Flying solo

Fudgefund

:wave:Hi Robin.

Just caught up and wanted to say I completely second PLMBL's lovely summing up of your positive bits from 2012. I also think the daisy sounds hilarious.

I know you said you passed up the opportunity to do painting, but why not try your hand at it just to capture what you see around you? I have a feeling you'd find it very satisfying, even if you won't be troubling Van Gogh. If you start out with some cheap pastels or oils I bet you'd have a Spanish sunrise lovely enough to put in one of your rooms before you know it. xx

*Robin*

Hello Diary and dear MSE Friends, and welcome to Mrs PG, :hello:

Well, these turned out to be rash words:

*Robin* wrote:

Giving the Old Dogs my medication every day is hammering my stock of course, so it's just as well the clean mountain air is having it's hoped-for effect - am getting far fewer migraines than is normal for me in the UK.

Am still rather wobbly, and haven't achieved anything of note since last updating.

Fudgefund wrote: »

Just caught up and wanted to say I completely second PLMBL's lovely summing up of your positive bits from 2012. I also think the daisy sounds hilarious.

Have found myself reading and re-reading Be Lucky's cheerful summary - need to focus on the positives, don't I? Thank you again Be Lucky.

The daisy is amusing; just the kind of toy I like. One of the local musicians had a play with it yesterday [my conversation wasn't up to much]. He worked out which tones each globe responds to, and how they combine. For example, Blind Dog's bark activates a red, blue and yellow light, whereas clapping lights up red and green. Slamming a door results in all five colours flashing, and a cough lights the red, green and yellow. Fascinating. His explanation of tones and harmonies passed over my head - shame there were no kids around to partake of the lesson.
After the musician left, I noticed he'd plaited the daisy stems - no mean feat for a bloke to manage a five-strand plait - it can stay like that until the next curious visitor plays with it.

Fudgefund wrote: »

I know you said you passed up the opportunity to do painting, but why not try your hand at it just to capture what you see around you? I have a feeling you'd find it very satisfying, even if you won't be troubling Van Gogh. If you start out with some cheap pastels or oils I bet you'd have a Spanish sunrise lovely enough to put in one of your rooms before you know it. xx

Finding the time to sit painting would be the problem, Fudgie, and then the competition for wall-space; both my grandfathers were talented amateur artists so there's precious little empty wall left here now, lol. Plenty of materials though - DS4's art supplies seem to be everywhere. If he's not collected 'em by the time I've dealt with my mountain of paperwork, and done the backlog of work in the garden, maybe I'll have a go?

dorothy52 wrote:

I am so pleased to hear that BD and PCD seem to be recovering

Recovering? I can't turn back time, alas; the medications just mask some of the effects of ageing.

Actually, PC's Dog is deteriorating faster than Blind Dog at the moment. She has toothache [her breath stinks], she has trouble chewing anything so is eating very little. She's stopped cleaning herself (that's a job I've got to do something about as soon as I feel a bit brighter myself ). The painkillers work for a few hours, then she looks sad until the next dose (she eats better if I time dinner two hours after a pill).

Being honest; there is little joy in her life, although she still tries to dance if I time her dinner right, and when she greets me as I return after a trip out.
Those two small signs are stopping me from calling Dear Vet, plus one other huge consideration - if PC's Dog goes first, Blind Dog will be utterly bereft. There's no doubt of that; they have been best mates all his life, and he now relies on her eyes for guidance and her presence for reassurance, especially when the other two dogs and I go out - he panics when he can't find her.
However in himself, BD appears quite happy at the moment, moving well and apparently without pain - he's probably stoned, if the pills have the same side effect on dogs as they do on people (it's why I don't like 'em). :cool:

Thinking about all this - together with another important topic that NewLeaf kindly brought to my attention, has high-lighted the moral dilemma of spending effort and money on keeping these two old dogs going when resources are so desperately needed for far more worthy causes - is probably what prompted the latest migraine attack. No blame rests on NL for my bad head, I hasten to add - in fact NL, thank you for the prompt - it's just the sort of thing PC would have done [deliberately in his case ].

Am still mulling it over, and watching the Old 'Uns closely..

Meanwhile the washing machine is out of service - needs a new hose, which is going to be a <rude word> to fit. Shall I cannibalise the kids' swimming pool or the caravan, or put a new hose on the shopping list? Hmm. Will need to go out soon to post a parcel, but not today - still rattling full of migraine meds.
So it goes.

dorothy52

Ah yes, I see your dilemma re BD and PCsD - oh my, I wish I could offer advice, I really do. What would I do? Hang on to them both for as long as you can and while ever you can keep them relatively free from pain - but I'm not sure if that is the RIGHT thing to do, is there such a thing? It all comes down to postponing the dreaded moment when you know that you have to let them go.

