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August 27 Lost Marbles...Marble seems to be settling in well. He is a typical border collie with very little in the way of brains, and as he is still quite young (about 2 years old) he rushes about with great enthusiasm and the attention span of a flea.
He has been here since Monday afternoon and so far he has shown his gratitude by having diarrhoea all over my new rug, upsetting the cat, chewing a carrier bag escaping out the front door.
Jasper know the house rules now, if he wants to chew or lick at himself, as dogs do, he leaves the room. If the front door is open, he does not go through it unless invited. Likewise, he does not go upstairs unless invited. Marble, on the other hand, has much to learn. He dashes out of the door as soon as it is opened, leaving the children somewhat bewildered. They don't know how to dodge flying dogs and have already left the front door open for the nanosecond it takes for Marble to belt past. Fortunately he only goes to the top of the drive and then grins at me with that look that dogs have.
Jasper and Marble have sorted out their differences, it took a bit of growling, some hackles and a snap off Jasper. But the next time I looked out of the window, Jasper was sprawled on the garden grinning and Marble was standing on him. I was a little surprised as I thought Jasper would assert dominance, but as long as they are happy together I don't really mind.
Marble has come to me with a harness to walk him on, which I dont like. He has a lot of strength in his shoulders and I believe using a harness on this area will only increase his power. I was a bit worried when I asked at the sanctuary if he would be better off in a halti (after hearing about how wonderful he was) and they agreed enthusiastically, adding, "IF you can get one on him!".
I'm sure he'll calm down and be a great pet though, I just need to give him a few years!
August 25 Bank Holiday WeekendThis weekend has been busy as ever but very enjoyable.
Saturday was a mad dash to a park in Dronfield with my sister in law and her children (Hannah and Louis cousins) where we had a lovely little picnic and the children wore themselves out. They played on the climbing frames, the slides, in the sandpit and on the crazy golf course. They couldn't have been happier.
Sunday was a rare family get-together, and the first time Jim has met some of the other side of the family. We met at Norfolk Park, as it was the Summer Fayre and every year they put on battle re-enactments, showing weapons and armour throughout the years and across countries. There was archery, shooting and lots of other things to do. Again, the children were entertained, playing together, seeing the sights and all for a £2 parking fee.
This morning I was off to work at the Sanctuary, who were also having a Summer Fayre this weekend. I helped out on the cake stall, as well as doing some grooming and playing with one or two of the dogs. As I was grooming a dog, my favorite pooch came back. Again. He has been out to a home twice now, but the dog that already lives with the family has attacked him, and this time he retaliated. He was packed straight back into the car and brought back. Whereupon I packed him into my car, and brought him home.
He is a 2 year old smooth coated border collie (correct me if you think I'm wrong Aunty Jane) who has no idea how to play. Jasper has already put him in his place, he snapped at Marble's neck, with no intention of touching, just a warning and they took themselves off outside. There has been some noise from them both, growling and snarling, but nothing more so far. Marble is very quiet, happy to stay outside or come in and sleep on a blanket. The next hurdle is to ensure that he is alright with Mehitabel. I don't think it will take long, he is already trying to ignore her! And of course, we need him to learn how to play! Next Sunday (baby permitting!) both dogs are off to do some obedience training and agility with Rother Valley Dog Club.
Wish us luck! August 21 Resting...Momma came and took the children for me yesterday afternoon so I could have some peace, some rest and see the midwife without all the constant questions. The midwife had to do a home visit to check I had everything organised for baby. She was very annoyed as this is a new thing that they have to do with all women at 36 weeks (although the Hubs was sure she was checking up on him). She does home visits when she first gets a pregnant woman referred to her, then she has nearly 9 months to sort out any problems she might see. But now she has to do it at 36 weeks too, even when I ave two healthy, happy children.
As instructed by Momma, I told my midwife how tired I was, but she considered it normal and proceeded to tell me how tired she was, and how much her back and knees ache because of some random inherited ligament disorder. Thanks for that info....
Anyway, yesterday was the day I was supposed to have the swabs taken to see if I still have Group B Strep, but I needed two doing, and the midwife had only brought one swab pack. Not to worry, we had to do one yesterday, and if that comes back positive we don't need to do the other, but if it is negative then we will have to take the other swab and see if that is also negative. Confused? I was.
