“Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog” : Karim’s Little Lunging Problem(A Children’s Story)

Hello. Let me introduce myself. My name is Reggie and I am the luckiest and happiest dog in the world. Please read my story and find out why I am saying this.

If you are reading this you are human. Do you really know what it is like living the life of a cast-off dog on the streets of Cairo? No you don’t as you are not a dog. You would have to had led the life Karim and I lived in Cairo to understand what I think you humans refer to as “Mean Street”.

Please understand not all Egyptians hate dogs. There were many families in Cairo that had small dogs as pets but due to COVID-19 many Egyptians lost their jobs and any could no longer afford to pay for dog food or animal doctor bills so many of us cast-offs were a product of COVID-19. The lucky ones were accepted by animal shelters but many were just left off in a street far away from their home so they would not know how to return.

This was very cruel to dogs that relied on humans for love and protection. Many dogs became angry and mean against humans as they felt betrayed. Imagine being in a caring and loving home, like me, then poof you are a street dog surviving to live. Can you imagine the terror of being alone with animal control trying to shoot or poison you? Here in Canada they let you live and put you in a shelter. Allah help you if it is a kill shelter. In a kill shelter you are put to sleep forever if no one comes to adopt you but at least you have hope. Street dogs often have no hope.

Street dogs often loose their manners and forget their training. They poop and pee wherever they want. They fail to obey most commands from humans fearing it is a trap to grab and kill them. One day a group of teenagers were smoking hashish in a back alley and they held out a piece of chicken for me and my tummy was so empty it was hurting. As I walked over to the boys I heard a couple of them chanted in English “KILL”. Thankfully I understand English so I ran off. Street dogs learn not to trust humans as they are dangerous. But some humans were good humans and fed us and gave us water to drink. Most simply ignored us but we will never forget those that tried to kick us or hurt us. For many of us that stays trapped in our minds.

So we come to Canada with bad attitudes toward human beings. And a long trip on an airplane to a new country we know nothing about. Please don’t expect us to be like many happy Canadian dogs who are loved, protected and so well taken care of. I was on the street for what I think was close to a year and felt, angry, mistreated, abused, hated, threatened and most of all painfully unloved. Can you expect me to jump up and wag my tail and thank those who rescued and adopted me?

I told you before I saw a BBC documentary when I was with Anwar about British soldiers in Afghanistan who returned home with post traumatic stress disorder which they call PTSD because they keep reliving some of the horrific situations they were in. Yes I think many of us street dogs of Cairo suffered from PTSD. The longer a dog is on the street the more the chance of it developing PTSD. Me? I think my daily prayers to Allah made me strong and hopeful but do you remember that VERY STUPID MISTAKE I made of biting Bob on my first day with Bob and Fay. I was frightened of humans even though I knew Bob was a good human. Something in my past just made me do it but after I bit Bob my vision went gray and I saw Anwar’s spirit giving me a smile saying that he missed me so very much and that my prayers had been answered about being safe and being loved and that I was to go to Bob and nuzzle him and ask for a belly rub. Anwar said he would be watching me and guiding me in my new life and to trust and be nice to Bob, Fay and Dillie.

Karim was I think a few years older than I was and although a cute white Havanese he was on the street longer than me. I persuaded him to be nice to Bob, Fay and Dillie and he saw quickly how right I was. But there is a trainer that comes to Bob and Fay’s house a couple of days a week. She says Karim suffers from fear and aggression lunging meaning where he is in situations with strange people and dogs he might try and lunge at them although it is not anger or meanness that causes him to do this but just because his experiences on the streets of Cairo have taught him to be fearful of most humans and dogs.

Dillie, Bob and Fay’s West Highland Terrier and I lunge at joggers when they run too close to us, skateboarders, rollerbladers and sometimes big dogs but Fay and Bob put up with it because it does not happen often. Karim goes nuts with almost all dogs and humans he sees if he does not know them. The trainer left Bob and Fay a video how to make Karim more relaxed and part of the training indicates lots of liver treats and kind words with encouragement help. Dillie, Karim and I watch this video and laugh at ourselves for being so silly.

