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Rosie’sFrenchAdventuresandIrish Shenanigans.com

~ Letting ‘Life’ show me the way.

Rosie’sFrenchAdventuresandIrish Shenanigans.com

Tag Archives: Welshie

Winter days: Sunshine, Wind and Bright Blue skies

28 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by RosieJoseph in For the live of dogs, My family and other furry creatures, My home, Reflections, Simple things, The adventures of living life in the French countryside, The continuing adventure, The good life, The seasons

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

being grateful, Blessings, blue winter skies, cats, Contentment, Dogs, French Countryside, Inspiration, LIfe, Logs, Love of dogs, Nature, Rural France, Simple things, Small things, sunshine on windy days, The seasons, Trees, Welsh Terriers, Welshie, Welshies, Windy days, Winter, Winter in France, winter sunshine, writing

I am currently sitting in my spot that, it appears, so many people covet: my blue chair in the picture window of my house. I am driving Daisy the cat nuts because she chases light, and, with the brilliant winter sunshine reflecting off my iPad all around the room Daisy cannot resist the the urge to chase it; which then makes the Welshies chase her and chaos ensues. (They know their place with her though she’s also known as Daisy Pussy Upsy because she looks like a Bond Villain at times!)

Today is an incredibly windy day, with gusts of up to sixty kilometres and hour forecast. But where there is bad there is good and there is brilliant sunshine and phenomenally blue skies, one of those days that just blow the cobwebs in the mind away.

I have made the effort this winter to get out into our garden whenever possible, if only for fifteen minutes.

Since Molly died and we have started to consider moving on to pastures new, it has inspired me to treasure what I have in the here and now, with the countryside around me, and the two teddies that I am blessed to have running around my garden.

So today,after bringing in the wood I walked over to the field behind our barn on the other side of our chemin (lane in French), with two excited Welshies and Daisy the cat (she is also known as cat/dog) running around me.

I found myself just standing there looking across the garden, with the dogs snuffling, and Daisy, precariously balanced on a tree, and smiling.

There is nothing like hearing the wind rushing through the trees in bright winter sunshine, and I stood and I looked out and I took it all in.

Then I came back into the warm and shared it with you.

Let’s treasure the here and now.

Rosie

You can read our other other story about the things we went through that got us to today on my other blog.

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My mad house

31 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by RosieJoseph in For the live of dogs, My family and other furry creatures, My home, The continuing adventure

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Animals, being grateful, Blessings, cats, Contentment, counting your blessings, Dogs, Family, Happiness, Inspiration, Love, Love of dogs, Simple things, Small things, the love of animals, this crazy life, Welsh Terriers, Welshie, Welshies

I think this picture pretty much sums up the madness of our house. This is my pretty new basket, which Diddymandod has decided to make her new bed, well one of them anyway!

This is my wet washing with two cats, Molly our very old senile cat, and Daisy, now our youngest since Tilly left

one day and never came home.

This is Wiglet the Welshie, also known as Wiglet the Piglet, wub wub, because I wub her, Princess, Titties, wibble wobble wubble wibble jelly on a plate, and so many more names. I give up trying to keep throws and cushions clean in our house.

This is Harley, the cuddle bunny, my beautiful boy, who made us fall in love with Welshies. After nearly losing him two years ago I say to him every day, ‘we love him more than words can say.’

I have been busy painting our bedroom furniture this week, and because the days have been grey and wet I have had the company of two Welshies asleep on my bed, and Diddymandod, in the draw of the unit that has been removed for painting. Would I have it any other way? No. We don’t care about having to rewash the washing, or cat hairs on our clothes, or mud on the throws on the chairs; we only care about the love that all of these animals bring to our home.

We are blessed.

