Bear decided to eat two AAA batteries - licked the innerds and decided against but still had to go to casualty for a check over. Thankfully we went to our local cottage hospital where you pretty much get seen on arrival.
Scrumpy went sale shopping on the first day of the Next sale and chose a pair of hareem pants and a top all on her own. Did you get that? On her own. In the Next sale. She had two carers with her for support and safety but she chose her own stuff, picked it out from the jumbled rails and said "I'd like this one" She's growing up!
Work sheets are being done three days a week - by BOTH girls so hopefully they'll pick up where they left off when they get back to school. Bear was less than impressed to begin with but is now doing them with good grace and attention.
The weather is still pants with the odd good day thrown in.
The poly tunnel is still a mess.
Today we lost a duck. Well, last night. Tiddler is missing and there were white feathers strewn about the place when I went out to them today. We had been leaving them out over night as they have a (previously) safe compound and they like to get all the bugs and beasties that come out at dusk and into the night. They'll be put away from now on, kicking and screaming no doubt.
21 July 2010
07 July 2010
My Friend the Author....
Life, Death and Disasters
The thing about having animals, either as pets or as livestock, is they have an uncanny knack of dying right when you don't expect it. I'm sorry to report we have lost my favourite bantam, Cocky, to old age. She was a real character and named after her habit of having to be right in on whatever you were doing and always up with the big chickens doing her thing.
In other bird news, Chi is still sitting on eggs which I am certain are way past their hatch day. This is only the second year we have had ducklings and so far it's not been good. Wander decided it was an excellent idea to nest under the topper in the field. Sadly she got attacked (she was OK the following day) and we had to move her so of course she wouldn't sit on her eggs again in a new safe location so that was the end of that. Whilst Chi did manage to settle for the safety of a duck house for her nest her eggs don't seem to be developing as they should. I'm not sure what's going on so time to bring in the expert - Lama Chick.
Animals obviously need looking after and as the main animal carer in our house (why does it always fall to the mum?) I get to do poo patrols in the garden. Time was it was just picking up varieties of poo and the occasional twiddley that Bear dropped but these days, post cat ownership, it could be anything. Yesterday it was two moles. On a positive note it means the little blighters won't be chucking hills up all over the place but, really, this is the most unsavoury side of cats. They don't just kill it to eat it, they kill it, play with it, then get bored and leave it. It's why I will forever be a dog person. Don't get me wrong, I love Bruce and Tim to bits and I would never stop them hunting (it is after all their purpose in life) but leaving dead bodies and even worse bits of dead body around is not their most endearing feature. Cute murdering wee beasties though...
Meg still couldn't catch a cold and her purpose in life is to keep my sanity. She has started to get a little arthritic so it's a bit less ball and chasing the lawn mower and bit more walk, which, to be honest, will do us both good.
More disasters in the poly tunnel. It just hasn't happened this year. Nothing. Except weeds. Which I have killed so when I say nothing I mean nothing.
So what have I been doing? Scrumpy and Bear have been keeping us busy with appointments, behaviours and seizures. We've had medication changes for both, simultaneously, and monitoring changes has been a full time occupation. Is it hormones? Medication? Autism? Being a (almost!) teenager? Eeny meeny miny mo....
Sleep has been a rare luxury although since the summer holidays started we have had alternate nights where the girls have both (shhh! don't let on!) slept past 4am. 4am til 11.30pm makes for a long day.
In amongst all of this we have had an adventure. Hot hubby and I took Scrumpy 600 miles south to visit family in south London. We drove down with me and Scrumpy watching DVDs limo - style and Hot hubby doing the technical driving bit. We didn't hit nay traffic problems and and good journeys down and back. We just had to take our time and make a few pit stops on the way. Scrumpy was just delighted to see everyone, but definitely NOT a fan of her new baby twin cousins. Hopefully the day out at Chessington World of Adventures made up for them.
