I'm glad you like our dog! We don't really know what breed she is (we got her from the shelter) - they said that she was half border collie and half labrador but I'm pretty sure that's a mistake since she doesn't look like a labrador at all. We suspect she's got some border collie and some kelpie in her, and also possibly some basenji, which would explain her very pointy ears and often curled tail. She's medium sized - a bit over knee high, I think - and very energetic and athletic, so she demands lots of walks and ball-throwing. As for holding her in my lap - she's a bit too big to really fit, but she tries anyway - if I kneel down on the ground, she'll plant her rear end onto my lap very contentedly. She also likes licking faces, although she doesn't lick anywhere else.
My mother really likes growing fruit and veg - in our old house we pretty much grew all our leafy greens and had a lot of fruit trees. In this house there's less space for making a proper vegie garden or orchard, but we've got our passionfruit, and many pumpkins, and basil, and an unreasonable amount of mint which is both delicious and impossible to remove. It's nice to be able to go outside and see the garden growing.