Rosie

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A feeling of disbelief and incredible sadness

14 Monday Oct 2019

Posted by RosieJoseph in For the live of dogs, Friends, My family and other furry creatures, The continuing adventure

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Change, Death, distraught, Dogs, France, Friends, fun, Good friends, Goodbyes, Grief, loss, Love, Love of dogs, memories, Poignant, poignant memories, rainbow bridge, sadness, shock, summer, sunshine, Swimming pools, Tears, Welsh Terrier, Welsh Terriers, Welshie, Welshies

Last year I shared a series of posts from our wonderful, crazy summer, with our friend Karen and her naughty little bundle of mischief Dylly Dyls, the puppy Welsh Terrier that had joined Karen’s life the year before. Karen blogged about the antics of Princess Wiglet and Dylan, they were best buddies, on her blog Dylans Welshie world.

We celebrated birthdays, and the world cup, hosted here in France, and the dogs had a summer of chasing each other, swimming in the pool, playing tuggies with mops (Dylan’s favourite toy in all the world) and Dylan loved riding on the lawn mower with uncle Richard, with whom she celebrated her first birthday on the same day.

The catchphrase of the simmer was ‘Dylan what have you got in your mouth.’ That puppy loved to pick Up everything, and I mean everything up in her mouth, and run with it. Sticks, socks, pants, phones, lighters, packets, you name it. Dylan was a one year old bundle of mischief.

Punctuated within all of this fun and frolic was lots of sleeping, as you do, wherever you fall.

But as autumn drew in things changed and Dylan had a new family. By the late spring she and her mum were off on a new adventure: to live in Spain with her new family and new baby sister, who although a pup was five times bigger than her. But that didn’t deter Dilly Dilly, oh no! She was top dog, and shouted at everyone as they swam in the pool. She spent hours with lots of other dogs, and life was the best.

Dylan was my friends baby, she saved her at a time when so much had changed. Along came this little, fat tempestuous puppy, who was nearly named Chubster, and she gave Karen’s life new meaning and form; and as dogs always do she gave her unconditional love, and taught Karen about giving love, and allowing herself to be vulnerable.

Last Thursday Dylan and her sister pulled down a bin bag that her loving parents thought had been put out of reach. When they were found Dylan had eaten chicken bones, and despite Karen’s determined attempts, the little bugger swallowed them. They perforated her intestines and Dylan collapsed. She was rushed to the vets where Karen pleaded with them to do all they can. But sadly Dylan died in Karen’s arms. Karen could not bring herself to tell us until yesterday, she believed that if she wrote it down it would make it real.

We spoke today, both cried together, I am still crying now. Karen? She is lost, and distraught, and caught in the grip of despair. I wrote years ago about how Harley nearly died, and how a guardian angel saved his life. That angel was Karen, Harley would not be here if it were not for her. What do you say to the person who saved your dog, but nothing could be done to save theirs? Where do you begin? Just listen I suppose, which I will always do. We feel so powerless, so weak, there are no words that can offer comfort.

Dylan had the most adventurous life in her two years of life. She spent a summer with us in France, lived in England, lived in Spain, swam in pools, met new dogs, and made people fall in love with her wherever she went. She persuaded uncle Richard to squirt cream directly into her mouth, chased cats, pulled cupboards down, and had me running after her as she ran straight into our French neighbours house. She took on cows, and sometimes Harley and Wiglet. She was such a little bugger.

She left too soon, there is nothing more to be said. But she taught us all so much, and will leave a lasting legacy, and so many memories.

I am writing this in homage of Dylan for my friend. There is nothing more I can do.

Farewell Dylan, run free on rainbow bridge my darling.

Auntie Moira

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Spring and winter

01 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by RosieJoseph in Change is a coming, My home, Simple things, The adventures of living life in the French countryside, The continuing adventure, The seasons

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

adventures, being grateful, Blessings, Change, clematis, Contentment, count your blessings, ete, French snow, French Sunrises, Friends, Hope, L'hiver, life shows the way, Love of dogs, Narcissi, Nature, Small things, snowy gardens, spring, Sunrises, Welsh Terriers, Welshie, Winter

I have said for a few weeks that I thought we were going to have an early spring. Despite it being only January my clematis have buds on them (they are being cut back tomorrow) and the narcissi and daffodils were standing tall. In fact the winter had not really been that harsh so the crocus were few and far between but that may change now!

