Tuesday 17 January 2017

Almost missed T for Tuesday!

Is it Tuesday???? I thought it was Monday all afternoon, got confused! I am sorry I haven't been round and commented, I really meant to, and the reason I am showing you the photo above is that it is T on Tuesday time at Elizabeth and Bleubeard's place!
This is the view from my bed, I make a flask jug of chamomile and peppermint tea to take up with me, bought the jug for Hubby for when he came home but he never did. The book is one my Mum gave me and I haven't read yet because I am reading 25 novels of John Buchan, which I got for 99p and the first was The 39 Steps, really old and I remember the black and white film vaguely, and not politically correct these days but I am enjoying the stories.

We went to dog training class last Thursday and Luna did quite well for her first time, we are in the intermediate or teenagers group lol. We have homework we are practising each day but Luna seems to be getting bored of it. She sits, stays but gets up before I tell her, that wasn't the homework, it was to walk to heel weaving round a row of chairs - I can put two out in the room I have! Poor Sooty is still not happy getting near her in case she hurts him. He waits upstairs until she is safely down before he comes down, and he doesn't ask to go out in the night 2 or 3 times any longer, he is crossing his legs! He should be able to last the night out now, unlike me!
Luna changed her mad 5 minutes from dashing round the house or garden to dashing at Sooty to try and play but she is so rough. Sooty was seriously threatening her which didn't stop her and I found puncture wounds on her head later. Not sure if Sooty also got bitten, it is hard to see under his hair.
Now when she starts he comes to the door to be let in. If he squeaks in pain as he has a couple of times she stops and looks very concerned about him.

I've googled advice on jealous dogs (she is jealous of Sooty and tries to push in if anyone makes any fuss of him and not her, even snapping at him sometimes), and advice on calming her down when we get visitors, and advice on dealing with her fear of men. I have advice coming out of my ears!
She is getting on really well with my youngest son now, but it took a lot of visits and fuss, and she still can startle and growl if he moves suddenly, gets up or moves his arm.
On Saturday I decided to drive to Stourhead and take the dogs for a walk round the lakes. This is only possible during the day from December to end of Feb, so I better make the most of it. After that it goes to after 4pm only. I'm a National Trust member so I don't have to pay a thing, although it is a long drive to get there it is very worth it.
Luna's third coat arrived, this one is long enough in the back but too wide round the strap so I have sent off for some more velcro to make it fit better, but I like the design of the coat and they wash and tumble dry beautifully.

 Going into the grotto.
Snowdrops/

Over the bridge, I think we walked for nearly two hours, I felt really relaxed afterwards.








 We met lots of people and dogs so the dogs were happy!

I love trees!

On the way back to the car. I took loads more photos too.

I still need eyes in the back of my head with Luna - she's like a hyperactive toddler into everything, this is some of her work. I have had to take a motorbike model in a box from her, my sandal (twice), my jumper yesterday, if she finds clean washing on the stairs she will play with it or chew it, so I have to put everything away and be tidy now! She stole some chicken from the kitchen counter when I stopped to take a phone call. She broke my favourite Shaun the Sheep - I told her no lots of times but when I was out of the room....

I crocheted this Jennika hat to match my scarf last week. It needs some buttons that I don't yet have to match the scarf.
It's made in King Cole Fashion Aran in green with orange flecks.

Funny phone of me with the hat on, I wore it Saturday and it felt like it was going to ping off the whole time, so now I have a hat that is too big and this one possibly too small. The band is fine it is the body of the hat that is tighter.

Luna meeting cows, she looks for them each time we walk by the fields now.

I'm trying to get them to be friends and playmates, Sooty is there under protest. He was happy sitting on the other side of the settee, I made a fuss of him and Luna came to stand on him and push in, so I tried to make a fuss of them both at the same time. Eventually he sneaked away to his bed.crochet





Tuesday 10 January 2017

T on Tuesday with Loony Luna

Homemade mushroom 🍄 soup from a Slimming World recipe and I'm showing you this because it's T on Tuesday at Elizabeth and Bleubeard's place once more. I'm still trying to get through all the organic veg I over-ordered before Christmas.

Here's Luna relaxing in her new jumper. She's now chewed the buttons off one side so it needs a rethink.

Just look at that sweet innocent face. Butter wouldn't melt....... but Lovely cuddly Luna has issues and is quite naughty, in a toddler kind of way, too!

Walking on a very frosty day round the fields where the mud was frozen. Jumper was only missing one button at this point.

Luna can jump high, she loves it on the pond filter and she can clear the waterfall in either direction - even while racing up and down at 100 miles per hour! She can also vault the stair gate and I'm sure she's trying to work out if she can clear the heightened fence to go explore the school field behind!

Luna trying for the circus by walking across the pond frame. She's also tried walking along the edge and fallen off! She's just discovered the dead reeds and has been bringing them indoors to play with.

Better give Sooty a look in here. Poor Sooty, not only is Luna jealous of any affection Sooty gets (and she will sit on him or push him out the way to get all the attention), but she is very boisterous and frightens him so much that he doesn't want to get up or go up or downstairs for fear of getting hurt. 
The jealousy is a real concern, what if she is jealous of my little granddaughter?
I didn't want to make Sooty's life a misery either so I hope they will become more compatible in the next few weeks.
Training classes begin this week if I can drive after my appointment at the eye clinic and the drops I'm allergic to.

I was told Luna was very quiet and just sat quietly - wrong! She's totally loony at least twice a day!

Luna that's my ironing!
 On my bed together but apart.

