Le Petit Hotel Sumner Christchurch New Zealand

Maggie on watch

Le Petit Hotel’s well known & truly loved Scottish Terrier finally succumbed to liver cancer in the early hours of Monday 28th September 2009.

Although we had been expecting it, when the final hours came,  it was truly heart wrenching stuff. As the old saying goes, she died with her boots on. I let her outside at about 2am for a little slow walk. She came back into the hotel, sat down by her water bowl for about an hour,  with me beside her. About 4am I picked her up gently and made her comfortable on a rug on the floor, alerted Martine that the end was very near..and with us both beside her, after a few gasps, she gave up the fight……[ Insert: volumes of huge tears]….in her own way, her final parting gift to us…was for us not to have to call the vet.

Maggie was “huge” in spirit, determination, & courage; sensitive to all those who had the privilege of meeting her, and above all an unlimited giver to those humans she had bonded so well with. Maggie was a dignified, exceptional character, no bite dog, who took time out to smell the flowers, taste the grass, look at birds with interest, and who could always see a cat at 1000 paces. Her joy at going for walks knew no bounds until age limited her outings.

Maggie’s departure from this world has left a huge gap at Le Petit Hotel, Sumner, and irreplaceable memories with Bruce, Martine, Scott, & John. Bless her soul, Maggie was a dog apart, she lived happily with us, fought a good fight, and is at peace now.

Maggie Whitfield; a Scottish Terrier, Born 13 December 1995, Died 28 September 2009 at Le Petit Hotel, Sumner, NZ. Pedigree of Greenock Mallaig, Sire: MacPrain Mintmaster & Dam: Shortbread Briar Rose. Black with some Brindle, her breeder was Adele Willis, 97 Soleares Avenue, Christchurch, New Zealand. She will be remembered.

Hi there all my Scottish Terrier buddies, just a quick note to say I’m still making out. I’m even being spoilt with a bit of ice cream after my meals these days, which is a bit strange because even a little milk doesn’t always agree with me..I’ve also slowed up a bit more now and the stairs are a bit of a challenge. Bruce is extremely patient with my doggie dementia…but apart from having a bad hair day most days…I’m still happy to see people and smell the French breakfasts in the hotel. Have a look at the Le Petit Hotel gallery…Bruce calls me the Le Petit Hotel matriarch now.

Le Petit Hotel Sumner management is more than happy to provide gluten free or muesli based breakfasts, given advance notice. Just add your request to your booking notice. Our renown fresh baked croissants are always available, along with genuine french plunger coffee or a variety of teas.

Life Lessons From the Family Dog

New York Times editor Dana Jennings writes every Tuesday in the paper about coping with an advanced form of prostate cancer. His well loved dog Bijou de Minuit is part of that story…..

Foot Note by Bruce:

Many of us will have huge empathy with Dana Jennings story, both his own and that of his dear dog…. So much has been written over the ages, of the bonds between humans & dogs and one thing is certain, it will remain an ongoing universal story for ever.

…I too lie awake at night sometimes and hear my Maggie quietly make a groan as she straightens her stiffen legs and then sense her slow moves to her water bowl to make her (old ) age induced loud lapping noises…but there is comfort in the  level of loudness that I have found to be in direct proportion to her happiness at having a clean water drink in the small hours of the morning.

Here’s wishing both Dana & Bijou de Minuit well.

A Long Slow Affair of the Heart is a well written New Zealand authored book which must be compulsory reading for anyone with a yearning to buy a boat and travel the canals of Holland, Belgium, but most of all – France. A candid travel story with suttle shifts in human feelings, relationship dynamics, even laughter, and a tinge of sadness, the book quite rightfully leaves its climax to the end when you feel yourself drawn into and having empathy with the main characters – Sally & Bruce Ansley & the River Queen, as the story plays out one person’s dream truthfully enacted in real time on a French stage.  Many readers will end up privately sharing the reality that dreams are not always the place where the heart can be. But as an old saying goes, better to have tried and not necessarily won. A great read, good colour photos, and a book suitable for many would be francofiles.

Written by by Bruce Ansley and published by Longacre Press, the book is highly recommended company on a grey, overcast, rainy day, when you have time to  reflect on the story with a hot cup of coffee in your hands.