We have been working in the garden, clearing the logs from the trees that were cut down last year; cutting back the brambles,and generally making some final headway for our plans for the future in our garden.

At times the sun has been really warm, and I said to Rich that I thought we were going to get an early spring, and I still do, despite this happening this week..

There is nothing like a Welshie in the snow to make you smile..

Harley, ever the poser. Wiglet, ever the Wiglet!

But there is still a battle going on, today the temperature had risen from -2 to 8 degrees; the snow has melted here but not in other areas, but tonight we are due to go back to -2.

I don’t care what they are, as I sit in our new seating area, with a Welshie asleep beside me, and the fire burning I am counting my blessings: not least the amazing supportive friends and family I have, including the cyber community that I interact with.

So tomorrow we are back in the garden, it’s all part of the big plan now, we’re not going anywhere. As a dear reader said to me people would give their eye teeth to live where we do, problems an all. She was right, and I am thankful.

So, enjoy our winter garden, and the beautiful sunrise I caught this week; and look forward to seeing the spring photos soon.

Have a good weekend folks.

Moisy

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Mists, mellowness, and memories…

22 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in Change is a coming, Reflections, The continuing adventure, The seasons

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

autumn, discarded toys, Dogs, garden flowers, hydrangeas, Inspiration, LIfe, Mists, Misty valleys, Reflections, Welsh Terrier, Welshie

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I was inspired to write this post because when we woke this morning, after a really hot, close night, this was the view that greeted us. The whole of the valley and the fields in front of our house were shrouded in mist, autumn is letting us know that she is on her way.

It made me smile because it was as if a full stop was being put behind the summer of fun and nature was saying that times they are a changing (to quote Bob Dylan!) We cannot hold on to anything forever and the sooner we accept that the easier out lives will become; because no matter how tight we hold on life will take it from us in the end; we have to go with the flow.

As I wandered around the garden signs of autumn were everywhere, and it all seemed really poignant as I was here on my own today. There was the pool discarded and unloved (although I hope we get to have another dip on the hot autumn days)

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The swingseat, on the leaning cherry sad and forlorn, with the cherry appearing to weep tears with it’s leaves..

 

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And discarded dog toys and the beloved mop head, now laying sad and unloved…

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The hydrangeas and clematis are having a last hurrah as the mists rejuvinate them; and they stand as a reminder that life goes on, embrace it……

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I have two sad puppies who have sulked all day because their naughty little compadre is not here with them, and some very relieved cats!

But here is to the future, thank you all for your excitement at what is to come, here is to the new season. Let’s embrace these times ‘of mists and mellow fruitfulness’……

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Moisy

 

 

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The Long Hot Summer just passed us by…..

21 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in Change is a coming, My home, People, The continuing adventure, The good life, The seasons

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

bats, blood moons, Dogs, Family, fields of gold, flowers, Friends, fun, Goodbyes, holidays, Inspiration, LIfe, Long hot summers, owls, poignant memories, red wine, stars, Swimming pools, Toads, vancances, Welsh Terrier, Welshie

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Almost ten weeks ago (all but two days) Karen and Dylly Dyls arrived for the summer. It has been a spur of the moment decision made after Karen returned to England in April and decided that she did not want to be surrounded by buildings and people, with roofs on the skyline, any more; she decided that she needed space, and the plan was hatched for her to come to France for the summer and see what life showed her.

Because, as we know, life will always show you the way – if  you listen!

And what a summer we have had: from house hunting all over the Pays de Loire, seeing sad lonely houses to grand houses with neighbours that looked as if they should be playing a banjo and sitting on a porch! The house was stunning, neighbours were creepy!

There were houses near stunning villages, with river walks nearbye, and beautiful secret gardens, and Karen came close to making an offer, but none offered this view…..

