Done

That’s that done for another year. Time with family; eating until you fall asleep; gifts of chocolates, cakes and other sweet treats which will take the next month and a half to work through (not that I am complaining about that) and the winter solstice all behind us.

The days are perceptibly longer. There is a feeling of hope that spring is on the way, that we are coming out from under the blanket of winter. Although we had a short, cold snap a little while ago, it has mainly been a mild winter so far, although stormy. The storms seem to come more frequently, and are longer lasting. The past couple of weeks have been almost continually windy with more strong winds on the way tomorrow. There is plenty of time for the mercury to plummet.

I am half way through my Christmas work break. It is flying, and I am confused about what day of the week we are on. As a family, we have Christmas on Christmas Eve for various reasons, so when I think it is Boxing Day, it is Christmas Day for everyone else.

I popped into town yesterday to visit a bookshop to spend money and a voucher I had been gifted. I am like a pig in clover in a bookshop. Little makes me happier than searching the shelves for something interesting to read and then coming home with a small stack of books tucked under my arm. There is something about holding a book and turning the pages, allowing the contents to reveal themselves that I don’t get from an e-book.

Tomorrow, we have a vet visit. Bracken needs a blood test to see if the increased diuretics are affecting her kidneys. They didn’t last time, so I am hoping we receive the same results. She is still bright, and silly with a waggy tail, eating well and doing things she shouldn’t, but I know her heart is deteriorating and she may not have long. I take every day as it comes, and as long as she is happy and not in any discomfort that is the main thing.

December 2023

By this time next week, we will all be sitting, slumped in a food induced stupor, wondering whether we will ever manage to get our jeans fastened again, and why all the panic the previous week. 

I have had a lurgy most horrid for the past 3 weeks, and am really only just starting to come out the other side. It must have been all the excitement of having a couple of days in Edinburgh, but I have really had enough of it now.

Bracken had a scan early last week and the news wasn’t as good as I would have liked. There has been a further deterioration in her heart function and, apparently, a slight build up of fluid. Her medication has been increased, and she is due another scan at the end of January. Not that you would know. She is behaving like a naughty toddler, which I take to mean she is feeling well enough for the time being. She enjoys going for walks, and is eating well, and as long a she is happy and in no discomfort, that is good enough for me.

Fur and Cobwebs

I am fighting a losing battle with fur and cobwebs. I swear that in some dark corner, there is a Rumpelstiltskinesque being maniacally spinning them from thin air and then depositing them all over the house.

Yesterday, I had the hose of the vacuum on the corners of the lounge ceiling to try to get of rid of some of the biggest cobwebs I have seen in a long time. It is only a couple of months since the last time I did it, and yet there they were, back again, and one was about a foot long (30 centimetres to you young ‘uns). Where on earth do they come from?

As for the fur, every time I turn around there is a clump of dog fur defying me, and everything else is covered in cat hair. I could stuff a duvet with the amount I find. Someone needs to find a use for it.

The weather is decidedly Autumnal now and the trees are gloriously gilded. It is a beautiful time of the year, but it feels like a long time until Spring and I have been spending the evenings curled up on the settee in front of a lovely fire reading a book.

Remember, Remember the 3rd, 4th, 5th.

Tags

bonfire night, classic fm, fireworks, pet classics

We have arrived at the weekend of the year I dread more than most. Bonfire Night is tomorrow, but for each night of the weekend, including yesterday, as soon as darkness falls the peace of the evening is shattered by the sounds of fireworks.

It starts weeks beforehand with distant and not so distant bangs and rumbles cutting through the dark. Luckily, the cats are not bothered at all, my first two would even sit on a windowsill to watch, but Bracken is terrified.

For the past two or three years, I have had Classic FM, Pet Classics playing fairly loudly in every room in the house where there is a radio, or other helpful device. It really does seem to help. Although restless and with ears on alert, Bracken isn’t quaking in the way she has in the past so, although I initially pooh poohed the idea, there really does seem to be something in it. As I write, she is on the settee at my side trying to decide whether or not to go to sleep. This is huge improvement on previous nights of madness.

I worry about the affect fireworks have on wildlife. Birds can become disorientated, hedgehogs burn to death in bonfires that are not checked first, and microplastics from the fireworks can enter our water systems and head out to the oceans. They release a host of contaminants that affect air quality too.  You can read more about the effects here if you wish to.

Surely, by, now we have grown out of the desire to spend money on something to set light to. If we want some entertainment of the type with flashing lights, then I have seen suggestions for laser light shows.

I had hoped that the rain would put people off, but it doesn’t appear to have, and I think they would probably only have postponed it to another night. For tonight then it will be an evening in with music on, the fire lit and a book.

The End of October

We are now in the last weekend of October, and the trees are looking beautiful. All shades of red, orange and gold, with some green just clinging on. The days are mild and the nights chilly. This morning, a mist hung low over the land until late, making for a damp, grey start to the day, giving way to blue skies, sunshine and mild temperatures as the day progressed.

The clocks go back this evening, so from tomorrow it will be dark earlier. The extra hour of sleep tonight will be welcome, but I do hope the cats and dog have read the memo.

It isn’t cold enough to bother with heating, but not warm enough to do without some sort of heat. In the evenings I have taken to sitting on the sofa to watch television or read with a hot water bottle tucked under my legs.

Tomorrow, I am hoping to finish skimming the bathroom walls, so that I can finally finish painting the room. I am still faffing about what to do for a splashback, but do think I have ruled out tiles. There are, I think, a couple of options to consider but I need to consider the pros and cons of both carefully. I have been in the house for over 20 years, and have never had a finished bathroom. There has always been something not quite right, or that I haven’t liked about it, and I really do want it to be a sanctuary.