By the time the Hubs came home yesterday I was asleep upstairs 'listening' in case the children were being naughty at bedtime again. I managed to get up to watch an old Dr Who (the first with Captain Jack in it) and then went back off to bed. Sleep didn't come easy at first, but I didn't see 9pm. I woke this morning with aching shoulders from lying on my side all night, but feeling much better.
Momma has stolen the children away again, and told me to get some rest. I had to nip up to the shops first, and while I was up there I saw the hairdressers and thought, why not? It's 'me' time and I'm one of those people that either spends four months building the courage to enter a hairdressers, or just has to jump straight in there! So now I have a lovely short cut, nothing like what I asked for but it never is is it? It's nice, and I've never been sentimental about my hair anyway. It will grow, and when it does I'll get it chopped again. Never the same style twice. That just wouldn't do!
Right, I have a little longer until the Horrors get back, I'm going to fall asleep doing my crossword. Yep, thrilling stuff! August 19 Out Of The Mouths Of BabesThere was much muttering outside today, which resulted in Louis being sent inside by Hannah. He put on his cute face and proceeded to ask:
Louis: Can Hannah have a plum?
Me: No.
Louis: Oh. Can Hannah have an apple?
Me: No. And Hannah shouldn't be sending you to ask.
Louis: Oh. Can she have a banana?
Me: NO! You've both just had your dinner!
At this moment Hannah enters the room. Louis turns to her:
Louis: Mummy says no.
Hannah looks confused.
Hannah: But he put my baby in the pushchair...
Now I look confused.
Me: Did you send him in to ask for fruit?
Hannah: No! I told him to ask for a smiley face for helping me!
Me: Ohhhhhhh!
Theres plenty more where this came from, I just need to write them down! August 18 Almost Over The Self-Pity...After having a few moments of self pity, I have finally remembered that it is Mum and Jim's wedding anniversary today
 Congratulations to the both of you on your first year together, it is lovely to see you both happy. Here's to lots more years together
  Thank you to my friends for your comments on this morning's blog, I don't do everything alone, I think it just feels like it sometimes! Jim helps with the water barrel as I am not allowed to lift it anymore, and I do get some help fetching bails of hay too. It just all ends up in my car!
No Jayne, I cannot get the farmer to deliver, as the path the field is on is inaccessible to vehicles, and the farmer will only deliver 50+ at a time. Not an easy task
 Debs, get another red bull down your neck!
I have already seen the ponies this morning; early so the kids weren't in tow, and emailed the council AGAIN to see about another field. That would make life so much easier but they are just nowhere to be found.
The kitchen has been tidied, settee's washed (which idiot thought of giving us cream leather sofa's???), washing folded and now that the children are up they have been fed. The bin and front door have both been fixed and it is only quarter to nine. Not bad going, eh?
And Karen, it's not as if you don't spend all your life rushing around! I hadn't actually thought of getting someone to take the children, as they are not bad. They even let me have a rest in the afternoons! I think if they were with someone else I would just run around all the more trying to get things done while they were out of the way *sigh*.
Ah well, I'll just have to see what sorts itself out, and maybe if I could get a proper sleep (what's one of those, I hear Debs cry) things would look better. Some sunshine would help too!
Can't SleepI have been tossing and turning most of the night, and for the past couple of hours I have just lain awake in bed. That would be the bed in the spare room, with the dog, as the Hubs was disturbing me last night too. Jasper has been close to me all night, snuggled up but I just can't drop off. I am so tired, my eyes keep closing but then nothing else happens.
I am worrying about how on earth I'm going to cope when this baby shows up sometime in the next 6 weeks. At the moment I do nothing but run around trying to get everything organised, ponies up to 3 times a day, to the farm for more hay, more hay, shops, Sanctuary, and soon it will be back to school for Hannah.
I want to get the car cleaned out because I don't want to be bringing baby home in a hay-wagon, but when can I do this? I have 28 days left until my due date, which means 26 more bails (we already have 2 bails) to fetch, in 9 trips, as I can only fit 3 in the car in one go. That's £78. The farmer must be raking it in from us. Of course, as winter comes on, the ponies will be needing more hay and feed.
