Flying solo

Bubblesmum

Hope you are feeling much better tonight.

Ear scratches to CD

*Robin*

Hello Diary and Dear MSEers, :hello:

Thanks for popping in, Sparky, Missrlr and Bubbles. :T

Happy Sunday everyone! Tbh it was a bit of a surprise, finding out today is not Saturday. Muggins somehow lost Friday..
Downside is that CD and self missed an interesting excursion yesterday, but upside is discovering the correct day before Monday - when van finally gets to the top of the queue at the technical inspection centre (missing this appointment would mean being off the road for another two weeks!*).
* Erm, assuming it passes..

Brightspark87 wrote:

sorry you have been poorly. Glad you are recovering. rechargeable batteries are so much better!

Thanks Sparky! Ha, reckon rechargeable batteries are essential for anyone who doesn't rely on street-lights to stop 'em falling over at night, lol.

missrlr wrote:

Hi Robin I rediscovered you!
Glad CD is keeping you on the warm path and well done on the matters tax being completed.
Doglet is improving after a very touch and go illness and I have my leg in plaster again. Struggling with post op rcovery and General anaesthesia effects. And a stinking cold so I join you in garlic

Oh dear Missrlr, am very sorry to read that you and Doglet have been in the wars again!
Hope you're both recovering now (((hugs))).
Reckon garlic, ginger, honey, lemons, pepper and turmeric* shifted the current UK flu-bug for me at least a week faster than most folk manage (with echinacea in the first few days, of course).
*Have been giving CD turmeric as well; it seems to have stopped the new age-related problem she was showing signs of, and also, she doesn't need Dear Vet's arthritis pills any more - great, eh?
Except that now the jar is empty. It's quite hard to find good quality organic turmeric here, so decided to order some via The River. ..Almost fell off m' chair at the penultimate screen - postal charges came to 135% of the purchase price! :mad:
Didn't buy it. :cool:
As am trying to use natural medicines / food to maximise our health, it's a problem. Turmeric is also part of m' cholesterol-busting arsenal; don't want to wait until our next UK visitor arrives - but the alternative is rather a looong drive. Much of it on snowy, icy mountain roads. :think:

Bubblesmum wrote:

Hope you are feeling much better tonight.

Ear scratches to CD

Thanks! Last night it was so cold that it seemed a good idea to call CD onto the bed with me. It's really against house rules, so she was uneasy about staying put. Thought of your wishes for extra ear scratches, Bubbles, while spending a good half hour stroking CD until she relaxed into sleep, then yours truly - finally warm enough - dropped off too.

Can't remember whether this spend has been noted before - have given tool hire fees to the Lads who are coming to rotavate the garden, when weather conditions are right. Total: £130.

please-let-me-be-lucky

Och, Friday is overrated anyway .

Bless CD for being unsure of breaking rules. Such a sweetheart Xx

Dansmam

Good dog CD, good dog. What a gem, sleeping on the bed by invitation only. Ours goes upstairs by invitation only but he's been sneaking up since DD moved back in. Need to check if she's issuing invitations...

Sun_Addict

Glad you're on the mend Robin. I can't say anything about dogs sleeping on beds. When Mr SA was in hospital my dog slept on his side of the bed and she was such a comfort to me. Unfortunately I let her develop bad habits and won't sleep anywhere else now. Although I prefer her to sleep with us than tear around the house with the cats at night.

missrlr

Hello again. I am in a little time warp where night is day and so on.
I also find curcumin helpful and fenugreek.
Dogs on beds, required for health reasons IMO.

My leg is playing up something rotten tonight

Hope you continue to improve and CD too.

Bubblesmum

Pets on beds

Well they are such a comfort..... I'm missing my boy (cat) tonight, he's been shut in as since his sister died he has been allowed to roam and he's been sleeping with us. However breakfast demands have been getting earlier and earlier .... 4.14 last night...... I don't get up ....OH does..... So tonight OH says enough

Will write down your remedies for winter flu and turmeric ....

*Robin*

Hello Diary and Dear Friends, :hello:

Thanks for dropping in Lucky, Sun.A, Missrlr, Bubbles, and welcome to the Nest Dansmam - alas no cake today, but can offer strawberries and plenty of fresh-squeezed orange juice..

Have tried umpteen times to write an update but Black Dog delights in sabotage.. Wish it was possible to post more often when life isn't going so well because the support from all of you wonderful MSEers is great - however after reading back one depressing sentence after another in preview, m' conclusion up 'til now was always:
"No, don't press submit, it's not right to share all this carp.."

missrlr wrote:

I am in a little time warp where night is day and so on.
I also find curcumin helpful and fenugreek.
Dogs on beds, required for health reasons IMO.

