Well, we finally went & done it.. We bought a new DVD player that quite literally brought us into this century. Nothing really wrong with the old one except that I got tired of having to wind it up with a key. No, seriously, all it would play is photo's, MP3 discs & Dvd's. Wouldn't play anything downloaded straight from the puter, & I got sick of the 3 stage conversion process that I needed to go through to play them. So, they were on Boxing day week sale cheap, so we got one. Could have gotten one for $30.00, but decided to do the HDMI thing & lash out on the $90.00 one with an HDMI lead. Glad we did. The quality is so much better.
I like going to see Morty. I always take a flash drive or two & she always fills it up with games & movies. Up till now, the only way we have been able to view them is on the puter. Not now. Our new DVD has a USB port, so we have watched the latest offerings direct from the flash drive. My favourite is definitely the Johnny Cash Documentary. Some beautiful family scenes & awesome music. Thank you Morty. I sat through most of it with tears in my eyes. This track though, made me quite unashamedly cry.... Enjoy....
Friday, December 31, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Well, thats Xmas that was....
We're home. We stayed a day longer than we intended. Chris & Melanie just made us feel that comfortable that it was easy to do so. Besides, we both had gift cards for a chain of book shops that we don't have in Thames, so we had to go shopping at one of the malls local to up there. A fatal mistake really. We ended up buying all sorts of stuff as well as redeeming our vouchers. That included a 12 place setting canteen of cutlery (Stainless steel) for 1/4 the normal retail price. (Well, you just have to don't you with a deal like that..)
We got some nice presents & had a wonderful time, which lets face it, is what its all about. Whispas was good. Didn't blot her copybook once & also totally ignored Chris & Mel's two guinea pigs & generally impressed everybody with her charm & good manners. Still, its good to be home though. We left early in the morning to dodge the heat, but I think everybody else did as well, as the traffic was quite heavy. So we're home.. Roll on New Years, so I can hoist a dram for Auld lang Syne....
We got some nice presents & had a wonderful time, which lets face it, is what its all about. Whispas was good. Didn't blot her copybook once & also totally ignored Chris & Mel's two guinea pigs & generally impressed everybody with her charm & good manners. Still, its good to be home though. We left early in the morning to dodge the heat, but I think everybody else did as well, as the traffic was quite heavy. So we're home.. Roll on New Years, so I can hoist a dram for Auld lang Syne....
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas Blog
Merry Xmas you lot. Thank you for your support over the year. Its nice to know that there are actually folk out there who actually read what I write. You all obviously know how our years been if you've been reading this. its been a busy year. Jude remains reasonably well & in good heart. We are off to Jude's youngest son's place for Xmas & we are anticipating a wonderful time. So, what ever it is that you are doing to celebrate Xmas, enjoy it. I will leave you with my two usual Xmas songs,, Enjoy & take care..
Kirsty Mac as gorgeous as ever & Shane Mac Gowan at his glorious drunken best.. Enjoy & merry Xmas...
Kirsty Mac as gorgeous as ever & Shane Mac Gowan at his glorious drunken best.. Enjoy & merry Xmas...
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Hello, my name is Whispas..
And I'm an alcoholic.
We had a cruisy day today. Well, its rained almost all weekend, so what else can ya do? We got half a dozen movies out & have been quietly gnawing our way through them. Today, we didn't even bother getting Jude dressed. We weren't planning on going anywhere anyway. So the inevitable happened. We got visitors. One of the guys that I used to work with & his family to be exact. They came bearing gifts in the form of a bottle of his best home brewed whisky & a sample of his Irish brew, so naturally, I had to reciprocate with a dram or two of my finest Laphroaigh, then a sample of his. He does a nice brew, quite drinkable. We had a lovely time. They had the sense not to stay too long & tire Jude out, & she enjoyed a wee taste of the sacred drop smeared on her gums. Certainly not enough to get drunk on, but enough for her to get the taste anyway.
