted in a few hours, covered in mud, infected with lice from the manky stray dogs that roam around. He is so like me, enjoying a bit of rough. Then he will make the house that Noel and Frythy cleaned last night all muddy again, be sick from everyone else's food he will have stolen and then demand HIS food from me! Then once he drains the water bowl again, he will fall asleep until bedtime.

The original plan was to take Chester out for lots of walking and swimming

Once our recipe book and Christmas lunch are out of the way I will make more effort to take him out for longer walks and get him back in the car- he is actually very good on long journeys, falling asleep on the back seat.

Most of the time now he is either asleep, eating, waiting outside to be let in, or being bathed by Jhoanna after getting dirty.

Chester, having got out under the gate, waiting to be let back in (photo by Jhoanna)

Next year we are off to Port Barton in January, Coron in April, Nacpan, Lio, El Nido, St Vicente, Alimurgan, Secret Beach and Bato Ni Ningning in May- so we will get lots of exercise then and take the remaining photos for his 2023 Calendar.

Make sure you keep checking our TBK Facebook page, Blogspot and YouTube (Links below) to keep up to date with Chester's latest adventures in Palawan.

In the meantime, he gets exercise when I throw his bone up the stairs and he runs up to get it, and then brings it back down again- he does this several times before he gets exhausted/ bored then he just sits at the top of the stairs looking down at me!