Looking forward to . . . .

 . . . the arrival of Spring, sunshine, warmth and longer days.  Also hoping that Zac will be fit and able to enjoy our walks again.  Just a few more weeks . . .
He did very well once he was back on the Miracle Drug (Metacam) but because it had already caused problems previously, I had been researching what else was available, including something that was recommended by one of my nieces who had used it on one of her dogs.  There were several other medicines but all were NSAIDs so had the same gastric or renal side effects as Metacam. But there was also Cartrophen, given as an injection (weekly for 4 weeks, then needing a top-up session as and when necessary.)  The important thing about Cartrophen is that it not only fights the inflammation and pain but also helps to heal the damage already done by the arthritis. So I am pinning my hopes on this to get my boy back to a good standard of health and activity.
He has to be without the Metacam for a week; that time will be up on Tuesday when he will be having his first injection of the 4 weekly ones. He has to have restricted exercise for 6 weeks, in order  not to impede the healing process; I'm thinking that this won't go down too well for a dog who enjoys being free-running.

I drove him up to a parking area on the edge of Bodmin Moor a few days ago, where he thoroughly enjoyed a little stroll and lots of sniffing!  However, after a few minutes a black cloud came our way, as you can see from the few photos I took. The waterlogged track we were following -

It's raining!

Dozing in the rain - and standing in the muddiest corner of their field.

This one, on the Moor, doesn't need a coat.

And so back home where I find just a little bit of colour in my very wet garden.

Not a hybrid - it's a budding Buddleia with flowering Hellebores underneath.

And these are doing quite well in my unheated greenhouse

I look forward to bringing very good news about Zac next time, after he has had his first injection.

I also look forward to better weather - but I suspect it will take a downward turn before any improvement. 

He Killed a COW!!!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Zac has been poorly since before Christmas when his body rebelled against the medication he was taking.  It had been a Miracle Drug since he was first prescribed it almost a year ago and had given him a year of happy, pain-free exercise and enjoyment, roaming on the Moor and beaches, loving every minute.
But a visit to the vet confirmed that the Miracle Drug was now causing even more problems internally and he could no longer take it. In its place, the vet prescribed a very strong painkiller (human type and addictive) and we waited to see how he would be.
Well, the first few days were not good.  He was definitely pain-free, but 'spaced-out' and very confused; he varied from being hyper to suddenly dropping into a deep sleep - several times, I felt his body because he was so deeply asleep that I thought he had died.
But after those few days, he seemed to adjust to these chemicals racing round his system and became calmer and still pain-free, with bright eyes once again.
But I noticed that he was getting stiffer in his hindquarters; getting up and down the garden steps was becoming a problem and as time went on, he became unable to get up from the floor without help.
I gave him Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM in liquid form, to get into his system faster; he had a slow wander along the beach and thoroughly enjoyed it.
But last week, I saw that he was walking even more awkwardly - his front legs were stiffening as well.  The arthritis had spread to his shoulders as well as his hips.
Another vet appointment, when I was told to try him on the previous medication again (the one that had made him poorly) once he had gone a month without it.  It sounded bleak.
He has got progressively worse, so much that I daren't take him out because if he went down, I couldn't possibly lift him and get him back home.
So yesterday morning (Friday) I gave him a measured dose of the Miracle Drug; by teatime, he was effortlessly hopping down the garden steps to chase the squabbling starlings away from the bird feeder and resumed his 'on guard' position so that they wouldn't return.

This morning he had a second dose and is a different dog - no problems with getting up from the floor and blatantly asking to go for 'Walkies'.  However, I am restricting what he does, to give those joints a chance to recover; on-lead walking only and limited, gentle play sessions.

I am watching him like a hawk for any signs of side-effects from the Miracle Drug and next week we shall see the vet again so that an alternative medication can be used to do the same job, but without such bad effects on his system.

In the meantime . . . . he has recovered his playfulness, naughtiness and sense of humour.

