Greyhound...!!!

So much happened at the weekend that I didnt finish my posting about Makeover 2000. Suffice to say the photographers ( female ) were lovely , very talented , an dthe pictures were wonderful . We spent a small fortune . But , the upside is we will get some great pictures and who knows , the results may appear here .
But , and far more interesting , we were offered an older greyhound who is described as cat friendly , has just been received at the greyhound foster home . A challenge to decide whether to pursue the idea of a puppy who would be socialised from an early stage with our four cats ( not to mention guinea pigs who apparently becasue of their squeaking , are likely to be of even more interest to a greyhound than the cats ) but who despite that might turn out to be one of the thirty per cent who is definitely never going to be cat friendly . As you see Ive been reading ( and fretting ) about our already existing family / household members . Or to consider an older dog who is cat tested and known to be one of the 60 % who is really not that keen to pulverise a cat , small dog or other small animal . Obviously we are aware it wont be all plain sailing and our cats will have their views , but something about an older dog made us feel it was worth finding out more . Surprise phone call from Margaret to say they an older dog had been left with them and she was not at all interested in the foster home cat.
She asked us to think about whether we wanted to meet her to see how we felt , and we managed to make a decision on that in about three minutes flat , finding out that the dog ( a female ) was black with a little white , probably about three or four years old , very sweet natured " no bother " . Something about this sounded meant to be . I had always said during our agonising over which breed , that the right dog would show up for us an dthis felt like that moment .
What can I say? She was brought along to meet us by Wendy last night and from the minute she stepped in the door she seemed perfect .... folded up her long skinny legs and lay down then soon stretched and rolled completely onto her back ( just like Kitty lies , her tummy being too lardy to place too much weight on it . I'm guessing with greyhounds its their boniness that makes them comfortable on their backs . )

Wendy has taken her back home to complete the formalities and make sure she has had all her injections , is neutered ( they will attempt to find out if she has already been neutered ) etc , so we can expect her to move in in a couple of weeks or so .

Now we need to find the right name for her . Nat wants Elektra . I love the name but not sure it suits her , and given the way she lies about like a big hot water bottle I think Comfort is perfect .
But any ideas gratefully received . ...

Cycling to South Shields ....

" I reckon its high time you got a puppy ......"

More on makeover 2000 tomorrow ......the photographs were spectacular ....

desk wars test post

The Birmans jealous of Kitty's supremacy .. desk wars last week .

Makeover 2000, another world

Last night was our night at Makeover 2000. I was quite nervous on the way there , wondering how on earth they would manage to make me look good enough for the stunning photographs I had heard of , but once we arrived and looked at the Before and After shots in glorious technicolour in Reception I could see anything was possible . I had also had what to war anxieties . Though the woman who booked us said most people just wear the stuff they provide for the shots , she also said we could bring a favorite top along if we really wanted to be taken in that . I wondered if it seemed a little pathetic not even to be able to muster up one single thing suitable for a photo shoot , and in the end stuffed a couple of flattering ( ish ) vest tops into my bag . I know from looking at these kind of pictures that they tend not to take pictures of people heavily covered up in dark shades ( my usual look ) and that its customary for a deal of flesh to be on view . Nat seemed very calm in comparison , having changed out of her school uniform on the way and having no qualms about her outfit or accessories . I couldnt help comparing myself when I was thirteen , fat , spotty , greasy hair , and wondering how she managed to be so poised even as she embarks on her teens , arguably the most tricky bit of growing up ( something I'm still doing myself at Forty Something ).

The staff at Makeover 2000 were excellent. Very relaxed and up beat and after a few minutes on the leather sofas flicking through makeover pictures and watching the other arrivals , all of whom seemed as unprepared as I felt , it soon seemed the most natural place in the world to be .
Before long Esther arrived to take us upstairs and when I balked at the tiny looking lift squeaking " I cant go in there I need to take the stairs " she didnt turn a hair and we all pretended walking up the stairs was exactly what we needed at five pm on a Friday evening . My Gym Habit was beginning to make itself felt in the region of my buttocks by level two but I kept my counsel and before I knew it I was sitting in a chair under the lights , top off and bra pulled down ( to give strap marks a chance to fade before the pics ) , fortunately facing away from the mirror . Esther asked me all those questions that I hate " what look did you have in mind ? "
Er , I dont know . ( Something that makes me look like one of those models in the pictures but No I dont have a clue which one )
Do you wear make up ?
Er yes . (Cant you tell ? I have the same stuff on I wear every day . )
What colours do you usually go for ?
Erm , sort of pinks and browns .....