Whisky isn't usually an after lunch tipple for me, so a nice little lie down after they left was in order. There was nothing worth watching tonight after Joanna Lumley's wonderful programme on The Nile, so we elected to watch another movie. About halfway through, I decided that a wee drop o' whats good for ye was in order, so I elected to sample Tony's Irish brew. Very good it was as well. By this time the little dog, who is feeling much better now , was sitting on my knee. I sorta got engrossed in the movie & the glass came slowly down till my arm was resting on the arm of the chair. Next thing I knew, this long black snoot was in the glass & the tongue got in about 4 good laps before I realised what was happening. I debated tossing what was left in the glass but reason prevailed. They use alcohol to sterilise stuff & why waste good whisky. I could have given the rest to the dog I suppose. She doesn't have as far to fall as I do, but I didn't.
We had a cruisy day today. Well, its rained almost all weekend, so what else can ya do? We got half a dozen movies out & have been quietly gnawing our way through them. Today, we didn't even bother getting Jude dressed. We weren't planning on going anywhere anyway. So the inevitable happened. We got visitors. One of the guys that I used to work with & his family to be exact. They came bearing gifts in the form of a bottle of his best home brewed whisky & a sample of his Irish brew, so naturally, I had to reciprocate with a dram or two of my finest Laphroaigh, then a sample of his. He does a nice brew, quite drinkable. We had a lovely time. They had the sense not to stay too long & tire Jude out, & she enjoyed a wee taste of the sacred drop smeared on her gums. Certainly not enough to get drunk on, but enough for her to get the taste anyway.
Whisky isn't usually an after lunch tipple for me, so a nice little lie down after they left was in order. There was nothing worth watching tonight after Joanna Lumley's wonderful programme on The Nile, so we elected to watch another movie. About halfway through, I decided that a wee drop o' whats good for ye was in order, so I elected to sample Tony's Irish brew. Very good it was as well. By this time the little dog, who is feeling much better now , was sitting on my knee. I sorta got engrossed in the movie & the glass came slowly down till my arm was resting on the arm of the chair. Next thing I knew, this long black snoot was in the glass & the tongue got in about 4 good laps before I realised what was happening. I debated tossing what was left in the glass but reason prevailed. They use alcohol to sterilise stuff & why waste good whisky. I could have given the rest to the dog I suppose. She doesn't have as far to fall as I do, but I didn't.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Striking a happy medium...
I did something tonight that I wouldn't normally do. I went with Jude to an evening with an extremely good & very well known local full trance medium. She has been practicing locally for years & has more or less retired now & has been so for a number of years now as it takes quite a physical toll on her. Jude used to go to her evenings on a regular basis, but I didn't care for it overly much. You see the main spirit channelled is very much into telling us all to adopt full survivalist mode.
Not that I have anything against survivalism you understand. Its just that I choose to prepare for events like that in other ways than hoarding & storing food. To me, knowledge will be of infinitely more value & doesn't deteriorate like food does. Anyway enough of that. I went so that Jude could go. This medium only does one evening a year now, generally at Xmas time, so Jude really wanted to go, so of course, I went too. We pretty much got what I expected, but we got a personal bonus as well. You see, the medium concerned has two main guides, the second one being her healing guide, who is , to say the least of it, a bit of a rough diamond. He had some very personal words of comfort for Jude, which we both found absolutely wonderful. Left us both with tears in our eyes. For Jude to have found a measure of peace is infinitely worth it all.
The little dog had her big operation on Wednesday. I have been guilty of putting it off a bit, but as her sisters are all starting to come in to season, I thought it wise to get it done before Christmas. Would be just our luck for it to happen while away at Chris's place.. Spots of blood everywhere.. Yay...... Anyway she has come through with flying colours. When I picked her up she spent about five minutes telling me how crook she was. But she's been really good. Hasn't picked at her dressings at all so far. She's starting to get her appetite back too. At the moment, she is sitting behind me happily chewing a nice meaty bone.
We've had a decent bit of rain too. Not half hearted heavy mist like we have been having. Real good heavy down pouring rain that soaks into the thirsty dirt, & overflows the spouting, which I haven't emptied the magnolia leaves from yet. It will make the gardening easier too I guess. The next chore is to level out the vege garden, transfer the contents of one compost bin to it, then turn it over. A session with a rake should see it ready to plant. I think I will have to talk to the folk at the plant shop as to what is plantable at this time of year. A kittle of lots of different stuff I think. The rain has also shown me another funny little habit the wee dog has. When she gets wet, she licks herself dry like a cat.. Really funny.