The trip was hard on Scrumpy over all, and by the time we were going home she desperately needed to be there. Even the car and DVD wasn't cutting the mustard and we saw the true cost of her not having her own bedroom to recuperate in. I'm glad we went but I don't thik we would take her again.
Bear, on the other hand, had a blast at respite for the weekend and came home with skinned knees and a huge Bear hug when we got back. Interestingly she had been watching the same part of Winnie the Pooh's most Grand Adventure over and over - when Christopher Robin is missing - and getting quite distressed but this changed to the part when Christopher is found again when we were home. She missed us and we missed her.
Bear's big adventure will be a long day trip to Edinburgh Sea Life Centre. Scrumpy will stay home with helpers, it's really not her thing, and I'm certain will have a ball.
In other bird news, Chi is still sitting on eggs which I am certain are way past their hatch day. This is only the second year we have had ducklings and so far it's not been good. Wander decided it was an excellent idea to nest under the topper in the field. Sadly she got attacked (she was OK the following day) and we had to move her so of course she wouldn't sit on her eggs again in a new safe location so that was the end of that. Whilst Chi did manage to settle for the safety of a duck house for her nest her eggs don't seem to be developing as they should. I'm not sure what's going on so time to bring in the expert - Lama Chick.
Animals obviously need looking after and as the main animal carer in our house (why does it always fall to the mum?) I get to do poo patrols in the garden. Time was it was just picking up varieties of poo and the occasional twiddley that Bear dropped but these days, post cat ownership, it could be anything. Yesterday it was two moles. On a positive note it means the little blighters won't be chucking hills up all over the place but, really, this is the most unsavoury side of cats. They don't just kill it to eat it, they kill it, play with it, then get bored and leave it. It's why I will forever be a dog person. Don't get me wrong, I love Bruce and Tim to bits and I would never stop them hunting (it is after all their purpose in life) but leaving dead bodies and even worse bits of dead body around is not their most endearing feature. Cute murdering wee beasties though...
Meg still couldn't catch a cold and her purpose in life is to keep my sanity. She has started to get a little arthritic so it's a bit less ball and chasing the lawn mower and bit more walk, which, to be honest, will do us both good.
More disasters in the poly tunnel. It just hasn't happened this year. Nothing. Except weeds. Which I have killed so when I say nothing I mean nothing.
So what have I been doing? Scrumpy and Bear have been keeping us busy with appointments, behaviours and seizures. We've had medication changes for both, simultaneously, and monitoring changes has been a full time occupation. Is it hormones? Medication? Autism? Being a (almost!) teenager? Eeny meeny miny mo....
Sleep has been a rare luxury although since the summer holidays started we have had alternate nights where the girls have both (shhh! don't let on!) slept past 4am. 4am til 11.30pm makes for a long day.
In amongst all of this we have had an adventure. Hot hubby and I took Scrumpy 600 miles south to visit family in south London. We drove down with me and Scrumpy watching DVDs limo - style and Hot hubby doing the technical driving bit. We didn't hit nay traffic problems and and good journeys down and back. We just had to take our time and make a few pit stops on the way. Scrumpy was just delighted to see everyone, but definitely NOT a fan of her new baby twin cousins. Hopefully the day out at Chessington World of Adventures made up for them.
The trip was hard on Scrumpy over all, and by the time we were going home she desperately needed to be there. Even the car and DVD wasn't cutting the mustard and we saw the true cost of her not having her own bedroom to recuperate in. I'm glad we went but I don't thik we would take her again.
Bear, on the other hand, had a blast at respite for the weekend and came home with skinned knees and a huge Bear hug when we got back. Interestingly she had been watching the same part of Winnie the Pooh's most Grand Adventure over and over - when Christopher Robin is missing - and getting quite distressed but this changed to the part when Christopher is found again when we were home. She missed us and we missed her.
Bear's big adventure will be a long day trip to Edinburgh Sea Life Centre. Scrumpy will stay home with helpers, it's really not her thing, and I'm certain will have a ball.
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