Rufus

The vet who treated Rufus sent this hand signed card and a packet of Forget Me Not seeds. The practice did the same when Buster died, I think it might be something most vets do nowadays. It's nice.

Rufus is always in my head, lots of memories and there will always be a "first time" memory. A few days ago I came home with some shopping bags. he used to be behind the door to greet me and would dive his head into the bags to sniff anything good in them, then follow me, nudging me all the way into the kitchen. I shed a few tears. I know it will get easier with time.

Polly

x

All Good Things Come To An End

I'm feeling very sad. Time goes too quickly. My darling Ozzie daughter went home yesterday. As I type this they should have taken off from Changi. We've had a great time and created some happy memories - retail therapy, breakfasts out, outings, lots of chatter, my girls laughing at all my old photos, way toooooo much eating and drinking! playing games

and lots of laughs, particularly when playing Dobble! It's a great game, and my Ozzie daughter was the champion.

oOo

My laptop has finally stopped working, it's not even limping along now, it is no more. I'm writing this on a desktop computer until I decide whether to buy another laptop or a Chromebook. My grandson mentioned a Chromebook ages ago when the laptop started to go wrong, and a very nice man in John Lewis recommended one for the sort of things I do. I am liking this desktop though, I like using a mouse.

∼ Be safe and well∼

Polly x

Friends, Shopping And Eating

Our cream tea went very well except, like last time with my friends, we had to abandon eating outside under the gazebo - last time it was chilly and overcast, yesterday was too hot!!

We've also enjoyed going out for breakfast. It's been popular in Australia for years, and is catching on here in the UK now. Soon after taking this photo the outside area was full.

Time spent visiting friends, more retail therapy, and way toooooo much eating and drinking! 

Today we're relaxing and trying to keep cool.

∼ Be safe and well∼

Polly x

Today should be a happy day, it's the day I should be on a plane to Singapore en route to Australia to spend Christmas with my darling daughter. As I write this we would have taken off and be somewhere over the English Channel, waving goodbye to the rain! The excitement I should be feeling has evaporated and left me feeling sad, angry, and a bit down.

I'm not feeling bah humbug but I'm not feeling any Christmas spirit. Although to be honest I haven't felt that for a few years now. My daughters are grown up, my grandson is 17, I'm not religious any more so Christmas is no longer a special magical time. I will still have a nice time though, with daughter, grandson and SIL. Some delicious food, nice wine, good films and quizzes.

Look what my other darling daughter bought for me, an advent box

24 little boxes of  delight

day 1 was beautifully scented soaps, day 2 was hand cream 

day 3 was three caramel chocolates and today was two malteser reindeers.

What a gorgeous thoughtful gift.

~ Be warm and well~

Polly x

Buster

Our Buster is a little trooper. It's four weeks and two days since he had his leg amputated. He's mastered his balance, he runs out into the garden to check the side of the shed where he thinks the neighbours cat might be, he loves his food, he loves laying outside on the lawn, and he loves our walks, and he's pleased to meet up with all our doggie friends.

For a few days after the operation he was slightly groggy from all the medication so we didn't do much in the way of walks. Then we started doing the short walk up to the playing field, where I would let him off the lead and he would walk and run round the perimeter. Strictly speaking dogs aren't welcome on the playing field and definitely not without a lead on. I know it was wrong but I justified my actions to myself because I wanted to monitor his progress by how many laps of the field he could do with no restrictions of the lead. When an amputee dog walks it's no longer a smooth walk, it's a bouncing action which makes the lead swing, a bit like a skipping rope. It's ok to walk through the playing field to a footpath through a farmer's field. I always took him there for a wee and poo so he didn't do it in the playing field. There are two bins in the field but I prefer them not to do any at all.

Last Sunday the caretaker of the playing field was cutting the grass as we arrived. Now it's one thing to use it in his absence but I wasn't going to brazen it out right under his nose so we went through the field and kept going to the lane. They were on the leads as we approached the lane, at which point I turned round to head home. Buster refused to move. I thought if I removed his lead he would follow me and Rufus, but no, I turned round and there he was running down the lane, he wasn't ready to go home! So now we're doing our usual daily walk. Occasionally he stands still or lays down for a bit of a rest. Rufy and I just sit down (or I stand depending on where we are) with him until he is ready to move on.

He's a super trooper.

To all the amputee dogs out there you are all super trooper stars.

🐾 Be safe and well🐾

Polly x

Buster's Diary

Well I've had my leg x-ray'd and the the good news is that there is no arthritis, no fracture and nothing sinister, but the bad news is I still limp now and again and the lump is still there. I'm taking medicine and have to go back in 4 weeks time. Polly was never convinced it was a shoulder injury, she thinks it's a hematoma. I rest a lot, (we Lurchers are couch potatoes anyway) and I have to stay on the lead for walks which isn't good because I like to sniff every blade of grass so Polly has to keep stopping, she likes to keep walking. Ordinarily I would stop then run to catch up, stop, run ..... and so on.