This morning he went and found his toy from Father Christmas - a rope-legged, fabric Cow with an obligatory squeak inside.  This photo was taken when it was lightly played with and cuddled by Zac.

He dumped it on my lap, looking at me with that "Throw it!!!  Throw it!!!" look on his face. But mindful of his delicate legs, I merely played a gentle game of Tug'O'War with him, letting him win it from me with very little effort, so as not to strain himself.

After a few minutes of this rather tame game, he took it off into the hall and lay quietly.

I really should have known better!  The Cow is now decidedly DEAD! It has no legs, no ears and although there was a strangled 'squeak' still coming from its nether regions, I had to remove it, along with the rest of the debris, for fear of choking hazards.

So, on our way to the vet, I think I need to call into the petshop for a tougher version of a squeaky toy.

*** Woooo; just as I typed that, the Pet Shop Boys came on the radio singing, "It's a Sin".  Weird or what? ***

Finally, how do you like these two presents I received (I'm very lucky!)

The cushion with Zac's photo on it was from a friend 'oop north' as my Secret Santa gift.

and this gorgeous print was my Christmas present from my best friends, B & L, who live in the village; we all walk our dogs together then go on for a nice lunch. B mounted and framed the print himself - isn't it lovely? It's a watercolour by Scottish artist Julie Poole.

I couldn't resist adding this photo of Zac, taken 2 years ago, in his 'Bah Humbug!' pose!!! He had ripped the wrapping off his present but then found it didn't squeak - not impressed at all.

Catching up after Christmas.

Crisis at Christmas!  There always has to be one, doesn't there? I had one of my sons and his family staying here and another son and his family due on Boxing Day, plus all the usual last-minute shopping for food and gifts - and then the house struck with a bit of a setback! The hot-water tap in the bathroom sink seized up.  Plumber needed and it's the 22nd of December!
However, I rang the feller who installed my shower and - yes!  he agreed to be here at 11'ish the next morning.  And he was - phew! One hour later, new circlip fitted for a temporary repair, a warning to me and my visitors not to be too violent when turning the tap on and off and one cup of tea consumed - crisis averted.
Then on the 27th I went down with 'flu! Just what you need at this time of year, sneezing, coughing, feeling rough, rough, rough.
And rumbling along in the background was the concern about my companion dog, Zac. The medication he had been taking for almost 12 months suddenly upset his internal workings; a swift visit to the vet and a change of medication meant that he was once more out of pain, but very inflamed and stiff in his hind legs. I am presently trying him on a Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM combination which is just starting to ease the stiffness.
On a good day, I drove to the beach where he was very happy to meet up with some old friends and enjoy a gentle stroll  with me (well wrapped up) along the firm sand. It was mid-afternoon with a low sun, quite windy and rather grey, but so good to be outside.

As a relief from the grey, wet & windy days we have been suffering for so long in this region, I've been looking back to the photos I was taking a year ago.

A late afternoon stroll over the clifftops near to Rame Head:

The Hellebores in my garden were flowering beautifully:

 and the Snowdrops;

 and the Heathers:

and the pink shrub above the Heathers: (anyone know its name?) 

Today, there are no Hellebore buds to be seen; the Snowdrops are just peeping above the earth, no sign of the Heathers (or the pink things!) and the whole garden is water-logged.

Living high up, on the edge of Bodmin Moor, I am well used to fog, rain and winds, but even I am fed up with the constancy of it; I'm longing for dry days, pretty flowers, bees droning, butterflies fluttering and the chance to sit outside in the sunshine.

Please!

Oh and I'd rather like to get my camping gear back into use again!

The North Pole Express

I've had some of my family staying with me over the Christmas period, so I've done no blogging. However, I can show some photos of our trip on the North Pole Express (steam train) where we met Santa Claus.  I went with youngest son and his family to give my youngest grandchildren a surprise treat. The hissing and clanking as the train approached took me right back to my childhood when I used to cycle to the next village and stand on the railway bridge and take deep breaths as the steam trains passed underneath.  Such a wonderful smell - but it always resulted in me and my clothes being liberally spotted with sooty splodges, much to my Mum's annoyance.
Here it comes, with excited children on board from the previous trip.

