Even as a responsible adult I still find myself getting excited about stationery, so when we got wind of a week celebrating the magic that is pretty paper, cute note cards and more, we jumped at the chance to blog about some of our pet-themed finds.

National Stationery Week (27 April to 23 May) is designed to encourage people, especially kids, to put pen to paper to write their personal correspondence and notes, rather than texting, emailing, day-dreaming and list-making on their nearest device. 

Listen up canine chums I’ve got the job op-paw-tunity of your doggy dreams to share with you. Holiday Cottages are looking to recruit their first-ever Canine Critic, who in exchange for their reviewing expertise will receive a year’s worth of free trips – and it could be YOU!

We came, we saw, we marveled, we laughed, we shopped, we conquered all five halls; we even shed a tear at the heartbreaking news of Jagger the Red Setter’s poisoning. Crufts - it’s been emotional, but before we put this mother of all dog shows to bed, here’s 10 Things We Learned at Crufts 2015.

In our excitement to #CountdownCrufts we’ve forgotten an important calendar date – our third birthday, which was March 1st. Whoops! It’s a little too late to be cracking open the champers, tucking into cake and busting out the party poppers so instead we’re celebrating our toddler-hood by sharing Mia Loves Jay’s Party Hat Doggy Cards. 

In a matter of days Crufts will take place at the Birmingham NEC. With no less than five huge halls, packed with breed fancying, canine competitions, dazzling dog displays and endless shop-til-you-drop ops, it’s a whirlwind of excitement. Plus with lots of new styles, products and generous show offers to tempt you, deciding what to buy is likely to send you into a tailspin. Follow our paw and footprints with Barkarama’s guide to shopping at Crufts, and you won’t go home to a disappointed dog. 

You’ve heard of Tough Mudder but what about tough mutt-er? This May, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home are inviting fitness fans and game-for-a-laughers to participate in the UK’s first Muddy Dog Challenge.

We don’t need Facebook or Instagram to tell us our 2014 highlights – we know what they are. So before we launch ourselves into 2015 (a fragile head is holding us back), we wanted to share some of our 2014 best bits. We hope you also enjoyed the ride …

Basil and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Woofmas! You are a wonderful lot and we'd like to thank you all for your love and friendship this year. It's a joy to share our blog with you and hear your stories in return. We're putting our feet and paws up over Christmas, and hope you do the same. See you in 2015 and have a good one! 

All our love,

Alex & Basil Barkarama xxx

PS this funny pawtrait of Basil is courtesy of PetsPyjamas Christmas Pet Photobooth