Pupdate

Monty is home.

He got through his operation fine and is up and about again. He is on painkillers and antibiotics which go down surprisingly well when hidden inside 1/4 of a chipolata! He's not himself, still woozy from the anaesthetic but that's good as he's on strict rest for 5 days. The wound looks pretty grim but he's going to be ok.

A couple more 'outpatient' appointments over the next couple of weeks and we should be back to normal.

Thank you again to everyone who helped either by talking to me on the phone when I was wondering what to do, calling vets and friends for me, giving lifts and carrying Monty when I couldn't. It means a huge amount to me.

Guerrilla Gardening

Took my sunflower seedlings out to where Monty and I walk every day and planted them out in a fairy circle of 8 with one in the middle. I really liked how they looked. 

The soil I chose is in a grassy area close to the

 river that is always very damp underfoot so I thought that would give them a good fighting chance of taking. I settled them in with a bit of potting compost then stood back to survey my handiwork.

Earlier in the afternoon I had 'harvested' the stems of some juicy weeds that grow vigorously in my garden, thinking that once dried they might make excellent stakes to support the sunflowers once they grow a little. I don't know if they will become brittle or strong once dried so I'll give it a go and see how it goes. I have them wedged behind a pipe outside my front door for the sun to dry them out.

Unfortunately, after this otherwise very pleasant sortie, my dog was then attacked by another dog who tore a chunk out of his throat and has landed him in the vets for an operation and overnight stay. I am really upset by this incident but also very angry at the dog's owner who didn't have him muzzled or on a lead and couldn't call the dog off. The vets have just called me to say that he was really lucky as the bite was very close to his jugular but that the operation went well and he should be able to be out tomorrow but might be a bit lame after everything has settled down.

Hike for the Homeless.

           

As planned, I did a sponsored hike on Saturday to raise money for the King's Arms Project supporting the homeless of Bedford. As not planned, the 20 mile r

oute became 22 miles between signing up and starting on the day. Sneaky!

For the first 7 miles I was on my own and read a good 60 pages of my current book; 'Number9dream' by David Mitchell. The first 14 miles of walking were pretty easy. Kept up a good pace and was mostly enjoying myself. There were some beautiful views along the way.

Around the 14 mile mark my feet went from uncomfortable to incredibly painful and the last 8 miles were agonising. Ankles up I was fine but I sustained a big bruise on the side of my foot and blisters pretty much everywhere else. Thankfully I wasn't particularly tired or achy but the feet really made it miserable going. Every step was an effort. 

We had 2 main stopping places. At the first I was fine and just got my official stamp and marched on. At the second one, I had coffee and foot massage with lots of cream! From that point on I was just looking to the horizon and willing Bedford to appear.

It was a great moment when I finally sat on my 'ped to head back home. The next day however was a bit of a shock as I discovered I was incapable of weight bearing! 3 days on from the event now and I can walk again though there are still blisters and the bruise but it's all for a good cause, right?!