After three weeks of training Karim has relaxed so we can on our walks swaggering like a FRIENDLY dog pack which is both proud and free. Karim is on track! He has gone to the animal hospital and Dr. Furby laughs and says Karim, like me, is “fit as a fiddle”. Karim has found his forever home. Dillie has been so understanding of me and Karim. Without the support of this wise and kind dog we’d be back for adoption. Even Karim treats him as the leader of our pack. A Scottish dog and two Egyptian dogs. We are one big happy family. The cruel days of Egypt are fading away slowly for Karim and Reggie! All three of us dogs would love some goat bones. Do they eat goat in Canada?

RKS Wine: The Penniless Pensioner Does Not Drink Cat’s Pee

Cat’s Pee is supposedly a common reference to Sauvignon Blanc. PP does not like this reference as he is biased against Sauvignon Blanc as the subject of some commoner stampede. Yes I’ll agree it is overmarketed to the extent it will lead to its downfall in New Zealand. There are some excellent producers of it like Eradus but there is some dreadful producers like Kim Crawford.

I suggest to PP since he is a bit of a French wine adherent perhaps we could try a Sauvignon Blanc from France and it is inexpensive. It is from Domaine Jacky Marteau. PP dislikes the label saying it is so unFrench!

The wine has a platinum colour and there is no mistaking its Sauvignon Blanc (SB) aroma and it is not cat urine. Rather a nice beam of lime, pear, guava, grapefruit and tangerine. No light and flitty wine on the palate. There is peach, apricot and Orri tangerine from Israel. It not quite full bodied but close to it with a medium length finish. This SB certainly has its own personality. Actually it is a pretty decent quaffer if you like a wine with personality and inherent characteristics. The label suggests good with seafood, asparagus and goat cheese. Sounds great. PP only likes white asparagus flown in from Alsace in France but in his lowered financial circumstances he will eat fresh Canadian asparagus but defiantly says I’m not touching that Peruvian or Mexican crap. I’ll agree with him on that.

(Domaine Jacky Marteau 2019 Sauvignon Touraine, AC Touraine Sauvignon, Domaine Jacky Marteau, Pouillé, France, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 18665, $14.95, 750 mL, 13.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 89/100).

“Mutantism on the March” : Chapter 91 “Eno Ergot Reams Jiber”

Eno Ergot was in a gay mood at his Eno’s Restaurant in Montreal until to his surprise he saw the Jiber appear. The Jiber, who we recently know as René Hecklevesque, had read a review of “Eno’s Restaurant” in Montreal’s leading newspaper “Le Devoir”. So the two would meet to hatch their plans to conquer the universe. Jiber had always thought of Eno as a bumbling idiot and so very easy to manipulate. Eno was breathless with surprise as he had thought he would never see the Jiber again and he couldn’t have cared less.

Jiber shook hands, Earthling style, with Ergot and launched directly into the business at hand, “My friend Eno, sometime ago we concluded an informal pact to join forces here on Earth and establish a conquering army. If you join me there will be fame and glory and most of all power! What do you say?”

Jiber was careful not to reveal his master plan. He had never intended to include Eno in any real power sharing, just to use him and cast him off when his power was strong enough.

To Jiber’s surprise Eno replied in a surly and defiant tone chastising Jiber, “To be truthful I never liked your scheming kind. You always lacked any sense of compassion. When I made that pact with you many moons ago I was a foolish and spoilt brat who delighted in terrorizing innocent beings. I’ve changed over the years I have spent on Earth. My travels have convinced me humans are basically warm and caring creatures despite their many self-inflicted hurtful episodes. They have been exploited enough without the likes of you to further curse them. Come to think of Zorollia there the only emotions approved by the ruling caste are hate and distrust. Fortunately your neighbours, the Zortixians, cast aside these base emotions. All you want to do is conquer and terrorize people. I hope one day whatever supporters you have will come knocking on your door with a noose in their hands. I want no part of your foul plan to use Earthlings as the base of your conquering army and if they find out what you are up to I will help them hunt you down. Good riddance scum. Why don’t you do me a big favour and Zumzat (Zortixian for fuck off).”

