Silly boy

In  spite of being castrated Small is behaving like a real tom cat.  He stayed out all of Saturday and didn’t come home until Sunday evening on three legs again.  He has made his leg worse and it is swollen at the top so he is not allowed out as he has to rest it.  He is having Arnica and I hope it improves.  I think he goes out and everything is so exciting and there is so much to see that he jumps around, climbs and forgets he has a bad leg.

The weather is not going to be nice here until the end of the week so he can stay in and rest.

The lambs are coming along nicely although I mustn’t tempt fate, you never know what will happen next. 

Our first writing course evening was quiet as ghere were only three of us so we did quite a lot of chatting and one exercise. 

There is a workshop this Friday morning.   My cleaner came this morning and as her husband is a dairy farmer I wanted to find out more what farming activities go on in the autumn for my article.  It is nearly finished.  We really must try ang get to a show this year so I can take photos for articles.

 

Emails

I cannot access my emails at the moment.  The first one in the queue must have photos or an attachment.  So many times that I am fed up with it I have sat here watching it go through the AVG check, but the line drops when it is three quarters of the way through, so it starts all over again.

I should, God Willing and all being well, be with Tiscali broadband in a few days.  I would have done it months ago if TalkTalk/Onetel had been straight with me.  I probably will not get a very good signal as we are at the outer limit of the exchange but anything will be better than what I have at the moment.

So the emails are piling up and it would be best not to send anything til I have the new system and shall send addresses my new email address.

We started a new novel writing course last night.  Not everyone was there so with just a fw of us we could have a good chat and did a little bit of work.

I am working on my Autumn article, but am really looking forward to a decent summer.

We really need it here.

Off with three, back with four

We don’t know where Small is spending his days now, perhaps a neighbour will let us know and complain about him, but this morning he went off, still limping on three legs and tonight has come home on four.  Perhaps he’s been to see a feline physiotherapist.  Obviously worked a treat!  He seems cheerful enough and not particularly tired.

We are pleased to say that Kim, our Collie x has had a thorough check up at the vets today and all seems to be fine.  She also had a blood test, which she did not like but the vet said that she was very pleased with the results of that.  She just has this problem of over production of stomach acid and has some medicine for this, given via a syringe, squirted into her mouth.

We have changed her diet as well, no more milk.  Tonight she has had brown rice, mashed carrot and chicken and she seemed to like this.  It would be a strange dog who didn’t like roast chicken.  She is the most ungreedy dog we have ever had.  Not interested in treats at all.  Perhaps she is the equivalent of a size zero dog and feels she has to keep her slim figure. 

We’ll see how she goes over the next few weeks. 

Small is here purring all over me so i think i’ll finish.. 

What’s happened to…

Small?He was outall day yesterday and didn’t even come when called for his tea.  He turned up about ten, limping with a poorly paw and eyes like saucers.  Something very serious must have happened.  Nothing seemed to be broken although he didn’t like being picked up, he could still jump up to the chair.  He didn’t want his supper, put himself to bed in his cosy pet house and we put in the warm wheat bag as usual.  He went sound off but later came out and in the end Kim, Catty and Small all slept in the kitchen.  We put the rug in front of the Rayburn so he could stretch out on that. He wanted to go out this morning but was kept in and has been sleeping most of the day.

He’s eaten some tea and some of Kim’s chicken.  He seems to be able to weight bear on his paw a little so hopefully he’ll be right as rain in a day 0r so.

We’ll never know what happened but he is coming up against next door’s cats who are older and bigger.  They think that our barn and garden is part of their territory as well.  I hope that whatever has happened has made him wiser.

Kim will be going to the vets this week, she is not well.  She seems to like stealing the cats food but as long as she eats something that doesn’t matter.

I am going to ring another vets to see if they have a vet specialising in small animals/dogs with digestive problems.  This means of course, that if we get bad news then we have to live with it and possibly act on it. 

It’s been a lovely day here, high cloud now but warm, at last.  The blubells are coming along with all the celandines and dandelions. 

 

 

Looking for Eleanor

My brother is staying with us at the moment and today we drove up to Cellan near Lampeter (in West Wales)  to see if we could find any trace of the area where my great grandmother, Eleanor Davies came from. 

I know very little about her and the family, except that her father was John Davies, a shoemaker.  According to the 1851 census there was a John Davies with a large family living in Cellan, along with two other families in the leather business.  Cellan was just a narrow lane with a few old cottages and plenty of modern bungalows, one pub and farms in the valley.  It is by the River Teify and we saw a stream and could imagine that this would be a suitable site for them.  This was of course helped by my fertile, writers imagination. 