The valiant engine, named 'Albert' but re-christened The North Pole Express for today's trips.

Happy, smiling children - my youngest granddaughter and her big brother.

Surpriiiise!  Guess who's just appeared in the doorway of our carriage? He was very tall and wearing a bright red suit.

And he brought presents - a set of three juggling balls for Leo . . .

 . . . and Eleanor took her time opening her present, waiting until The Big Man had gone!

Ooooohhhh can you smell that lovely steam train smell?  I confess that I loved this outing as much as, if not more than, the children. This was the North Pole station where we could get off the train, meet and have photos taken with Santa.

Oops!  Sorry about the sideways Santa photo.

Eleanor found him a bit scary but she was OK once Daddy picked her up.

Through the window . . .

But there's always a joker!

Daddy reading the instructions out struck Leo as really funny!.

The North Pole Express left from Plym Valley Railway in Plympton and cost just £5 per person - which I reckon was excellent value. 

After our trip, we all enjoyed freshly made doughnuts before going home for mugs of hot chocolate.  Mmmmmm . . . . . 

Predominantly books and food!

I'm still here . . . two weeks after my last post and really struggling to find anything interesting to say.  Due to the weather, there has been a lack of photogenic scenery - grey skies, fog and rain day after day have a limited appeal; the garden is wind-battered, colourless and dismal at this time of year and because Zac, despite medication, has increased stiffness in his hips and back legs we have been reduced to short ambles along a nearby lane rather than going further afield to explore new views.

However, through circumstances confined to home, I have been reading . . . oh boy, have I been reading. An eclectic mix, but variety is the spice of life, isn't it?

This first was a real bargain: it's a hardback worth £20 but bought for 1p on Amazon - only the postage to pay. It's absolutely brand new, no signs of being read at all. I've already cooked a couple of the recipes - one pot cooking suits me very nicely!

So mouth-watering . . . 

This one is in the Vegetarian section - and being 'Cornish' I had to try it - Yummy!

And what a tasty dessert to finish a meal.

Next, a couple of autobiographies.

Well, no excuse for reading all about Mark Webber; I am a Formula One fan, but I confess that isn't the whole reason for reading all about him! 

I managed to find a copy of 'Jeremy & Amy' after getting engrossed in the Monkey World series on TV recently; Jeremy is one of the directors and he is especially involved in looking after the chimps and orang-utans. 

Barney Bardsley's book, "A Handful of Earth" came to my attention after reading beautiful, descriptive excerpts from it on Elaine's blog "Rosebank Ramblings".  It's an account of the first year after Barney's husband died and how working in her garden helped her to gradually recover from her loss.  After reading that, I couldn't resist her other book about her "Old Dog" who was also instrumental in supporting her through such a sad time. 

I found this autobiography in one of the bookcases in our village community centre - free!

It's a powerful account of how the author discovered by chance that she was the granddaughter of one of the most reviled Nazi commandants, who would most certainly have ordered her death.

Finally, three fiction books: a Josephine Cox book, after hearing an interview with her on Radio 2; 

"The Yellow Sapphire" because it's set on Dartmoor, where I used to live and "The Miniaturist" because it was recommended by several friends.  I haven't read these last three yet so can't comment on them.

On one drizzly, windy and grey day, my friends and I decided to brave the weather to walk the three dogs then enjoy lunch afterwards.  Yesssss!  

My excellent Fish Pie with fresh vegetables (I was too full to eat the warm, crusty bread.) -

Fish & Chips for Barry, with a pint of Guinness.

and again for Linda but with a coffee.  I had a cappuccino.

Two of our dogs relaxing after their exercise in Seaton Countryside Park.

Here's to some drier days.