My animals and other family...

Just a wee update: Jeaves is officially part of the family and has settled in very well indeed. So much so that George is bullying him mercilessly - chasing him around the garden (well, Jeaves does it in return, so fair game) and pinning him to the corner of the sitting room.  However, in George's defence, Jeaves does like to shove his nose in places most of us would not dream of...

Maybe, perhaps, fingers crossed

We are hoping Jeaves will be joining our little family. If George agrees. Fingers crossed.

Time and Patience

“The strongest of all warriors are these two: Time and Patience” Leo Tolstoy

 Well, I have been struggling with these two warriors for a while now. However, not all is bad, so I must sometimes remind myself to count my blessings for the friends, family and creatures I have supporting me.

DH has been in France working on our place since June. Patience waiting for him to come home - he still doesn't know when that will be :(

Patience in trying to find work, struggling on this front: interviews (multiple sometimes for the same job at various stages) but no success (yet). I have another interview this afternoon which I would really love, not only because I need and want work but also because it is just up my street experience-wise, as well as with what the company does. A good match!  If I am successful I will of course tell more.

Time and Patience in waiting for Carter to heal and repair. I know that he won't be back to his old self as he's getting older and I try to look on every day now as a blessing. But it's hard. I wish he was a youngster again so that we would have all this time together again - but that won't happen either. I just try and focus on his wonderful character and nature and all of the love he has given us - and we in return - and the lovely memories we have together. And he's still here, happily mooching along, but I worry.

I also sometimes need to give myself a slap around the face and a boot up the backside to stop feeling sorry for  myself and get on with it!  That I will do right now and get my chores done so that I can prepare for the interview and know I have a meal in the slow cooker to come home to, along with a neat and tidy home to bring a smile to my face - well, Carter will do that as I walk in, but it's always nice to have good surroundings to collapse into and pick up my knitting :)

Many many happy returns Carter-boy!

My dearest darling Carter is twelve years old today!

Many happy returns (and gravy bones!) and here's to many more :) xxx

I have had so many, many messages of support and hugs that this very emotional time has been made less frightening knowing so many lovely peeps were thinking of us.

No doubt there are many folks who would say ‘its only a dog’ but there are many of us that feel very differently about the animals we chose to have around us. We have no kids and I have always presumed that ours are our child replacements. However, many people over the last week or two have said they feel the same and yet they have children too - so perhaps it’s just a human emotion some have and some don’t.

Anyway, as I wrote last week, Carter had a CT scan, where the surgeons inserted a catheter with a pressure sensor into his jugular vein in his neck and drew that down into the heart. This was to provide final evidence that what Carter was suffering from was pericarditis (an inflammation of the sac around the heart, the pericardium) rather than cancer, which wouldn’t give the same sort of pressure results I gather.

He went straight into surgery where the surgeons removed virtually all of the pericardium which would allow any fluid being built up to disspate within the body and be drawn away naturally into body cells. The type of pericarditis he had was constrictive, meaning the sac wasn’t expanding as it should, probably from previous scarring (he had something similar just over a year ago) - this can also be caused by cancer cells, which is why he had to undergo two days of tests before the decision was made to operate.

After the operation, which took about an hour, Carter went into intensive care where he was on an opium (well, opioid drug of some kind!) drip and had a chest drain to remove any air and fluid that built up after the op.

He came out of intensive care after a couple of days and the drain was finally removed on Saturday and he was given the all clear to come home yesterday (Monday) to carry on his recuperation with us. We were so excited, I was bouncing like a child!!

