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April 28 Tell Me Why I Don't Like Mondays?Get kids up, dressed and fed ready for nursery. So far, easy enough. Dash up to field to feed Winston and Alfie, and put out hay, whilst trying not to let Louis get too muddy. Drive to mother-in-laws, and actually have time for a quick coffee before driving her and dog to vets. Wait anxiously for half an hour while dog gets more and more nervous about his surroundings. Take them home, stopping on the way to refuel car as fuel light is flashing at me.
Go home to pick up purse that I had forgotten this morning, let dogs out for a wee, then drive across the city to tack shop to purchase more horse feed. Tell people in shop about Apollo. Of course, call in to see step-father who lives about 3 streets away. Manage to get some dinner! Speak to step-sister, who is very sympathetic about my bad week last week. Things are starting to get worse.
Return across city to collect child from nursery, and make way to field. Find note on gate asking me to contact RSPCA. Not good timing. Put out more hay for horses, and finally make it home to let dogs out again. Call RSPCA, who promise to contact me.
Wait...
On the slightly better side, I did bring home a foster dog yesterday, a Rottweiler with a gorgeous temperament who has settled straight into our home. I will post pictures of her when I have them.
April 26 Apollo's FirLate on Thursday afternoon I lost my Apollo. His health had declined to a point where he was too weak to carry on, and he collapsed in the field.
The emergency vet didn't want to give any one cause as a definite, but was fairly certain that Apollo had abscesses on his liver, and nothing could be done to save him.
As the decision was made to put him to sleep, a huge rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, and as he slipped away a rainbow spread out in it's place. I think the universe was telling me it was right.
Thank you to everyone tat was there for me and Apollo, to Danny, Hannah and Sarah, for doing everything you could; to Mum, Jim, Steve and Rachael for doing the bit that I couldn't do.
And thank you to Apollo, for giving me eight short years with your stubborness, your funny ways and your absolute cheekiness. No one that has met Apollo will ever forget him.
Apollo's Fir
1st April 1997 - 24th April 2008
April 24 Wet, Wet, WetIt's days like this when having ponies doesn't seem like such a good idea. Already wet through from the school run (yes, nursery was open as usual) we had to go and feed the boys. This does not just mean dropping off some food, it means waiting to make sure they each eat their own and there is no more arguing. While they are eating their breakfast the hay has to be put out, usually a large haynet and more hay spread around on the floor so at least the boys can pretend they are grazing!
Apollo is now on a huge amount of feed as I have tried the recommended method of 'small feeds are better then big ones' (???) and have now progressed to feeding him as much as he can eat. He seems to be alright, apart from the fact that when he fell he didn't only hurt his leg, but also his manly bits, which are still very swollen. I don't know if he can wee, but am assuming he would be in a lot of pain if he hadn't done. All I can do at the moment is wait and hope things turn out alright for him.
After our soaking at the field I had to brave the petrol station, with bits of hay stuck all over me. I do get some funny looks when that happens, don't understand it myself!
Now Louis is wandering around the living room in barely any clothes and the house is slowly filling with steam as they dry on the radiator. I hope we don't get soaked again picking Hannah up, as I have yet another mad dash around this afternoon, first to the midwife and then onto pick up my mother-in-law to take her cat to the vets.
Think I might need a hot bath tonight!
April 22 So far, so...bad :(This morning was a dash to nursery to congratulate my friend on her pregnancy (13 weeks and only just told me!), then up to the field to feed the boys. Unfortunately we were a little held up at the field by Winston's boisterous advances towards Apollo, which resulted in Apollo being knocked flat on the floor with his head stuck under the gate. I had to sit on him to prevent him from getting up while Danny once again came to the rescue and unlocked the gate, freeing Apollo. Now Apollo has a very sore hip and is going to be lame for quite a while. It was one of those 'what if' situations; what if we hadn't been there? Then they wouldn't have been fighting over the food. What if Apollo hadn't had his rug on? He would have had a nasty cut in his neck. What if Apollo was as healthy as he should be? He wouldn't have been knocked over and Winston would be seriously regretting being grumpy!
Once we were sure Apollo was going to be alright it was off home to groom Danny's dog. He is a little Shih Tzu called Pip, and he hates being groomed! I'm afraid it wasn't my best work, as the dog was wet and muddy from playing in the field and as yet I have no real grooming equipment. But despite the whining and fidgeting (from the dog) he definitely went home with a much shorter coat and we could even see his eyes!