I agree that you should try your hand at painting, you might just surprise yourself.

D xx

please-let-me-be-lucky

I'm sorry you aren't feeling 100% Robin. Take extra care of yourself.

If I'd known you were going to read and re-read what I'd written, I'd have tried to do it more eloquently

Hope you get the washing machine sorted. I'm in awe that you would do that yourself!! Xx

NewLeaf_2

Hi Robin, I hope that you are feeling better soon. I dont know if I ever mentioned this but I have 3 dogs, all mini pinschers. I had 4 until last year when one died due to complications from pancreatitis when his intestine became blacked and necrotic and by the time they did the surgery it was too late. His companion dog hasn't been the same since. Smokey (the one that is still with me of the 2 older ones will be 14 in June) and I brought him here from America with the one who passed away last year. The 2 others are 7 years old.

I can only imagine how you are struggling and I am sending my best hugs and heartfelt wishes to you tonight x

Igamogam

Sorry to read about the dogs - such a hard decision to make. Went I went to university the 2 cats I had know all my life and where older than me, began to go into decline and finally when one was obviously on her last legs the decision was made............. however knowing that the second cat would not be able to live without her sister they made that final trip together. At the time I was devastated but it was the kindest thing to do. Hell that was over 30 years ago and we have had many cats ( and other pets) since, but its still making me cry!

You will know what to do and when.

*Robin*

Hello Diary and Dear MSE Friends, :hello:

dorothy52 wrote: »

Ah yes, I see your dilemma re BD and PCsD - oh my, I wish I could offer advice, I really do. What would I do? Hang on to them both for as long as you can and while ever you can keep them relatively free from pain - but I'm not sure if that is the RIGHT thing to do, is there such a thing? It all comes down to postponing the dreaded moment when you know that you have to let them go.

..Dot, that's it - when is the right time? Especially as I have the same dilemma as Igamogam had:

Igamogam wrote:

however knowing that the second cat would not be able to live without her sister they made that final trip together. At the time I was devastated but it was the kindest thing to do

..Many thanks for sharing this - it must have been terrible for you and your parents - and is exactly what I am contemplating now. I'd not heard of anyone else in the same position before..

NewLeaf thank you for your good wishes, and for sharing Smokey's story - poor lad still missing his mate, though he's several years younger than BD, and not restricted by blindness.. <sigh>

I am spoiling all the Daft Dogs at the moment. BD is fed up with rice, so I opened him a huge tin of tuna - PCD loves tuna as well, but I don't, so either the dogs got it or the food bank. Sorry but this time charity begins at home (it will take 'em a while to finish the tin). Plus, last week I picked up four kilos of whoopsied chicken for £5, so Daft Dogs are also getting a chunk a day (boiled, boned and chopped up for the Oldies, au natural for CD & FD - one shelf of the freezer is full of chicken, lol).

please-let-me-be-lucky wrote:

If I'd known you were going to read and re-read what I'd written, I'd have tried to do it more eloquently

It was perfect, Be Lucky.

please-let-me-be-lucky wrote:

Hope you get the washing machine sorted. I'm in awe that you would do that yourself!!

Well the electronic control panels are a mystery, but the mechanical bits are quite logical.. All that is required is the household tool-kit - which reminds me; must put the toolbox in the van as there are often dead washers dumped at the bins on the way into town. The hoses rarely break - my mistake was to put it outside where a couple of summers' sunshine has shredded the plastic. I should really approve of it's biodegradability..
Actually I was considering modifying it - buying a hose which is designed for outside use - but had a financial blow last night that is prompting the MSE approach, ie. find a free replacement (and accept that the task will need repeating bi-annually).

What happened? My mail arrived - it finally cleared Royal Mail's xmas blockage. Including an unexpected council tax bill - eh?
..When I had 'phoned them to close the account before leaving, I was told to cancel the DD and wait for the over-payment to reappear in my bank account.
So I 'phoned them up, and it turned out that the woman I'd spoken to before had got the sums wrong, so they'd sent a new bill in November [this was the letter, not that it had any explanation in it - just the bill] - and as it had not been paid within ten days after they'd sent a reminder [which has not yet reached me], a summons was duly issued! :eek:
Why had they not emailed me? I'd given them my addy as I wasn't sure where I was going to be staying at that point.. No answer to that, and no way of avoiding the £70 extra fee either - although I was given the option of appealing, yesterday's young man said they only ever waive the fee if their mistake was huge eg. sending a bill for the wrong property - so appealing would only serve to delay the process.