If I was excited, you should have seen Carter when the vet brought him out to us in the waiting room at Langley. He was chattering and shivering and so so happy to see us both :) I was a bit shocked by the extreme shaving - I’m sure as little as possible was done, but his entire torso is shaved apart from a 2 inch wide strip just off centre down his spine. And the colour! Blue rinse is one way of describing this… all from the chemicals they used in the op to keep him sterile. And he can’t have a bath, understandably, due to his many staples and stitches (both up the side of his chest and on his neck). But we don’t care what he looks like: it’s Carter. And now he’s home :))))

I didn’t know until yesterday, but after the op, he was unable to walk at all and had to be carried outside to have a wee. Carter has always had a tendency to slightly drag his back legs, nothing serious but it always just seemed his back legs were a little lazy! Turns out he has some kind of neurological issue that means he cannot use his hind legs very well, and in fact as he gets older this, along with the expected arthritis, has reduced his mobility only a little, but he hasn’t been able to jump into the car at all recently. He was also beginning to 'knuckle', turning his toes under and not realising he was standing on them (like a clenched knuckle) - this he hasn't done since he came home which makes the vet's comments that it may have been triggered by the build up of fluid on nerves a possibility.

Luckily, he can walk well again now without aid, he is a bit wobbly but that is to be expected. The vets have put him onto metacam, which is like ibuprofen (a non steroid pain killer) which we think is really helping his movement as he seems to have a spring in his step which wasn’t there before!

In all, about 10kg of fluid was removed from his chest and heart cavities (some immediately, and some has built up day by day whilst he was in Langley) and he now weighs a mere 35kg - the lightest he had been before was 38kg (and the heaviest 44kg, when a French vet very tactfully said ‘your dog eez fat’!), which considering he is a tall golden retriever wasn’t a problem. We’ve tried to keep him ever so slightly under weight over the past couple of years to help with his joints as he gets older - and we all know how goldies are led by their stomachs!!

So, there you have it, the full tale of woe and joy. I'm sitting here typing this with Carter fast asleep at my feet - a placce I hope he'll be for a long time to come :)

Feeling all wrung out

DH and I have been through a rollercoaster of a ride for the past few days thanks to our darling Carter.

Just over a year ago, Carter suffered from a case of pericarditis where the pericardium (the sac around the heart) becomes inflamed and cannot deal with the fluid created by the body and pumped by the heart (not just blood) so the fluid starts to build up both in the pericardium and in the abdomen. Ultimately this would cause heart failure.

The wonderful vets at Bristol vet school saved his life - our lovely vet diagnosed the problem and knew Carter would be in better hands in Bristol (thanks heavens for pet insurance!).

And it was the teamwork of our vet and Bristol that have done it again.

Carter was admitted as an emergency case on Saturday and has today had an operation to remove the pericardium after many many tests - where cancer seemed to be likely, and thank goodness wasn't found. He is now in intensive care so we have a hill yet to climb, but it doesn't seem so daunting anymore....

These last 6 months I have been mainly...

Warning - picture heavy post (and very few words) well, don't they say a picture says a thousand words?!?

Since early February I have....



Survived the heavy snow we had... the picture with Carter shows the main lane at the top of our track, totally impassable.



I have learnt to weave on my mother's old Weavemaster 2 shaft loom.

Tried to learn to spin using a scrummy drop spindle I bought (made from walnut and wild olive, mmm the smell!).



Bought an old Ashford Scholar spinning wheel from a woman at my weaving class. They're all enablers, I tell you :)



Knit my first ever shawl - this is Ishbel knit in Cariad Flimstone Bay (aka Posh Yarns Emily) 4ply.


Been over on a solo trip to Normandie to check on the barn...



It was hip high in nettles and thistles - all three quarters of an acre!!!




Taught sock knitting classes at my LYS, Fiddlesticks in Honiton (there's the lovely Barbara in the far right opposite where I'd be seated).



Met Isla, my new great-niece-in-law!


Spent a week with my fossils out in Spain...



... and I cooked too! See, evidence above :)



Whilst in Spain I went to a little museum dedicated to Miro, not very far from my parent's place. It was lovely, and very inspirational seeing his earlier work before he went totally surreal.



I've been growing potatoes...



... and tomatoes in the new little greenhouse (Freecycle is a wonderful thing!)...



... and all sorts of other veg in our raised bed.




I've spun my very first little ball of yarn, this is it all bright an green after I plied it.



Knitting more socks, of course.



Taking this lovely roving (from Wildcraft) and turning it into a couple of bobbins of this...


which I will eventually ply together.