Apart from that, I have had to make the decision to call the vet's and arrange to have Holly put to sleep. She has only been with us a short time, and she is a miserable old creature but I will miss her. I spoke to the kennel manager at Thornberry on Sunday and we agreed that Holly no longer has the quality of life that she deserves, so there is no point in putting off the inevitable, especially when we know she will be suffering in a short time.
I told Hannah what is happening, and she has a great view on these things. All the old animals pass through the vet's to the other side of the rainbow, where they are restored to their former glory and spend all eternity playing together.
April 18 Vet's ReportI turned up unannounced at the vet's yesterday (I know I said it's a drop in clinic but I try to give some warning that I'm on my way) and everyone immediately made a huge fuss of Holly. She was at the sanctuary for a couple of months before I got her so all the staff know her well.
I explained the problem to the vet; the strange behaviour and the chewing. I usually treat the chewing myself but this time the wound has become infected so needs proper attention. The vet (bless him) insisted on yet again explaining to me all about Cushing's disease, exactly why Holly can't have steroids to treat her and what is causing the poor skin condition and behaviour. I never have the heart to tell him I know all this! I did the research as soon as I got Holly, and already had some experience of the disease within horses.
But anyway, what it boils down to is that Holly has a brain tumour and things aren't going to get any better. She is on antibiotics to help the infection but she has such a low immune system that they may not work. The vet offered blood tests to find out exactly what is going on but I refused; the dog is around 14 years old and I don't think it is worth the extra stress and upset to her just to be told what we already know.
As I left the treatment room, one of the kennel staff looked at me sympathetically and said, "Give her a couple of weeks...".
I don't want Holly to be in unnecessary pain, but last night as I cleaned up her wound it was so sore the poor dog was shaking uncontrollably. This isn't the way she should be living out her last days, if the tablets don't work quite quickly I have a decision to make. And I don't think it will be a difficult one.
April 17 Busy ThursdayThursdays are always busy for me, what with seeing the ponies twice a day, drop off and pick up Hannah from nursery, quick lunch and then it's time for toddler group.
The other thing is that the vets for whatever foster dog I happen to have runs a drop in centre on a Thursday afternoon. And Holly needs to go today. She has been acting a little strange for a few days, her sleeping positions are somewhat unusual and she has started chewing herself again. She has done this a lot before, and never shown any sign of it causing her pain, but this time her behaviour has changed. She has taken to charging around the house as if trying to escape something (presumably the pain), then flinging herself on the floor and twisting around. Added to this is the manic circle-turning, and the writhing around on the floor on her back. She is taking her tablets in the morning, her painkillers in the afternoon, and I have a tube of steroid cream for the skin condition that I have been layering on this morning. I think it is time she saw the vet though, and I am slightly concerned that she might not be with us for very much longer. I won't see her in pain, it isn't fair to add to her problems after everything she has already been through. I will let you know what happens later.
April 16 Stressful DayWhy is it that everything goes wrong at once? Yesterday was absolutely manic, with the normal morning rush around leading to me being really tired in the afternoon (pregnancy hormones!).
I was just nodding off on the settee in the afternoon, with the kids playing upstairs, when there was an almighty crash. Interspersed between the screaming was Louis shouting "I fell off the toilet!" and Hannah shouting "Mummy, Louis is blooding!". Oh good.
I dashed upstairs, suddenly wide awake, and found Louis standing in the bathroom surrounded by a pool of blood, which appeared to be coming from his nose and mouth. Closer inspection and tissue held tightly to his nose revealed that it wasn't actually as bad as it looked, and the blood in his mouth was really diverted from his nose. Lou clung tightly to me and muttered as I stemmed the flow. When I finally peeled him away from me, the muttering resolved itself into a single phrase, "Me sorry!". Bless him, the poor little man thought he was going to be in trouble! Hannah hovered nearby throughout this trying to be helpful and manoeuvring towels around to help mop up the blood.
All this meant that Louis was asleep by 4pm, so much asleep that I changed his nappy and carried him up to bed without him even stirring. So I fed Han and waited for the Hubs to come home so that I could see the ponies.
On arrival at the field, I could only see Apollo. He was innocently waiting by the hay box, on the wrong side of the fence. The other two boys soon appeared from the bottom of the field and waited patiently for their tea. Apollo managed to wrap himself up in barbed wire before climbing back through the fence and munching mouthfuls of hay with the other two.