When I moved into the house, the bathroom was what I can only call a DIY disaster. There was tongue and groove panelling in a hideous orange varnish to the height of the bath; red, white and blue vertical striped vinyl wallpaper with a red, white and blue horizontal border decorated with roses, then artex to a suspended tongue and groove white gloss ceiling. The wall along the side of the bath and the window wall were covered with peach plastic tiles. Taking a bath was not a relaxing experience, and at least anything I do now is a vast improvement.

A haunting, or some such.

Tags

Halloween, haunting, odd events, poltergeist, unexplained puddles, water

Odd things have been going on this week.

I have had an absolute nightmare with a batch of shampoo bars for a client and I have no idea why. The recipe is the same as I have made for years, with the exception of a little honey and a different, normally well behaved, essential oil. The results have been horrendous. The last batch of, well I won’t say how many, is passable but certainly not what I would like.

Tonight, though, the strangest thing has happened. I went into the kitchen, and near the back door was the most enormous puddle. I don’t remember spilling anything, so suspect number one was Bracken.

I stuck my hand in it, as you do, and there was not a hint of a urine scent. It appears to be plain water, but where on earth has it come from?

It is in front of the fridge, so suspect number two was a malfunctioning fridge/freezer. The freezer is still frozen and the fridge still cold so I don’t think it is that.

Now, I remember reading somewhere that poltergeist hauntings begin with unexplained puddles and escalate to include throwing objects. Now, bearing in mind I have cats, I may not notice an escalation, but should I be afraid, or is this Halloween coming early?

New Lamp

Tags

new lamp, pink lamp shade, Pookie lighting

I treated myself to a new lamp. When I say treated, I suppose that being able to see what your doing isn’t really a treat but a necessity.

I faffed about what style I wanted, but whatever I purchased I knew that it had to be heavy enough for the furry ratbags not to knock off (yes, I know I am being eternally optimistic). I finally settled on this turquoise job and then selected a lovely pink shade for contrast.

Now that the corner is illuminated, I can see how uneven the wall is, and where I need to get a bit of wallpaper paste and flatten the wallpaper right in the corner.

The lamp was so well packaged that I struggled to get it out of the box. In the process, I sliced the end of my finger. As much as I love the lamp, I am not sure it worth spilling blood over.

Friday 13th

I am sitting in front of the television contemplating life, cats and other things, or rather how cold my toes are and the need to go and unearth a pair of socks. Temperatures have taken a rapid downward slide, and the forecast mentioned freezing rain in parts of Scotland.

The early air is chilly now, and the car was covered with a blanket of condensation when I went out to feed a cat. This morning was dank and grey and the sort that makes me want to dive back under my duvet. Finally the trees have gilded cloaks, and the leaves have started to drop like sequins and crinkle underfoot.

I have a yearning for rich, savoury stews packed with tasty vegetables and served with a chunk of bread slathered with butter and for milky, nursery puddings, lightly spiced. Autumn is the time for comfort food and hunkering down to prepare for the cold, dark days of winter.

Bracken is coping better now the temperatures have dropped. Everything is easier for her, and she is being naughty, so is clearly feeling quite well. The regularity of her cough has lessened and she has had only one faint since the warm week in September, albeit a nasty one lasting longer than previously. Hopefully, the medication will keep her well for some time to come.

Odd Weather

Tags

autumn, weather

We are now into October and the temperatures at the weekend were unseasonably warm and it was muggy. The trees are holding on on to their leafy coats and we don’t have any of the usual Autumnal colours.

On the plus side, this does mean that it isn’t cold enough to contemplate heating, but it still feels strange. Night falls early, and lasts longer but temperatures are set to rise next week and the courier driver is still wearing shorts.

Walking the dog, I see trees heavily laden with berries – good for the birds, but a sign of a severe winter if folklore is to be believed. As much as I don’t like it, we could do with some cold weather to try to reset the seasons. They no longer seem distinct and I am not sure that we still have four.

Halloween will soon be upon us. When it arrives, I will have the curtains closed, the lights off and will be pretending that I am not in. It is a modern phenomenon in the UK and when I was a child, we didn’t go knocking on doors begging for sugary treats. At least the little darlings have adult chaperones and no eggs.

The British Obsession

Tags

autumn, sorting the cupboards

Is it any wonder we are so obsessed with the weather in the UK? It is difficult to believe that the week before last, we were sweltering in the heat and tonight I considered a hot water bottle. This morning, I flung open the back door to cool the house, but an hour ago I shut all the windows.

Few of the trees have started to wear their gilded coat, but everywhere I look there are shiny red berries. For the past few weeks I have been able to hear the geese gathering on the field nearby. Twice a year they visit before heading north or south, depending on whether we are in Spring or Autumn. It is a sound I love.

I enjoy the colours of Autumn, but don’t look forward to the cold of Winter. I am hoping that we don’t have very cold weather, but it is probably due.

I have been sorting my kitchen cupboards. They were a touch overdue for a good clear out. Goodness, I found some out of date stuff right at the back. I had purchased some stackable food storage canisters to replace the jars and make better use of the limited space but the pasta/rice/couscous/nuts cupboard now looks rather bare. One of the great frustrations of the kitchen cupboards, and the house as a whole, is lack of storage space and I need to try and find better solutions.

I also need to get a new front door, and had intended to do that before the weather took a downward turn. I really do need to get my act together and arrange something. It will make the house a good deal warmer.