Friday, March 14 2014
By Neil on Friday, March 14 2014, 12:43
Last Wednesday, 12th March, was market day in Holsworthy as usual so we decided to take Dotty up to town to see how she would deal with meeting people and other dogs. It was a lovely sunny day and not at all cold. We were both very pleased with her. Many people made a fuss of her, which she loved, and she really was no trouble at all. We also met some other dogs which she was happy about. We did wonder if she would be a bit snappy since she still bites us sometimes, but no, not at all.
She also met some children, fine again, and in the La Dolce Vita shop she said a quick hullo to Paddy's little dog Maisie. They were fine together, although Maisie was a bit nervous as usual. She is quite a timid little thing. Harriet and Rachel were visiting the cattle marked so we arranged for them to call in at our house since Harriet had some eggs for us. So we went back home, and they soon arrived. Harriet's first reaction about Dotty was that she has grown a lot bigger. I had not realised just how much, seeing her every day makes it difficult for me to notice this. For Dotty a successful day.
Saturday, March 8 2014
By Neil on Saturday, March 8 2014, 16:37
Last Tuesday, 4th March, Pam and I went to Newquay for a short stay at the Pentire Hotel. So what to do about Dotty? Well, we had arranged for her to stay at a kennels near Wadebridge while we were away. This was her first time and we wondered how she would cope. The place took some finding as it turned out to be miles from anywhere. There were a few dogs already in residence, some of them making a noise, and Dotty seemed a bit bemused by it all. Still, it was all booked so we left her there and went on to the hotel.
I was a bit worried about Dotty, so on the Wednesday morning I made a quick phone call to ask how she was getting on. I was assured that she was fine and not to worry. Fair enough. We stayed at the hotel until Friday 7th. We had a very quiet time, the weather was not very good so we spent a lot of the time in the hotel, apart from a couple of short trips. This was fine, especially for Pam who had a rest from all the organising she normally has to do.
Friday morning we set off back home, On the way we stopped at a café which Pam spotted. It turned out to be recently opened and run by a couple who are real coffee enthusiasts. So Pam had a cup of flat white which she has not tasted since she was in New Zealand nine years ago. We also chatted to the girl owner who turned out to be Swedish. I just had a filter coffee which was really tasty too. Pam's coffee was prepared by the young owner who drew a picture of a fern on the top, all by hand, Here is a picture
Then on to collect Dotty who was very pleased to see us and seemed to be full of energy. It turned out the she had made friends with some of the other dogs there, and had had a good time with a lot of fuss and attention from the owners. From there the journey home was very pleasant, the weather now having improved a lot. Typical. This break has done all of us some good, and now that we know that Dotty is fine at a kennels we can book others without worrying about her.
Saturday, March 1 2014
By Neil on Saturday, March 1 2014, 22:50
Today Dotty has been a lot quieter, and has not been trying to bite everything so much. Pam is wondering if it has something to do with a change in her diet. Up to now we have been feeding her mostly James Wellbeloved dried food. This is well recommended and seems to be very popular. However the vet sells a make called Hills and Pam bought a small bag of the recently. "We have been trying her with that and today she seems much better.
Even so, things should also improve even more once we can take her out for a walk regularly. Up to now she has been indoors most of the time and she must be getting bored. A few walks will give her something new to look at and also use up some of her boundless energy. Next Thursday is the day she should be fine to go out, having had both injections. For me at least it can't some soon enough. I wonder how she will get on with the dogs she meets. The local ones are all good natured so not expecting any problems there.
Thursday, February 27 2014
By Neil on Thursday, February 27 2014, 18:41
Well, Dotty is still biting us too much, especially Pam. We had to take her to the vets again today for her second injection. She was not too bad, and we had some extras to pay for too such as flea treatment, and worming tablets. At least she is good at taking tablets. She does have a good appetite.
Next week Pam and I are due to go for a short break to Newquay so Pam is busy sorting out a suitable kennels for her. Some of them it seems do not take puppies, some of them insist on kennel cough treatment first, others don't. Still some research to do.
Meanwhile Dotty seems to be thriving. She is certainly full of energy, and that is part of the problem. She alternates between running around like a mad thing and sleeping somewhere. I must say however that she has never been any trouble at night. We keep doors open so we can hear her whining but she is very quiet. So not all bad then.
Friday, February 21 2014
By Neil on Friday, February 21 2014, 21:56
Well, Dotty is growing up a bit now, and with that her behaviour has changed. She has taken to biting a lot. Sometimes it is one of her toys, but all too often she has a go at one of us. She likes to bite the bottom of trousers and she certainly is pleased to see me try to put my shoes on so she can have a pull on the laces. But worse than that, she bites feet, hands and legs.