Jiber stormed off. What a fool he had been thinking he could receive any meaningful assistance from this idiot. It was clear to him now that he would have to fight this battle alone. He would have to be even more devious than before. He had overplayed the hijack issue, known as the Toronto Insult, and needed some new material quickly. His provocateurs in the United Sates advised him soon it would be time for the big push. They were busily circulating rumours of a Communist takeover of Quebec spearheaded by René Hecklevesque supported by Cuba’s Fidel Castro. These Communists were hellbent on destroying American property and halt all shipments of raw materials to the United Sates. The Vietnam War was so intangible but here was something the American masses could sink their teeth into. Something real close and not in the faraway jungles of Vietnam. If he, could stir enough trouble perhaps the US marines would strike in Quebec and he could finalize that deal he made with that very prominent American politician. But he must not appear too communistic as that would frighten off too many of his supporters. Better get to work on some anti-American speeches.

“Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog”: Karim is Coming to Town! (A Children’s Story)

Hello. Let me introduce myself. My name is Reggie and I am the luckiest and happiest dog in the world. Please read my story and find out why I am saying this.

I heard some exciting news and that is that Karim is coming to Toronto. Karim is an Egyptian name that means “Noble and Generous”. Not only is Karim coming to Toronto from Cairo but Bob and Fay have put in an application to adopt him. Karim is a street dog and we were friends on the streets. Karim wasn’t always reliable but if in a fight he’d always have my back. I can’t but think this is all some sort of plan that Allah has laid out for me. Misery in Egypt and happiness in Canada.

A season called winter has come and it is so cold but it is fun if you forget about the cold! Bob and Fay have bought me a blue coat to keep me warm. I look so important when I wear it. If only the street dogs I left behind in Egypt could see me in this beautiful coat. It keeps me very warm. Fay wanted to try doggie boots on me but my paw pads are tough from the streets and they do not get cold. I do not like them so I will not wear them. What does bother me is when the big trucks come and put salt on the streets to melt the snow. If I walk in it my paws sting so I stay on the sidewalk and my paws do not sting.

What do I love about the snow and cold? I love watching it fall like magic from the sky. I love feeling snowflakes on my nose! And Dillie The Westie, Bob and Fay’s dog, taught me a real neat trick called snowplowing. You put your snout in the snow and run getting your face all wet and it feels so good. But there are cold mushy days too and the sky is grey for many days which makes you feel sleepy. Sometimes it gets so cold Dillie and I can’t walk very far because our feet are so cold. If it is too cold for a walk we are put out in the backyard to do our business and it so good coming back in and cuddling up in our warm beds. Sometimes Bob makes a fire in the fireplace and both Dillie and I sit by the fire feeling warm and happy listening to the crackle of the wood and feeling the flames warm our body. What a strange country Canada is. So hot in the summer and so cold in the winter!

But before I forget there is a season here called autumn which is after summer and before winter. There are many seasons in Canada while in Egypt there was only a hot summer and a cooler summer. The leaves change colour so there is gold, green and brown and sometimes a flaming red. The days grow shorter and the sun sets earlier. This is all so new to me and I love it. I feel like I am in a BBC documentary about Canada.

It was late in the autumn when Bob and Fay picked up Karim for a two-week trial. I think this means if Karim is good he can stay with us. Karim was dropped off by the adoption agency at “our house”. We were so happy to see each other we had a play fight which frightened Fay and Bob until they realized it was playtime. Dillie used to play fight years ago but thinks it is something “silly puppies” do. Karim made a big mistake after playtime. A stupid BIG MISTAKE!