Not that I have anything against survivalism you understand. Its just that I choose to prepare for events like that in other ways than hoarding & storing food. To me, knowledge will be of infinitely more value & doesn't deteriorate like food does. Anyway enough of that. I went so that Jude could go. This medium only does one evening a year now, generally at Xmas time, so Jude really wanted to go, so of course, I went too. We pretty much got what I expected, but we got a personal bonus as well. You see, the medium concerned has two main guides, the second one being her healing guide, who is , to say the least of it, a bit of a rough diamond. He had some very personal words of comfort for Jude, which we both found absolutely wonderful. Left us both with tears in our eyes. For Jude to have found a measure of peace is infinitely worth it all.
The little dog had her big operation on Wednesday. I have been guilty of putting it off a bit, but as her sisters are all starting to come in to season, I thought it wise to get it done before Christmas. Would be just our luck for it to happen while away at Chris's place.. Spots of blood everywhere.. Yay...... Anyway she has come through with flying colours. When I picked her up she spent about five minutes telling me how crook she was. But she's been really good. Hasn't picked at her dressings at all so far. She's starting to get her appetite back too. At the moment, she is sitting behind me happily chewing a nice meaty bone.
We've had a decent bit of rain too. Not half hearted heavy mist like we have been having. Real good heavy down pouring rain that soaks into the thirsty dirt, & overflows the spouting, which I haven't emptied the magnolia leaves from yet. It will make the gardening easier too I guess. The next chore is to level out the vege garden, transfer the contents of one compost bin to it, then turn it over. A session with a rake should see it ready to plant. I think I will have to talk to the folk at the plant shop as to what is plantable at this time of year. A kittle of lots of different stuff I think. The rain has also shown me another funny little habit the wee dog has. When she gets wet, she licks herself dry like a cat.. Really funny.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Since you've asked.....
A comment on my last post, the China Girls one, has asked how Jude spends her day. I think I know who you are but I'm not sure. I would be happy if you would remove all doubt, but if you really want to preserve your anonymity, thats OK as well. Anyway, here goes.
Basically, I just facilitate what ever she wants to do. She spends a lot of time sleeping these days. She has 3 or 4 naps during the day, & is rarely later than 10.00 pm to bed. We have a carer in Monday to Friday to shower her & dress her, as her upper limb strength is now such that she can't lift her arms much above waist level without holding it with the other hand. Her lack of motive ability in her hands also mean that such normally simple jobs as doing up & undoing bra straps is now beyond her capability. A hand held shower that I put over the bath for my mother & a transfer stool are an absolute godsend, making it so much easier to shower her. We are very lucky with our carer in that Colleen is also a very dear friend of ours from before Jude being ill, so I have evry confidence that she is being treated with love, dignity & compassion.
I feed her. At present she has 2 meals of 3 bottles of Fortisip, a liquid food, a day. She has these via her PEG tube administered with a syringe. At this point, she also has however much water she feels she needs via the same way. Very occasionally, she will make herself a strawberry milkshake & sip quietly at about half a glass of that.
Her day is spent mostly either reading, watching TV, or puddling on the computer. She was lucky enough to be granted an electric powered lazyboy chair, which is where she spends her time either reading or watching TV, We also have a TV in the bedroom, so she quite often snuggles up again in bed in the morning, some times watching it, sometimes sleeping again. A very dear friend of ours provides us with a steady diet of point & click games for the computer that are relatively easy physically for her to play. She is also happy to converse on Skype. Our name there is Truckenman, so drop in & say "Hi" Don't be offended if she doesn't answer, because she will probably be playing full screen games.
The little dog is more my mate than hers. Jude definitely belongs to the Ginger Ninja's, & that ius scary territory for a little black dog. Inevitably, if she is sitting or lying down, either one or the other will be either close by, or actually sitting on her lap. As to her mobility, she is still able to get around to a limited degree, but runs out of strength & breath very easily, so if we are going anywhere that involves walking, mall, supermarket, main street etc., then it is far far easier to bundle her into the wheelchair that we carry all the time in Sherman.