We try to find something else to bite and sometimes that works. If not we have to put her in her crate or lock her in the utility room for a while. I suspect the problem is mainly that she is full of energy and needs some exercise. She has had just the first injection to date, and we do not want to take her out and about until after the second one. That is not due for another week so we muxt just soldier on.
In the past we have always had rescue dogs. this is our first time with a puppy. We are still finding our way. I hope it will all sort itself out soon.
Sunday, February 16 2014
By Neil on Sunday, February 16 2014, 16:52
Dotty is settling in quite well now. She is obviously getting used to the routine and our ways. For example she was not too happy when we put her in the crate for the first night and she had a little moan. Only for a short while then she was fine and we did not hear anything from her afterwards. Since then she seems to understand what is happening and we don't hear a sound from her. In the morning Pam is always the first one down stairs and Dotty is ready to be let out of the crate, but does not make a fuss about it, waiting patiently until Pam is ready.
One annoyance now is that she has starting to bite at things, including us, when she gets excited. That is something we will have to sort out very quickly. Still she is very young so we should not expect too much yet. Today we decided to have lunch at the White Hart so we left her in the crate meanwhile. When we returned she seemed pleased to see us and there were no signs of any distress or unhappiness. So that is good. More soon ....
Wednesday, February 12 2014
By Neil on Wednesday, February 12 2014, 23:15
So yesterday Dotty went to the vet for the first time, for a check over and for her first injections. The vet was Kate, who was very good and kind to her. She, Dotty that is, seems to be very healthy except for a small hernia which may need to be sorted later. At the moment it is not causing any problem.
She was not very happy with the injections and we had to hold her quite firmly. Sorry Dotty, the first of many. She will need to go again in a fortnight for the second injection and then she will be able to go for a walk and safely meet other dogs. Hope the weather will have improved by then. Meanwhile she has settled down very well at home, A lot of the time she is asleep, and then she wakes up and runs around and plays, wanting plenty of attention. Then she goes back to sleep.
She has already met some of the neighbours, all of whom say she is really cute. What else would they say?
Hope you like this first photo of her. Click on it to see a larger version.
Monday, February 10 2014
By Neil on Monday, February 10 2014, 16:12
Our little puppy Dotty is settling in very well. She alternates between running around playing or sleeping. Occasionally she eats. She is very good at night, we just put her in her crate and she never makes a sound. i expected to have a lot of trouble with her missing her previous home but no, not bit of it. Tomorrow, Tuesday she is due her first visit to the vet, so let's see what she makes of that. We want her to have a good check over and to have her first injections.
After that she may be able to go out for a walk on a lead. I plan to take some photos of her which I will post here soon. We will also see how she gets on with other dogs. Most of the ones round here are very good. The only problem is likely to be the weather. More rain is forecast and I don't see any fun in taking her out in the wet.
Yesterday we were visited by Harriet and Matthew plus our old dog Reenie. I did wonder how it would all go, but there were no problems at all. Dotty danced around quite a bit, probably hoping to play, but Reenie just ignored her. A good sign that Dotty should socialise well.
Friday, February 7 2014
By Neil on Friday, February 7 2014, 15:43
Today we collected our new Jack Russell puppy. She is tan and white and is just 8 weeks old. So far she seems to be settling in very well. We will find out more about how she feels tonight when we see how well she behaves while she is alone downstairs.
Tuesday, May 8 2012
By Neil on Tuesday, May 8 2012, 15:24
On 2nd May Pam and I decided to go out for lunch instead of the usual evening meal. One reason was the weather which was lovely, as often happens on my birthday. We decided to go to the Rydon Inn which we do visit for such special occasions. I also thought that it would be pleasant to sit outside for the first time this year, especially as the view is one of the best among local pubs.
In the event we had a lovely time and the food was up to the usual high standards. We had a chat to Dennis and caught up with all the family news. We had considered going on to Bude afterwards for a walk but decided not to bother. It was such a lovely day that we went home and had a quiet time together. I had a lovely present from Pam, a weather station, which means that I can now check temperatures inside and out and the humidity. All this as well as tapping the barometer several times a day!
Here is a picture of the view from where we had out meal.
Thursday, October 27 2011
By Neil on Thursday, October 27 2011, 16:31
Last Friday, 21st October, Pam, Harriet, Reenee and I went to Swindon as arranged. The journey was boring but efficient and we arrived late afternoon. The children all seemed pleased to see us and there was plenty of excitement. The purpose of the visit of course was Amelia's birthday due the next day. I could not believe how she had grown since we last saw her. There were other people also invited but not due to arrive until the next day, the actual date. Daniel was still at work but due home later. He had arranged to have the following week as holiday as it was the half-term break for the local schools.
