Flying solo

*Robin*

Good morning Diary,

It turned out that the low mood exhibited in my last diary entry was a symptom of another bug, or a reprise of the same one perhaps. Caught me rather by surprise, and has taken three days to switch on most of the ol' grey matter again.
I must prepare more meals for the freezer; stuff that is ready to pop in the oven on days when I can't see straight. Anything that stops me consuming more than my two-slices-a-day ration of bread (which has a baad effect all by itself)..

BD is doing well on his diet, however; he's been eating rice and chicken to counteract the effects of the pills on his gut. When that ran out, I made him a kind of paella with the only white fish in the freezer - fish fingers - he cannot get enough of that mixture; thinks it's fantastic!
(Oh and it's working; only had one accident since making the first batch for him). But we're now out of rice, chicken and fish, so must bring forward our next trip to the commercial world.

Luckily the weather is sunny today - but oh so cold! - last night the thermometer went down to minus two and I burned nearly four days' worth of wood in the stove. :eek:
The snow-line is about ten miles away; to the north and east, mountain-tops glitter this morning. Beautiful.

*Robin*

Back again,

Searched out this clip for another poster, but as it also 'fits' me today I thought it could go in here too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvMpltsBb8U


We took a load of kids to have a go at paragliding for a birthday treat, many years ago. ..It's the most fantastic buzz! (Mind you, the place we went to had a much easier take-off than wherever that clip was made).

HeadAboveWater

That looks like SO much fun

NewLeaf_2

i am glad BD seems more himself xx

dorothy52

Good to have you back,Robin and I hope you are feeling better. Glad that BD seems to have improved - seems there is life in the old dog yet!

Fudgefund

You always manage to make your surroundings sound wonderful, even when you're not feeling great yourself. I really wish I was there! Hope you're feeling better. x

*Robin*

Hello Diary and dear MSE friends, :hello:

Greetings from a very chilly field. A stiff breeze is doing it's best to hasten the demise of the patio roof's current incarnation (the author of the - hopefully, final - replacement is coming to give it a layer of looking at, next weekend ).

dorothy52 wrote: »

Good to have you back,Robin and I hope you are feeling better. Glad that BD seems to have improved - seems there is life in the old dog yet!

NewLeaf wrote: »

i am glad BD seems more himself

Thank you both, so am I; BD looks and behaves more like a dog than a zombie with each passing day.
Yesterday he was strong enough to tolerate the furminator (the first time I tried to use it, he was so weak that the simple action of pulling the comb gently through his coat caused him to stagger ).
Last night he came and woke me up [rather than waiting by the door] when he wanted to go out - all the others went with him to stare at the moon but I forbore the pleasure, due to the nipple-pricking bite in the air.

BD just walked confidently through the living room - actually striding out rather than lurching. :think: This could be as good as it gets before the effect of the pills wears off.
..I reckon now is the time for a 'revision' - see what Dear Vet has to say about his prospects.

Now. Yes - time for a prophylactic pain-killer [for me] then find all the collars and leads, shopping list, keys, bank cards et al, and not forgetting to bag up the rubbish (no doorstep bin-men here!)..
Am not looking forward to the logistics of this outing - in a way it's another of the "firsts without DH" - will probably have to lift both BD and Old Auntie into [and out of] the van. And pay for that later; so it goes..

Fudgefund wrote:

You always manage to make your surroundings sound wonderful, even when you're not feeling great yourself. I really wish I was there! Hope you're feeling better.

Thank you! It is beautiful here, for those who have the mindset to appreciate the grandeur of nature, and can tolerate a less than luxurious lifestyle.
Even though it's nigh on three decades since I first clapped eyes on these mountains, I still spend an inordinate amount of time just looking at the view in awe and gratitude for the chances which led me here (too much snow, musicians and shoddy mechanics - but that's another story ).

HeadAboveWater

*Robin* wrote: »

Thank you! It is beautiful here, for those who have the mindset to appreciate the grandeur of nature, and can tolerate a less than luxurious lifestyle.
Even though it's nigh on three decades since I first clapped eyes on these mountains, I still spend an inordinate amount of time just looking at the view in awe and gratitude for the chances which led me here (too much snow, musicians and shoddy mechanics - but that's another story ).

Working on book number 2 already?!

*Robin*

Good morning Diary and dear friends, :hello:

Just watched a gorgeous roseate sunrise banish the shadows, in the company of Old Auntie. She wasn't very happy this morning; found her prone in the middle of the kitchen floor when I got up. Now the dogs can, and do, sleep anywhere they want, but the kitchen floor is an unusual choice because the old dogs find the tiles a bit slippery, and usually just scoot across on the way to one of their preferred spots.

I helped her up and over to the living room, which exposed the source of a suspicious smell - she'd messed herself, poor thing. ..I'm wondering whether some of the accidents I'd ascribed to BD were actually caused by Old Auntie?
Anyway, now that she's moving she looks ok, and she's back in her favourite place by DH's chair on the patio.

Yesterday's outing went very well, all things considered.
Blind Dog negotiated the steps and appeared to enjoy the walk. That could not be said for the journey into town; he complained all the way.
I lost a lead, which tested Clever Dog's obedience and my nerves as she had to walk beside us along a busy road - she was wonderful; didn't take her eyes off me for a second, bless her.
Blind Dog walked happily between Old Auntie and Fat Dog, trusting them to avoid obstacles.

Dear Vet was gratifyingly pleased with BD and OA's progress. The first pills had enough effect to give us several choices, none of which - I'm happy to report - involved talk of a journey to rainbow bridge being imminent.
DV gave a short lecture on the care of geriatric canines, then ascertained that BD's wobbly back end is down to loss of muscle tone rather than nerve damage - good news.
So we have different pills which will minimise discomfort caused by the arthritis BD and OA both suffer from. They've got to take these for the rest of their days - which DV and I have agreed will be as long as they are not in pain.
DV then favoured me with another short lecture on recognising pain symptoms in canines and the correct dose of drug to give - it's one I already have in stock for my own use - and told me to call her if we reach that point.

Which brought us to the bill; two separate consultations for two dogs each time, all the first lot of pills and a months' supply of the new ones - £50! I was delighted - now you understand why I call her Dear Vet - but completely forgot to mention Fat Dog's bad breath, so that will have to wait until next time (FD's eating like a hoover so am not too worried about that yet).

It was dark and close to freezing by the time we got home, so I left most of the shopping in the van. Lit the stove and fell asleep to the gravelly tones of Lord Sugar berating his young apprentices.
..A successful day; Thanks Be.

HeadAboveWater wrote: »

Working on book number 2 already?!

:rotfl: Oh very good, HAW! :rotfl:

<No, that one will definitely not be written; mustn't risk offending a couple of public figures who were in the party, but 'off duty' as it were >

HeadAboveWater

*Robin* wrote: »

I lost a lead, which tested Clever Dog's obedience and my nerves as she had to walk beside us along a busy road - she was wonderful; didn't take her eyes off me for a second, bless her.

Aw very cute

Dear Vet was gratifyingly pleased with BD and PCD's progress. The first pills had enough effect to give us several choices, none of which - I'm happy to report - involved talk of a journey to rainbow bridge being imminent.

:j Fab news!!

completely forgot to mention Fat Dog's bad breath

If it was that bad you wouldn't have had to mention it at all. The smell itself would've knocked the vet out :rotfl:

:rotfl: Oh very good, HAW! :rotfl:

Hee hee Sorry! I just couldn't resist!!! :rotfl: