It's been a long time coming...

I know you have all been waiting for this, You have all been wondering what has happened to me . Well truth be told nothing really. According to Tony I am just too lazy to write a blog, I suppose I have to agree, sometimes it just doesn't seem worth it because I have nothing to say!
However from now on if I have nothing to say I will at least manage a couple of lines or a picture. It might not be every day but at least 4 times a week.

So where do I start?
I will not bore you with the hospital appointments we have both had or the doctor appointments.
I will go straight to the week in Scotland we have just had.
We were called upon to care for the Pride so that Bassman and Matchgirl could go away for a jaunt.

As we drive up the A9 we pass a small campsite

We have seen it for the last few years but never known what it is, the sign in the car window made me find out.

I found this link on google,

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/perth-kinross/a9-camper-charles-ingram-evicted-1.902794


In which I discovered the man had been evicted only a couple of days after we passed. I felt quite sorry for him. However I then read more about him.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DUNBLANE+FEAR+OVER+TOP+SHOT%3b+Marksman+is+banned+from+keeping+guns...-a083782132

I didn't know what to think. Then I watched this and I began to think the man was just not quite right.

http://youtu.be/57GWhgW3Gao


I don't know what you think?

Until the next time...

It could have been written for me.

I have not taken many pictures over the last week because the garden has been so quiet there really has not been a lot to photograph. We think the black cat and the tabby cat are to blame for a lot of it. The black cat was seen jumping over the fence too close to one of the baby squirrels not to have caught it. There has only been one baby in the garden since and mum.

I did manage one picture however a very colourful

Peacock Butterfly.

The butterfly landed on the old wall at the bottom of the garden so I could not resist taking the shot.

I have had a tooth removed and I was due to go back to the dentist tomorrow to have a false one added to my already existing false ones on a plate. However I have lost yet another filling so I am hoping instead of messing about she will just pull that one as well. I am guessing the problems with my teeth are somehow connected to my being low in iron and vitamin D. Or maybe all the tablets I take or it could be the menopause. Or maybe it could be connected to some of the other problems I have! Who knows?

I have been referred to a hospital in Leeds to see a consultant for a new problem, is this the start of a new round of hospital visits. At least the appointment has been quick in coming, next week, so lets see what happens then.

Lynsey found a written piece on the internet that sums up how I feel most days.

I DON’T LOOK SICK

I don’t look sick, but my legs often feel like wet spaghetti and will go numb and give out on me without warning.

I don’t look sick, but I live with an intense deep exhaustion that makes every movement feel like I’m trying to move at the bottom of the ocean

I don’t look sick, but I suffer from an extremely sensitive heat intolerance that makes me feel light headed,ill,faint even in what feels like normal room temperature to you.

I don’t look sick, but my nerves often give me “phantom itches” that make me scratch myself raw an itch that doesn’t actually exist.

I don’t look sick, but inside my bones often feel like some one is using a jackhammer on them, especially during a change in the weather.

I don’t look sick, but if anything even something little stresses me out or worries me, my body rebels and symptoms flare up just for the fun of it.

I don’t look sick, but it’s extremely difficult for me to concentrate on anything and as a result my memory suffers drastically.

I don’t look sick, but the simplest tasks can take me 5 times longer and take 5 times as much energy to finish than a “normal” person

I don’t look sick, but you’ll never know the struggle beneath the surface.

I cannot read the name on the bottom of the piece of writing but I could not have written it better myself, people look at me and people like me and because we don't look sick or ill in any way they think we are ok.

 However people need to take into account that there are thousands of people out there that look ok, but maybe they are not, so just think before you speak or accuse somebody of being a  benefit cheat things are not always how they seem.

I have to re-apply for my DLA (no it will be PIP now)soon and I just know I will have to fight for it. 

I have been trying to get my disabled bus pass renewed  for the last 8 weeks, it expired yesterday and I still have not received a new one. 

Oh well C'est la vie

Until the next time...

Squirrels, Magpies & Blackbirds...