I went to do my grooming at the Sanctuary yesterday, just a bath for a labrador that was going to a new home, but since then I have not been feeling well. Everything aches, and I know the children will be up in half an hour, so no rest today.
What to do?
Sit down and have a cry methinks, then sort myself out before the children see, and carry on with the daily grind.
Sorry it's miserable this morning, I might be brighter tomorrow. August 16 Quick Catch UpI haven't blogged for a couple of day (I don't think) so here's a little catch up...
The children are manic, they have so much to look forward to at the moment but because they have no concept of the passage of time it's getting them all muddled. They now know that Uncle Christian and Aunty Nicki are coming up to Sheffield for Nicki's birthday, which obviously means we need to bake her a cake. Unfortunately, they don't know how far away November really is!
Hannah is still looking forward to starting school, especially as she has linked it with the time that baby is coming.
This weekend is a celebration for Momma and Jim; for their anniversary and Jim's birthday. Hannah has told me that she is exciting (she meant excited) because we are having a party. And so far she hasn't shut up about the cake Momma was promising to bake.
My argument with that electrical shop (OK, we all know now it's Curry's) has come to an end, I just don't have the energy to pursue it any further. After they sent me vouchers as a goodwill gesture I (not knowing they were in the post already) refused them. I stated that with the service I had had from Curry's I would no longer be shopping there so vouchers were of no use whatsoever. They agreed that if I returned the vouchers they would replace it with a cheque to the same value. As soon as the vouchers landed through my door I re-posted them to the address stated, with a covering note, and even emailed to say they were on the way back. Somehow, Mysteriously, the vouchers became lost in the post...
Strange that I have barely had any problems with Royal Mail before, yet when I want to send something like this it disappears. Curry's state that as the vouchers were in my possession when lost it is my fault and they will not replace anything.
So yesterday was a search on the internet for a suitable camera as I decided I cannot live any longer without one. I found what I was looking for and took off to a shop to compare prices and have a feel at the cameras. I can't buy something like that unless I have held it in my hand first! The salesman thinks he made the easiest sale of his career, but was somewhat disappointed that I did not require extra memory cards, batteries or a case.
But I am now the proud owner of a little Samsung D860. It's nothing special, but it will take the pictures I want to take, is compact enough to sit in my pocket and I can finally stop messing about with Bluetooth just to get pictures off my phone, to the Hubs phone and onto the computer!
Ah yes, Mehitabel is feeling better, spending more time outside again and bringing me the occasional present. She even had a friend round to visit yesterday; I was very surprised as Hettie came with a warning that she HATES other cats. However, this little black thing was the cat that used to come calling for Ziggy, and I often watched them wander off up the road together.
Right, I'm off, because I should be altering a dress instead of sitting here, and I am sure that by now the children will be starving.
Have a great weekend everyone, and if Momma and Jim's curry tonight causes baby to pop out early I will let you know! August 13 Timekeeping, And Ponies' FeetI know, it's not like me to blog twice in one day, but I have just got back from the field.
The farrier was due at 1.30pm, and I know he is always late on afternoon appointments. But I also know that if I turn up late, he'll be there waiting! So we arrived at the field at 1.25pm, and settled down to wait. At 1.50pm we were starting to get bored, and my back was aching from sitting in the car. The children had started to climb over the back seat so I dug around in the glove compartment to find them something to read.
By 2.10pm the book was well and truly read, and the children were getting cabin fever. Luckily Mummy managed to find a packet of sweets in her giant handbag and peace reigned once more.
At 2.20pm Oliver's van pulled up and parked behind us. Hooray! Nearly an hour late, not bad going. Honestly if this man was not so good [looking] at his job, I'd have got rid of him years ago!
 Anyway, I asked if he would mind coming down to the field to sort the ponies instead of me dragging them both up the hill. He agreed, grabbed his things and we headed down to the field. The ponies were waiting and I managed to get hold of Alfie easily enough. He wasn't too bad, only got one smack on his flank for pulling his foot away. If he had wanted shoes on it would have been a whole other story.
Meanwhile, Winston was sleeping peacefully in the sun, and even putting a headcollar and lead rope on him didn't bother him much. He stood perfectly to have his feet done; an old pro.
Job done, and I don't have to worry about their feet for another 6-8 weeks.
