Flying solo

chevalier

Wow Robin, what a month! So glad that it looks like CD doesn't have cancer, what a relief. Oh my life about the gunk in the tank. I hope that wasn't your drinking water:eek::eek:? I hadn't realised the financial set up that DS2 had had with ex GF. Very controlling of her, and reinforces my opinion that he has had a lucky escape.

Big hugs to you. Amazing that it has been another year since his passing. Time flies whether you are having fun or not it seems.

I would love to be your co driver, but it is a 'bit' long to come back really lol
chev

Brightspark87

thinking of you Robin, I hope that everything is good with you x

Sun_Addict

Hi Robin just catching up! So pleased to hear CD doesn't have a tumour but hope you get to the bottom of her ailments soon. Can't believe another year has gone by since you lost DH. I can remember reading your diary when it first started off (yours and 2 dogs were very similar) and thinking how terrible, totally unaware that I was about to go through something eerily similar. Thinking about you and hope everything is ok in the Nest.

*Robin*

Hello Diary and Gentle Readers, :hello:

Many thanks to everyone who posted, keeping CD and self in your thoughts. :T

The important news: CD has seen a consultant veterinary professor twice so far; we have a diagnosis. Despite being protected against flies which carry an insidious disease - endemic in warmer climes - CD has turned out to be one of the 1 - 2% of pets who have a natural resistance to the protective agent.
She has a very rare presentation which Dear Vet hadn't seen before, but luckily Consultant has.

Sadly the eye which first alerted me to CD's problem is completely blind, without hope of recovery. The vets have been fighting to save her other eye - Consultant said CD would have lost that one too if I'd waited another week before taking her to Dear Vet..

Good news is that CD is responding well to treatment - every four hours day and night - although we must wait another fortnight before repeating the blood tests, to see whether her liver function is improving. If yes, she has a future (on life-long medication). If no, not (:().

CD accepts having drops put into her eyes with stoicism, but dug in her heels about the pills (currently ten per day). If each one is individually wrapped up in a ham parcel, she'll eat it enthusiastically. Any other presentation is carefully picked apart, leaving a little pile of pills on the floor.
..Fridge is now stocked with several packets of CD's treat - Robin knows how to pick her battles, lol. There is a second benefit in indulging CD's fondness for smoked ham; she's pretty good at telling the time, so reminds me when I forget to give her the pills at the correct interval (given m' wonky memory that's a definite bonus!).

Meanwhile, continuing to plod through lists:
New Lawyer has paperwork - my guess as to her bill was only 12€ out!
Still working on irrigation system; decided to separate trees from flowers because their water requirements are so different. Installed a second valve-timer and circuit m'self - which works properly!
Irrigation Bloke is due to make his fifth visit tomorrow; hopefully he'll iron out the last remaining flaws in the 'professional' system he and his mate put in.

It's been a spendy time.
Paid half of IB's bill to show willing - £230 (said to Auntie: "It half works!").
Vets / medicines - £150 to date.
New door; £180 instead of £200 because they forgot to fit handles on one side (:rotfl:). Gave me the handles to put on m'self. It is a beautiful piece of solid wood craftsmanship - another item off DH's list of capital improvements - so although the reason for buying a new door evaporated when Gardener resigned, I now think it's a fitting addition to the Nest to mark DH's anniversary; he would have been delighted with it. :A
Gave a couple of strong youths £30 to carry door up to Nest, shift the weightiest flower-pots to their new [irrigated] positions, and sort out some other 'heavy' tasks which had been queuing since Divos Three and Four flew away. Lovely willing lads, it only took 'em half an hour - but they did get up early to shift door out of van before it's ITV/MOT appointment, so was happy to overpay a tad; teenagers need encouragement!
Van ITV - £45 (passed! ).
Groceries / 'phone credits - £70.
Gas Safety Cert. for T2 - £80.

New Lawyer wants a hefty chunk up front; understandable these days. Must retrieve funds from the relevant savings a/c before next trip to town. It will be a relief to have this tax obligation sorted out (before the money gets spent on something else! ). NL is also going to draw up a Spanish Will for me - seems like a good idea; simplify everything for the Divos when my days are done.

Aha - CD is peering round the door hopefully - wants to go for a walk; a happy sign not seen much recently, so worthy of instant indulgence.

Brightspark87

Great news that all these jobs are coming together, youve not said much about how you are though Robin, hope you and of course CD are keeping well x

*Robin*

Dear Diary and MSE Friends, :hello:

What's that? Another week gone by?
..Wish there was more progress to report:

Clever Dog stopped eating before the weekend; refused raw chicken, tuna, even her favourite ham.
However she did accept a sausage from a party-goody/doggy-bag DGS left behind, which gave me hope and inspiration; decided to share Sunday lunch with her - baked salmon. That went down very well; CD ate all her steak and half of mine too. Since then she has also allowed me to persuade her to eat some cooked chicken and a portion of DS3's beef stew, found in the rapidly-emptying freezer.
Annoyingly, I've realised CD must have hidden some of her food when she was losing her appetite. Found a couple of bits of decaying raw chicken already, but the smell in the kitchen tells me there's at least one more piece stashed somewhere. Aargh.

Well. It's a good excuse to give the kitchen a deep clean while we're waiting for IB to turn up - today is the fourth consecutive work-day on which his presence has been promised. :cool:
Was slightly less than polite to Auntie on the 'phone at close of play yesterday; now think it was a mistake to pay part of their bill before the system's faults had been sorted out.

