Harvey the Wonderdog

I had a dream last night.

CK and I were walking across the grassy field next to our highrise apartment block (a field which was patently my school oval - bear with me this is a dream) and my beautiful OMD was out there too, happily gnawing a bone.

Then we were up high, looking out the window from our flat and I could see him out on the grass with the bone. When I looked again he was gone.

I woke up and leant over CK to the far side of the bed to check the spot where my OMD has slept for many years. I stopped half way.

It has been a month now and even my dreams have a Harvey-shaped hole into which I keep stumbling.

The bastard found a frisbee shop.

The day has drawn nearer so much more quickly than I thought.

In the space of four hours this morning he had three quite heavy-duty fits. I knew things weren't going to be good.

Today has been spent sitting with him and gently stroking him, marvelling at how puppy-soft that small patch behind each ear remained while the rest of him has got old.

I lay next to him keeping him calm and warm until CK could get home from work. As always his discomfort and general unhappiness with the universe (congenital and not age-related, the grumpy old bugger) were alleviated when CK walked through the door.

Whatever blood the nice lady vet took from him was obviously the magic stuff as he slowly started to decline rapidly from Thursday morning. It was with much sadness that we made the most godawful decision of my life, his life, our lives.

So having regularly beaten seven bells out of The Grim Reaper since Christmas 2008 my beautiful OMD has finally conceded defeat. That tall skinny bastard better hold up his end of the bargain and turn up with the best frisbee ever.

If you could spare a second to think a happy thought for my gorgeous boy around 0930 BST Saturday (1930EST) I would appreciate it.

The day draws nearer - but not yet.

My OMD was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure this morning.

As well as extreme regenerative anaemia and ulcerated stomach lining.

However the vet said she checked the findings twice because the failing dog the numbers were talking about was not the quite perky, wobbly-headed, fally-down dog she saw in her consulting room.

We are dealing with things via diet and drugs and will watch carefully what happens over the next few weeks.

So once again my lovely OMD has told The Grim Reaper to fuck off and not bother coming back until he can find a really good frisbee.

Oooops, sorry... I seem to have mislead you.

There seems to have been some error in the previous post. My worries about the old man appear to have been erroneous. The cheeky bastard is carrying on like he didn't give me emotional heart failure on Monday.

He is eating like a really hungry horse, weeing and pooing for Great Britain and enjoying a gentle stroll up the lane with CK. His rear end is not necessarily listening to the plans the front half is making and regularly tries to go in a different direction which, in turn, results in regular spontaneous connections with the ground but generally he is annoyingly cheery and perky.

I shall be submitting the invoice for my counselling sessions to his lord and master (that would be CK).

Right then, off to drug him with the glorious Vivitonin and then bed.

Transience

Ever noticed how so much in life is transient?

Not in a nihilistic sense because who wants to believe in nothing?! But in a continually shifting way. At its most straightforward level my kids are getting older and perhaps I am too (only three weeks left!) and so we leave behind the 'things' (tangible and intangible) that were appropriate to who we were.


Princess Curly-Wurly is having her first proper grown-up sleepover tonight. Complete with make-up, independent walk home from town and dance routines! Last time a friend stayed the night it was 'Mummy what can we do now? Mummy, come play with us!' No more. And despite her father's reluctance I am pleased that she is experiencing her freedom. Albeit a little nervously (me not her)


Last night was a little weird. After putting Babyman to bed ~6:30 and going up and saying goodnight to Princess C-W I went in to my room. My bed looked so inviting that I just had to climb in. I lay there listening to 'The News Quiz' and vaguely remember hearing 'The Archers' but in a very hazy kind of way. The next thing I remember CK came to bed at midnight! By that point I had had five hours sleep and unsurprisingly was unable to get back to sleep! So from 12:30 - 3:30 a.m. I was wide awake. So I wrote letters - proper, on paper, with a pen letters! And I knitted (a pig's face - will post pictures later). And I read! Then I slept again until 7:00am.


I tell you all this b/c at that hour of the night there are some strange thoughts lurking in the ether and I have come to the conclusion that I am a 'transient friend'. Not one of those people who always looks for the next interesting person to speak with b/c that would be not very friendly (plus this is a small country town and such people are few and far between). Rather I feel I may be the friendship equivalent of the rebound boyfriend. I get people through a sticky patch and then they go out into the big wide world to a new and longer lasting experience.


It has taken me some years to come to this conclusion and CK suggests it is down to my life changing relatively dramatically every few years and points out that I do have several long term friends. However I think I am just the 'transient' friend.

Don't get me wrong, I am still in some sort of contact with many of the 'good' friends I have had in the gazillion years I have lived in the UK. But it is more the exchanging Christmas cards sort of thing.


Hmm, a little philosophical for a craft blog perhaps so let me show you a picture of contentment.

My mojo runneth over!!

First you need to assemble the basic ingredients.

Mix it all together with one of my lovely wooden spoons (does anyone else have a favourite wooden spoon? CK and my sister Giovanna think I am crazy!) This is actually my second fave but it is a very posh one from Williams-Sonoma.




Then add the bits that stop it all floating away.




(just in case Monkee Maker some may be confused - this is the bit you throw away.)




Once it is all hot and wetty stir this in to all the other ingredients.




Because you only have to stir for 23.8 seconds this is an opportune time to have a small break and enjoy every baker's restorative necessity!




Take a second or two to re-shape one of the secret ingredients




to look like this .....




Stir the other secret ingredient through in a gentle yet slightly haphazard kind of way.

Et voila.




Spoon it out like this.




After 15 minutes in a medium oven you should see something similar to ici.




And after half an hour you will have these delectable items .......

....... which (if sufficient pleading is exhibited) you may share with those you love.

Or not.