You probably don’t know this but on the streets of Cairo Karim was seen as one of the leaders of the pack for the smaller dogs. He was the boss and you didn’t want to make him mad or you’d be thrown out of the pack. And if you weren’t in the pack you had little protection from the bigger dog packs or rival small dog packs. So Karim expected Dillie to let him play with some of his toys without asking Dillie. Dillie snarled at Karim and they got into a barking contest trying to show each other who was the leader of the pack. They didn’t hurt each other just sounding as mean as they could. Dillie is a sweet dog and I have never heard him snarl or growl like he was doing. Bob and Fay came down with a shocked look on their face. Fay said to Bob, “We are going to take Karim back to the adoption agency tomorrow!” Bob replied by saying Karim must have been upset by all the changes in his life so he deserved another chance. Karim was sent into my crate to “cool down”.

I said to Karim how he had made a VERY BIG STUPID MISTAKE. Did he not understand Dillie was a brave and mighty West Highland Terrier whose ancestors were great hunters and brave fighters? Had he been living in Egypt during the times of the pharaohs he would be amongst the pharaoh’s personal guards. You are a guest in Bob and Fay’s house so show respect for Dillie. He is the leader of our pack and he is older and smarter than you. He knows how to deal with these humans here in Canada. You either show him the respect he deserves or you might find yourself back on the streets of Cairo!

Well part of fault here was mine as I never introduced Dillie to Karim and explained who he was. Karim quickly realized his VERY BIG STUPID MISTAKE. From that moment on he gave Dillie the respect he deserved and quickly started to fit into the family. You are entitled to make mistakes as a street dog from Cairo but you better learn from them as who knows who you might end up with or where that might be. I bit Bob on my first day at his house but I learnt from my mistake.

Close to Christmas all three of us were friends and I can remember on one of our walks all three of us were swaggering down the street like we owned it. This was the best pack of dogs ever!

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 90 “The New Piracy”

Eno Ergot was a very frustrated individual these days because of his inability to locate his idol Bluebeard. He was beginning to believe the stories everyone was telling him that it was only an actor Richard Burton that played the role of Bluebeard. The real pirate, if there was ever one, had long ago gone to the worms. Ergot had done a marvellous job of establishing a reputation that Bluebeard could identify with, but Bluebeard, if he still lived, refused to be coaxed out of retirement. Eno while discouraged saw his crew was not as focussed as they smoked weed, drank cases of beer, took saunas and delighted in watching Japanese pornographic films. But they had not lost their sailing skills and few could rival them. Not bad for aliens!

Ergot was somewhat ashamed of their attempt to rob the luxury liner the King Larry. All went as planned but upon entering the ship and waving their weapons and announcing the stick-up the overweight passengers bloated by too many midnight buffets laughed and cheered these actors thinking this was nothing more than Disney entertainment like an extra added entertainment to titillate passengers. A group of bikers on board invited the crew to the “Pirates Bar” and ordered bottled Tequila service and mescaline was snorted galore. Instead of hitting the safety deposit boxes filled with jewels and cash his crew simply headed off to the Pirates Bar and got hammered drinking and snorting drugs into the early morning hours. They even porked out at the midnight chocolate buffet downing bottles of any liquor available. The crew was so hammered cranes had to be used to load the passed-out crew onto boats. It was a disgrace that no captain should have to bear.

The sad reality that piracy, except off the coast of Borneo, the Philippines and the Azores was nothing but a glorified sea myth. Instead of fleeing pirates people welcomed them in fits of nostalgia. Oh how times had changed. No longer was this mode of crime waged with cloak and dagger. Crime was so civilized and polite it was often difficult to detect who were the real pirates. The lusty pirates had fallen under the charge of the white shirted captains of industry. Why, modern piracy had become so legitimized and respected no one paid much attention to it except for stockholders and financial analysts who called piracy “stockholder return”. Piracy had become legitimized in the stock exchanges of the world where the clever manipulators were the financial Bluebeard wizards fleecing the deceived and innocent. While the old pirates stole from the rich these new corporate pirates stole from everyone that they could dupe. Ergot thought that this new piracy was called exploitation. Piracy of the old may have been messy at times but it was limited and cleaner. A few heads loped off instead of millions fleeced and ruined. 