Her favourite TV programmes are mainly food, renovation shows & detective series like CSI. OH, not to mention the inevitable vampire series.
AS far as what she thinks is concerned ? Well, probably the best person to tell you that is her, so without further ado, for the first time ever on my blog, here she is.......
i am very blessed with the people who assist me day to day. It is not easy because i am used to doing the careing (i.e.) belonging to F.E.D.s fulfilled that for me. I am coming to terms with my non functioning hands no matter what i do they just won't work like they used to. No more patchwork or quilting and no more gardening. B--------R. So I now use them as much as possible on the computer for crosswords, writing on the computer to fill in my christmas cards, and I read a lot I always used to so that has not changed. I love to go out but I tire very quickly very frustrating. my weight is slowly going down. i have spent most of my life trying to do this very thing, but it is a bit scary just now how to stop it I am blessed with a wonderful family whom I love to bits, they are helping to do things like catching up on the windows that desperately need cleaning. The cleaners that come into your home never do the job properly .makes me very angry . I have the odd thing like shooting pains in my neck that gets on my nerves (actually, I wish they did) I could go on but... I'M FINE. Blessings to you all.
Hi, me here again... Not a lot really I can add to that.. Take care.
Basically, I just facilitate what ever she wants to do. She spends a lot of time sleeping these days. She has 3 or 4 naps during the day, & is rarely later than 10.00 pm to bed. We have a carer in Monday to Friday to shower her & dress her, as her upper limb strength is now such that she can't lift her arms much above waist level without holding it with the other hand. Her lack of motive ability in her hands also mean that such normally simple jobs as doing up & undoing bra straps is now beyond her capability. A hand held shower that I put over the bath for my mother & a transfer stool are an absolute godsend, making it so much easier to shower her. We are very lucky with our carer in that Colleen is also a very dear friend of ours from before Jude being ill, so I have evry confidence that she is being treated with love, dignity & compassion.
I feed her. At present she has 2 meals of 3 bottles of Fortisip, a liquid food, a day. She has these via her PEG tube administered with a syringe. At this point, she also has however much water she feels she needs via the same way. Very occasionally, she will make herself a strawberry milkshake & sip quietly at about half a glass of that.
Her day is spent mostly either reading, watching TV, or puddling on the computer. She was lucky enough to be granted an electric powered lazyboy chair, which is where she spends her time either reading or watching TV, We also have a TV in the bedroom, so she quite often snuggles up again in bed in the morning, some times watching it, sometimes sleeping again. A very dear friend of ours provides us with a steady diet of point & click games for the computer that are relatively easy physically for her to play. She is also happy to converse on Skype. Our name there is Truckenman, so drop in & say "Hi" Don't be offended if she doesn't answer, because she will probably be playing full screen games.
The little dog is more my mate than hers. Jude definitely belongs to the Ginger Ninja's, & that ius scary territory for a little black dog. Inevitably, if she is sitting or lying down, either one or the other will be either close by, or actually sitting on her lap. As to her mobility, she is still able to get around to a limited degree, but runs out of strength & breath very easily, so if we are going anywhere that involves walking, mall, supermarket, main street etc., then it is far far easier to bundle her into the wheelchair that we carry all the time in Sherman.
Her favourite TV programmes are mainly food, renovation shows & detective series like CSI. OH, not to mention the inevitable vampire series.
AS far as what she thinks is concerned ? Well, probably the best person to tell you that is her, so without further ado, for the first time ever on my blog, here she is.......
i am very blessed with the people who assist me day to day. It is not easy because i am used to doing the careing (i.e.) belonging to F.E.D.s fulfilled that for me. I am coming to terms with my non functioning hands no matter what i do they just won't work like they used to. No more patchwork or quilting and no more gardening. B--------R. So I now use them as much as possible on the computer for crosswords, writing on the computer to fill in my christmas cards, and I read a lot I always used to so that has not changed. I love to go out but I tire very quickly very frustrating. my weight is slowly going down. i have spent most of my life trying to do this very thing, but it is a bit scary just now how to stop it I am blessed with a wonderful family whom I love to bits, they are helping to do things like catching up on the windows that desperately need cleaning. The cleaners that come into your home never do the job properly .makes me very angry . I have the odd thing like shooting pains in my neck that gets on my nerves (actually, I wish they did) I could go on but... I'M FINE. Blessings to you all.