Sumner B & B, Le Petit Hotel, has recently launched a mobi site, which presents a concise rendition of information about the French style B & B accommodation on offer, in a suitable format for a range of PDA devices such as iPhones, Palm, Nokia and other WAP enabled handheld devices.

Le Petit Hotel’s mobi site also offers a Click to Call option.

Hi all Scottish Terrier devotees, Just a quick post to say I had a trip to the vet today…I’ve had a bit of trouble lately in keeping my food down despite Bruce trying all sorts of tricks. I’ve lost a bit of weight- down from 11.5 kg to 9.5 kg because I’m eating less but better food. I guess I have to be honest and say that the dreaded C is slowly making its presence felt inside my abdomen and I’m told its pressing on a few critical things..it’s probably why I feel a bit better lying on my side on cold tiles, but anyway the nice vet gave me a shot which has calmed down my stomach and when I got home again I was able to eat a small meal. I  also have to tell you all that I’m not far from the beach and a few days ago I was taken for a short walk . I’m very happy when I am able to have a walk on the beach and feel the sand between my toes..I don’t really want to come home.In fact anytime when Bruce gets out the lead and clips it on my collar..I’m all eager to get going.

Everyone including Martine and Scotty is concerned about me..but I’ve got to continue being brave in the meantime because I still like being just around at the hotel and watching what’s going on. Until my next post..

Le Petit Hotel B & B Sumner, is ideally positioned to provide comfortable and affordable long stay accommodation for visitors wishing to bird watch on the hills and coastline of Banks Peninsula. Sumner is a choice starting point for the many easy walking tracks along the coastal cliffs and for viewing the estuary wild life habitat at Ferrymead, & also South Shore, the destination & departure point for the long range (11,000 kms) migratory Godwits who breed in Alaska each year. Satellite tracking has confirmed they fly 8 days non stop from NZ to Alaska. Email : bruce@whitfield-nz.com for more information & bird watchers special accommodation quotes.

I’ve Loved You So Long starring Kristin Scott Thomas is one of those “not to be missed” French movies. Brim full of real life human emotions, it’s a smart, beautiful, well acted film. Almost 2hrs long, the movie is set in Nancy, eastern France. Essentially about two estranged sisters, the scenery, sets and characters are all expertly filmed with good light & shade, and the sound is dynamic enough to hear the puffing of cigarettes. Not a big story, but as with many French films, the intimate & expert rendering by the main players makes it untiring & memorable. My recommendation: Don’t miss it.

It’s appropriate that I keep you posted about what’s happening to me, because I know that my days here in Sumner at the hotel are numbered. Like all Scotties, I give my age away by being happy to just sit outside and watch human life passing by. It’s the contentment which comes to all true Scottie dogs in their twilight days. But true to my breed, I’m brave and I’m the sort of a dog who doesn’t give up life easily. I mentioned in my previous post about having a cat scan, nothing to do with cats of course but I gave the vet and the nice nurses at the hospital a bit of extra work because I fought off the sedation and struggled while they had me strapped down to the scanner bed. I could see a few watery eyes around me, but it didn’t hurt, just a sort of vibration as they moved me back and forth through a large ring of some sort. It made me twitch a few times, enough to blur some of the images of my insides and the nasty cancers. But hey, I woke up okay albeit with a sore head and feeling a bit groggy. However Bruce carried me out to his car, put me safely on the floor and talked to me all the way home. I  hope that this story of mine might provide some comfort both for all my Scottie relatives who end up similarly with the dreaded big C, and also their owners, regarding the choice between surgery or lots of TLC and good food.

Would you believe it is now more than 6 months since I got the bad news …and while I’m a bit uncomfortable, at night when I lie down, I still have a good appetite( I can still growl for food!)  and I still dream of chasing cats. Consequently Bruce sometimes has to wake me sometimes out of a deep sleep, because I’m dreaming, moving my back legs like I’m running fast and all the time making muffled barking noises.

I do intend posting some pictures taken from my vantage point on the terrace of Le Petit Hotel where I can even see the beach, but the real sad note of this post is that I can’t now give you a look at the neighbour’s pet rabbit. The poor chap accidently drowned in his owners’ swimming pool not a day ago….RIP  George. you were a pretty good guy, all things being even.

Maggie