If IB doesn't show up today, am going to call Plumber and ask him to take over the job.

Plumber put on his HandyMan cap and fitted the new door last week - it looks fantastic [:D], although P made a helluva mess angle-grinding out a corner of the doorway masonry, to make the frame fit in the hole properly (these old campo houses are rarely 'square' - doubt the builder owned a level, lol).

Only spends since last post went on another batch of CD's eye-drops: £8.

Lucky, Granny, Knit Witch, Sparky and Sun.A - thank you all for recent supportive comments; don't know why it helps so much to know all you good people are keeping CD and self in your thoughts, but it does! :T

chevalier wrote:

Oh my life about the gunk in the tank. I hope that wasn't your drinking water?

Thanks to you too, Chev.

Yes, that tank provides my drinking water! In fact the strange gunk didn't smell at all, and dried to a grey dust; reckon it was a form of 'cal' or limestone deposits rather than organic matter. There are filters on the taps inside the Nest which I think catch anything solid that goes through the pipes, but IB is supposed to be bringing another large filter for the tank (to stop cal deposits blocking up irrigation 'drippers' over time, as well as give better drinking water filtration).

chevalier wrote:

I hadn't realised the financial set up that DS2 had had with ex GF. Very controlling of her, and reinforces my opinion that he has had a lucky escape.

Weird idea, isn't it?
Not sure, but I've a suspicion DS2 and GF may have re-kindled their relationship?
..He's gone very quiet. On the list for email / skype.

chevalier wrote:

I would love to be your co driver, but it is a 'bit' long to come back really lol

Thanks for the offer - but you're right, not a practical idea, lol.

..Just waiting to see what CD's next blood tests show - if it is not her destiny to undertake this journey with me, it would be much cheaper and quicker to fly.

missrlr

Hi Robin, fingers firmly crossed hoping CD can pull through this one and the results are all favourable. Bless her it may be the pills messing with her appetite? Thing of you both x
Really hoping the filter system can be concluded for you too. It has been a bit of a saga from start to finish that project
Not had too great a week - broken my ankle so definitely can't co drive now! Makes life so complicated but had lots of lovely offers to help which is great, but very tiring trying to remember all details to instruct others ..... Oh well.
Love hugs,near tickles and belly rubs liberally distributed to all x x

please-let-me-be-lucky

Sorry to hear about the ankle missrlr. Hope it heals quickly.

Thank you for the update Robin, hope CD's test results are favourable Xx

*Robin*

Hello Diary, MSE Friends and Fans of CD, :hello:

Thanks for popping in, Missrlr and Lucky. :T

missrlr wrote: »

Hi Robin, fingers firmly crossed hoping CD can pull through this one and the results are all favourable. Bless her it may be the pills messing with her appetite?

Believe me, all fingers and toes crossed here too! Pills affecting appetite? Hmm, maybe - but we're half way through the second packet - I'd have thought such a side-effect would become apparent earlier? Another possibility is that the heat is depressing her appetite, or disease progression of course, or my current favourite theory; CD has realised I'll try anything to get her to eat, so is playing on that because she'd rather have 'human' portions of salmon, beef or whatever, in preference to her raw diet?


Aaargh - having ridiculous problems with technology today: My laptop says it's full, going veeery slowly and shuts down after about an hour's use (overheating). DH's laptop works fine for a few hours, but then refuses to go on-line. The only cure I've found has been to switch machines (until my lappy shuts down). After the connection has been used on my lappy, DH's will accept it again.
Weird. Need some wisdom from DS2, but he's still incommunicado.

Anyway, better post before losing this draft, my lappy's already heating up..
With any luck, will be able to get back later via DH's machine.

*Robin*

Yup, now DH's laptop works again..
Where was I?

missrlr wrote: »

Really hoping the filter system can be concluded for you too. It has been a bit of a saga from start to finish that project

..Still trudging on. Guess who didn't show up yesterday?

missrlr wrote: »

Not had too great a week - broken my ankle so definitely can't co drive now! Makes life so complicated but had lots of lovely offers to help which is great, but very tiring trying to remember all details to instruct others ..... Oh well.
Love hugs,near tickles and belly rubs liberally distributed to all x x

Oh Missrlr! A broken ankle, you poor darling - just what you didn't need - how on earth did that happen? Will you be weighed down by plaster for weeks, or did they give you one of the [newish] stiff foam casts?
Glad to hear folk close to you are offering help, anyway. Time for a list matching tasks with volunteers, perhaps? Also, prepare yourself mentally to let people know you still need assistance once all the fuss has died down, which will probably happen before you're back on two sound legs, alas. Unfortunate, but true - human nature. Still, those who love you won't mind being reminded. :grouphug:

CD is getting a lot of extra cuddles at the moment - accompanying each dose of pills and eye-drops. She is dozing on the tiled bedroom floor atm, still cool and damp from it's swish with the mop.
Sun.A would love this weather, but it's too hot here for CD and self during the day now. We hide inside the Nest while the Sun arcs overhead, but early mornings and sunsets are gorgeous.

Aha - IB just 'phoned. Said he called earlier from outside the gate - eh? He could see the van - we have already discussed this because it's visible from the main road below, so he'd know when he's passing; if van is here, so am I! Why didn't he come in? :mad:
Anyway, he said he'll come back after lunch (at four-thirty).
We shall see.

Financial: Great news; T2 have paid their rent. Phew (somewhat late - but forgiven, as I could only have sympathy with their reasoning, and the problem was sorted out promptly).
Have a plan to do something nice for T2..