It's a dog's life. Luna is scared of men. I found that out last Tuesday and it is a real issue. My youngest son Richard has been visiting daily to get her used to him. She's happy to snuggle up with him for cuddles - until he stands up. Then she starts growling.

Luna jumped up after Sooty was there or he probably wouldn't have joined her unless I was in the middle.
This looks like such a cosy scene, all of us together but Sooty didn't stay long after this and Luna pushes in so she is closest.
Luna's work in progress.

This is the gorgeous figurine that was my Christmas present from my lovely late hubby, along with a very sentimental card signed by him which had me in bits on the day.

This is a wonderful woodcarving that was a Christmas present from my youngest son, it is beautiful.

So what else has Luna done you might ask - well....
she stole a piece of raw chicken when I had to answer the phone,
whenever I am on the desktop computer she is looking for yarn to steal and unravel - she's doing that right now and she just worked out how to open the lid of a plastic box full of wool,
she ate a big hole in her jumper,
she rolled in poo,
she dug up mole hills,
she walked along the edge of the pond frame and fell off,
she raced round and round the house and garden,
she found the dead reeds in the pond and has been bringing them indoors,
she chases cats, even if I am on the end of the lead - ouch!,
she barked the first time on her 4th day,
she barks at every little noise now,
she will play with anything she can get and looks like she will chew it up,
she learnt to sit and stay, well it's a bit flaky but we are working on it and she will be going to training class this week hopefully.

Sooty is so scared of getting hurt by Luna, I thought he was alright walking with her and I've been letting him off the lead and keeping her on the extender but today on the last part of the walk when I crossed the road then let him off he ran so fast and kept running, he wouldn't stop! I was so scared he would cross the busy roads and run home, and there was no way I could catch him but Luna tried which made things worse. I'm too heavy to run very far or fast, not supposed to run at all with my osteoarthritic knees but I am hoping if I lose more weight, a few stones, I will one day be able to run again.

It's been a tough week as my Dad got a diagnosis of terminal melanoma and I've had to relive my experiences with my late hubby as I've been taking Dad to appointments.
I finally got my filling done today after messing up on times the last time, so it was soup for lunch eventually.
I have to either take dad or go to my own appointments every day this week.

Monday 2 January 2017

T on Tuesday and Luna's arrived!




 As it is T on Tuesday here is yet another pancake stack this time with fruit tea in my sheep mug! Join in this weekly tradition at Elizabeth and Bleubeard's place! Once again I need to apologise for not returning your comments last week - I intended to do it but I've been a little distracted as you will see.
As you may know from previous posts, 2016 was a horrible year for me. I wish you all a Happy 2017. I still have bad things going on but.......

......Luna has arrived at last and my life will never be the same again! She flew from Cyprus to Amsterdam, was collected by pet courier and driven here via the Eurotunnel train to arrive New Year's Eve early afternoon. Be prepared to be bombarded with Luna photos!

I cried when the man brought her in, got lots of kisses from Luna though.

Not only has she left Cyprus they cut off all her curls so she must be feeling the cold. But look at that waggy tail!
She wasn't house trained but after one small "accident" she hasn't had any more and today was actually at the door asking to go out, but then wouldn't do what she had to do until Sooty came out too, and I have to go out every time! That can be very cold, wet and dodgy as the ramp that is there from Alfie's days made by Shaun got very slippery in the frost.

Luna had never seen a TV or lived in a house before. I put the TV on Saturday afternoon and it was still tuned in to CBeebies from my visitors who left just after lunch and before Luna arrived. The programme was about a little girl who had 3 husky dogs, Luna was fascinated.
Later there were fireworks so I had to sit up cuddling two terrified dogs until 1am and channel hopping to avoid fireworks on TV. 
Sunday we went for a very wet and cold walk, came home and put the fire on and heating and TV, sat dozing cuddling Luna and it was Countryfile with dogs and sheep and lambs. That seemed OK but next it was Planet Earth 2 and Luna was growling at the animals, first a Jaguar, then Iguana's being chased by snakes. I went to cook my dinner and suddenly heard loads of growling and Luna backed rapidly into the kitchen, when I looked it was the monkeys in India she didn't like!
In this photo she is watching Monster's University and wasn't sure what to make of the monsters!

Selfie with Luna. She jumps up and clings on a lot, she likes to greet other people like it but they don't all want muddy clothes! Found out on day three she is scared of men. She loves everyone else and other dogs and thinks they all want Luna cuddles and muddy paw prints all over lol.
She spent her first night sleeping on top of me with her head nestled in my neck, second night she curled up besides me. Saturday night I had to fight two dogs for the duvet which is a single one on a king size bed. Last night I put the other one back on and Sooty was happy.

When I first saw the three photos of Luna I thought she was about the same size as Sooty and bought a coat in that size but she is bigger so it's about 2 inches too short and I've ordered a bigger one. I couldn't let her go walkies in this cold wet country without a coat so I used it and cannot return it now.

I also made a jumper the same size as Sooty's but left it unfinished as I became suspicious she was bigger after seeing a video of her and I'm nearly done adjusting it. In the meantime she is wearing Alfie's old one that looks like a bolero on her.




Luna with one of her new toys. She ignored them on day one but on day two she started to play and even stole 3 balls of yarn from a bag in the craft room while I was on the phone.


This was after I got up. We were catching some sun on a cold and frosty day. Not sure Sooty stayed put like this for long, he's been sulking a bit since Luna arrived.
I'm finishing this post in bed with Luna laying tight by my side demanding regular cuddles and Sooty snoring next to me.