Just one last mention, Oliver has a 5 weeks old baby girl, Summer, who has been in the Sheffield Children's Hospital with a viral infection for over a week. He and his partner have practically lived there waiting for her to get better and in the last couple of days her temperature has started to improve. My thoughts are with them at this time, and I am sure Summer will now make a swift recovery. Tired, And Too Busy!Not feeling so good this morning. I slept in until about 9 again, with the cat on one side of me and the dog on the other. The children were very good and played in their bedroom until I got up.
Since then I have paid about a million bills, fed the ponies, run (driven!) down to the Hubs work to discuss a new fuel filter for my car, and now I have started to shake. My head feels like it might fall off soon and I think I could sleep for a week.
The children have decided it is going to rain, but are playing outside until that happens. Louis is muttering something about Aunty Liam, not quite sure what he's jabbering about.
Oliver, our farrier, is coming later. Both ponies need their feet trimming, which could be interesting because Alfie really doesn't like being done. Think I'll have to smile nicely at Oliver and get him to come down to the field to do it instead of me traipsing up the hill with both ponies. At least Alfie let me put his headcollar on this morning, it's the first time he's let me do it without a chase first. And no shying away because he expects to get whacked. Maybe he's realised that's not going to happen here, and its only taken six months!
Now I'm off to check on Mehitabel, she didn't seem very well yesterday and I'm not sure if it's a reaction to the flea treatment I used. She kept falling asleep in strange places, like the middle of the floor where the children were playing. And she hasn't been out for the last couple of nights, so all she has done is sleep. Hannah very optimistically suggested Mehitabel was growing a baby in her tummy like Mummy; I hope not! August 11 Jasper's DayJasper has been long overdue a bath; he just loves to roll around in anything he can find, usually fox poo. And as our garden is a real jungle poor Jasper's skin has become quite irritated from the thistles and grass seeds, not to mention the sticky burrs getting caught in his fur.
So it was off to the groomers to get him scrubbed up this morning. He doesn't particularly like baths, the water is far to clean for his liking but he put up with it well. The dryer, or blaster, is quite another matter. Jasper has always hated vacuum cleaners, and the blaster is sort of like a vacuum in reverse! The noise is the same and the hose that the air comes out of looks just like a vacuum hose. Jasper looked terrified, but was extremely well behaved. He only had a few little mumbles, but no real growling.
Horror of horrors! Jasper was found to have a couple of fleas on him! I'm surprised there weren't more actually, as I know the cat brings fleas home from her rat-hunting excursions.
This meant a trip to the pet shop, and as Jasper was with us I didn't want to leave him in the car, which left only one option. Drake House Retail Park has a Pets at Home, which allows dogs into the shop. Despite there being quite a few other dogs in there, Jasper was certainly the centre of attention. Good job we'd done the bath bit first!
Cat and dog flea treatment were purchased, although the problem now is keeping the dog away from the cat as the treatment he has on is poisonous to cats! I'm sure it will be alright, it's not like Mehitabel is going to sit next to Jasper and wash him or anything!
I need a Halti for Jasper as I can't find his anywhere, but they are nearly £10. Think I might wait until I find one cheaper. And in the meantime his might even turn up.
I asked about a couple of dogs at Thornberry the other day, the collie that I was after is going to try a home again after failing to get on with their Staffy. I'm torn as to what I want to happen, on one hand it is wonderful to see the dogs go to homes and be happy, but on the other (selfish) hand I really don't want it to work out because then I can bring him home!
Marble sounds perfect, he is quite young, just 2 years old, he loves children and he wants to learn how to behave like a proper dog. His training is coming along nicely; collies are so intelligent they need to be doing something all the time. Only time will tell if he's going to land on my doorstep... August 10 Rother Valley Country ParkToday was a treat for the children. They have been so good at getting their smiley faces on their sleep chart that they won themselves a picnic with Daddy. Mummy was allowed to tag along too!
This morning was spent organising food, choosing toys to take along and seeing to the ponies. As the car was packed up for the picnic we gained a hitchhiker. Jasper leapt in the car and refused to get out again. After much persuading he was put back in the house where he looked so mournful that we decided to take him along. We quickly grabbed a dog lead and a horse lead rope (for the length, I will explain later) and Jasper found himself a seat in the car.