The next day, Saturday, the other quests arrived though not all together since they were coming from different places. Included were Hannah and Jessica, Kate's sisters and some friends of Dan's. I didn't count them all up but there were two babies as well as Abby who is almost two. Fun and games yes, peace and quiet no. Amelia certainly did very well for presents although her sisters tried to have a go too, which was not always popular.
Later on, once the children were all in bdd and officially asleep we adults were able to have some more time to catch up on things. In the end we automatically split up into two groups, the younger ones in the kitchen and the older ones in the lounge where, of all things, we watched a repeat of Jonathan Creek. I thought we had seen them all, but I did not recognise this one at all. And in fact Harriet went to bed quite early and Pam and I were not far behind.
The next day, Sunday, all the 'extras' had left by late morning, just leaving the immediate family. Knowing the long journey ahead and that Harriet was due to go to work on Tuesday we left early afternoon and made straight for the local Asda!! I waited in the car. On the way home we stopped off once at a service station and eventually arrived home about 6 0'clock. A bit tiring but it was lovely to catch up with the children and the rest of the family and friends. The next visit planned is for Christmas, which will be here very soon.
Monday, October 10 2011
By Neil on Monday, October 10 2011, 17:23
The weather is bad today, but a little while ago we had a sort of Indian summer for a few days. On the Sunday we heard that the lovely sunshine was going to disappear soon so we decided to make the most of it while we could and to have lunch at the Brendon Arms in Bude. So off we went. We were lucky enough to find a parking space right opposite the hotel, which was especially useful as Pam was still finding it rather painful to walk.
I asked that we should sit inside, and to our surprise there was plenty of room. Due to her new diet Pam is not eating potatoes so we asked if she could have some extra vegetables instead. No problem. We chose to have the Sunday lunch of meat and veg but we could have had something from the normal menu if we had wished. We sat at a table for six and were later joined by a couple who turned out to be from Queensland, Australia. We had an enjoyable chat with them. They were certainly pleased with the hot weather we were having.
After the meal we moved the car to be nearer the canal walk, and wandered along to the end of the path near one of the beaches while Pam had an ice-cream as her pudding. Lots of people around too, many with their dogs in tow. Pam was getting thirsty so I suggested going along to the Olive Tree restaurant for a drink. Pam had a pot of tea and I had orange juice. Again a couple came along to share the table and we got chatting to them. They came from the midland area and had decided on a short break to enjoy the sunshine.
Finally it was time to go back home, after a lovely time at Bude. Certainly one of the best Sundays for some time.
Monday, September 12 2011
By Neil on Monday, September 12 2011, 17:08
Rufus has been a member of the family for a long time now. Here is a picture of him looking rather thoughtful. Although in cat terms he is getting rather old, he keeps in pretty good health, if a bit thinner than he once was. I have had a look around for some photographs of him and could not find any, so I have taken a few today and here is the first example. I will add some more another time.
As the above photo of Rufus was not well received, here is another one.
Tuesday, September 6 2011
By Neil on Tuesday, September 6 2011, 18:47
Back in January 2007 we purchased a cordless telephone. Recently some of the words on the display started to disappear. I decided it was time to replace it. So I had a look around the Internet for a new one. No hurry, I took my time. First of all of course I looked around the Amazon site. This lead me to a company in Glasgow named Ligo. I rang their help line to discuss my need for a new phone and asked for recommendations about make and model. The answer was immediate, Siemens as the make and C495 as the model.
I then moved on to reviews about the C495 which were very positive, but I discovered that there is a newer model, C595, which looked even better. Another quick call to Ligo reassured me that either would be fine for us. So I ordered it through Amazon, who pass the order on to Ligo anyway. This was on the Friday of the bank holiday weekend. I expected to have to wait until the following Friday, but in fact it was delivered by courier on the Wednesday morning. So now I was in my element with the book of instructions and the new phone to play with. I had it set up and working about four in the afternoon! Almost immediately the new phone rang. it was Pam saying that she was ready to be collected from CAB. So the very first call on the new phone was from her.
Since then I have played around some more with it and I think that it is now working just right for us. One thing that I had to do. When we first tested it by making a few calls we found that the speech was not very clear to us although the people we were phoning could hear us easily. I already had a spare filter available so I added it to the set up and all is now fine.
This new phone has many more facilities than the previous one, and more memory for stored numbers etc. In fact I am pleasantly surprised by how much the technology has improved in the time. And, even better, all those improvements have cost just two pounds more! Great.