Another new face has popped up in the garden, (well two really but I have no pictures of the other one).

This is a very greedy little squirrel so he should fit in very well.

One of the new faces.

The squirrel was on a food hunt. S/he had been round the nutboxes and the seeds but was still looking for something else. Then the squirrel spotted something. It did the usual sideways walk with the tail to one side over to the place it had seen something.

There it found some left over cake, (a very unusual happening in our house)

A very unsure squirrel.

It didn't take the squirrel long to decide it was food and it was safe to eat it.

The left over cake was a hit.

The squirrel had his/her fill and looked round for something else.

What had s/he found now?

Squirrel found a filbert.

The squirrel found a filbert, I don't think s/he really knew what it was but s/he gave it a try anyway.

Then the squirrel smelt something. His/her nose went up in the air what could that smell be?

Squirrel could smell something delicious. 

The squirrel had to find it, so s/he jumped up the leg of the crossbar and there it was!

Peanut Butter

The squirrel clung to the post there was no way that peanut butter was going to be shared.

Squirrel fiesta. 

Squirrel was not moving until that hole was licked clean.

Drunk on Peanut Butter.

Of course if somebody over indulges they have to pay the price! Squirrel ate so much peanut butter s/he had to hold him/herself up on the crossbar. S/he looked quite green around the gills.
The squirrel never even noticed the young magpie pinching the cake while it had the chance.

A Young Magpie helping itself to the left over cake.

There is a female Blackbird still chasing round the garden collecting food for one of her young. The other day she had a beak full of worms but still managed to call out.

Mrs Blackbird calling the young for dinner.

I have been a bit adventurous this week, I have almost finished a pair of trousers I am making for myself. I altered on of my hippie type shirts to fit Lynsey so she could go out in it last night and I am already working out a pattern for a top for myself or maybe a skirt.
Tonight I will try out the new cooker, I am baking bread, insomnia is not a bad thing when baking as electricity is cheaper during the night.

Until the next time...

The trouble with cookers

A few days ago when Tony turned the cooker on there was a loud bang and the main oven decided it would no longer work. We both decided this was something that could not be a long term arrangement. I need the main oven to bake bread, Tony needs the main oven to cook his delicious meals that he cooks for me and sometimes my Mum, or Elvira.
So off to the shops we went to try a find a cooker we both liked. After much measuring, muttering and shopping we found one.
Today the cooker was delivered installed and the old one taken away. We were sorry to see it go, it was Tony's Mums cooker and it is one last connection to her that has gone.

The new cooker in place in the kitchen.

Very clean and sparkly (Tony's job to keep it that way :) )

Until the next time...

Dentist, Doctors and Down in the garden.

I have had an interesting few days!
On Monday evening I lost a filling, so on Tuesday morning I rang the dentist. I was given an appointment for Wednesday lunchtime. I was happy and surprised to manage to get one that quickly.
Wednesday morning I got up and discovered I had overnight developed a surprisingly large lump on the right side of my face. I also realised that it hurt quite badly. This was just what I needed, an abscess under the tooth that had lost the filling. I knew the dentist would not work on the tooth while that was there.
I arrived at the dentist in time for my appointment, the lump had grown a bit bigger during the morning and the pain had grown along with it. The young girl on the reception desk looked at me and just said "ouch!".
The dentist I usually see was on holiday which was not a good start, however the stand in was very good he had been told that I was anxious about visits to the dentist and did his best to put me at ease.
I told him what the problem was, he had a quick look, straight away he said "it needs to come out". The magic words, no messing about with fillings or caps just take it out. "But, I cannot do it today" he said. He told me the abscess had to go first. So home I went with a prescription for antibiotics and an appointment to return the following week when the offending tooth will be removed.

I had some blood tests done at the doctors at the end of June, on 11th July (last Saturday) I received a letter asking me to make an appointment to discuss the results. I looked on line for the first appointment with the doctor I like Tuesday 21st July.
This coming week is looking pretty full up already,
 I am meeting Emma on Monday for a late birthday gift, (her birthday was on the 12th)
Tuesday it's the doctors
Wednesday is the dentist.
Elvira mentioned a day out, you had best pick a day quick Elvira we are down to Thursday or Friday this week!