I'm glad I'm not a horse, they are out in the fields in all weathers, I think they go indoors at night time though.

We're pleased with the frosty weather, frost means harder ground which means no mud, which in turn means .................... not having to be hosed down when we get home, hooray.

 There is a lot of mud

everywhere.

The badgers have been busy adding another wing to their home! The first one is where I am standing and this one nearest the camera is the latest one.

Polly is doing her usual hibernating, making quilts and working on dollshouses. She has been feeling a bit under par lately - I think it's mainly this time of year but I did overhear her tell a friend that she is beginning to feel her age!! Don't tell her I told you that! :-)

~ Be warm and well ~ 

Buster 🐾

Rufus' Diary

Polly, Buster and I don't like this weather, even when it's not raining it's still wet, and when we run across the fields we get mucky which means ..........we get hosed down when we get home.

Legs and feet aren't too bad, but the under carriage, oh dear, the indignity, it's not nice,

although Polly is very careful!

Poor little Buster isn't running anywhere at the moment, he has been limping for a while.

The vet thinks it's a shoulder injury and prescribed some anti inflammatory medicine. 

There is some improvement. He got so anxious going into the surgery a second time, almost

having to be dragged in, the vet was reluctant to put him through sedation and x-rays,

so she has said to wait a few weeks, keep him on the lead for walks and hopefully

it's tissue damage and will heal in time.

Probably, like humans it will take a bit longer as we get older, he is 9 now.

 These little bud things that grow on something in the garden get stuck to Busty when he has a bad tummy and goes rummaging around eating grass. Last week his head and neck were covered in

them, Polly had to brush him to get them out and some had to be cut out.

She has identified the plant and cut most of it away now.

This tree fell down a couple of months ago. It remained intact so we thought the

root system was still ok and it would just be left, but then one morning it was gone.

Probably collected with these that were being cut down for sale. The fire is burning debris.

There are always lots of interesting smells around the badger sett and I like to have a look down it.

I hope they are warm and cosy down there.

Polly has been out and about. I'm sure she will tell you about it soon.

She had 4 Christmas meals last week, and has 2 more next week!!

All with various clubs she belongs to.

She is also eating lots of mince pies for her great mince pie survey which she will be posting soon.

When I say lots I mean lots of different brands not the whole box full! family eat them as well.

Polly wasn't very happy with this photo, it's slightly blurred, but then she

thought the blurred look went quite well with the misty autumn morning look.

~Keep warm and well ~

Rufus 🐾

Noise Stops Play

My grandson's basketball match on Saturday was stopped due to noise coming from the other users of the hall. 

The match was being played in the gym hall of a school, the same hall where they meet on club nights. On the other side of the hall, separated by a curtain, a game of men's volley ball was being played. I think it might have been a tournament, there were a lot of men in various team colours and lots of spectators making lots of noise. It wasn't too bad at first but gradually as more people arrived the noise level increased, they were using drums and something else, the kind of noise you would expect at a football match. 

Just before half time our visiting team called a halt to the game saying they couldn't continue due to not being able to hear the ref and the boys not being able to hear instructions from their coach. The score was 34 to Chelmsford, 22 to Northampton. Our boys were playing very well, almost as one, they did some brilliant passes resulting in good scores. Whilst I agreed that the noise was becoming unbearable the boys wanted to continue, they were amused by the decision of the visitors to concede the match.

Grandson warming up

~Keep warm and well ~

Polly x

Buster's Diary

Not much has been happening here, we had a quiet Christmas.
A few social events and catching up with family.

On Christmas day Polly and her daughter took me and Rufus out for a walk wearing these

Santa outfit for Rufy

Christmas pud for me

Thank goodness we didn't see anyone we knew, our street cred would plummet!

It was a lovely crisp frosty morning.

We each got a variety box of goodies and Rufy got a really nice squeeky toy.

I didn't get one, I don't play with them like Rufy does, I only want it when he has it!

Polly's son-in-law cooked a delicious Christmas day dinner, 

Polly made a lovely boozy trifle and everyone ate too much!

We had a few leftover bits.

We didn't wear the outfits on Boxing Day!

And here we are at the beginning of a new year. Polly isn't going to make any new year resolutions,

but she needs to lose the weight she has gained over the festive season!

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2019

~Keep warm and well ~

Buster & Rufus
🐾

Catching Up

Phew I seem to have been so busy I'm getting behind with blogging.
So what have I been up to?

Two Christmas meals last week, my book club and my art club. Both at lovely venues, both delicious food and both good company. My bowls club one is next week. 

The church in the village just down the road from mine held their annual Christmas Tree Festival at the weekend. All the groups in the area are invited to enter a tree. The public vote for their favourite and the judges vote for an overall winner. Once again there were some beautiful, clever and innovative entries. I had a very hard time deciding between two.

Let It Snow was exquisite. 

A white tree, sparkly lights and beautiful handmade dolls depicting winter activities.

