BAM. Stickin' it to an ordinary week.

Ordinary would actually be an understatement.

This week contained a couple of not-so-lovely surprises. But the crappy stuff is bolstered by the best sorts of people. Caring, genuine, do-anything-for-ya types of people, in big ways and little ways. A thoughtful and genuine word goes a long way.

So here's a picture of one of our dogs, Toby, smiling for the camera. Toby is 5-ish years old and we adopted him from the Animal Welfare League when he was an independent 4-month-old puppy. I say puppy, but really he was a little dog - from whichever beginnings he came from he'd learnt to be independent at a very young age. He is a strikingly handsome tri-colour kelpie. He's endlessly playful, loves fetching the ball (but won't necessarily bring it back), is razor sharp and also quite sensitive. He loves a smooshy cuddle and seems to know when to offer up a hug.

This article was a well-timed read for me this week, and so was this one.