LETTER FROM TESSIE-WOO

Dear Lilli,

Hello again from your furry friend, Tessie-Woo.

Guess what? It is Autumn here now at Wentworth Falls and lots of leaves have started dropping on the ground. People say how pretty they are are when they change colour from green to red or yellow or purple but I can't tell the colours because we dogs can only see things in blacks and whites and grays. I have a favourite spot in Uncle E's living room - it is in front of the heater under the window facing our house. The sun comes in onto the carpet there, just where I curl up in front of the heater, so I have warm sun on myback and the heater blows warm air onto my fur and tickles nicely, like someone is patting me. We have lovely fires in the living room at night and I lie under the glass table with Wups and snooze while everyone else watches TV.

It's Easter here, so Wups and I have been outside looking for the Easter Bunny. We got all wet 'cos it is raining and Wups was naughty and decided to run in the mud and got all dirty, but I didn't, 'cos I'm a good dog. Uncle E had to wipe Wups with a wet cloth to remove all the mud. Wups didn't wipe his feet either, so we had muddy footprints all over the carpets. We haven't decided yet what to do with the Easter Bunny if we catch him. Wups thinks he would be nice to eat, but I said we better not, 'cos a lot of children would be sad and would have no Easter eggs if we gobbled him up and swallowed him. Anyway, we have lots of lovely things to eat which Uncle E gives us. Did you know that dogs are not allowed to have Easter eggs? I wondered why, but Uncle E told me that chocolate makes dogs very sick and we can die if we eat it, so that's why we aren't allowed. It smells awfully nice, though.

I'm a good guard dog and tell Uncle E when people are coming to the door. I've even taught Wups to bark with me. The other day people came and E was working in the cottage and he heard us barking so he came. The people were afraid of us, so they did not dare to open the door thinking we might bite them, but we wouldn't do that. Wups would probably lick them to death. He still likes to jump up on people sometimes and if they are small like you, he knocks them over and sometimes makes them cry, but he doesn't mean to frighten people, it's just his way of saying 'hello'.

We go for walks most days. I like going to the shops best, because we get to walk in the park and then at the shops everyone pats us and says "How CUTE". Jason comes with us on Mondays. He's a bit of a fat skite 'cos he caught a mouse at his house and he has to tell us about it all the time.

I piddled inside when I was frightened to go out because of a storm with lightning and thunder, and carpet feels just like grass. Uncle E didn't yell at me 'cos he knew I was frightened so I will try not to do it again.

Uncle E leaves the back gate open for us to play in the lane and sometimes,when the car is full of kids he can't take us for a ride so we run down the lane and follow the car. He stops the car and gets cross at us and sends us home and so we wait for him to come back. Naughty Wups ran after the car all the way up to the highway one day but one of Ben's friends saw him there and brought him back home. I always go home 'cos I'm better behaved than Wups is. Wups nearly got hit by by a car outside his house last week. He neverlooks carefully before crossing the road. The car made an awful screech and the tyres left skid marks. Wups got a fright and ran home straight away, so he might have learnt something. It's a pity he doesn't learn some manners too - he always pushes in front of me to beat me thru the door or up the stairs or out the dog door. He loves having me living here with him and I like him very much, but he's rough and I'm nice.

Well, my paws are getting a bit tired from doing all this writing so I will say bye-bye with lots of love, licks and wags to you and my dear daddy, Tim and my mummy Shar. I do hope the Easter Bunny gets to your new house and leaves lots of pretty Easter eggs for you.

Tessie-Woo.

P.S. Uncle E asks me to send his love to all of you too.