And this gorgeous one

Santa's grotto

All beautifully hand made by the ladies of a sewing club


We Tree Kings was so cute.
The Kings were mini trees

and just look at how cute the camel is


The children at the village infants school made the poppies for Remembrance day.
They did a lovely job decorating the tree with them.

 

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party had the WOW factor. It had flashing stick lights 

and a revolving teapot

This was my WI's entry, celebrating the centenary of the NHS.
The red heart had a flashing light inside it which looked very good

There were many more entries, making a difficult job for the judges. We didn't win.

Back home

The badgers have been busy extending their home.

When they first started last year that pile of earth was level with the edge of the field.

As someone who almost gets ill with the cold I have always wanted a down coat, I bought a down jacket a few weeks ago but returned it because I decided I needed something to keep my thighs and bottom warm!
They are quite expensive so I asked my family if they would give me money instead of presents for Christmas. My darling grandson asked how much I wanted, and I'm sure if I had said £100 he would have given me it. 
I started looking online just to see what was about ............ and I found this

I wasn't planning to buy one until nearer Christmas but this ticked all the boxes, the right length, a belt, pockets and no hood but a lovely high collar. If I had waited and then found they had sold out I would have been inconsolable so I clicked the buy button! It's gorgeous, and I'm worth it! :-)

We had a lovely time at the Salvation Army on Tuesday, a quiz, a brass band playing carols and a delicious Christmas dinner. 
And then in the afternoon at art club the couple who run the club set a fun task for us. They chose a picture, printed it out and cut it into pieces, one for each of us. We then had to draw our piece onto card, larger scale and paint it.

It was fun seeing each piece put on the table and trying to guess what the complete picture was. We all use different mediums, oil, acrylics, watercolour, chalk pastels so the colours didn't always match. My piece was the one bottom left, second one up, done in watercolour. I think we all did very well.

It was Chagall's The Cellist. It was good fun, we all enjoyed it.

Christmas lights are up at the front of the house, and some inside. I've bought a real tree and will be decorating it at the weekend. How are your Christmas preparations going?

~Keep warm and well ~

Polly x

This And That Catching Up

Oh dear, I have neglected my blog and I'm sorry for not visiting my favourite blogs. I do catch up on you all, but don't always have time to comment.

My bowls club has been playing friendly and league matches. I wouldn't describe myself as one of my clubs' best players but I do have times when I play well. I won my club's ladies singles competition last year and was in the winning team in the fours competition. I don't know what happened with the summer league singles matches, I think it was a combination of hot weather, hot flushes, and trying too hard! 

Rufus mentioned wanting some photos of their walking friends, so here they are

 Charlie and Norman 

Rufus, Norman and Ellie               Ellie, Buster and Norman

Treat time, and bribery to get them all together! except Buster,

he had found something interesting to sniff nearby!

Ellie lost her tail in an accident

I have been busy with dolls house work, the bathroom is nearing completion and I have made a start on the main bedroom. 

Painting (art not decorating) has taken up a fair amount of time because of my determination to get it right. Some I am pleased with, others have gone in the bin. The experts say don't overthink it, and I tell myself not to but then I do! When I do just do it without overthinking I am pleased with the result, like this one. 

I wet all the petal areas one by one then just dropped a tiny amount of pink in the inside and tipped the paper to let it run to the edges. I then built up the darker areas bit by bit. It can be difficult knowing when to stop. When it came to the leaves I built up the colour gradually and thought I had overdone it with the veins, but I think they look just about right. I might frame it.

I followed an online tutorial for this one and was quite pleased with it until I noticed the perspective of the pot's proximity to the window! I will keep it though, we learn through our mistakes.

And of course time spent keeping cool and reading. My current book is 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Mistry. A hefty 614 pages! It has been on the bookshelf for a long time, I think it's one that I inherited from number two daughter when she emigrated to Australia. I enjoyed his 'Such A Long Journey' and am thoroughly enjoying this one so far. 

In July we had our WI summer lunch, delicious food and good company made for an enjoyable afternoon. And last week for our August meeting we went to Papermill Lock, a tea room on the bank of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. We had a lovely trip on a canal boat.

Little Baddow Mill House

 followed by a cream tea or cake and coffee (I had a cream tea)

I've enjoyed a few trips to North Weald market

and bought a couple of frocks there

this is the bargain I found in a charity shop in Fremantle last November. It has a lovely stretchy

panel at the back which gives a fitted look whilst allowing for expansion if I over indulge!

On probably the hottest day of the year my friend M and I went to the Booking Hall cafe at Rayne. 

It's the old railway station on the Fitch Way. It's said to be a lovely walk along the old track.

There are a couple of carriages that have been converted into a charming small museum. 

This one has a lovely little model version of how Rayne was as a working station.

The crops are stored

blackberries are turning red, I have seen a few black ones

soon be time for blackberry and apple pies and crumbles, yummy :-) 

Well that's me caught up with what I have been doing.

I hope to get round to reading what my favourite bloggers have been up to.

~Be well and have a good weekend ~

Polly x