I don’t think I am ever going to be able to find out any more unless I can find another descendant of the family.

We then drove over to Aberaeron and had lunch and a walk along the front.  The old cottages by the harbour are quaint. A hundred years ago this was a busy, thriving port, importing flour etc, building boats and fishing. 

So it’s been a good week with friend J here and having a girly time shopping etc…

 

Changing

I have been comparing broadband and phone providers as I am going to change.  Tiscali seem to have the best package with phone services as well so I shall ring them tomorrow and see if the call centre is in England or elsewhere.  I am fed up with the internet phone line cutting out so much.

We had a dry, sunny but very cold day for May’s funeral.  This is My elderly friend May not the younger version whom local folk may know.

It is a lovely drive to Narbeth Crematorium.  Across the side of the Prescelli mountains. They looked beautiful with the sun chasing the clouds across.  The trees are out more over there.  The crem grounds looked good with beds of coloured primroses. 

They started with Morning Has Broken/ like the first morning which was what I had suggested to her brother, though I doubt it was my influence in the choice.  Her family from Manchester way were very pleasant. 

After we went for tea to Cafe Beca on the road home.  All the locals sat together and other family separate so myself and B sat with the england lot.  I always think it’s a bit unfriendly not to mingle on these occasions so I always chat to strangers.  Besides, I might have a story come out of it.  The undertakers are always very helpful on these occasions.  I got the impression that if they are ‘busy’ they get quite a few teas on these days, as do the rectors.

I have a social week now, best friend J coming tomorrow and brother R on Thursday – quite a bit of talking, laughing and drinking will go on.

And they both love Small and Kim. 

 

 

saying goodbye

You may remember that I have written about visiting an elderly friend in hospital and a few weeks ago she moved to a nursing home near hear.  Sadly, she died last thursday afternoon.

May had her tea, said she was a bit tired and would lie down and fell asleep.  A very peaceful death and on that I am sure she welcomed.  Her funeral is on Friday at Narberth Crematorium here in West Wales.  If you have to go to these places then it is one of the most pleasant I know.  Lovely grounds and it does not seem the conveyor belt that Woking or Newport felt like. 

It will be interesting to meet her daughter and son  whom I have heard about but never met.  So our little group of three writing pals is now two.  May was a marvellous linguist and excellent poet. 

We are still having cold, sleety showers blowing across and tonight there is a massive black cloud coming in from the west. 

Our neighbour I has a lot of good lambs out, plenty of well looked after singles who can stand the weather.  They are of a breed that has a good fleece cover which is very important.

Small is tired tonight, having been out playing all day.  His best friends are coming next week, more on that later.

Pigeon post

John had a delivery by  bird male yesterday whilst he was in the barn.  They perch on the rafters above and as he was bending over, washing his boots he had a wet delivery right down his neck.

So I had to wash it off when he came in. I think he was clean…er.

Sunny but windy day, M and V here.  V very pleased with her new job in London.  She likes her new boss and the other people are very pleasant – so we hope it lasts!!   

The lambs are doing well, black and white ones, so I want to get photos of them playing and running races.

 

 

 

Sunshine

At last, what a lovely day we’ve had, really hot, I wish we could store it to last over the damp and grey days.

Small has really enjoyed himself and like a little child got very tired and put himself to bed on Kim’s chair – upside down, fast asleep.  He likes to stretch himself right out, Kim looks to see if she can sit down and gives up on it.

It was his first really warm day for playing outside, he loves it all, there is so much to watch, see and do and with luck he can follow Catty around and annoy her.

The pregnant sheep actually found it hot and were spread out, panting.  Anyone who has had a baby in the summer knows what it’s like to be enormous and hot…

There was a beautiful suset tonight, strawberry mousse colours through to lavender and misty grey to acquamarine.

The lanes smelt of warm violets this afternoon, it was a pity a neighbour was spreading slurry, but never mind it’s good to get it  done.

One day…

my broadband connection will come.  I’ve been from pillar to post today with Talktalk and Onetel trying to sort out what has happened – which is nothing, my broadband order connection seems to be out in the ether somewhere so we have started again.  This is their last chance. 

We’ve had a windy, sunny day here, a good day for the young lambs to go out and stretch their legs.

I’ve been sitting in the doorway enjoying the sun, it’s supposed to get colder at the weekend so we have to make the most of it when we can.

We’re very pleased for Zimbabwe – let’s just hope they can get rid of Mugabe out of the country. 

Congratulations to V with her new job, hope it turns out well.  This is in Hanover Square apparently and John’s grandfather was a dentist there many years ago.  I expect a lot of the houses there have remained the same.