Wednesday 30th July 2025

We are stepping up the walks for Ellie from today. A little longer but I think Ellie was exhausted by the end. She will get used to it, bit by bit.

We have sent a picture of her “wound” to the vet to see if it is OK to leave her collar off at night, then we can all get some sleep! It looks as though it has completely healed to us.

I went into Ramsgate to return some things I bought online. Ramsgate is not the nicest of places and so many of the shops have closed down and been left empty. Not a place I go to very often.

The vet replied to us that Ellie’s wound had healed nicely and so no more need for her collar of shame! Thank goodness. She was very happy not to have it on but did keep looking at us as if to remind us we had left it off. She slept well.

Tuesday 29th July 2025

I woke up with a lot of pain in my left hand. This was the one that the doc sent me for an Xray. It is degenerative osteo arthritis, I think stemming from when I fell on my hand a few years ago.  It was obviously so painful as I did a lot of lifting at work yesterday. I took pain killers

I had a 9am appointment at Maxillofacial , even though I am told is it not called that any more! It was the follow up after the operation, at least I thought that was all it was!  Well, she did a complete measurement of all my teeth which meant she dug a sharp instrument all the way down my gums, all the way round. It HURT and I had taken a pain killer for my wrist! She also took 3 X rays. The operation had worked well and healed well. So, I have option of having it on another tooth or………..well someone else is taking over as her job is “niche and so I am returning to London”. Oh great someone different yet again.

Monday 28th July 2025

The day at work and we were soooo busy. We had 75 bags of donations, probably the most we have ever had in one day!

Last week our MP, Sir Roger Gale visited our shop. Roger on the left and Jack on the right!

Nice to get some recognition. Today we were also second in the top sales of lottery tickets.  I’ll take that as I am the one on the till all day!  (Jack covers my lunch for an hour).

I have to say I was exhausted by the time I returned home. Mal had cooked a roast so that was nice. Of course he had spent all day watching Ellie didn’t lick her wound.

Sunday 27th July 2025

After Ellie’s walk, Mal went to the allotment. He came back earlier than he planned as one of his compost heaps, the one he decided to use, had a wasp’s nest in it, so he was stung a couple of times. Dangerous places allotments! BUT lots of butterflies down there…

(Red Admiral)

I have so many tomatoes in the garden . I have 14 pots and Mal took a lot to the allotment. All of these from TWO piccolo tomatoes. A kind of miracle I always think!

Well done to the Lionesses!!

Saturday 26th July 2025

I have to say Ellie is looking a lot healthier now and the sparkle is back in her eyes. We have now stopped two lots of pain killers, so just the last one for another 10 days.

Mal spent quite a long time at the allotment. We now have a glut of French beans.

If the weather is good enough we sit in the garden in the evenings playing cards with a glass of cider!  In fact we were busy doing something and Ellie sat outside barking and when we went out and sat down, she settled down too!

Good news that Awan, the female Orangutan at Wigham Wildlife has given birth. How exciting, we will have to go down there very soon to see him/her.

Friday 25th July 2025

Shopping in Westwood. I wanted to go to Deal but they have shut half the road where they are house building.

An appointment at the vets to check Ellie’s wound in the afternoon. We saw the nurse Gracie who said it was healing really well and took the cling filmy stuff off but she can’t lick it for another 2 weeks so we are standing on constant guard or she has the collar on. I also mentioned her ear she keeps scratching and when she looked said Ellie should see a vet so we made an appointment for 2 hours later!

We returned to see the vet and she said she should swab and test it to see if it is a bacterial infection. So we waited while she did all that and tested it. It is not bacterial but she thinks something she is allergic to.  Nothing has changed so we think maybe it is the antibiotic! Anyway, we now have drops to put in twice a day for 6 days.