whoop, whoop- rain!

At last, its POURING! Hooray. Might sleep well tonight, and dust all laid down outside for a while. Pups, who weighed in at 385 grammes at birth now weigh 1160 grammes at 11 days. Fine fat fellows that they are. No sign of eyes opening, but some attempt to get up onto their stumpy little legs. Still only one spoken for so far. No further communiques from foreign traveller in Budapest, take that to be good news. Quiet few days on the social front too, billy no-mates this week. Storm now rumbling overhead and rain slashing at the windows. We live in Interesting Times!

yellow horse + hot day = strolling

This does not qualify under the Trades Description Act as 'riding'. Slumping perhaps? Having a manicure? Taking the air? Lovely anyway.

8 day old puppies, full, fat and warm in heat of day

They are growing so fast its amazing. She is doing them very well indeed. Birth weight 385g. Weight at 7 days 850g. No eyes yet, and ears still closed, but notice that their little legs are beginning to hold up their (considerable) weight. So, so hot. Just taking out yellow horse, but its really far too warm to enjoy equine pastimes. Youngest has departed for outward journey to Budapest, carrying just one small rucksack containing mostly pants and swimwear. Temp at destination is 30 plus degrees. More nervous than excited now that the trip is actually here! Fingers crossed that all 7 lads return safe, well and tired.

midnight walk for St Barnabas hospice

Despite extreme tiredness, and thinking about crying off at the last moment, I am very proud to say that I turned up for the six and a half mile midnight walk, with 100 or so other ladies, and completed the circuit in good time and in excellent physical condition (for my age, and weight etc!). So pleased that I turned up and did it. Less cheerfully there is something in our house that is biting the big boy and me. The farmer and the youngest seem immune to this rapacious blood sucker/allergy inducer. The big boy and I are counting our huge, itchy red skin wheels, swallowing anti-histamine, and searching frantically for the culprits. Dogs seem to be flealess, cats don't come in at all - difficult to know where else to look. I am wondering if the very cute nest of house martins which is aalmost in the house is the source of a bag load of bird lice? Or, as the big boy jogs around the field daily, and I walk the dogs around the field with bare legs, is it something in the long grass? Youngest doesn't walk dogs much, and the farmer doesn't get out of his teleporter, except in emergencies. Mystery must be solved, and quickly, or big boy and I are going to disappear behind our swollen legs. Whatever it is - certain and swift retribution waits......

A busy day at the salt mines owing to fabulous, tropical sunshine. I am grateful indeed for the business the weather is bringing, but can't help thinking that we do now need a bit more than a drop of rain. Sorry, but perhaps at dead of night?

Yellow horse fat and happy. Hardly any work this week owing to other committments, and the heat. He doesn't seem to mind, but now wondering if he is going to burst. A new fence making his grazing area much smaller is in the pipeline......

18th birthday with friends, a tandem, water & humour

A guest, tired, absolutely sodden, frozen and happy! Time for bed really

My sister, who hid in the sitting room behind the TV during the prolonged water fight. Snatched from her safe base by the birthday boy, carried outside, and absolutely drenched!

Supplies of balloon water bombs ran low, therefore birthday boy and his beautiful cousin commandeered my sister's tandem, and rode off to the local village shop for further stocks. My sis and her husband cycled 12 miles on the tandem to get to the party, and then 12 mile home, in the dark, absolutely blathered. I believe their homeward journey was much quicker than their outward.

Racing for grown-ups and smalls

Swinging in a picnic mat. The other small guest was not so keen

Egg and spoon, very well supported by the 18 to 25 year olds. This was followed by the quite difficult 'backwards egg & spoon'. The end result of the egg racing was scrambled egg!

Sadly I was not quick enough to catch this cake for a photo. My niece made it. It was a mountain of chocolate sponge, chocolate filling, chocolate icing, and wearing a coat of sliced, fresh strawberries. The plate hit the table, knife to cake and whoosh, the plate was empty. Luckily I did manage to fight my way to the front for a large piece, and can report that it was gorgeous. Now its loving my waist and hips from the inside.

Large hang-overs, bombsite kitchen, garden like a horror story, and happy memories. If only all birthdays were made this way!

more lodgers!

here they are, prior to tail docking and dew claw removal this morning. very traumatic, not for the pups, but for us - it was truly awful. Pups sailed through and hardly seemed to notice.

In absence of mother who was out on a pee-stop, youngest steps in (not very reluctantly) to make sure tiny dogs feel safe and warm!

And here are our other lodgers. In the tiny front porch of the house (where the main front door that we never use is) perched precariously upon a 1930's triple light fitting is a nest absolutely bulging with house-martin babes, not yet ready to fledge, but coming closer every day. Think there are about 5 or 6 of them crushed in here, daren't get any closer for fear of wobbling them out of their nest. We are happy to clear up the mess below them in exchange for watching their parents practically fly into the house through the open porch doors to feed them.

And here they are in all their cliff-edge glory. Of course, we are not switching the light on! Don't want baked fledglings on our conscience as well as docked puppy tails....

Baby boy 18 tomorrow (how can that be? where did the time go?). Doesn't want any kind of party, as he is preparing for his departure to Budapest imminently on his first solo holiday. Can't believe that both of my tiny babies have turned into hulking great big youths who are ready to fledge from their home just like the housemartins. Sad and happy as I am, its a difficult time for a Mum! Counting the weeks now until both depart and each day seems to flash by. Expecting 7 young men to stay in our house tomorrow night (birthday celebration, but NOT a party), some of whom are staying over the weekend. Biggest boy also having a sociable weekend, so have pulled up the tourer near the outside loo for his friends. House full and I'm tired but happy. Will miss all this when they go!

On Friday night its the 5 mile midnight walk in aid of Macmillan Nurses. I have a number and a tee shirt, just hoping will also have the energy. Saturday night thinking about a bottle of fizz, a large glass, and a night on the sofa with the tv. Sounds lovely. So long as its not full of great big youths!!!!!

The farmer has 'got in the hay' which has resulted in an owl feeding frenzy. Owls absolutely having a ball picking out all the small, furry things which have been hiding in the long grass of the established meadows. Its a joy.

new additions!

No 1 arrived at 6am, number 2 at 9am, number 3 at 10am, number 4 shortly afterwards. Then a loonnnnggg gap, and poor number 5 arrived breech presentation, and not thriving, at about 12.30pm. I'm afraid number 5 hasn't made it, she looked like she had a faulty heart, and lungs full of mucus. 1 to 4, however, seem hale and hearty, already full to bursting with colostrum and clinging onto their teats as it their lives depend on it (they do!). The cocker spaniel has not endured birth very well, she has not shown a very robust attitude to it, but she is now warming up to her brood. Her sister is not allowed to peek. Her human family may pick and pull at the new additions as much as they like. All this excitement has made for a sleepless night last night, and a very tiring day today, for all concerned. We are all hoping for a night's sleep tonight! Possibly with the aid of Mr bottle of french fizz. (Ooohh lala). We were hoping for a colourful litter, and we have 4 peas in a pod, all absolutely identical to their dad - would have bet against that happening!