Heerrreeee's Freddie ....

Oh my well here he is our new boy.. completely untrained.. completely skippy and completely lovely.

Winnie is being very big sister about the entire scenario believing him to be a complete pain and trying anything to annoy him.. rounding him up, lying on his bed and not letting him on hers, chewing his tail and showing her gnashers.. but give them a few days

It's been a year..

Well its a year today that we moved into our fabulous house and what a year it has been.. one of the best of my life for sure. There have been a million lessons learnt, a million smiles and laughs and a few hundred tears. So many highlights, too many to mention and so few down times (the biggest of course being my lovely boy leaving me).

We have enjoyed time with most of our friends and family at the new pad, I have an improved fitness beyond my wildest dreams, I have a huge sense of happiness, security and well-being and I have never loved Mr W more (but don't tell him.. we have to keep 'em on their toes).

Mr W forgot it had been a year and I was away so i left him a little anniversary card and smugly smiled at my head for dates.. names no chance but dates stick. I am just on my journey home from a fabulous ' we are all turning 40' weekend with my two lovely, oldest (not in age) friends.. where we have been chilling out, watching DVD's, eating too much, having spa treatments and making pottery. I am excited to get home because when I land our new friend Freddie will be there.

Following losing my boy we decided that as a nod to him, rather than getting a pedigree pup we would get another dogs trust pup.. the last one worked out to be 15 years of utter joy so little Freddie has big shoes to fill.

In other news.. I got a job.. I am now the administrator (part time) at a fabulous farm project which offers free holidays to families who have a child with a disability.. they have piglets .. and lovely people.. Perfect - I have been on a training day so far and really enjoyed it .. now I just need my official start date and we are off  :-)

Lolly returned from the vet and so he is now in the house in a place where he is not obvious to anyone but me.. I have chatted non stop to him as I did when he was alive so potentially another sign of madness right there. I miss him dreadfully but all good things must come to an end and I now have to keep and treasure the memories.

I have FINALLY got my finger out to start my RHS garden qualification.. I have been sat on the train doing plant identification sheets.. which is hugely dull beneficial to my education  :-)

And last but not least the big garden put to bed has started.. I have pruned and better pruned, raked, snipped and chopped and that,s only half of one patch.. LOTS TO DO.

Anyway I will get back to identifying plants and sign off by saying.. for those of you who have visited and made us smile, those of you who have supported us with house sitting, those of you who looked interested whilst I talked about gardens, dogs, ducks, eggs, chickens and oils spills, those of you who let me keep working for the best charity in Leeds and those of you who continue to love us and count us as one of yours even thought we are far away from (my) homeland .. THANK YOU!!!

Visit soon... lets make year 2 as fabulous as year 1..

Much love

xxxx

The lovely Lolly Dog

I am beyond sad to write that yesterday McCaully lost his short but bravely fought battle to Lymphoma. 

Following a dreadful night of when my lovely boy lost his ability to stand, was clearly in pain and incredible frustration I had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye. 

He was greatly loved by so many, was truly a part of the whole family and so we are all feeling it but I knew for him it was time to go. He left the earth as he lived upon it with huge dignity, grace and peace. He will be greatly missed and loved forever. 

Sleep tight my beautiful brilliant friend and comfort blanket! I loved every minute of our 15 years.

McCaully Dog

Well we have been back to the vet today and its not good news.. it looks like my best dog friend has cancer.. he has had a little biopsy today, his lymph nodes are swollen so its looking likely but we find out for sure in 5 days.
I think I knew it anyway but even so its awful to hear it.. he has been and still is the very best dog a girl could wish for, loyal, funny, knows when you are sad, gives ace cuddles and over the last 15 of his 16 years we have had the best time of times and the worst of times together.
So the plan is pain relief and antibiotics.. I am not going to put him through chemotherapy he is too old and I am told it can be rough so its lots of love, cuddles, fabulous food and as many treats as I can give and he will take.
As I am a huge dog lover I have had a lot of doggie pressies over the years and scanning one of the books I have I found this.. something to keep in mind.. meanwhile my best dog friend is alive and kicking and tomorrow we will be gardening together as normal.. me running up and down with the mower and him guarding the flask of tea in the sunshine.

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak,

And pain should keep me from my sleep,

Then will you do what must be done,

For this, the last battle, can't be won.

You will be sad I understand,

But don't let grief then stay your hand,

For on this day, more than the rest,

Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,

You wouldn't want me to suffer so.

When the time comes, please, let me go.

Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,

Only, stay with me till the end

And hold me firm and speak to me,

Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree,

It is a kindness you do to me.

Although my tail its last has waved,

From pain and suffering I have been saved.

Don't grieve that it must be you,

Who has to decide this thing to do;

We've been so close,we two, these years,

Don't let your heart hold any tears.

A bat and more from Peaches and Herb

Today we have been to meet with Mr W's big son and the lovely Em.. we went to the Ludlow food festival.. Yum! Son and Em are key to the growth of Mr W's record collection (remember the Dancette) and they brought him about 100 records today.. Mr W is sat beside me polishing them (which is interesting as he does no other cleaning). Anyway putting that to one side and the fact that he is singing each of the records to me (that could be tiresome by 100) what is really cool after saying that Sophie and Blueberry are should have the theme tune of 'reunited' by Peaches and Herb.. look at what we got.. LOVE IT.. I am off to play it to them tomorrow..

Syncronicity right there.. 

So we had a lovely day.. I think at one point I was drunk but that's fun.. and then when we got home our lounge was mega warm so Mr W opened a window and this little chap fell down.. little Mr Bat.. nice :-)

Poorly McCaully, weedy allotments and flying lessons..

