Ruggles and I journeyed south to the small bush settlement of Buxton last Sunday morning where they were celebrating Christmas one month early with their annual festival – and it was a much larger affair than anticipated with very many stalls selling a wide assortment of items.

We found parking for the car, usually referred to a Ruggles’ “mobile kennel”, although parking was not in the shade – shade was very much at a premium down there. When we arrived the day was already hotting up fast, as it does late Spring in Australia. Happily for the boy humidity was low. So given the rising temperature the young master and his dad had a fairly quick tour of the “Festival”, or as quick as the inevitable meet-and-greets and “photo opportunities” would allow.

First person to see Ruggles wanted a photo, or at least that’s what she indicated pointing at her phone as there was a band nearby playing alleged music – “alleged” for it was too loud to tell quite what it was meant to be.

This lady kept grinning and pointing to Ruggles’ “Santa Paws” hat, a red springy affair replete with bouncing white pompom on top and Ruggles basking in the attention kept his pompom bouncing!

A few meet-and-greets further on and the Captain of the local volunteer Bushfire Brigade presented Ruggles with a BBQed sausage which, rather rudely, Ruggles spat out! I apologized on His Lordship’s behalf explaining that Ruggles’ preference is that his edibles be presented in bite-size pieces, and demonstrated breaking up the sausage into one-inch sections.

Ruggles obliged by consuming same with upmost gusto eagerly seeking the next portion almost as if offering his compliments to the chef! While the Captain’s pride was still dented at Ruggles initial response to his offering of a BBQed sausage, his fire brigade mates all had a good laugh at their senior’s expense.

There were lots of meet-and-greets however given the temperature I kept the little fellow moving as best I could. Folks all loved his springy red Santa Paws hat with the bouncing white pom-pom on top prompting grins and laughter everywhere we went! Young children, with faces painted as felines or canines or as assorted other creatures, hopefully fictional, all wanted to pet Ruggles as well as children with faces unpainted – and Mr Popularity greeted both painted and unpainted members of the junior generation with equal delight. Parents and grandparents too wanted to stroke Ruggles’ coat and to know more about him. Ruggles done good as an ambassador of both his species and the Newfoundland breed!

To me the highlight of the Festival was Ruggles’ “reaction” to the arrival of a steam train ferrying visitors from the railway museum at nearby Thirlmere. While Ruggles then could not see the engine, the young master took a most keen interest in the strange noise approaching, however my boy was quite unprepared for the sizeable steam locomotive that came rolling to a stop, hissing and chuffing and belching, next to him – well 30 feet away.

Ruggsy has never seen a steam locomotive, not in real life! Methinks all the sounds and size tested Ruggles’ composure to the limit as he started to “dance” preparatory to a hasty escape, however Ruggles looked up at his old dad for reassurance and seeing that his old dad found nothing disconcerting in this massive and noisy visitor, Ruggles then also ignored the big black beast bedecked in tinsel sparkling in the bright sunshine and he looked around for someone else to meet with – and they were many!

Once we’d done the rounds we did a quick backtrack where I purchased a few things seen earlier, supporting of “local enterprise”, then we returned to Ruggsy’s “mobile kennel” via the volunteer bushfire brigade’s stall where I ordered two steak sandwiches, one with onion and one without.

One of the ladies on the stand humorously chided me for not at least getting Ruggles a sausage sandwich. She was reassured when I pointed out that the steak sandwich without onion was for the boy. Upon returning to our conveyance, stowing the shopping and offering Ruggles a light libation, of which he partook generously, we found a shaded spot beneath a tree and enjoyed our steak sandwiches before returning home in air-conditioned comfort and going the long way too.

Arthur Witten
Ruggles – Where did that oversized “tea kettle” come from?