Eno remembered the promise he had made to Jiber which was a meeting on Earth to co-ordinate their mischief to orchestrate a galactical takeover. Where in the hell was Jiber? The Earth was a large place but eventually they would cross paths. Ergot assembled the crew and informed them that their new mission was to find Jiber and discuss future conquest actions with him. It was decided to head to Montreal where there was a world’s fair called Expo 67. With global visitors perhaps they could get information as to where they could find Jiber. And they could open a restaurant in Montreal serving pirate cuisine as they had done in New York with success.

In due course their ship sailed into Montreal’s harbour being greeted by a bevy of confused customs officials. As other custom’s authorities before them had thought Eno’s ship and crew were simply part of some cultural exhibition. After they toured the bogus on board museum they extended a warm welcome to the visitors. Within days Ergot had obtained both a restaurant permit and a liquor license. Within a week Eno’s restaurant “Eno’s Place” was operational quickly becoming a success amongst Montreal’s elite. It was the place to be seen eating marinated and chilled “Hornblower Shrimp” and drinking Bichot Reserve Chardonnay. Jean Droolpoop, the mayor of Montreal, was not pleased as his Mafia friends serving all variety of diseased horsemeat at Expo 67 would not be pleased with the competition. He’d find the overly eager bureaucrats who gave Ergot the permit and license and teach them a lesson. Droolpoop’s Restaurant the Vaseline Gob was having financial difficulties which were exacerbated by Ergot’s “Eno’s Place”. Ergot had no idea the pain he was inflicted on political chieftain Droolpoop. As in New York his restaurant thrust him into celebrity status. Wherever he was seen people clamoured to engage in conversation with the successful and charming entrepreneur. Even at ladies’ luncheons, schools and public libraries he mesmerized all with his sea yarns. After several days Eno experienced a change of heart. Perhaps it was time to lead a decent life and enjoy the luxuries that accompanied it. The life of piracy was futile.

“The Madness Inside of Me”: Subdued, Sophisticated and With Some Rough Cutting Edges

Thank goodness for indie cinema. It can be rough, jarring and unsettling and far from the smooth and predictable big budget perfection that is boring and uninspiring,

“The Madness Inside Me” could stink with Hollywood predictability but it veers from that oft beaten path.

Imagine you are in your home and some psycho killer bursts in and kills your husband and bashes your head in.

So what is your reaction? Let the law take over and prosecute? Or do you somehow move to a vigilante status and try and deal with the murder the way YOU WANT TO.

Dr. Madison Taylor (Merrin Dungey) was the victim of a home invasion which she survived but her husband was murdered.

Madison is a prison psychiatrist somewhat used to psychotic killers and she develops an unhealthy bond with Francis Tate (Devon Graye) the killer of her husband.

Madison bonds in a very unhealthy way with Tate and descends into his break and enter thrill seeking mentality.

Is Madison bent on revenge or has she crossed into the evil side? To the evil side she has moved but revenge is hers as you can witness with the bullet hole in Tate’s head.

Has Madison descended into a psychotic psychiatrist?

Interesting that a psychotic psychiatrist continues to treat psychotic criminals. It takes one to know one?

The film could have been turned into some mundane and predictable piece of Hollywood slop but it rises above that temptation into a more complex and nuanced film. You might dare to try and compare it to a mundane Die-Hard Bruce Willis film but it is too nuanced and sophisticated to fall into that trap.

Gray and Dungey do very well but the supporting cast is a bit rough and unpolished but how could they be anything more considering the plot they are acting in? Their less than polished performance only adds credibility to the film.

The film was written and directed by Matthew Berkowitz. This 89-minute film opens in select theatres and digital platforms on September 3rd 2021.