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Over the months we have all had people visit us to stay; and lessons have been taught; in that sometimes you cannot go back, where people you knew are concerned, and you realise that your life has changed you too much and you no longer have anything in common; or in some cases where people seem to think that you are a hotel, and their tour guide, chief cook and bottle washer, as well as chauffer! (It has to be said, that is the reality of taking an adventure such as this, and I really don’t know why!)

It was definitely a learning curve for Karen, she hasn’t even bought a property here yet, but it taught her what she wants and also how important it is sometimes to just say ‘No!’

We have seen each other every day during this summer of sport what with the World Cup, where Karen and I became football pundits, mainly commenting on if they had recent changes to their hair, or in one case how the England goalie looked better in green rather than yellow!  You should have seen the look on Rich’s face! We took it as an omen when France won, an omen that we were all in the right place and making the right plans.

We have had fields of gold, hay bales of orange and gold, blood red moons, ghostly moons and starry starry nights….

There has been fun in the Swimming pool, with us laying on lilo’s on hot sunny days (too hot sometimes), and I will always have memories of looking up at the blue sky and saying to Karen, “who would have thought thirty five years ago that we would be doing this now! In my garden!”

The dogs have loved the pool, not least our darling Harley, and after nearly losing him last year it was a blessing to see him barking at the side of the pool for  you to splash him. They have been on blow up aeroplanes, dunked and Dylan learnt to swim, as you can see from thr photo it wore her out!

We have had owls hooting at night, bats flying over our heads in the late evening and swallows teaching their young to fly and catch the late afternoon insects. Let us not forget the pink moths, dreaded bitey flies and the toads, one of whom scared the life out of Karen after coming into the kitchen and hiding under a bag

common-toad-bufo-bufo-crapaud-commun-france

We have visited Churches, cathedrals, castles, medievil towns and waterfalls, all too numerous to mention.

Aperitifs have been enjoyed, with our French friends,; we have had BBQ’s with friends, liquer coffees, beer, and lots and lots of red wine.

Birthdays have been celebrated…

After Jen joined us we had a holiday within a holiday, and it gave us a reminder of just who your good friends are, those who come along with you for the ride and join in. It helps you know that they are the ones that you need on your mini bus of life…..

Of course we have had the Welshies, zoomies, toys, swimming in the pools, blowing bubbles for them, and sadly sometimes some fights (but they are terriers and they love each other too.)

Right now Wiglet is laying beside me lost, she has wandered round the garden looking for her baby, and huffed and puffed because she knows that this time Auntie Karen and Dylan won’t be back down the road today.

I have not even began on the topic of the vintage furniture, vide greniers, shoe shopping and having to buy a new car – I cannot tell you how pleased I am to finally have a French registered car, we are starting to feel, finally, that we are engaging with the country in which we live, and the country that we love.

But more than anything this summer we have laughed every single day, at each other, with each other, about what we have seen, and we have never judged each other. We have just accepted each other for who we are.

We knew that this summer would be a catalyst for Karen, as it turned out it has been a catalyst for all of us, and if all the plans come together a new adventure will commence. Adventures in adventures, isn’t that what life is all about?

So yes I have cried today, we all have. Tomorrow will be weird because she will not he whizzing down the road with the Dylly monster in the car with her. I know and understand that endings are new beginnings and you have to let go for new adventures to start; but I also know that the next adventure won’t be the same (we may not have old Molly kitten with us, none of our futures are guaranteed). So it us okay to feel that poignancy when something comes to an end.

There is one thing of which I am certain though … I know we are going to have one hell of a ride and it all started with the summer of 2018…….

To good friends, and good times………

Moisy

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Tinky Tiny Tilly from Tinky Tiny land

03 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in My family and other furry creatures, The continuing adventure

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

adventures, cats, flying free, Goodbyes, Grief, Heartbreak, Kittens, lost cats, Love of cats, Reminisces, Tears, Tilly, Tinky, tiny, Welsh Terrier, Welshie

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I have thought about writing this post, because it may make things final, which I don’t want them to be. I have tears in my eyes as I type this, so forgive any typos I cannot see the screen well.