After a slight detour to the shop we arrived at Rother Valley Country Park and parked the car in a fairly quiet corner. This is where the horse lead rope came into play, the Hubs parked the car on it, so that Jasper could have some freedom while the children played but didn't have to be held all the time. He was as good as gold and had all he needed by the car, shade, water and a place to pee!
The children took their bikes, which regularly got stuck in mud and potholes. They watched sailing boats, jet skis and canoes on various parts of the lake. And we actually found a water snake basking in the sun, which took objection to being photographed and quickly swum away.
A playground was discovered just around a stand of trees and provided endless entertainment for Hannah and Louis, as well as a couple of small girls who wanted to stroke Jasper. Jasper himself had a lot of attention, mainly due to his colouring and his unusual eyes (see album 'Jasper'). We also came across a dog agility club willing to take us on with our mutt, so that is definitely something to consider for the near future.
Kite flying was a disaster despite the perfect wind conditions, as soon as the kite was launched the string snapped and the kite landed in a tree! Better string needed for next time...
The children were exhausted after their day out, and happily settled for sausage sandwiches on returning home. Unfortunately, they have misbehaved since they went up to bed and will not be getting tomorrow's smiley faces. It's a shame, because they have behaved wonderfully wherever I have taken them recently, and slept brilliantly. Oh well, tomorrow is another day! August 08 Graves ParkI have written about Graves Park before, it being near to us and a constant source of enjoyment to the children, and us adults!
It combines a very large open parkland, play area, cafe and Rare Breeds Centre.
Now, most of the animals we saw today were not rare breeds at all, but the children certainly don't mind that! They saw all sorts of pigs, goats, ducks, hens ad donkeys. There are also rabbits, guinea pigs chunchillas and even red deer.
We arrived at 10.30am and spent most of the day just playing, looking at and stroking the animals, drinking tea, playing and drinking tea. We took a picnic between us (us being my sister-in-law and her children, and my mother in law). Nannan remembered that Louis will eat his sandwiches if he has a 'dip' so she brought a little tub of tomato ketchup. Louis actually ate most of the sandwiches without complaint and saved his crisps for after. Yay!
All the children played with footballs, model planes and ball catchers (remember those, little basket things that fire the ball out so you can catch it?). Hannah had a strop because she thinks she's big enough to go on the big swings, but she doesnt realise she can't let go on those...
Once I upload the picture I will add an album, not sure how many turned out though because of the mesh on the cages and pens. August 07 Bump UpdateMy appointment with the midwife was at 1.30pm. I hate to be late for these things, so I arrived at 1.20pm. Just in case. And then I waited. And waited. And just for good measure, I waited some more. By this time, the children had played with and got bored of all the toys and had resorted to 'reading' the magazines. It was 1.55pm by the time I was seen.
Somehow my blood pressure is still normal, not sure how I'm managing to pull this off! The midwife appeared not to notice the bruise on my arm from the lid of the hay box falling on it, which is good news as she is already suspicious that the Hubs is beating me up. That said, she does want to do a home visit next time, in two weeks. Apparently all women at 36 weeks have to be seen at home now, to make sure the baby has somewhere suitable to sleep. I have two children already, what do they think I'm going to do, put it on the floor to sleep?
Anyway, baby's heartbeat is good and strong, although the little blighter is lying back to back, which could be what is causing me such backache. I could have told her it was lying that way. I really need to change that before labour..
Speaking of labour, numerous books and websites have told me that after your first child, babies' heads do not engage until labour, so what is Bump up to? 4/5ths engaged. And don't I know it!
Think it's time to start enjoying spicy curries and jumping on trampolines! August 06 DogsThank you to Aunty Jane, who says she would let me have a pup of hers (her dog's that is) if she was breeding any! I understand why the sanctuary don't hand out these young dogs to families with children, all too often the dogs are returned or replaced when the children get bored.
Contrary to what some people think
, I will not be dashing off to find a puppy elsewhere. We will continue to support the sanctuary and give a home to dogs that really need it. It was just a case of the pups being there and the Hubs thought it might be an idea to have one of our own that came without baggage and might last a bit longer than a year!Of course, the other thing about having a Sanctuary dog is that if I foster one, I don't have to worry about it's vet's bills, they are covered by the agreement. And if I (or anyone else) want to adopt a dog the fee is £100. Now you might think that is a lot for a mutt, but you have to consider that the dog will have been neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, as well as any other problems being sorted out. Which would all come to much more than £100 if you bought a pup and had it all done afterwards.