Hi, me here again... Not a lot really I can add to that.. Take care.
Monday, December 13, 2010
My China Girls
We went for a wander today, me & Jude. It's been a while. You know, like normal people. Park the car wander up & down, go in to shops that take your fancy, that kind of wandering. Except for us, its a little different, what with Jude in a wheelchair now, but it was still nice. We did have a few things to do though. We have been investigating getting Jude either an I Pad, or an A Pad & we wanted to check them out. We found out that nobody in Thames actually sells them yet. They do, however, sell the accessories, which I thought a touch strange. We, or rather I, finally made an appointment with the Vet to get Whispa speyed on Wednesday. I'm not excessively happy about getting it done, but I guess it has to be.
We did a bit of shopping as well. Jude has been a bit on the down side with a couple of things. So we went looking for some nice light summery stuff & ended up at the Sun And Moon. Its one of those Asian emporium sort of shop, but more the higher end of stuff. They import some really nice kit in from Taiwan, but have gravitated towards clothing more since they have opened. Only natural I suppose, frocks sell better than high end Chinese furniture I guess. Anyway, we bought 2 or 3 lovely pieces for Jude & a pair of Polaroid sunglasses that fit over my scrip glasses. It transpired, as it usually does, that an explanation of Jude's condition was in order. So, after the usual exclamations of sympathy, the 3 lady's present had a chat together in Chinese, then started giving her a most wonderful half hour session of acupressure, not only doing it, but explaining what I can do for her as well. What charming people. So nice that you don't mind buying the one or two extra bits they gently pressed on us. They did give us a discount on what we bought, at least I think they did. All that really mattered was that we went home feeling nurtured & a lot happier than when we went out.
We did a bit of shopping as well. Jude has been a bit on the down side with a couple of things. So we went looking for some nice light summery stuff & ended up at the Sun And Moon. Its one of those Asian emporium sort of shop, but more the higher end of stuff. They import some really nice kit in from Taiwan, but have gravitated towards clothing more since they have opened. Only natural I suppose, frocks sell better than high end Chinese furniture I guess. Anyway, we bought 2 or 3 lovely pieces for Jude & a pair of Polaroid sunglasses that fit over my scrip glasses. It transpired, as it usually does, that an explanation of Jude's condition was in order. So, after the usual exclamations of sympathy, the 3 lady's present had a chat together in Chinese, then started giving her a most wonderful half hour session of acupressure, not only doing it, but explaining what I can do for her as well. What charming people. So nice that you don't mind buying the one or two extra bits they gently pressed on us. They did give us a discount on what we bought, at least I think they did. All that really mattered was that we went home feeling nurtured & a lot happier than when we went out.
Canned Heat.
Damn its hot. 21 C , 75% humidity, no wind & its only 8.30 AM. My poor little dog has gone from a sausage dog to a hot dog. I may have to give her a cool off under the shower later, even if she doesn't like it. We went away for the weekend to one of Jude's brothers' place in Auckland. They have started having a pre Xmas get together. It was nice & Jude enjoyed, but I think I am in danger of becoming a little reclusive. I am starting to show a marked preference for my own home & routines. If its hot here, I can take my gear off & wander round inside in my undies. If I can't sleep, I can get up & puddle on the puter, or just whatever I feel like doing.
Most of all, I think i was really looking forward to a nice cold shower. Sadly, that didn't happen. because we had been away a couple of days all the water in the pipes was tepid, so that was the best I could do, but it was good to sleep in my own bed again.
Today ?? Well, I have to get new spark plugs for my boat, check the relative merits of Apad & Ipad, get some washing done & on the line,maybe see about getting Whispas speyed, then go home & spend the rest of the day melting. That is, if I can't get the shower cool enough...
Most of all, I think i was really looking forward to a nice cold shower. Sadly, that didn't happen. because we had been away a couple of days all the water in the pipes was tepid, so that was the best I could do, but it was good to sleep in my own bed again.