We bought this little bundle of fur home just under six years ago. So so tiny but the toughest of all of our five cats. Daisy, our black and white cat had been bullied by our rag doll cat Diddies ever since we had bought her home six months previously. It was so bad that I had to carry her everywhere with me (they are good friends now!) Then along came Tilly. I had been warned by the person who was trying to home her that she was the naughtiest of the litter, and when we bought this little bundle home we put her on the floor and she literally ran at Diddies screaming, she looked like a devil banshee all mouth and ears; and Diddies turned and ran. Daisy was watching her and marveled at her courage and confidence and from then on they became inseparable; our Black Hand Gang, and Daisy was bullied no more!

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She was not viscous just didn’t want to be handled by children, and she loved cuddles and would lay on my lap most nights being stroked and shouting at me to  stroke her some more.  Always the most vocal of our cats she would sound as if she was shouting Oh! or Yeah! at you as you stroked her, when you asked her a leading question she would say “yeah”.  She was so naughty I caught her hanging from my dress on the washing line as if it was a swing!  She was a prolific hunter.

Always one to find an additional home she decided to adopt our friends and neighbours Jo and Mike, and would saunter into their home on a whim and just look at them and shout as if to say “What are you doing in my house.” If their door was shut she would sit at the window and shout at them until they let her in.

When we walked in the door with fish and chips (a common Friday night occurrence) she would smell them from wherever she was and be in the door in minutes to share our fish with her; if you dared to not give her a bit after you had some she would put her paw on your hand to stop you having any more until she had got hers! Jo and Mike loved her so much they asked us to leave her with them when we moved to France; but we couldn’t, she was our baby.

Sadly we lost Milly our fluffball the year after Tilly joined our house so when it came to putting the cats into the cattery we had only four. The man at the cattery fell in love with the ‘Black Hand Gang’, they made him smile every day when he let them out for a play in the run. So much so he let them out for longer.

By this time we had adopted Harley and he and Tilly rubbed along together okay, he is a terrier after all so he did chase her sometimes but never did anything other than make her run. She soon learnt to turn around and front him, making her tail big, but still looking tine, but Harley knew she meant it and would just run past her.

When we moved to France Tilly was in her element, and would spend hours at the edge of the pond of the house we had rented longing to catch a fish; and she did!! She came running across the lawn with this huge fish in her mouth to show us what she had caught, the fish was bigger than her because she always stayed tiny, she had been the runt of the litter, with the most personality.

I remember one morning very early, I was sitting in the sunshine with my cup of tea and over the lawn she came with a mouse in her mouth; when I looked at her and said “I don’t want it!” she looked at me with disgust as if to say “And I caught you breakfast as well, you ungrateful cow!” and spat the mouse out on the lawn.

But Tilly being Tilly she did wander and would sometimes not return for a couple of days. Last year she disappeared a number of times and one time she did not come back for six days; Rich found her running down the drive of the Chateau that is down our lane, where children go for holidays with their schools. She was clearly being spoilt by the kids and probably the staff because she still looked like a kitten, but she still came home after Rich called her.

But the problems started when we adopted Wiglet! She is from hunting stock and decided that Tilly, being the smallest, was prey and she would not leave her. I wrote back in 2015 how our Christmas day was ruined because she nearly killed Tilly who then ran along the open shelving we had then smashing everything in her wake along the way. We bought cupboards after that!

After that Tilly had her camp on top of our fridge, and we have carried her in when she has called us for the past two and a half years; but over the past few months she has wanted to be with her mummy and daddy and wanted to be part of the family. We tried, we put the Welshies to bed at night and called Tilly in for cuddles. She has always been at home when the weather is wet or cold.

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Now we  have not seen Tilly  for a week., and this has been the longest time, and it has been generally wet and chilly; and I have a bad feeling. I reassure myself that she has reveling in living in France, and going off into the woods and across the fields. I suppose you could say,she has had a wonderful life for a cat, and that she has been luckier than most. I tell myself, we tell ourselves, that she is back in the chateau that has just re-opened its’ doors to holiday makers. I imagine her in front of a radiator or fire, or snuggled on someone’s bed saying “Oh!”