She soon realises what she is dealing with and I tell her Im very happy to be guided by her . She tells me she will go for a Fresh Look which sounds intriguing and when I ask do most people ( ie the more confident ones than me ?) come along with very defined ideas about their final appearance .
She tells me that it varies , that most people point to one of the pictures and say " I want that one " , though as she says , some of these looks are now quite dated and shows me a smokey eyed look which apparently is very popular but is now not what she would be choosing to do . I brighten up at this thinking that maybe someone like me who knows all sorts about cats and psychology but nowt about makeup is really not such a difficult customer as it means she can have free reign .
All the while she is plastering on foundation with sponges , brushing my cheeks and eyes endlessly , poking me with eyeliners and shadows and then applying and reapplying three different lip colours . Now lipstick I do know about . Three years ago I decided I had had enough of buying lip glosses and never wearing them as they looked all wrong , and went along to Karen at Bobbi Brown who sat me down and applied two amazing shades and then ( it being a quiet Friday no doubt ) took it upon hersel to make up my face completely with blushers , eyeliners etc and sent me off a very happy bunny . And since then I do often wear lip colour and know its the right shade . I trust Karen implicitly and besides , you can tell when youve got the right colour . Just you can tell when its all wrong ( And hey , do I know that feeling ! )

Esther is apparently feeling its all wrong as she wipes and re wipes but finally , after a quizzical stare ( and remember my back is still to the mirror so I can only guess at whats going wrong as she tuts and grimaces ) I pluck up courage and ask what colour the lips are and she says she s aiming for pink though not to worry its not Hot Pink ! Oh right I say , not sure whether to laugh or cry ... but suddenly either its all come together or Esther has given up hope , and she swings me round to face the mirror and I see myself , now also in glorious technicolour ! Wow.
I stare at myself critically wondering how different I actually look , focusing in on the wrinkly bits around my eyes but noticing the complete absense of black bags which are a permamnet feature . And I like the lip colour . Its very very glossy an d my lips look twice the size. Before I wipe this off later I resolve to have a good look at what shes done to establish whether theres any hope of my emulating it . Little chance as the make up is heavy photogrphic stuff but worth a try I guess.
But for the moment its time to see how Nat is faring in the next booth and then , on to the next stage .
The photographers!

Greyhounds......

You can see from the title what is playing on my mind today . Regular readers will know how Ive agonised over what dog was the right one for us and ... after various false starts , Im beginning to feel I know .
Ive been researching ( most of yesterday , not that Im obsessed or anything ) and after the Gym this morning ( Is this a sign that I have a Gym Habit again ? It was great to go back today and find my right arm was much less painful today than yesterday . I still dont quite dare to go on the scales there yet though ) , I decided to revive an old post gym habit of a coffee and a skinny muffin in Starbucks in Borders , and picked up a dog magazine and then located the Greyhound Books and squirrelled them upstairs to browse . Choosing the sofa areas was a mistake I was too close to a loud man broadcasting to a bored sounding woman ( I think they were colleagues , in the financial services business , working in different offices or parts of the country and meeting for I dont quite know what purpose as he talked non stop about nothing . I'm sorry , but he did , and it was bad enough that she had to listen but that I also had to hear it all too , not to mention anyone else within earshot ....he was giving her sage advice about parenting too which I thought was fascinating . He may be a great parent but to assume she needs his advice ?? Never mind , I digress , and in bitchy fashion too but there you go .
The greyhound book suggested that cats and greyhounds can mix but obviously great care is needed , the dog coming to you must be cat friendly and cat tested too . And on the sites I looked at yesterday most of the write ups beside the dogs either said Not Cat Tested , or , perhaps more ominously , said nothing at all .
Back at the ranch I started googling again , always a mistake as I was simply covering the same ground as yesterday . Reminded me of trying to get pregnant and reading the same page in my "So you think youre pregnant" book month after month then staring at my bosoms for blue lines ( cheaper than a pregnancy test) , checking endlessly whether coffee tasted funny , was that a metallic taste in my mouth or did I just need to touch base with my toothbrush ? Etc etc . Anyone who has suffered even a moment of believing they're infertile ( and I had a couple of years ) will know what I mean .....No fun .
Finally , having read and read and re read about all the non cat tested but beautiful dogs going , I decided to take the bull by the horns and ring some numbers .... three or four in all . No one available ( I start to have those terrible twos feelings now ... I want a greyhound and I dont want to wait !! stamping the foot and snorting ) so I leave messages . And then , just when Ive whipped most of my clothes off ready for a shower , Val rings ..... she has seen an e mail I sent yesterday and wonders whether a puppy might not be the thing for us . I can hardly contain my excitement ! Of course we would love a puppy but we didnt think there would be puppies avilable via Rescue ... she tells me they have no cat tested dogs at present but there are a litter of puppies three weeks old and therefore ready quite soon. I trip over myself on the stairs in my eagerness to get to the pc ( still no laptop by the way , its now been away almost three weeks ) , and find the four puppies ......and of course , its a done deal , I want them all !
D is in court again so I text him and his response is quite favourable , partly I think as he has had a grim morning and a puppy sounds like welcome relief . Nat will be so excited . I am beyond excited .
Will keep you posted .