Today ?? Well, I have to get new spark plugs for my boat, check the relative merits of Apad & Ipad, get some washing done & on the line,maybe see about getting Whispas speyed, then go home & spend the rest of the day melting. That is, if I can't get the shower cool enough...
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Can Ya Dig It ?
I've finally raised the initiative to start cleaning up the gardens. Well its a bit of a must really. There are quite a few Dockweeds in different places & they are starting to come in to flower. If you have ever had anything to do with Docks That have gone to seed, you will now how prolific the seed crop is, so I have started. I cleared out our vege garden this morning. None of our gardens have had anything much done to them since before we went down South, so you can imagine what they looked like. So, out of our small vege garden I managed to fill our little trailor with quite a respectable load. Well, I did prune the rambling rose with my usual careful slash & burn technique. I didn't do it on my own though. I had my usual little helper with anything I do these days. It's quite amazing really. She takes a very intelligent interest in what ever you happen to be doing. As long as it doesnt involve water that is. She is very firmly of the opinion that water is best confined in taps or orderly streams or bowls to drink out of. Sadly though, once she sussed out the general idea of gardening & had made sue that there was nothing there for her to chase or cause harm to me, she got very bored & had to have a little lie down..
We had an appointment at the respiratory clinic at the hospital today. All our specialists are starting to become like old friends. I'm not sure, but I think that Jude's fortitude sort of sticks in their minds. Certainly, all the hospital staff remember Jude from her FED days & all that see her come over for a hug & a chat . Its lovely to see & I would imagine, heartening for her as well.
SAturday, we are going to Jude's brothers place in Papakura for an early Xmas get together. Brian is going to be doing a big Asian meal, something that he is very good at. I'm not sure how many of that side of the family is going to be there, but all of her kids & grandkids are going to come as well. We're going to stay the night with them. Its always good there . They treat us like royalty. Its good to be spoiled every now & then I think.
We had an appointment at the respiratory clinic at the hospital today. All our specialists are starting to become like old friends. I'm not sure, but I think that Jude's fortitude sort of sticks in their minds. Certainly, all the hospital staff remember Jude from her FED days & all that see her come over for a hug & a chat . Its lovely to see & I would imagine, heartening for her as well.
SAturday, we are going to Jude's brothers place in Papakura for an early Xmas get together. Brian is going to be doing a big Asian meal, something that he is very good at. I'm not sure how many of that side of the family is going to be there, but all of her kids & grandkids are going to come as well. We're going to stay the night with them. Its always good there . They treat us like royalty. Its good to be spoiled every now & then I think.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
No accounting for taste
As you all know by now, we have acquired our little black & tan Dachshund. She is by nature very nosy. Well, with a beak like that ya gotta be. We have noticed that after I give Jude her PEG feed, she, (the dog, not Jude,) sits & licks my hand, so on a whim this morning, Jude poured out a little Fortisip for her. Dozey bloody animal likes it, vanilla flavour & all ! As I say, no accounting for taste.
Christopher & Melanie are coming down to stay for the weekend. The plan is hopefully to get some fishing done. I hope so, because some big fish have been caught were I fish & its a long time since Chris & I have been fishing together. Will do us both good I think.
We had rain last night. Trust me to have put out all the cushions on the outside furniture yesterday. I'm hoping that the moisture will soak in & soften the ground a bit, as I have resolved to actually bite the bullet & start tidying up the gardens. They all went berserk while we were in the south island & looking at the overall picture is very daunting. Confucious said that the longest journey begins with the first step. I took that step yesterday. I got out the electric hedge trimmer & trimmed the little hedge down the driveway. I also trimmed off about 3 foot of one of my nice long extension leads. After that, I think I need cold alcohol & a nice lie down....
Christopher & Melanie are coming down to stay for the weekend. The plan is hopefully to get some fishing done. I hope so, because some big fish have been caught were I fish & its a long time since Chris & I have been fishing together. Will do us both good I think.
We had rain last night. Trust me to have put out all the cushions on the outside furniture yesterday. I'm hoping that the moisture will soak in & soften the ground a bit, as I have resolved to actually bite the bullet & start tidying up the gardens. They all went berserk while we were in the south island & looking at the overall picture is very daunting. Confucious said that the longest journey begins with the first step. I took that step yesterday. I got out the electric hedge trimmer & trimmed the little hedge down the driveway. I also trimmed off about 3 foot of one of my nice long extension leads. After that, I think I need cold alcohol & a nice lie down....