Using my little Scholar (named Maria which I thought apt as it was the name my maternal grandmother was known by - mainly because her first name was very old Polish and chosen so that it wasn't easily pronounced by the occupying Germans in the late 19th century! I also thought Maria was a good solid name with historical roots that just felt right for my first wheel) to spin some lovely BFL/silk roving into a hank of singles which I will use for weaving.


More soon!

Minimalist Monochrone or Characterful Colour?

I am always surprised at how a few hours can change your outlook - here, our vista: look at how the landscape has changed in just the space of 7 hours. The picture of Carter by the dilapidated garage was taken at about 9.30 in the morning yesterday, and the following image was taken at about 4.30pm the same day. Such colour in the second one as opposed to minimalist monochrome of the first.


I'm thinking George the cat doesn't like snow! This may be the first time he has experienced it - actually, I'm pretty sure it is as he was about a year old when we homed him last April and snow hasn't been seen down this part of Devon for a few years. Poor chap, he really hates it when I launch him into the white wilderness a couple of times a day to do what he has to do... and then shut the door quickly so he doesn't come back in (bad, bad mum!!) - I'd rather that than a litter tray in the house (or worse).


This morning, much has frozen so it is becoming lethal underfoot - we may still be housebound for another day.

Missing... no action!

Okay, I didn't mean to be silent for so long. Just happened! Life gets in the way and all of a sudden it's months later... thanks Sue of Eco-Tricot for prodding me to blog again! The meme you've tagged me with will appear very soon, promise.

Here's a few pics to brighten the day. I took Carter down to Branscombe for a walk this morning as it is so beautifully sunny here. He loves his trips to the seaside - in fact he virtually howls until you let him out of the back of the car once he smells the sea! Very embarrassing if anybody's about.



The walk from the village down to the beach is a lovely one, level paths meandering over the stream leading out to the sea. And then the wide expanse of pebble beach with views far and wide. Perfect!


Somebody here seems to be enjoying himself!

George

This is George - it took a few days to decide on his name and, wanting something solid and 'human-like' which is how I like my animal names. It was only after we named him, I was reminded of George Carter from The Sweeney, way back in the 1970's! Our George is not like Dennis Waterman's character at all!!

Work-wise... only 4 more full days to go before I venture into the unknown. I am so excited, and yet so worried. Hopefully the worry will just make me push for clients and thus gather lots of income :-)

Welcome

We have a new addition to the family!

Welcome to our, as yet unamed, lovely ginger boy - he's extra special as he has extra toes... locally known as a Dorset Thumb Cat the technical term is polydactyl and is supposedly common in the South West of England, South Wales and in New England. Polydactyl cats were considered to be lucky on board ship, which is perhaps why they are relatively common in New England with the link of the Pilgrim Fathers from Plymouth.

Anyhow, this little chap is about 2 years old and was sourced through the local branch of the Cats Protection League in East Devon. He was named 'Garfield' by the vet who took him in, but we're not keen on that name so are trying to think of alternatives.

He is a lovely pusscat, with a lot of purring to do - hoever, after the initial bravado of a new home, he's a little nervous especially of Carter and loud noises. To be expected no doubt and hopefully he'll settle happily soon.

Tired Bunnies

What a great picture – my two most precious boys, tired out! Don’t know why, neither had done much :-)

One Track Mind

This must be my favourite shop in delightful Honfleur... an homage to chickens!

I once laughed dreadfully at a close friend's interest in chickens - and now I am the sufferer and she has moved on. Oh how she must be laughing back at me.

The obsession has turned to wanting real live chickens at home, which we will have one day soon. My fear is that if you have livestock, you must get used to dead-stock and living in the middle of fields we have not only foxes, but badgers and rats too....
I'm the sort of person that hasn't watched Black Beauty all the way through, nor Bambi - I just cry at the very thought of animals dying.

However, back to the chicken shop. It is a wonderful collection of ceramics, metalwork, postcards, paintings, and I'm determined to spend some of my Euros there this summer!

