The Island of Hille

Ordinarily we go somewhere warm for our summer holiday. Not so this year and we found ourselves sitting in our friends' boat zooming towards the tiny Norwegian island of Hille. We had strangely decent weather, however, and everybody caught a sun tan! The sea water was much colder than the Mediterranean, as you would expect, but some days it was as high as twenty degrees. That is quite acceptable and we regularly went for a swim. 

This holiday brought with it my first experience of sea fishing and I loved every minute. The boys were also very keen to throw lures into the ocean and marvel at what might bite. My eldest son particularly enjoyed fishing and hooked a couple of decent examples. We used bait lines with eight hooks and two lure rods to try and entice the tasty ocean wonders. Thomas, my friend, also owned a decent sized crab pot and this yielded about fifty crabs from two separate attempts. We boiled the latter by the boathouse and had a veritable crustacean feast up in the quaint, wooden summer house. 

The island takes no longer than forty mins to walk across and is beautifully green and picturesque. Unfortunately this part of the world brings with it a different hazard - ticks! We get these critters in the UK, sure, but they don't have the potential to infect hosts with encephalitis. That is a deal breaker when it comes to letting children explore the forests and long grass. These things were everywhere and we had to nightly check the kids to ensure they had not acquired an unwelcome visitor during the course of their daily explorations. Basically we avoided the undergrowth and stuck to the little beach. There was plenty of fun to be had with crab fishing in the shallows and water fights. 

A lot of our food came from the ocean. We snagged two fat cod and ate them with bacon and potatoes. This meat was so fresh it simply fell from the bone. Absolutely glorious and the best I have ever tasted. 

Both the boys had several attempts at piloting the boat and acquitted themselves admirably. My eldest was comfortably cruising the boat, shades in position, like he was straight out of St.Tropez!

All in all a fantastic adventure and something different to the norm. Of course Norway itself is not an unusual proposition because my wife is Norwegian and, you guessed it, my kids half Norwegian. Visiting a little island off the coast, however, well that is a new one for us. 

RIP Jack the French bulldog - 17/04/04 - 09/08/14

We returned from an amazing holiday on the Norwegian island of Hille (more on that soon) to find our trusty French bulldog Jack in very poor health. Aged nearly ten and a half he had reached a decent age for his breed but it never prepares you for the shock of sudden decline. 

We were notified while waiting for our return flight and the children were full of questions about whether he would be ok. The boys have grown up with Jack, he has always been there and remained completely loyal and dependable throughout. Whether enduring his ears being tugged or his skin being pulled, our flat faced friend never faltered. The most he ever did was get up and walk away. 

Jack (Jafrak Caramel Cream) aged 2 years with my eldest son

Jack wasn't a dog that enjoyed the company of other canines. In fact he genuinely disliked his own race, but that was in stark contrast to the love he showed to his family members. I remember well carrying an eight week old version into our old flat to meet my other half, he was so small and completely concealed under my jumper. That first night he screamed the place down and I woke to find he had been tucked up in a blanket and placed between the pillows.

Jack was a very robust dog in terms of infections, skin problems and the like. His one Achilles heel was a severe breathing problem, which manifested itself due to his excessively compressed muzzle and diminutive trachea. He had two operations to reduce the size of his soft palate and remove laryngeal saccules. This had a positive effect for a short time, but as the years progressed his fitness deteriorated. From the age of seven Jack could no longer head out for a walk, and in all honesty was only ever able to go about 1km when he was young and fit. He made the most terrible roaring noises after only a short amount of exercise but he bravely carried on as if nothing was amiss. This dog had the heart of a lion but could not overcome the handicap of his physique. 

His final act of defiance was hanging on desperately for our return. Of that I have no doubt. Once he had come and seen all of us, his breathing suddenly deteriorated. Jack had seen the people he loved and knew they were ok - it was time to let go.

Once he nearly died from heat stroke after sitting in a car with the windows down for only five mins! We saved him by dowsing his head and body with
 numerous pans of cold water. The last few years of his life were very easy - he spent his time indoors sleeping and relaxing, but always ready to object to strangers ringing our door bell. Aside from heavy snoring that was pretty much the only time he barked, although he did make strange squawking noises if nobody was downstairs with him. 

I will always fondly remember the way he followed me around, I will fondly remember the way he snored so loudly you couldn't hear the television and I will always consider it a privilege that we had the pleasure of his company. This was our children's first hard hitting experience of loss - they cared deeply for Jack and he for them. It is often the way that a pet leads young people down the hard path of reality. Things die but life goes on and Jack would want us to have another dog, he would want his boys to fill the gap and rejoice that death is always carefully balanced with life. 

A dog is so much part of the family that their departure leaves an enormous hole. Our canine friends are a definite tie and great responsibility, but I wouldn't have it any other way. The scene at the end of the movie Marley and Me reminds us that our dogs share a journey with us - they see children grow up, they stand by you in the good times and bad times - always with unquestioning loyalty and love. Mind you, Owen Wilson's comment re what made Marley such a great dog: 'you loved us each day no matter what', voiced as we view a montage of life over the previous decade or so, applies to all family dogs bar the most aggressive and incorrigible! 

Have a safe journey old friend and thank you for everything. 

Jack (Jafrak Caramel Cream) aged 10 - taken just a week before he passed away