You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdw4vu0ELP0

RKS Wine: The Penniless Pensioner Is Such A Prig Sometimes: Puglian Primitivo

At one point PP tells me he is excited about us trying the cheapest wines for what gems he might discover. Yet when I tell him I am trying a Primitivo from Puglia he says he is not interested in junk from Southern Italy. I tell him to ease up with his snobbery and he keeps reverting to clay soils and Merlot from the Right Bank in France. He really can be annoying sometimes. I get the impression he is bullshitting me about his excitement about his “new bottom of the barrel” wine adventure. I tell him Primitivo was originally from Croatia and it was brought to California and became known as Zinfandel to which he replies he has no great affinity for “cheap barbeque wines”.

So let’s try a Primitivo from Puglia from Rivera. On the nose sweet red cherry, raspberry and milk chocolate. On the palate a low tannic load. A nice cut of cherry pie, watermelon and peppery spice. Well PP has a point that Primitivo makes a good (not a cheap) barbeque wine. Like PP get real do you want to drop over a $100 for a wine with your burger! Don’t be a prig. Loosen up and recognize finally you are a penniless pensioner with a few Panamanian bank accounts you seem to deny.

I’d say this is a cheerful wine fit for a traditional meal in Argentina of flank steak with chimichurri sauce and red onion and tomato salad on the side. It will do instead of a trophy high altitude Malbec from the Uco Valley! The slight ream of low-level acidity will suit the red onion and tomato salad. Drink now.

Drink now and yes it will suit a lowly burger made from ground sirloin and juzed up with hot pepper, Worchester Sauce, egg, breadcrumbs and sesame seed oil and whatever else you want to add to make a creative burger. The possibilities for a creative burger are endless.

(Rivera 2018 Primitivo Salento, IGT, Azienda Vinicola Rivera, Andria, Italy, $15.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 19590, 14%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 91/100).

Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog: Some Fine Tuning for a Street Dog

Although when with Anwar I was fully trained at least by Egyptian standards.

What do Fay and Bob expect of me knowing I may be a bit rough around the edges because of the tough time I spent on the streets of Cairo? Can I deliver and be the perfect Canadian dog that I really want to be? Canadians have been so good to me it is my duty to show them Egyptian dogs can be as good as Canadian dogs. While it is my duty to be a good dog it is also a matter of pride for me. These Canadians have done many favours for me so I must not let them down. Dillie has been so nice to me too and as he is my elder I respect him and I also feel I owe a duty to him.

So what does Reggie have to do to be a good Canadian dog?

  • Going to the bathroom

While with Anwar in Cairo he taught me that I must poo and pee outside. Yes I had a few accidents as a puppy but I learnt to go to the bathroom outside according to a regular schedule. But when you live on the street as I did in Cairo the rules change as you can pee and poo when you like and where you like. Coming to Canada meant I had to be the dog I was with Anwar. Bob and Fay take me for regular walks and sometimes very long ones which I love. Dillie and I like to sniff and pee to tell other dogs we have been there! But I have had a few accidents at Bob and Fay’s home. You see sometimes I forget where I am and just pee like I am on the streets. Then I realize what I have just done and don’t know why I have been so bad. I am ashamed and hide. Bob and Fay call me gently and tell me softy that I am not a good dog for peeing in their house. They say to each other that my time on the street has caused me to forget my manners but they do not hit or curse me. Their kindness makes me try hard to please them and show them I am smart and well mannered and after a few weeks I am perfect with no accidents.

  • Being crated

Sometimes Bob and Fay go out shopping or to see friends and they leave me and Dillie behind. When they leave they put me in a cage they call a crate. They tell me they are so sorry they have to do it. I feel a bit better knowing Dillie was caged when he was young.

The first time they did it I went frantic yelping and crying. I have always been free and I am so frightened being caged. But strangely after a few times of being crated I begin to feel safe in my home. In a way it is like living in the cardboard boxes I lived in on the streets of Cairo. I stop panicking after being crated a dozen times because I know Fay and Bob always return and let me out and give me hugs and pats on the head telling me how good I am. I think I was so frightened when Bob and Fay left I thought they would never return and I was being crated for being a bad dog. But when they left after being crated I wasn’t frightened as I was in my own home, Reggie’s home!