Bye Bye Darling Girl

Last Tuesday, as mentioned in my last post, PC took her last little journey. She was very very tired and, although it was an incredibly tough call to make (always hopeful that she would rally through and improve) she wasn't able to stand on her own and we knew the time had arrived. We'd hoped her little body (which wasn't much heavier than a bag of sugar at the end) would make it's own decision and that she would go in her sleep, but this wasn't to be. I held her in my arms throughout and felt I had done my duty by this feisty little treasure of ours who has been with us for 12 years - we found her in a scrap yard and took her home, the vet at the time thought she was anything between 4 and 8 years old. So our little girl could well have been 20!

She wasn't an angel by any means, but that was part of her appeal :-) She ruled to house with a very loud voice - so much so that Carter, when he arrived nearly 6 years ago, was too afraid to even look at her (and she was the size of his head!) and it was about 18 months before he was brave enough to sniff her... Irreplaceable!

But somehow, even though it's so sad, we are relieved for little PC and can stop worrying about her now. Carter's missing her and has become very clingy - difficult to do when you're a clingy golden retriever anyway ;-) Having a 6 stone dog trying to get on your lap in the constricted space of the caravan is funny to witness!

News on the home front:: we should be moving towards the end of next week. I have some more photos which I will upload in the next few days - and it was fabulous to see the old farm buildings all demolished and lovely golden gravel laid in their place: a ray of sunshine!

Thank you all for your lovely comments, I never think about who is reading my ramblings, but I very much appreciate your thoughts.

TTFN.

Temporarily out of action...

We have been homeless for nearly 4 weeks now, home has been a static caravan behind our local pub (not good!) hence the silence on the blog front, my apologies. I'm accessing it from work at the moment so, ssssh: don't tell :-)

Before all our possessions went into storage, I kept some to one side for our creative team to use for photoshoots for new product. A bit of an ego boost when you see your favourite items used in professional photography. Here's my favourite, showing my beloved grandmother's hand-stitched quilt (English pieced, using old dresses: some I just about remember her and my mother wearing: there's even a fabric or two from my sister's and my dresses too!).























We hope to be in the cottage (sorry, should call it farm as that's the official name) by the end of the month but it will only be the three of us: Himself, Carter and me. PC is failing with her kidney disease and we have made the very difficult decision to take her on her last journey this evening. We're very sad. More another day.

Bella Casa

Isn’t she sweet? Definitely a she: curvy, inviting, work-in-progress…!

Fingers crossed, if all works out, this may be our new home. Set in the hills above the Otter Valley in East Devon, this traditional Devon cob cottage is a real gem – I think the local council have forgotten about her as she’s not listed (best to keep schtum, eh?).

Only two bedrooms, with most of the living space downstairs, there’s lots of potential – so much so that I can’t wait to get my itchy fingers stuck in. Carter loves it too as you can see.

The front and back views are a little topsy turvy as the view of the front door is now the back, and vice versa. I suppose originally the access would have been from the bottom of the valley, up the lane (which is now a bridleway) rather than from the top of the hill, off the tarmac road for 200 metres of dirt track. I’d love to find out the history of the place… but, first things first: let’s get it!

Yummy gorgeous - want one...

Isn't this sweet? Can I have one pretty pleeeeeease?

We looked at a cottage not far from our current home and the nearest neighbour is Combe Farm stud, who breed beautiful Arabs. Having owned one for nearly 10 years, which I had to sell before moving to Devon, I always feel a tad tearful when I see such beauty.

Arab horses run in my blood: my grandfather owned an Arab stallion which he rode during his duties in the Polish Cavalry in the 1930's - the only army who would tackle the german tanks on horseback! My mother has memories of being placed on the stallion's back at the age of 3 and being extremely frightened. I, however, seem to go the other way: if frightened by an animal I love them even more... Many a scar and bruise to show for this (fingers crossed no broken bones as yet).

I'm horseless at present, having promised Himself that I wouldn't get another until we have our own land... I did have my fingers crossed though, does that count?!

Oh what a beautiful morning...

...oh what a beautiful day! Tra la la!!

Here's a short visual tour of our garden in the gorgeous Easter sunshine... I especially love the view from the house to the back, over an orchard where three young ladies usually graze, but they were camera shy today!