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Humble Pie
Every once in a while, you see something that fills you with admiration. This interview is one such item. This lady has the same disease as Jude does. Admittedly she is a lot younger than Jude is, was probably a whole lot fitter & is less advanced than Jude is, as can be seen by her ability to still talk a little. Even so, I am filled with admiration for her & what she is trying to achieve. Jude & I sat & watched this interview with tears streaming down our cheeks. Please take the time to watch it, & please think about helping her in what she is trying to achieve.
We went over to see Whispas' mum this afternoon. We needed to take the cage back that she loaned us to bring her home in. We had a lovely time & learned a few more things about the breed in general & her in particular. On the way home we stopped in to see Yvonne, an old acquaintance from driving days. As always, I got a lovely warm welcome & a huge hug from her & we had a lovely catch up.
Tomorrow, I'm going to start tidying up the gardens. I know that they are worrying Jude. You see, they have gotten away quite badly since we have been away down the South Island. Looking at them in total is disheartening to tell the truth. I don't actually enjoy gardening. I know some people do. Jude does. I find it distracting & somewhat tedious & boring, although I must admit that the end results are worthwhile, namely Jude being happy. Its a huge job for one person, but I'll do my best. At least I'll have fresh beans to eat. They have regrown in the vege garden in spite of total neglect..
Chris & Mel are coming down for the weekend so that Chris & I can go fishing. That will be a nice distraction from gardening & Jude always loves to see them. They are staying overnight, so Chris & I will no doubt be able to sink a few & forget about the worries of the world for a while. There is always Monday for that.
We went over to see Whispas' mum this afternoon. We needed to take the cage back that she loaned us to bring her home in. We had a lovely time & learned a few more things about the breed in general & her in particular. On the way home we stopped in to see Yvonne, an old acquaintance from driving days. As always, I got a lovely warm welcome & a huge hug from her & we had a lovely catch up.
Tomorrow, I'm going to start tidying up the gardens. I know that they are worrying Jude. You see, they have gotten away quite badly since we have been away down the South Island. Looking at them in total is disheartening to tell the truth. I don't actually enjoy gardening. I know some people do. Jude does. I find it distracting & somewhat tedious & boring, although I must admit that the end results are worthwhile, namely Jude being happy. Its a huge job for one person, but I'll do my best. At least I'll have fresh beans to eat. They have regrown in the vege garden in spite of total neglect..
Chris & Mel are coming down for the weekend so that Chris & I can go fishing. That will be a nice distraction from gardening & Jude always loves to see them. They are staying overnight, so Chris & I will no doubt be able to sink a few & forget about the worries of the world for a while. There is always Monday for that.
On morning Tweedles
I make no apologies for the use of the word "Tweedles" I inherited it from Whispas" breeder. Its the euphemism for attempting to induce our little dog to urinate on the lawn. We have developed quite a morning ritual now. It starts about 6 AM when, from force of habit & a full bladder, I get out of bed. I try to sneak to the toilet so that I can have the morning pee in peace & quiet, but invariably halfway through, there is a dab on the back of my leg from a cold wet little nose. Just one dab is all. Just a "Hi dad, I heard ya & here I am." dab. From there its the bathroom for the morning round of tablets. Then the fun begins...
It starts when I get down on my hands & knees & lasts about 10 minutes, with a little dog careering madly round the house in absolute bliss that we have both made it through another night. When we have both settled down the phrase, C'mon, time for tweedles starts the next phase in the ritual. We head for the back door, where Fattums, one of the Ginger Ninja's is waiting. She leads, we follow. Out through the courtyard pausing only long enough to destroy the nights work of our resident spider. He/she patiently spins a web in the trellis archway leading to the back lawn every night. I very carefully wipe it away with my hand every morning. Either that, or if I am forgetful, wear it draped artistically round my face like some form of arachnid veil. I don't enjoy that so I try to remember to use my hand.