  • Being nice to other dogs

I knew that being nice to Dillie was my most important job for Bob and Fay. Being my elder and being a friendly and loving dog, we get along like best friends. We are best friends. He has never lived on the streets like me but he has lived with Bob and Fay and their son Drew and daughter Lexis for all of his 13 years. He knows humans much better than I, well at least kind and good humans, and I have much to learn from him.

I do have problem with bigger dogs like the Rottenwhiler that bit me in Cairo when I tried to steal his food from his bowl. I lunge out and growl like a crazy rabid dog. Something makes me do it. I get dreams in my head that the big dog is the Rottenwhiler that attacked me. Dillie also lunges but not at all big dogs, just dogs that threaten him by moving quickly towards him and barking at him. Bob and Fay have a trainer that is working with me to stop this lunging. I get liver treats for not lunging so I associate treats for not lunging and it works. I am beginning to like the bigger dogs that Dillie likes usually oodles of some sort!

The trainer tells Bob and Fay that I am “making progress” but that the dog attack I suffered in Cairo left “deep scars” in my mind that may never heal or take much time to heal. I am getting better. Really I am. The more time that passes and the safer and more loved I feel the more I trust Bob and Fay will never let a big and bad dog bite me.

  • Being nice to people

The trainer told Bob and Fay that while living in the streets of Cairo people were mean to me which is true but there were some humans that fed me and gave me water. The people in Canada are all nice although watching the news I heard that there are over 100,000 homeless cats and dogs in Canada every year so Canadians can’t be perfect. The news report also mentioned “puppy mills” where puppies live in horrible and cruel conditions.

Dillie has a good soul and when you know him not a mean bone in his body but when the door knocks he goes a bit nuts. He doesn’t much like Bob and Fay’s cleaning lady. So he is crated when she is in the house. She is a nice lady but I sense she does not like dogs so I stay away and keep Dillie company outside his cage. We both bark at the postman but Dillie says this is a tradition for dogs so I bark too. The postman smiles and says hello to us.

Both of us love chasing and barking at squirrels which Dillie tells me is a dog tradition! There were no squirrels in Egypt only rats.

Bob and Fay’s daughter Lexis had a new baby Peggy. Everyone keeps a close eye on us when Peggy is over for a visit or we go visit her. Babies are strange but I like them but no one seems to trust us. These humans can be strange.

  • Being obedient

This means doing what humans tell you to do. This is not a problem for me as isn’t there an expression don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

  • Going to school

Going to puppy school is a bit strange for me as I am not a puppy. But for eight weeks I go to puppy school with Bob and Dillie. Dillie has been through it and admits he wasn’t the best student! It really is about doing what you are told and that comes easy to me because of all the BBC television I watched I understand English so very well. What is new to me is the hand signals we should know like “down”, “up” and “stay”. No problem for me but these puppies are so silly I feel embarrassed to be with them!

RKS Wine: The Penniless Pensioner’s Blowout Christmas Parties of Yesteryear

PP told me recently his small 25 lawyer Toronto Bay Street law firm used to hold a blowout Christmas Party primarily designed for support staff and articling students who were given the 24th off to put them in a celebratory mood for the party that night. PP says we held it over the years at swank hotels. Cocktails, dinner, dancing and prizes with an open bar and taxi chits mandatory for all. The support staff were excited for weeks about the party. They could bring a spouse or best friend. Perhaps it was luxury they could never afford. PP fondly recalled a variety of wines from Australia’s d’Arenberg Winery that were served at this party. He remembers one red was called The High Trellis and the Stump Jump which suited the ox filets flown in from Portugal.

The High Trellis was a Cabernet Sauvignon from the famous McLaren Vale region in South Australia. PP said with the Portuguese ox it was divine..a mind blowing food and wine connection. Not a trophy wine as of course only the senior partners of the firm would appreciate such fine wines. PP was a bit of a snob when it came to food and wine. But the food prepared was fit for a royal dinner. The wine was pretty good…”good enough for the staff “ PP said.