I have been and still am a bit worried about my lovely old man (that's McCaully not Mr W). He stopped eating on Friday and then on Saturday morning he woke me up early crying and  didn't like his head or face being touched, his mouth was full of horrible stuff and so off we went to the vet. There were no appointments left but using the trump card  of 'he is 16' will always get your dog into vet and luckily it was the really lovely vet who he has met before. There is no diagnosis as yet.. he has been on antibiotics and the horrible stuff in his mouth has cleared up but there is still a lump.. it could be a rotten tooth which is infected or it could be something more sinister.. so can we please all cross our paws for the best dog in the world and hope that its the former and not the latter. 

He has been back today and we are trying 10 more days of antibiotics to really try and shift it, if that doesn't work its x-rays and biopsies so trying to spare him the invasive stuff until really necessary. Meanwhile I have baked Mr W a cake.. this could be about to get expensive!! Lolly is eating again (not the cake of course) the vet gave him dog 'complan' type affair to get his appetite going.. Jeeps it looked rough but he liked it very much as did his feline friends.. 

And that is why he is the best dog in the world.. he is poorly, hasn't eaten for 2 days and shares his dinner with the cats.. what a lovely lovely chap.. I am lucky to have him.

Other news on the animal front.. Sophie has left the Island minus ducklings.. can't decide if I am pleased or sad about that but either way she is eating now, looking much neater and hanging out with her mate Blueberry again.. (at this point sing Reunited by Peaches and Herbs  -  unless you are too young) its cute to see them back together. They are a bit of a formidable duo where the poor ducklings are concerned.. back to the back of the food queue for them :-(. Mind you those babies have other things on and whilst my photo is rubbish this morning we sat and watched flying school taking place.. was hysterical.. all of the babies gathered around whilst mummy waddled (think she would have preferred to march) up and down and as she passed they each flapped their wings.. TOO TOO cute!

flying school.. check out the baby on the right.

And finally I have seemingly given myself the WORST possible job in the world of relaying all of the paths in the allotment.. it got so full of weeds this year and they took over everything and so needs must but dear me.. 3 days in and I have one seriously sore back.. and still two thirds to go.. looking good though.. once I have done it all the chippings that I have been making out of the old wood from the meadow and woodland will be used to mulch it all... check out my recycling self  :-)

Mr W is working in the allotment too.. he is weatherproofing the greenhouse.. we are getting ready to hibernate :-) Can't wait! 

Pathways before.. 

after.. just need the wood chippings 

and another. 

Cucamelons, tomatoes coming out of our ears, day trips and butterflys

Wow ... snappy title.. not!

Well as you can guess the veg plot is the gift that keeps giving, our baby corn is starting to ripen, we still have lettuce, spinach, chard, rhubarb, beetroot, pak-choi, wriggly carrots, stunted parsnips and pumpkins to eat but the new house hold favourite are the cucamelons.

Anyone who knows Mr W well will have heard him say such things as "salad eurgh" and "salad, never touch the stuff" and other variations on the theme.. this is nonsense.. he eats what he is given but even so I do try and jazz up the old salad with bits and pieces (though not chips as he would like).
My latest jazzing up technique is that of the Cucamelon.. another James Wong seed wonder.. described by the man himself as..
 "Doll’s house-sized ‘watermelons’ that taste of pure cucumber with a tinge of lime. These little guys are officially the cutest food known to man"
http://homegrown-revolution.co.uk

Well cute or not they get the salad dodger to eat the salad :-) I did however giggle the other day when I asked him, whilst I was cooking, if he could go and scoop some cucamelons and lettuce from the garden.. he returned with a paw full of the cucamelons and 4 of the smallest lettuce leaves you have ever seen.. so I tripled the tomato volume .. that'll teach him :-)

dolls house size watermelons.. AKA cucamelons

We are taking every opportunity to eat tomatoes, we have zillions of them .. so I have made yet MORE chutney!! I have made 3 different types now I have jars of chutney everywhere... not to mention the vast amount of Jam.. I started with Rhubarb jam (3 different types) and then on Sunday I pottered off with Winnie to gather brambles .. or blackberries if you are posher than I.  

2 hours later I had to call Mr W to come and pick me up from the bottom of the village where we found ourselves because I had picked 10 pounds of brambles.. and now have 18 jars of bramble jam.. I am getting Christmas read, they are now carefully stored with their little fabric hats on waiting to go into the Hampers.. I still however need to get my fingers back to the correct colour.. I currently look like I have no circulation in my hands from all the washing of brambles.. hey ho. 

The weather here is still lovely and bright but its getting a bit nippy at night and autumn is definitely in the air, as such we thought we would have a blast out on Mr W's motorbike whilst we still can.. so on Saturday morning we set off to Aberystwyth, the coast, for breakfast.

Mr W had the plan so I dutifully hopped on the bike and off we went.. by the time we landed.. even though I had serious layers on including my wicking , (those who walked Ben Nevis in 2011 will understand). And guess what.. breakfast was OUTSIDE!!!! Nicely done Mr W!

safety equipment .. check. 

Bike Check. 

We are here.. and look at the view

Our Breakfast venue - BRRRRRR

 Now if I thought I was cold.. spare a thought for these nutjobs I mean young men who went swimming.. I turned a bit onto my Mam rattling on about how they didn't have anything on their feet and they would freeze.

Looking a bit worried.. they stood on the side quite a while

and then off they went.. swimming

Sunday it was back to chores and house lawns were us.. Mr W strimmed and I mowed.. aaahhh team work. And when we got to the chair lawn (they all have names) we found our Buddleja Bush in full bloom (amazing given the hair cut I gave it in February) and living up to its 'Butterfly Bush' reputation. There were cabbage whites, red admirals and another first for me .. a painted lady butterfly. It was yet another moment when I remembered that I am one seriously lucky lady to live here :-)