But she loves us you see and I know that she would not be able to not come home for any great length of time and I am afraid.

I tell myself that this is life, better to have had a free life, chasing all the wildlife that is out here, safe in the knowledge that she is loved by us. I know that we all go back to whence we came, and as I said recently ‘change is the only constant there is.’ But it does not stop the tears welling up in my eyes, or me looking at her bed on the fridge, or missing her sitting on the island in the kitchen every time we got chicken out!!! It was her entitlement after all!

So come home Tilly, because we love and miss you. But if you cannot then fly free my baby until we meet again, it has been a fantastic adventure with you.

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Mummy

 

 

 

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Windy washing days

15 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in The continuing adventure, The good life, The seasons

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Buffeting wind, Chickens, crafting, determination, line dried washing, Nature, petiteFrenchfancies, The Wind, Welsh Terriers, Welshie, windy weather

I may have said before, but we live right on the pinnacle of a hill.

Hence the wonderful views down the valley, the tornado that ripped through our garden, and the exceptionally high winds we have at times. Yesterday was no exception!

Now I am the type of girl that loves to peg my washing out on the line. I take great joy out of putting the washing in the washing machine dirty, and then taking it out smelling so fresh and pegging it on the line, looking so clean, there is nothing like the smell of line dried washing, it cannot be replicated. I find it relaxing watching it blow in the wind and yesterday was , I thought, the ideal day for this small pleasure.

So off I went with my bedding past the chook chooks, clucking away

Off to my lines, tied between the silver birch and the goats shed (now the Hilton Hotel for chickens!). Boy! Was it windy! I wrestled the super-king quilts onto the line and pulled them out tight. Whilst the wind blew them here there and everywhere, and me with it. The chickens were now looking at me as if to say ” WTF! She has lost it” as they clucked their disapproval at me, and the Welshie’s, running around me, barked and chased the wind, in between barking at the chooks . Chaos in the garden was underway.

But I won! The bedding was flapping away furiously with about ten pegs on each piece, making a wonderful sound, snapping in the wind.

So empowered was I off I went to put some more washing on, and start some more work on our handmade products for our Etsy shop.

But there was a problem that I had not considered, which was that my lines are held up by line props; so as I worked away, engrossed with my orange stick and sparkly treasures, the wind blew the props away from the lines and the lines dropped down, resulting in my massive quilt cover dragging in the grass.

When I looked out of the window I realised the problem, and off I went up the hill to my lines, the cover was muddy so I brought it back in for a quick wash.

Despite the setback I was undeterred, I pegged the just washed set of bedding out, making sure that each item was pegged with enough pegs that if the props dropped they would not go in the dirt again.

The wind was blowing furiously and it made me think of the story where the wind and the sun did battle, I’d swear that bloody wind was doing battle with me! But I was confident I had got it right.

But this is how my day went:

Half an hour later I look out of window, the props have blown off, additional pegs have blown off, and the washing has dropped down. I run out check it is not dirty and re-peg it, and put the props back out.

15 mins later props have blown off and sheets have dropped down so I go back out take in the sheets, that are nearly dry and peg out the newly washed load that I have got out of the machine. I know, I said to myself, I will put all the small items on this line so I don’t need to use the prop. Yey, I think, I will beat the wind. I am determined.

Now you have to remember that all this time the neighbor can see me out of her window and must be thinking ‘les Anglais!! Elle et Fouelle!” Meaning the English! She is mad!!