Louis woke up as Hannah went to bed and came back downstairs for his tea and playtime before suddenly announcing he was tired and trotting off to bed.
I thought that might be it for the night, but no, worse was to come! Holly has gone a little senile, and insists on going out at around 3am for an extra wee and a munch on some mud (???), only last night she needed to go out twice. Which means me shivering in my nightie trying to attract her attention to bring her back in (she's deaf so shouting doesn't work). And after that Louis woke me up because he'd been sick.
So there I was, changing sheets, fluffy pillows and duvets covers with a very distressed child watching me wondering what on earth had happened to him.
Can someone please explain to me why I am still up and playing on the computer when I should be in bed now? Night night!
April 15 FLOG'D IT: Part 2Saturday was the day I took FLOG to the scrapyard. After driving around in my new car for a week, I had almost forgotten what it was like to drive FLOG.
I decided that since he was my car, I would be the one to drive him to his final destination. As I pulled out of the driveway, the window fell down, due to the broken cable that was no longer holding it in place. I got cold. As I drove down the Sheffield Parkway, the aerial fell off. It didn't really matter because the stereo had been removed. And at nearly 60 miles per hour, I suddenly remembered how useless the brakes were on old FLOG. And the clutch needed replacing about 3 years ago.
So, driving across town in the freezing cold, I was glad that at least the heater still worked. Yes. But it was accompanied by the stench of burning oil, which quickly gave me a headache.
I decided that maybe the scrapyard was the best place for him after all.
Thank you for the symapthy I have recieved on the loss of my beloved car; I have to admit he is not my first car, just one that I got absurdly attached to!
Between me and the hubs we have owned and driven around 7 cars in the last 6 years!
Now all we need is a name for the new car, and all we can come up with to make out of MONDEO is MOONED....
April 11 Flog'd ItMy lovely, precious, silver-black-and-rust FLOG is no more. Well, actually, he is on my driveway with a SORN declared on him, but destined for the scrapyard soon.
After many years of loyal service (ignoring the bits where he broke down or just plain refused to start) we decided it was kinder not to renew his tax and continue driving him.
The engine is fine, but everything else is falling away from it. FLOG has not been washed for a long time for fear that it might disrupt the rust holding him together.
And apart from that, there just wasn't enough room in him to add another child seat when Number 3 comes along.
I'm going to miss my feisty old FLOG!
April 05 Just about Sorted...I think I am finally sorted with regard to my connectivity issues. An extension cable borrowed from the Highlander means that I can once again run both my 'phone and broadband at the same time, without having to constantly swap plugs, sockets etc.
So, news that I have hinted at and not been able to tell you....
A ferret joined our family, having wandered past me at Thornberry Sanctuary, but I quite quickly found his rightful owner and he was duly returned to his female companion who was missing his warmth on the cold winter nights.
Around the same time, I acquired an old horse, 20 year old Alfie, from a lady who had seemed to do her best with him but had been somewhat overwhelmed by her 4 horses.
At some point, Alfie has had a good beating from someone (not his last owner, I have seen them together!) and is now extremely headshy. The only way to put a bridle on him is to completely take it apart and slowly refasten it around his neck before sliding it up to the top of his head. Not a fun game! Alfie's feet are horribly overgrown and one of them was split so badly it looked like a cow's cloven hoof. Fortunately, as he was prancing arond in my field part of the damaged hoof came off and should have given him some relief. Now all I have to do is get hold of a good farrier, which is easier said than done...
Ziggy has been in some bother with a very sore eye lately, but he will insist on climbing through the brambles in search of rats. I have had to pin him down every night to clean his eye out and treat it with an ointment. I am not Ziggy's favourite owner at the moment!
Jasper has appointed himself my carer and is constantly around me, being clingy and cuddly. He seems to think I need extra special attention when I am pregnant.
I think thats about it for now, I am off to groom some more dogs tomorrow morning, and WILL NOT be bringing one home!
April 01 Holly's Secret: Part 211 years ago today, a gentleman working in a stableyard entered the stable of a grumpy white mare called Holly. He stared in amazement at what had happened overnight, and rushed off to tell everyone.
"April fools!", they all answered. "No, really, Holly has had a foal..."
And there he was, a tiny grey foal lying at his mother's feet.
His name is an anagram of April fools; he became known as Apollo's Fir.
Happy Birthday Apollo!
XXX
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