My leg is playing up something rotten tonight

So sorry to read that you're in pain Missrlr - must have been a really nasty break! ..If they're certain the bones are correctly positioned now, are you taking comfrey to speed healing?

Great to discover that you use natural medicine too - maybe I should have guessed earlier, <chuckle>
Would be interested to hear why you chose curcumin capsules over using ground spice?


Last night, finally accepted that I'm having an "ME flare-up" - possibly / probably an after-effect of the flu?
At least help is at hand in the welcome form of Divo Three, who flew in yesterday lunchtime. He carried up a pile of logs, dug a new path which will allow me to plant out lots more flowers, joined CD and self on our walk, and then did the hoovering while I made dinner.

That was the first wholesome repast I've had for ?? can't remember. Since using up m' stock of home-made 'ready meals' the [STRIKE]easiest[/STRIKE] only option in the evenings - if anything - has been toast; not good.

Won't recount m' many failures since posting last. Have only been out once to replenish supplies; a reasonably successful day (paid a high price later though - used far too many spoons ).
At each of three stops I met someone who knows our family. All of 'em complimented me on one or other of the Divos - lovely but how strange; what are the odds against meeting an acquaintance in every shop visited, in a town of 10,000 souls?
The first lady's son is a mate of DS1 & 3; she looked amazingly well - especially considering she was told last May that her cancer had become imminently terminal! Serendipitously, she's also a great fan of golden spice and told me where to find it - at a weekly market which was closing as we spoke - so I had to rush off, after congratulating her on beating the Oncologist's prediction! :T

Am delighted for her, honestly, but Black Dog couldn't contain himself and my heart broke again - would DH have survived if we'd gone down the same route, stayed here and run from the cure?

Did get to market in time to relieve Stall-holder of the last tiny packages of turmeric he had with him.
Another customer caught my eye; it's been so long since we met that he's forgotten we ever did! Again, he was very complimentary about the Divos (he hosted two of 'em for 'teenage exchanges' - just as several of his kids spent extended holidays with us <chuckle> guess am not the only one with memory issues these days. Lovely to see him anyway ).
Spotted organic potting soil on the way out, so grabbed a few sacks while strong arms were available to help load it.

In the supermarket, met another friend who was with a lady I don't know. She knew me though; she'd obviously had a very good experience with one of the Divos - not sure which - who'd rescued her from an emergency. Full of praise she was; cue warm fuzzy feelings..

Back at the Nest, surprisingly CD didn't rush out and greet me with happy bounds, kisses and lots of chatter.. Very reluctantly, she emerged from the bathroom where she'd been hiding; head and tail lowered, the image of repentance.
Everything looked in order. Couldn't see any evidence at all of baaad dog..? Relieved nothing truly awful had happened while she was alone, I did my best to try and reassure CD but she just would not cheer up.

Hours later, finally wound down enough after the day's exertions to fall into bed. Which is when I discovered exactly why CD was so upset:
Big wet patch. <sigh> Exhausted, already undressed, had to rush down to the caravan by torch-light - through freezing horizontal rain - to fetch another duvet before making up the spare bed.
Is it a co-incidence CD hadn't experienced this problem since I started giving her golden paste - then a short while after running out, the issue returned? Ha - never did get a sample for DV because CD's symptoms just stopped.

CD was depressed and withdrawn for days. It was a relief when she started initiating cuddling sessions again so hopefully the memory of her perceived disgrace is fading.
Have told her it wasn't her fault - if she were a human person, CD would be expecting a birthday card from the Queen pretty soon, so age-related issues must be expected.
It's up to yours truly to ensure we have the means available to minimise such problems - interestingly, CD has had no more 'accidents' since m' stock of turmeric was replenished.

Also noticeable that CD's zoomies are coming back, for the first time since she lost her sight. Had to chase her yesterday to attach the lead, after she cantered up the road ahead of DS3 and self. She is coming to terms with relying on her other senses very well, but there's a ten metre drop on one side and at least forty on the other at that point, so best to have the reassurance of knowing I can prevent CD running off the edge if she's too excited to respond to "stop!"

Spends:
Foodstuffs (inc. donation) - £75
Potting soil - £23
Firewood - £45

Dansmam

Robin, you make my heart sing. Glad you're back. If I'm not being presumptuous being such a newbie to the nest. First caught up with your diary lurking over the Christmas holiday (time off, work is my downfall, it makes me focus on c**p) and was so impressed with how you'd done so much so fast after so much. No wonder you've been smitten at the darkest dullest part of the year. Dunn about to shine I'm certain. Have a dog that does great zoomies. Better than cake, but will take all the cake that's going. So will dog. Hoping for a dry bed and a sunny day for you for tomorrow. DM

Dansmam

Sun, not Dunn. Aargh spellcheck demon give us a break!