But I am undeterred half an hour later I take re-washed quilt cover out of machine, go back up the hill to line, buffeted by the wind, I’d swear the bastard was trying to blow me over!! The Welshie’s were barking at my feet, and doing zoomies around the garden, the chickens were clucking at me as if to say ” you are fucking mad!” I repositioned one of the quilt covers, re-pegged it, with it blowing over my head and trying to smother me, this was no an easy thing! Then I peg the re-washed quilt out on a high part of line that does not need a prop. ‘Aha! You bastard!’ I said to the wind, ‘you won’t beat me this part of the line does not need a prop.’ So I struggled, all five foot four of me, heaved this massive quilt cover over the line as the wind buffeted me everywhere and the Welshie’s barked at the now empty chicken enclosure because it was so windy they had gone in. (I could still hear them clucking their disapproval at me from in the goat’s shed.)

That’s it I had it sorted, and I was confident that there would be no more problems. Off I went back indoors, made myself a celebratory cup of tea (I know how to live!) and got on with my crafting. In fact I was so confident I put another load of washing in the machine!

The wind was getting stronger and stronger and was now hitting the house with huge buffeting gusts. An hour later, armed with the fresh washing I call the Welshie’s, who look at me as if to say “are you mad woman?! We are not coming out, it is blowing a hooley, out there!!” “We are staying in the warm.”

As I open the door the wind gives me a push and when I look at my line it is broken and my freshly washed ( for the second time) quilt cover is laying in the dirt, along with my pillow cases!!

I picked them up, and pegged my next lot of washing out on the other line, whilst the chickens looked at me in disbelief, and I’d swear I saw my neighbor laughing at the window!!!

I am not a girl who gives in easily!!

Moral of this story: Don’t ever give up, but remember you cannot beat nature!!

And , yes, my washing dried, and I only have a small amount of dirt on the quilt cover so I am going to make sure that goes on hubby’s side of the bed!

Moisy

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Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our life whole……

05 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by RosieJoseph in My family and other furry creatures, The continuing adventure

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Animal lover, Animals, Dogs, Dogs crying in pain, Dogs noses, Happiness, Harley, Important things, LIfe, Love of dogs, Reflections, Simple things, Spin Doctor, Welsh Terrier, Welshie, What is important in life

 

 

 

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Being a firm believer that life show’s us the way, and that when we don’t listen life pours it over our head in buckets to make us see what we need to see,  that is exactly what happened to us over the last three weeks.

As you know from previous posts things had been hard, we worried about money, work, bills all the things that you can overcome, that are not insurmountable but at times you let that little spin doctor in your head think they are!!; So we worried just the same and did not remember life’s lessons, that it will all come good in the end if you believe it and, do you know what, it can be worse, get a perspective!!

Therefore, because we did not listen, just after my last post on the 19th of November, Harley our beautiful Welsh Terrier became ill. He became so ill that he was, quite literally, screaming in pain one minute and running around the garden the next. But as the days drew on the running around the garden became less and he just lay in his bed. Then one day he went out in the garden and just started to scream in pain. We had no money, and did not know what to do; but we did have a guardian angel who helped us and loves Harley they told us to “just take him to the vet and do what needs to be done.”

We saw our vet who are really mainly agricultural vets, but they were lovely, gave him a thorough examination and found a bite where the skin had become necrotic and at this point he was not crying in pain at all. In fact he just wanted to get the hell out of there. So we were sent away with anti-inflammatory drugs and had to keep our eye on him. At this point our tinky tiny Tilly cat also went missing; so for four days we had a poorly dog and a missing cat and believe me we did not think about money once!! To say we were stressed to the max and crying in the kitchen without the other knowing was probably an understatement!

Our animals are our furry family,we love them all dearly and now our family was starting to fall apart.

On the Saturday Tilly came home and we rejoiced and thought good things are coming; but Harley got worse; and in the end I was putting a hot compress on his neck where the pain seemed to be. I had also looked up on the internet what the possibilities could be and knew it was likely that it was a ruptured disc or meningitis.