I paid. Never in my life before has anyone felt the need to issue a summons against me. :mad: I could blame Royal Mail for taking seven weeks to redirect a second class letter, or the first council employee for her appalling maths and not writing my email address under 'contact details'. But laying blame wouldn't do any good; not worth the frustrations of trying to fight it.

Realised as soon as I'd given the card details, that I was paying from an account which would overdraw, so then spent a merry quarter of an hour shifting sufficient funds from savings - must say am very impressed with the ease and speed of my new bank's system as the transfer was instant, thereby avoiding the monthly overdraft fee on the old current a/c. Phew.

satchmo1

Hi Robin

I rang the council last year and complained so long and so loquaciously that the poor woman agreed to write off the charge against me for late payment of CT when the bill arrived after the summons. I was in a similar position in that I had previously rung to ask to pay the final bill, and they subsequently sent a bill (which was legitimate). I strongly suspect there is a very long delay between printing and posting, as the postmark date was 2 weeks prior to delivery, but the summons arrived the day after its postmark date.

Is it too expensive for you to ring and play the who blinks first game?

I too have a poorly, elderly dog (an 18-yr-old Westie) who is fading rather, but then rallies. It's so hard to know when "the time" has arrived, isn't it.

Hugs
Satchmo x

*Robin*

Hello Diary and MSE Friends, :hello:

satchmo1 wrote: »

I rang the council last year and complained so long and so loquaciously that the poor woman agreed to write off the charge against me for late payment of CT when the bill arrived after the summons. I was in a similar position in that I had previously rung to ask to pay the final bill, and they subsequently sent a bill (which was legitimate). I strongly suspect there is a very long delay between printing and posting, as the postmark date was 2 weeks prior to delivery, but the summons arrived the day after its postmark date.

Satchmo, thanks for your comment, which gave me the impetus to pursue it further.
The story gets better and better: It now turns out that the bill they sent was in advance, until the end of the financial year, ie. for a period when I'm not responsible for the CT anyway! They failed to send a closing statement at all until after yesterday's 'phone-call, and the emailed receipt of my settlement payment is in the name of a long-departed lodger. They've also changed the date.

..Was going to fire an email back today, but looking at the evidence, think it would be better to enjoy composing a riposte at leisure.. [where's the little-devil smiley?]

satchmo1 wrote: »

Is it too expensive for you to ring and play the who blinks first game?

No, Skype is surprisingly economical; just over a quid for three quite lengthy calls, so far. Very :money:

satchmo1 wrote: »

I too have a poorly, elderly dog (an 18-yr-old Westie) who is fading rather, but then rallies. It's so hard to know when "the time" has arrived, isn't it.

Oh, I love Westies! They have such a super character. PC and I decided long ago that Daft Dogs would be the last of their breed we'd have; our dotage would be shared with a white Westie.. Little did we know then, of course, that all our current pack were destined to out-live PC.
Eighteen is very senior even for a long-lived breed, as Westies are. I hope your dear companion is comfortable, rallying more than fading.. ((hugs))

*Robin*

Hello Diary, :hello:

My kitchen has been taken over by teenagers. They've left so much mess on the previously pristine surfaces that I can't face it. Am pleased they can obviously look after themselves, cooking-wise, but goodness me I must have skimped on the cleaning-up instructing [in earlier years]. :mad:

Am obviously getting used to living alone, to be so discommoded by other people's mess..


Things I must do soon (in no particular order):
Post parcel
Tax Return
Sort out printer
Sort out proper Home Office area
PPI (Ombudsman)
Riposte to Council Tax people
Take PC's paperwork to the expert on Spanish Probate

In the garden:
Finish weeding Bean Terrace
Dig new Tomato Bed
Chase up the company who have not yet sent the new strimmer bobbins ordered in November (£50-worth, so can't let that go).
Re-pot the last eight almond treelets (twelve done - there were more than I thought! )
Finish planting chitted potatoes
Remove suckers from all existing trees (during waning moon)

House maintenance:
Collect materials for patio roof here
Need lots of paint to freshen up all three houses
'Phone electrician (PC's cottages should be re-wired, as the current arrangement isn't really good enough for visitors who need more plugs for laptops, tvs in every room etc.).
Update furniture in PC's Bigger Cottage - a sofa-bed would mean more people can stay, and the easy chairs need replacing too.

..Somehow don't think I'll be adding much to savings this month, but hopefully improvements will lead to a better income from paying visitors at PC's cottage.
So it goes. :cool:

Meanwhile the teenagers are still in bed - am going to have to sort out the kitchen myself as there isn't even room to make toast at the moment! :rotfl: