Hang On ! Where's that Dog ?

Two Cats ....

Dog masquerading as invalid

or frail cantankerous old lady .... ready to snap off your hand if you look at her the wrong way or lean on her wheel chair without permission .

The reality of course couldn't be further from the truth .

Alice is the sweetest natured puppy ( or two year old rescue greyhound ). She smiles and grins and would offer her last Rolo. She would do all the cleaning if she could . The washing ? No problem . Help the cats with their homework ? I'm your Dog .....

But since D has all that under control thank you very much , I'll just take up root here on the sofa till my next dinner , if nobody objects too much . Ok ? Oh , could I just trouble one of you to adjust that cushion under my ear slightly , I cant hear properly like this . Hate to miss anything .

Hideous bubbly glass ...

..soon to be replaced by aforementioned etched glass and elegant bespoke door.

Etched glass and a bespoke door ?

There's nothing like the prospect of some beautiful etched glass and a bespoke door to raise the spirits .

I rarely have anything done to my house these days , mainly because so much has been done over the years and really , at the end of it you do reach a certain equilibrium where you begin to grasp that one more tile ( or indeed a hundred more ) , one more towel , and one more bit of this or that really aren't going to increase your happiness the way you imagine . ( ( No , its the aquisition of that rescue greyhound and the box of kit kats in the kitchen that lead to perfect happiness ...... )

However having living for nigh on fifteen years with the hideous bubbled glass in the entrance porch I have finally decided its time to move on and Bryan Curtis came round this morning to give us some advice on etched and stained glass and the like . Bryan Curtis Stained Glass Ltd - Quality & Excellence First. Customer Service . So now we are in line for a bespoke door and probably some etched and plain glass to our design , and I'm trying to remind myself that a few pieces of glass and some wood really arent the answer to all my problems , but right at this minute the prospect of a starburst as I open the outer door every day , the feel and smell of the new solid wood all helps to add to the happy weekend my -sister-is-coming-to-stay feeling .

have a good one yourselves everyone .....

Another seal pup on King Edward Bay

8am this morning , another seal pup . I missed this one , having stayed in bed with my latest headache , Alice's increased confidence meant she danced circled around wagging her tail and this baby growled loudly at her .

Later . we went back to the beach at noon , all gone . the tide had been in and out again , taking the baby with it . Apparently she/he had been trying to head back out to sea anyway .

maybe we are destined to see more of these lovely babies over the next months .

Chipmunks , figuratively speaking .....

Wake in a dustbowl at five am , my mouth full of seeds and bird feathers and all manner of hot dry things .
Spitting out and rinsing and swilling as they used to advocate at the dentist ( I say used to , when I went private . Now I'm an NHS patient there is no time for such niceties and one is left with the dross until its all over . Mind you what's a bit of grit and old tooth decay in the mouth for ten extra minutes as compared to taking out a fresh mortgage every time one needs treatment ? ) reveals a single cat hair and the usual ( for this week anyway ) banging head .

I take pills , settle myself upright and try to relax .

The head is full of red squirrels and as finally I reach inside , figuratively speaking , to attempt to lift one of two of them out and set them free to scamper off down the bird feeders strategically placed for Toby's entertainment via the front window , it comes to me that these are not squirrels but chipmunks .
A squirrel is indeed a scampering creature , husbanding its resources , looking from side to side , and has no interest in my torture . Chipmunks however are fast moving , and would not be averse to banging against the edges of my skull in passing , as they swapped places , climbed bars and dropped to the floor with a sickening thud from time to time . They would not stop to rest , to look around them , to pose for photographs like those squirrels of our caravanning days when Nat and me at six am would watch them as the sun rose .

My mind struggles valiantly to escape the inner beasties hammering away , and takes me on a peaceful tour of those days . In my head I collect the wherewithal I would have needed to take with me to the shower blocks , my bath towel , my hair towel ( super absorbant ) , my shampoo , the conditioner , a hair brush , a shower gel ; finally my mobile phone connecting me to the outside world at home via texts . I walk across the little winding paths through the tall pine trees , past the slow hopping wild rabbits from the woods , sometimes spotting a deer and her fawn , occasionally another early riser trying to catch the first shower of the day before the eight am onslaught . The rhododendrons in full bloom , or the honeysuckle , maybe the primroses in the little glades used as dens by the older kids .

I walk back now from my shower , clean , fresh , ready to grind and brew coffee .

The pain killer is starting to take effect . Alice , the early rising greyhound has slept in , and if I pull my pillow flat I can probably get in another half hour sleep before she tells me she needs to go out . Failing that D has probably seen me taking the pills and will more than likely offer to go down .
Another day .