So reliving PP’s fond memories I try The High Trellis.

It seems upon opening the bottle we are facing an Aussie big blaster. A huge nose of blackberry, cassis, red plum, prunes and milk chocolate. On the palate moderate and broad-based tannins with a slight burn not surprising considering the alcohol is at 14.5%. The palate was definitely full of robust and almost overly ripe black cherry, subdued blackberry and cassis. This is a full throttle Cabernet Sauvignon that takes no hostages and is the type of wine that launched many Australian Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays. Really a must with food but if you are not willing to fly in Portuguese ox a huge slab of Prime Rib or Filet Mignon in black peppercorn sauce will do nicely. PP did mention there were some “good looking hippy vegetarian law clerk chicks” (not my words) who selected the vegetarian option of Portobello and Truffle Burgers and he did try the burger with the wine and gave it a thumbs up. “Man can those hippie chicks dance!” Such a phrase in today’s politically correct world would not be uttered yet with the new ethos of diversity and global inclusion peddled in the corporate world perhaps such a phrase is now politically correct! Don’t we have to include everyone so we can exclude everyone?

Getting back on topic of wine rather than the musings of a possibly lecherous old corporate lawyer the wine is brash and bold and is still the type of Cabernet Sauvignon adored by many.

By the way PP did marry one of these hippie chick vegetarians and that marriage lasted less than a year. Mental cruelty was the basis for the divorce. The PP’s meat consumption was unreasonable cruelty. Although the divorce was granted the judge was PP’s friend and as the skills of the petitioner would readily afford excellent employment prospects PP walked away without any support obligations.

He denied the child was his.

(The High Trellis McLaren Vale 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale South Australia, $19.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 943456, 750 mL, 14.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 89/100).

The Stump Jump is a GSM (Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre) which the Australians do quite well. A nose of strawberry jam, Christmas cake, blackberry and raspberries. On the palate spicy and feisty. Cherry pie, black pepper and blueberry. Well made indeed like the High Trellis. Give it some air and it smooths out with a slight bit of sweetness. Good to quaff and I’d pair it with slow cooked leg of lamb on the barbeque. Might as well drink by the end of 2022 although I do not think it will improve with ageing.

(The Stump Jump 2017 GSM, McLaren Vale, South Australia, d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale, Australia, $15.95, 14.5%, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 173294, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 91/100).

RKS Wine: The Lure That Attracts the Fish? Rousanne and Viognier?

As a wine writer swimming in a school of wine reviewers the reality is that every wine bottled can’t be reviewed. But this fish likes the Viognier grape on its lonesome and in a blend. It tends to give white wine a noticeable presence with apricots, tangerines and honey. Of course, if you do not like a wine with a strong presence perhaps Viognier is not for you. But at $16.95 this organic Jonty’s Ducks Pekin White from South Africa may be the lure that hauls you in.

It has a light gold colour. BINGO! The Viognier is certainly noticeable in the blend despite the fact there is also some Chenin Blanc, Roussanne and Sémillon in the blend.

Could it be this duck has had too much Jonty’s? Photo Lutz Fullgraf

On the nose pineapple, tangerine, peach, pear and honey all in a robust package not for those who prefer more demure and light wines. On the palate its robustness is not lost so you end up with a full-bodied white wine. It is a bit drier than I thought but perhaps because of the Sémillon that takes a few years to really develop a distinctive taste. So in addition to the pineapple, peach, tangerine, pear and honey you get a twist of guava and white grapefruit. A wine where nothing is out of whack. I wonder what seafood dishes South Africa is known for as this wine seems meant for seafood. Lobster, crab, shrimp or prawns in a white wine, cream and garlic type sauce. The wine is named for the ducks that waddle in the vineyard feasting on insects removing the need for insecticides.

Perhaps these ducks have not been laying into the grape juice? Photo Robert K. Stephen

(Avondale Jonty’s Ducks Pekin White 2018, WO Paarl, Avondale, Paarl, South Africa, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 439554, 750 mL, 13%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told me So Rating 91/100).