Coming home from the dentist we crossed Heath Common. There is a resident Gypsy camp there, the Gypsies keep there horses on the common. The adult horses are tethered but the young horses are not.

As we drove along Tony had to brake quite hard because two of the young horses were playing chase and one of them ran out into the road.

Young horses on Heath Common.

They were only on the road for a matter of minutes before running back into the grass to carry on playing.

Running back to safety.

I was glad to get home.

Now what has been happening elsewhere?


The new squirrels are getting cheeky, they even pose for their pictures taking now.

Who me, pose, never.

They come up very close for a look when I am in the green house.

On the wall next to the greenhouse.

On the wall next to the greenhouse

If the foods not there they come to look through the shed window to see if I am in there.

Looking in the shed window.

I have had a walk round the garden to see if there is any flowers or plants because Tony will be getting the lawn mower out again soon and they will all disappear when he does. However there are not many any way. Just a few buttercups, a couple of asters and of course my lavender bush (thats safe though ).

I got a little bored the other day there was no birds or squirrels in the garden so I decided to photograph whatever I could find, nothing much was kept apart from these.

Lavender 

I don't know why I kept it, I just like it.

Daisy

Just a little bit of playing, told you I was bored!

Until the next time...

New squirrels, noisy blackbirds and a charming robin.

The garden has become home to more new squirrels. There are at least 3 of them. As usual there is one that comes to visit the most, who is excitable, frisky and downright nosy.

I put some raisins out for the blackbirds, the young squirrel obviously did not know what they were. He crept up on them, in the usual squirrel way. They walk sideways tail up and very slowly.

Creeping up on the raisins.

As he got closer he stretched as far as he could and sniffed, just to make sure they were safe.

The squirrel decided that the raisins were not going to hurt him, grabbed one in his mouth and ran to the wall to eat it.

Next he had a look at the nutbox. He didn't know how to open it. 

He looked from above,

Put his nose into the gap in the back,

He could smell the nuts, he could see the nuts, but still could not get the nuts.

He thought very hard about how to get the nuts.

Then it came to him in a flash.

 He lifted the front of the box, up went the lid, there were the nuts.

Squirrel was happy now. He knew how to get to the nuts!

The sparrows are sunbathing now instead of taking showers,

Mrs Blackbird is making a noise looking for Junior, however he is away doing his own thing,

Mr Blackbird is on the lookout too with no more luck.

One of the woodpeckers is calling in again,

So are the greenfinches,

and the robin is being his usual charming self.

Until the next time...

The hot weather is having an effect on the garden.

The garden has been very quiet over the last few days. I think it has just been too hot for the birds and definitely much too hot for the squirrels. On Wednesday we got a bit of a break when it rained, the garden came alive for a few hours.

The Sparrows took advantage of taking cooling showers. The bushes were full of them all along the garden in front of the shed and in the sycamore tree. 

The Robin had also enjoyed the rain sitting on the wooden frame in front of the greenhouse shaking himself to remove some of the water from his feathers. After his shower and shaking he flew into the bush where he tilted back his head to sing a beautiful song to all the garden.

Squirrel had been struggling a bit climbing the fence, he decided he needed a break.

The Squirrel looked very soggy sitting on the fence shelf, where the rain had been falling onto him giving him a cooling break from the sun beating down. He had been just sitting there enjoying every minute of it he looked like he was almost smiling.

Yesterday I was happy to see the Goldfinches had returned to the garden again! There was about four maybe five of them, I took some photographs and I was very happy with the results.

I can tell you that the cat situation seems to be quiet at the moment, maybe it is too hot for the felines as well. I suppose it will not last, either the weather or the cats staying away. 
I am struggling a bit as well my eyeballs are like jelly again, swollen, watering and very sore. Not that I am complaining of course!

Until the next time...