BEARD BEANIES, AN ULTRASOUND SCAN AND MORE.......

Yes it's me, I'm back. Many thanks for all your kind messages, I'll be dropping in for a tea and natter with you all real soon.

 I so hope this story has a happy ending and these two find a new home.

MEET CLYDE THE COLLIE AND HIS GUIDE DOG BONNIE. Clyde, the five-year-old long-haired border collie, who has lost his sight because of a degenerative disease, relies entirely on Bonnie as his guide dog. He follows her everywhere.

And like the American gangster lovers they have been named after, the friendly dogs are on the lookout for a safe, new hideaway.

They were recently dumped in the street during a storm and are currently being cared for at Meadow Green Dog Rescue Centre in Hales Green, near Loddon in Norfolk. - Aidan McGurran, The Mirror (24/10/2011)

And proving a dog really is man's best friend ......

A faithful dog rescued his owner by dragging him home after he was struck by an enormous lightning bolt.

Ian Thomas, 64, was taking his German schnauzer Monty out for an early morning walk when he was struck by a bolt so powerful he would have been killed if he had not been wearing wellington boots.

The bolt threw Mr Thomas, who is the Mayor of Redruth in Cornwall, into the air and knocked him out.

He regained consciousness when five-year-old Monty, who had also been struck, began licking his face. - Nadia Gilani, The Mail (28/10/2011)

When I'm cleaning windows ........

UNCONVENTIONAL WAY TO CLEAN. It's not the way your average window cleaner gets about – but Emma Massingale can claim to use twin horsepower after she stood on two steeds in order to clean her windows.

The equine behaviourist from Devon can reach up to 9m (30ft). ‘In my line of work, even housework is never dull,’ she said. - the Metro (03/11/2011)

It's people like this that renew your faith in humanity.

Dorken Laing, form Malton, North Yorkshire, knits mini sweaters for ....... naked hens rescued from battery farms. They keep the chickens warm when they molt. - Sunday Sun (06/11/2011) You can get a pattern courtesy of Little Hen Rescue by clicking HERE.

And so onto todays final animal story .....

LION SPOTTED NEAR RAILWAY LINE. Amazed train passengers were told they couldn't get off yesterday — because an escaped lion had been spotted near a railway line.

A police helicopter was scrambled after cops received two calls claiming the beast and its cub were on the prowl in Shepley, West Yorks.

Officers alerted transport bosses who immediately stopped commuters using the local station.

But normal service was resumed after an unsuccessful two-hour search involving 12 cops. Insp Carlton Young, of West Yorks Police, said: "We've had nothing confirmed and we've not located anyone who is claiming to have lost an animal." - Robin Perrie, The Sun (07/11/2011)

The latest winter wear to hit the UK from the US.

THE BEARD BEANIE ......... a woolly hat with attached beard - could be just the ticket if you're looking for a chic and practical way to keep warm during the cold snap. - . Tariq Tahir, The Metro (24/10/2011) Click on the article link to view more designs.

Obviously younger, a lot younger, than she looks.

GREAT-GRANNY BANNED FROM BUYING ALCOHOL ..... because she had no proof of her age.

An off-licence refused to sell alcohol to a woman of 92 – because she could not prove she was over 18.

Great-grandmother Diane Taylor wanted to buy a bottle of whisky for her son but was asked for photo ID.

She said "No one can convince me I look under 25 – I’d only take 78 at a push." - Alun Palmer, The Mirror (28/10/2011)

Nothing like a speedy getaway and believe me there was nothing speedy about this particular getaway.

4MPH JOYRIDE ENDS WHEN THE POWER RUNS OUT. Joyriders who stole a mobility scooter found their 4mph thrills quickly came to a stuttering end when the vehicle ran out of power ....... 500m away. - The Metro (01/11/2011)

Spot the face in the below image?

FACE SHOWS UP IN ULTRASOUND SCAN. Images of the face of Jesus turning up in toast – and even in a Kit Kat – have cropped up several times over the years.

But the apparent image of this man’s face is even more surprising – because it turned up in an ultrasound scan of a TESTICLE. - The Mirror (02/11/2011)

How romantic?

MAN PROPOSES ON A TRAIN. Passengers on a packed London train were stunned when their evening commute was interrupted by a musical marriage proposal.

Adam King enlisted the help of his choir, the Adam Street Singers, to serenade his girlfriend, Lucy Rogers, with a rendition of Bill Withers' Lovely Day.

The 34-year-old tailor then asked Rogers, 25, to marry him.

A YOUTUBE VIDEO of the proposal (or you can click on the article link), which has now gone viral, shows King getting down on one knee on board the 19.57 London Overground service to Watford Junction, before Rogers bursts into tears and says yes. - The Guardian (04/11/2011)

PLEASE NOTE : Wherever possible I will endeavour to bring you the links to articles I have used in my Media Monday posts but this is not always possible.