WE have a lovely ten minutes or so on the back lawn. The Starlings resident in the Birch tree make themselves known & express their disapproval at the presence of a cat. Especially the cat that has been responsible for dispatching a significant proportion of their fledglings over the years. But hey, thats nature I guess. Fattums & I then have an in depth conversation about the state of the union, whats on the agenda for the day, a purring demonstration &, most importantly, what I intend to serve her for breakfast.
Whispas meanwhile , has her usual aimless little wander round the lawn. Sometimes she goes "tweedles," sometimes she doesn't. I'm not too stressed these days if she doesn't. She seems to have the whole house thing sorted out now & generally saves it till we go on one of our frequent strolls. Once everything is sorted to Fattums' satisfaction we head off back inside. I put the jug on for the first coffee of the day, put down a variety of tasty morsels for their Ladyships approval, finish making the coffee, then go through & open the lounge curtains.
By then, her houndliness has finished her breakfast & is waiting at the office door for me. I have to wait a few seconds before I can turn my 'puter on. You see, I get preempted by a dog who does her best to push the button that turns the 'puter on. I then settle in for my morning browse, Whispas settles at my feet for her morning nap & who knows what the cat does.
Christopher, Jude's youngest son, is coming down for the weekend. We are both looking forward to it. He & his wife Melanie are going to overnight. The idea is that we are going to go fishing on Sunday morning. Melanie isn't a fishing person though. What I am hoping is that all 4 of us might go for a cruise. Mel has never seen the beautiful islands that we have dotted about the coastline up Coromandel way, so it would be nice to take her. I think Jude would enjoy it as well, but we will see what the weather is like. If the sea is at all lumpy, Chris & I will just go fishing. There are a few things he & I need to chat about & a boat at sea is as good a place as any that I can think of to do it.
It starts when I get down on my hands & knees & lasts about 10 minutes, with a little dog careering madly round the house in absolute bliss that we have both made it through another night. When we have both settled down the phrase, C'mon, time for tweedles starts the next phase in the ritual. We head for the back door, where Fattums, one of the Ginger Ninja's is waiting. She leads, we follow. Out through the courtyard pausing only long enough to destroy the nights work of our resident spider. He/she patiently spins a web in the trellis archway leading to the back lawn every night. I very carefully wipe it away with my hand every morning. Either that, or if I am forgetful, wear it draped artistically round my face like some form of arachnid veil. I don't enjoy that so I try to remember to use my hand.
WE have a lovely ten minutes or so on the back lawn. The Starlings resident in the Birch tree make themselves known & express their disapproval at the presence of a cat. Especially the cat that has been responsible for dispatching a significant proportion of their fledglings over the years. But hey, thats nature I guess. Fattums & I then have an in depth conversation about the state of the union, whats on the agenda for the day, a purring demonstration &, most importantly, what I intend to serve her for breakfast.
Whispas meanwhile , has her usual aimless little wander round the lawn. Sometimes she goes "tweedles," sometimes she doesn't. I'm not too stressed these days if she doesn't. She seems to have the whole house thing sorted out now & generally saves it till we go on one of our frequent strolls. Once everything is sorted to Fattums' satisfaction we head off back inside. I put the jug on for the first coffee of the day, put down a variety of tasty morsels for their Ladyships approval, finish making the coffee, then go through & open the lounge curtains.
By then, her houndliness has finished her breakfast & is waiting at the office door for me. I have to wait a few seconds before I can turn my 'puter on. You see, I get preempted by a dog who does her best to push the button that turns the 'puter on. I then settle in for my morning browse, Whispas settles at my feet for her morning nap & who knows what the cat does.
Christopher, Jude's youngest son, is coming down for the weekend. We are both looking forward to it. He & his wife Melanie are going to overnight. The idea is that we are going to go fishing on Sunday morning. Melanie isn't a fishing person though. What I am hoping is that all 4 of us might go for a cruise. Mel has never seen the beautiful islands that we have dotted about the coastline up Coromandel way, so it would be nice to take her. I think Jude would enjoy it as well, but we will see what the weather is like. If the sea is at all lumpy, Chris & I will just go fishing. There are a few things he & I need to chat about & a boat at sea is as good a place as any that I can think of to do it.
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