Month: March 2024

Ellie slept much better obviously with the help of the pain killer. The previous night she woke me three times during the night panting and obviously in pain and scratching at the side of the bed to tell me. Also when we went to see the vet yesterday, Ellie sat and raised her left paw (the leg that hurts) to the vet and just looked straight into her eyes and they say dogs don’t speak! She is a wise old dog and we are so lucky to have her.

Mal was up at 7, starting to prepare his Easter lamb roast for lunch. He takes it all very seriously.

Lou, Rhys, Oscar and Josie arrived ready for lunch. Mal also cooked half a salmon. I did the starters and desserts. I bought some chocolate  orange small eggs to decorate the cheese cake but they were a bit odd! After lunch we sat out in the garden having a few drinks. Nice to sit outside.

Thought for the Day – “Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” ~ Orhan Pamuk

Ellie couldn’t manage the stairs and Mal had to carry her down the last few. Maybe it is her leg she has done something to. When she did get downstairs she just slept. We phoned the vets who are shut! Typical. There is an alternative “Vidivet”, so we called them. They told us to rest her and go to our vets tomorrow. A great help.

We should have been meeting Jem and Dom for lunch but I had to stay at home with Ellie and let her rest. Mal caught the train.

Poor girl. She did go and lie on the grass in the garden for a while as well.

Thought for the Day – “If you don’t own a dog, at least one, there may not necessarily be anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.” ~ Roger Caras

We went to Kearsney. There is such a lot of wild garlic there.

Ellie really wasn’t up for it today, she seemed very slow and didn’t run for the stream as she usually does. She had a very slow saunter and then hesitated. She did go in but only for a minute and then we took her back to the car, she wasn’t up for our usual long walk. But she did see a mole on the way back. She doesn’t seem quick enough to catch them anymore.

It really is sad seeing her age, I guess like the rest of us! But it was a beautiful day even if very windy.

We stopped at B&M on the way back to buy some composite pots for my tomatoes and courgettes. They are only £4 for 80 there!

I planted some of them up in the afternoon.

Ellie slept most of the afternoon and wasn’t herself at all and then struggled to get up the stairs at night.

Thought for the Day – “The best thing about the worst time in your life is that you get to see the true colours of everyone”

Ellie was still very clingy to me which meant when I put her blanket on the back seat of the car, she jumped in and wouldn’t get out!! Mal had to make her as she hadn’t even done a morning wee! I think she believed something was going to happen to me again!

When she had performed on the field opposite then we went back to Canterbury where Mal had to have his catheter changed again.  Ellie and I waited in the car and then on the way back we went for a walk around the orchards in Wingham followed by the farm shop where Mal bought a whole load of broad beans.

Thought for the Day – “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”~  Helen Keller

After Ellie’s walk, I went into Canterbury for the dentist. She had to take out the third part of a bridge that was left. It was not easy and she did warn me that she may have to drill some out. She said she did manage to get it all out (I hope so!) BUT she kept saying to me about the emergency dentist if anything went wrong tonight and also that I may need antibiotics. The more she told me the worse I felt.

She also sent me in the waiting room for a while with a swollen face and when I went back in she said the bleeding had stopped but it started again on the drive home. She only gave me one plug for it, luckily I had more in our First Aid box. She also told me to do nothing for the rest of the day, except alternate pain killers, Paracetamol and Ibuprofen.

I think Ellie could smell the blood when I arrived home as she came and sat beside me and wouldn’t move, not even when Mal took some cheese out for his lunch! She was obviously concerned about me, bless her!

I went to bed early and she followed me up and left Mal downstairs shouting at the TV at the England game!

Thought for the Day – “Hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it.” ~ Taylor Swift

My volunteer day at Cancer Research. We weren’t that busy, I think people have got used to half the road being dug up and staying away.

Andy came round to bring some books  to look at for new kitchens etc. I dread the thought!

Thought for the Day –“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes―understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” ~ Arianna Huffington