Gym Habit , the extra belly a greyhound and an orange Rocha top

I used to have a regular Gym Habit . It seems to have slipped rather , to the extent that I now have an extra belly ( One ? Or is it Two ? ) So feeling energised this morning and not having managed to track the Mother down therefore scuppering my plans for coffee and scones at Kirkharle , seemed the ideal opportunity .

What a start to the day ! I managed to squeeze into my gear despite being a whole seven pounds heavier than the last time I did , so all well and good . I waddled myself in the direction of the cardio workout dept without too much trouble , and no they hadn't moved it and the changing area was just as ever , and the woman who cleans it just as friendly . But , shock horror , all the running / treadmill machines had been replaced . It was a higher step up for a start even just to climb aboard , and then , once up , all those new dials and buttons and attachments and things to clip on your t shirt . I balked at the idea of seeking out a member of staff . memories of my last " consultation " when , though I had lost half a stone through regular and diligent attendance , the boy ( I use the word advisedly) whom I was allegedly consulting ( though him telling me off was nearer the mark ) , having noted that I was attending four days a week , asked was there any particular reason why I was not able to attend more frequently . I stared at him in amazement wondering if he had misheard me , but no , he persisted . Well , I started , I do work full time , have a house and business to run , and I do have a Life ! he just entered a small cross on the form he was completing ( probably short hand for Dead Loss or Stroppy Customer or Not Committed to Fitness ) .....At this stage I was also well under nine stone in weight and considered myself to be in pretty good shape ( albeit a little hefty ....) so when I said " are you thinking I need to excercise more , lose weight perhaps , his stare said it all. I am guessing his target weight for me was somewhere in the region of seven stones .

Suitably energised by the exercise , I head for Debenhams . I have to report that the mirrors in that shop both on the shop floor and in the "dressing rooms " are very flattering . So much so that I , who always tries on colours then buys an exact replica of my last top in either Black ( 70%) , navy (10%) dark brown(10%) or grey ( 10%) , purchase a bright Orange Rocha top ( half price sale) and then head for a Danish [Pastry and coffee . As I sit wool gathering and thinking my thoughts , I come to the conclusion ( a propos of my rolls of flesh ) that everyone has a Tummy really , its what you do with it that matters " Feeding mine , at present " I think to myself and text my sister to tell her of my successful morning .

Later , back at home , I started thinking Dogs again . Recently someone at work mentioned that Greyhounds can be the ideal pets . Once they've had a walk , apparently , they like nothing better than to curl up and sleep . occasionally stirring to find a warmer spot , but other than that they are placid and cuddly and No Bother . Sounds ideal
I look up a few rehoming old racing greyhound sites and find some very appealing pictures and get quite excited wondering then how I can sell the idea to Nat ( who wants a Pug after all ) and D , who prefers to stick with the four cats and , though flexible as ever , says he is not wholly opposed to the idea of a dog as long as it will leave him alone when working and won't fight to get onto his desk the way the cats do .

I text him to let him know I have written a couple of e mails to rescue sites , and get a reply back when he is released from court for a break whilst the barristers squabble amonsgt themselves . He reminds me that though he will come around to the idea of a greyhound , he is less sure of Kitty's response and I remind him that Kitty does in fact like a challenge and that she had adjusted very well to his own presence after a few initial skirmishes over territory and house rules " You feed me whenever I ask or there's trouble "

No reply to my e mails yet . But there are wonderful greyhounds galore , all with trendy names like Diesel and Cher . I am slowly becoming obsessed . Of course they will need to be " cat tested" first but so far so good .

swarming Birmans ...and Kitty

The cats were swarming yesterday from my first appearance on the landing , where for some reason all four of them were lying on their backs taking the sun ( not that the sun was much in evidence ) . Running the gauntlet to the bathroom is no picnic as they all shift slightly as you pass and Jessie is capable of sticking a paw out to grab the dangling dressing gown cord or a passing toe just for the hell of it .

And by breakfast time , they are all gathered in the sitting room taking swipes at each other , rolling and tumbling and squabbling like demented cocker spaniels only quieter . They dont bark and groan and grumble at each other , but they do snuff and heavy-breathe as they nip and push .

And then finally , and unusually , they all decide that D's desk is the place to be .

Enlarge the shot to get a closer look at Kitty's face .....

( photo courtesy of D . Still no laptop . )