Wednesday, August 17 2011
By Neil on Wednesday, August 17 2011, 12:44
We had the grandchildren to stay recently. One day we took them to Rosemoor garden as a day out. When we arrived we found that there was an event for children that day, called Eco Warriors. This seemed a great idea so we went along to it after stopping for the usual drink in the restaurant. We had to go into the wooded area to build a hut from the loose branches lying around. This took some time and was great fun. Below is a photo of the finished edifice!
When we had finished that we were invited along to another part of the woods to have a go at building and lighting a fire. This was all supervised by staff from the RHS who made sure that everyone was safe. I am not sure which proved the most enjoyable for the girls, making the hut or lighting the fire. After all this excitement we went back to the restaurant for a well earned drink and scones. I think we all had a good time, especially as it was unexpected, not knowing about the event beforehand.
And here is a picture of the finished hut.
As mentioned we needed some refreshment after all that work so before going home we went to the restaurant again, this time for some drinks and scones and butter. The ladies had some jam as well!!
Wednesday, July 20 2011
By Neil on Wednesday, July 20 2011, 10:51
Yesterday was Harriet's birthday. Unfortunately she had to work so we did not see much of her. She did have several cards and a present from Pam, some gold earrings. We often all go out for a meal when it is a family birthday, but this time Harriet was too tired so perhaps another day.
Pam made a cake for her, see photo, no candles but the correct number of stars. It was a banana cake which is one of Harriet's favourites. The weather was not very good which is unusual. Normally Harriet and I both have very good weather on our respective birthdays, but not this year. Pam and I were remembering the actual day of Harriet's birth which seems in some ways a long time ago but in other ways seems very recent. Time is going by so fast. Oh well, the next family birthday will be Kate's in August.
Saturday, July 9 2011
By Neil on Saturday, July 9 2011, 18:37
This year Pam has spent a lot of money on plants for the garden, mainly flowers and some new hanging baskets. I think the result is great. I include a couple of pictures of some particularly colourful begonias which are a pleasure to see. This is one of the best years for the garden since we have lived here. We also have some tomato plants which are doing very well and I am looking forward to eating them when they are finally ready.
Here is a hanging basket
Sunday, June 26 2011
By Neil on Sunday, June 26 2011, 18:38
Quite a busy weekend for Pam. Friday last she went to Lifton to have a meal with the Lifton Hookers. She came home having had a very good day out. Then yesterday, Saturday she went to the Finch Foundry to be part of a demonstration of rag rugging and peg looming. Again a very enjoyable day out. Now today, Sunday, we had lunch at the Rydon Inn and then drove to Canworthy Water which is a small place not far from Launceston. There is a place there called the Minstrels Music Centre and Alan Schiller was due to give a recital.. We both enjoyed it very much.
There was quite a mixture of music including Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin. For me the best was the Listz Consolation 3 and Debussy Arabesque.
Today was also the hottest day of the year so far and the journey there and back meant we passed through some lovely areas full of wonderful scenery. It is an area which I do not know so I was pleased to see some new places. We would like to go to some more of these musical events, now that we have found out about it. Some take place at the Minstrels Centre and some at St Martin's Church in Bude. Both are quite reasonably close to Holsworthy and events seem to take place once a month during Autumn and Winter, not including December. So something to look forward to.
Monday, June 13 2011
By Neil on Monday, June 13 2011, 12:14
Last Saturday Pam and I went to Arlington Court, a National Trust property not far from Barnstaple. The weather was not very promising when we left and it rained quite hard just after we had arrived at the Coach Museum which is part of the property. The purpose of the visit was for Pam to demonstrate the rag rugging she does as part of the Lifton Hookers group. Some other members of the group were there the previous day but Pam was all by herself today.
The weather improved a lot shortly after we set up the display which gave hope for some visitors. In the event it turned out to be a very busy time and Pam was kept at it most of the day. We stayed there until the place closed at five o'clock. A lot of interest was shown and several had a go at it, although mostly children. Many of the adults seemed a bit too shy to have a go, but the youngsters were happy to try it out. A very successful day for Pam and an enjoyable day for me.
I did take the opportunity to have a quick look around the house which is about a quarter of a mile away. I also took the chance to buy a book mark and a coaster as mementos. Here is a picture of part of the display.
Saturday, May 14 2011
By Neil on Saturday, May 14 2011, 11:12
We have lived in several houses during out married life. One tree that we like to have in the garden if possible is a snowball tree, viburnum opulus 'Roseum'. Here in Devon we have one which is currently in flower. So here is a picture which shows it at its best.