I do have my eye on a couple of dogs, one is a little brindle cross breed that needs a lot of weight putting on, and the other is a dog that I ruled out straight away but on thinking about it I now wonder if we could offer him the home he needs. He is a smooth haired border collie with lots of energy and a need for some love. I think I'll ask about him this weekend...
Just one more little thing to say;
GET WELL SOON NICKI!!!
(and don't fall down any more stairs!)
XXX August 05 Poor Louis!The children and I took a trip to Thornberry Sanctuary today, as the Hubs had caught wind of some pups that will soon need re-homing. The dogs we have had so far have all come with their own baggage, often several years of it, so he was thinking that a puppy would be nice to bring on in our own way.
Unfortunately for us, Sanctuary policy is not to let anyone with children under 6 years old adopt a puppy because of all the nipping/ toilet training/boisterous issues you get. It's a good idea, but means we won't be able to take one of these babies home. There is a nice little brindle cross breed that needs a home, but is currently under the vet for a dodgy tummy that left him very dehydrated and underweight. I have been asked to return and see him on Saturday after he has been back to the vet's.
While we were there we had a look at all the other animals, which I don't usually get chance to do while I am working. We found a rabbit making a bid for freedom, some guinea pigs making very strange noises and several pot bellied pigs.
Onto the cattery then, and Louis was pointing at some of the cats and saying something that I couldn't quite understand. Hannah stepped in to translate. "He says it's Ziggy...". Oh. She then turns to Louis and explains, "No, Louis, Ziggy is on the rainbow now". Whereupon Louis promptly burst into tears. "I want Ziggy!". He was so upset, I hadn't realised he was still missing Zigs. Louis also told me that he was missing not having his own dog.
Poor Louis is so unlucky, Hannah told him that Apollo was his horse, Ziggy was his cat and the foster dogs are always Louis', while Hannah has Winston and Jasper. Louis has lost all 'his' pets and at only two years old he believes that the other animals are Hannah's.
There's no chance of him having one of the ferrets either, as I have discovered that Istnofret was only having a phantom pregnancy! Typical. Oh well, I suppose it's less animals to look after.
Right, children want more food, must sort them! August 04 The Brillante Weblog Premio 2008 AwardI have been nominated for the Brillante Weblog Premio 2008 Award by Jayne; the Welsh Tabby.
Thank you for thinking of me Jayne, however, you now leave me witht he very dificult task of choosing 5 people from my friends list to pass the nomination onto.
There are so many I would like to put in, but as I know some of you already have at least one nomination I'm going to try to choose some you may not have seen before.
So there are my five nominations. I wish I could choose more as I have so many wonderful friends, but them's the rules! Now all you lot on my list have to choose your own five, I wish you good luck! August 03 El Caminito Del ReyRight, put your cups of tea down, put the video on full screen and hold on tight!
August 01 Bits and PiecesHappy Birthday to Winston, 14 years old today. He has been spoilt with carrots this morning and while I would normally take him for a celebratory ride with much cantering neither he nor I are up to it! So just an extra feed today I think, maybe with a bit of Guinness thrown in for good measure. Only another year until he is officially a veteran...
Mr Keith's funeral is today, but I have learnt that he left strict instructions with the undertaker that no-one is to know what time. Keith was well known in Crookes, Sheffield, and did not want hundreds of people crowding into one place to mourn him. I am sure there will be some sort of celebration of his life tonight instead. In true Yorkshire style it will probably involve lots of beer, pork pies and ham sandwiches and drunken, very politically incorrect singing! Goodbye Keith, may you forever haunt your favourite ale-houses!
Finally, I wish you all a Blessed Lughnasadh, the first day of Harvest.
Lady of the Land, open the door, Lord of the forest, come you in. Let there be welcome to the bountiful compassion. Let there be welcome to the Autumn of the Year. In fruit and grain you are travelling, In ferment and bread you will arrive. May the blessed time of Lughnasadh Nourish the souls of all beings, Bringing love and healing to all hurts. From the heights to the depths, From the depths to the heights, To the wounds of every soul. |
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