Where does the time go?

Strawberry plant coming back to life,
April 2012, Lesley Beeton

I have asked myself this question twice today. Once, because I meant to reply to an email last week and completely forgot, and secondly because I'm putting the finishing touches to the month end, quarter end and year end accounts. Ouch! Not my favourite time of year, hence I'm distracting myself with all sorts of things I shouldn't. I'm designing our new bathroom. I have chosen the furniture design and tiles and marked out the bathroom with masking tape. Don't stand on the tape when you go to the loo! I've also bought my birthday present. I shouldn't have really. My husband did want to buy it for me, but I was in the right place at the right time, and I've got what I want. Now I have to put it away for three weeks. I've also been blogging and gardening.

The 'boys' have kept me pretty busy too. The recent fine weather brought out a few loonies to the Woods. One lot even offered us a bit of German sausage! We declined. There has been an increase in the number of poo(h) sticks. I know, Pooh sticks is a game played by honey bears and donkeys and piglets in the woods. I mean of course, poo bags on sticks in the woods. But I am easily amused. I'm told that it will all degrade over time, but why can't people just clear up after their dogs?

Occasionally, my lovely Boxers will be disgusting dogs; like the time the big big dog pee'd on my leg in his excitement at going on a new walk. But yesterday, was really awful. They had been on a lovely run across the farm, and had a drink from the bird bath, then decided to run at full speed, which prompted a vomit - into my slipper, when I was wearing it! I screamed so loudly my husband rushed over thinking I had broken my leg! I don't do vomit, or dead mice but that's another story.

When I was growing up in South Africa we had a splendid tortoise as a pet. Meat Pie was his name. He was fond on tomatoes. And he would come when called. I recall my Dad doing mouth to mouth on him after he fell in the swimming pool. We then dried him out in a low temperature oven. He came round with a cough and a splutter and is still going strong in a reptile park near Johannesburg. We think he is close to one hundred years old. *The action shot below is a fun 'on dog' demonstration of 'hardandfast' the British Heart Foundation promotion for hands-only CPR. Check out the Defibrillator Club here.

Hands-only CPR demonstration, for fun only!

The neighbour and I saw off a strange fellow asking for scrap metal. The 'boys' were pretty vocal too. The Village suffers from opportunistic burglaries. Many of us met up on Friday night to chew over the village issues. It was a fun evening in the Pub. I don't think anything was decided but it feels like everyone wants to do something. One of the village matriarchs was propping up a bar stool . I had never met her before. She is a bit fierce, but mostly friendly, I think.

On the dog walker training, we have made some progress. It's amazing what a bit of steak can do for Boxer motivation. We will know tomorrow if we have been successful; when the dog walker turns up I expect two Boxer dogs to jump in the back of the van. Only a few weeks to go now before they go to Kennels.

Gosh, well that is a lot of news, look at the time! Don't forget to read Jill Spain's guest post before you go.

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