On the Monday we were back at the vets because our boy was in a lot of pain now and his neck was solid and hard. The vet again gave a thorough examination and called another vet to arrange an x ray; at that point, and being able to speak some French, I knew that they were discussing a ‘mass’ and were suggesting that they should refer him to what can only be described as a French supervet over an hours drive away. Being the type of girl who needs to know, because if I don’t know I cannot deal with it, I looked at the vet and asked do you think it is cancer? He nodded and said it may be. And so it all came flooding back to me, the memories of when I was faced with losing someone I loved, and the reminder that NOW I was faced with something that was not insurmountable and something that I had no control over and that all the worrying over the last few weeks had been just a complete waste of time.

The vet gave Harley a massive dose of painkiller and I took him out whilst Rich paid the very small bill and got the details of the animal hospital. I did not care that I looked like a mad woman as I walked around the town with this beautiful little dog with his tail up, not looking as if there was a thing wrong with him, bawling my eyes out; praying that he would be okay.

We bought him home in a state of shock, Harley  is only six years old.  We prayed that it was not cancer but the alternatives were equally as scary and that night I lay on the floor with him with tears falling onto the mat as I told him how much I loved him. We did not want to go to bed, did not want the next day to come because it may mean that we would not have Harley any more. But it is one of the things in life you have to do, face the inevitable, and keep moving forward.

That night as Rich and I lay in bed I just continuously said a mantra “please let Harley get better, I have so much more love to give him.” I just did not stop saying it over and over again.

The next day in the dark of a very cold and damp morning, we left at 7.15am with Harley wrapped in a blanket on my lap and the Wiglet in the back of the Smart car; because she was getting stressed now given her history. I continued with my mantra all the way to Alencon.

When we arrived at this fantastic animal hospital it was a place to behold. The reception was huge and as we waited Wiglet entertained us as she barked at every dog that came in, set them all off barking, tried to get to the cats and got stopped in her tracks by an Airedale – seriously her mouth fell open when this huuuuuuuge dog that looked just like her walked through the door, and if she could have spoken she would have said “What the Fuck!!!” Despite our fear that Little Miss made us all laugh.

When the time came for Harley’s examination the Vet found his problem straight away, and Harley was truly screaming in pain. He had ruptured a disc in his spine near to his skull and needed an MRI and emergency operation to prevent paralysis or death. My poor big husband sobbed after having to hold him while they administered the unaesthetic for the MRI.  After speaking to the vet we knew the best thing would be to leave him there but we were both relieved and terrified as we said our goodbyes to him, be was so vulnerable,  like Bambi with his front legs buckling because of the amount of drugs he had been given. The vet explained that despite all the drugs  he was still in an incredible amount of pain and we had no choice, surgery was the only option with a ten per cent risk of death or paralysis.

The next was so hard and boy did we hit the wine when at 6pm we finally found out the operation had been a success and we could pick him up the following day. I spent over two hours calling and messaging all of the people that were so worried about him.

He is now home with mummy, daddy and Wiglet, has just had his morphine patch removed and is now a frustrated Welshie who wants to chase the cats and doesn’t want to be an invalid any more. Mummy is providing drugs and physio and daddy is carrying him up and down the stairs, much to his disgust.

I always say that I try to live each day and enjoy each day, and that my dogs remind me of this because their lives are so short. Yet I think I had started to forget this and this was a wake up call for us both.

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Now people tell us we have been unlucky with what has happened to us since moving here,  but have we? I don’t focus on the negatives because here are the good:

We have a love for each other that some people search for all their lives, and for that we are blessed.

We have friends who will help us in our hour of need without question, because our dog would not be here today if it were not for them.

We have the love of good friends, our mini bus has come around and these people have got back on at a time when they need support also.

We have our beautiful animals and never least our beautiful Harley survived.

We are surrounded by beauty all around us.

Money cannot buy any of that.

We are not worrying about money or work any more, it will come good; and our little fledgling business is starting to expand, and work has come our way. Life has given us a slap around the head and told us to buck up because life can ALWAYS get worse!!!

But if you let it, it can get better too. Life taught us to remember what is important.

I love all my animals but there is nothing like a dog’s love, and boy have I been reminded of that over the last few weeks.

I am back now, sorry for my absence, I know you will understand….

 

Moisy

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