The home stretch

I am sat here, Sunday early evening, trying to work up the motivation to tap out my words about this week; I've been feeling quite tired and drained for the last few days and it has come to a head today with me just having woken from an hour’s kip which could very well have extended right through the night. I think I am going to try and be sensible this week coming up and have naps during the evening rather than forcing myself to stay awake and watch the girls. Anyway, enough of that, what about last week.

I don’t have to go back as far this time as it was bank holiday Monday so I covered most of that last week. The only things I do have to add are the two videos above, obviously of the girls, doing what they do best which is being awesomely cute. First of all you have Thelma who has taken to chasing her tail and secondly is an example of just how hard they sleep; Thelma had shifted and rolled Louise onto her back but even the really unorthodox position she ended up in didn't wake up her in the slightest. Bless them.

 

The girls want to help me while I work, or something

Tuesday was another work from home day for me as I was expecting deliveries which I hadn't been able to arrange for Monday. I was up and at it quite early after the girls woke me, as usual, wanting their morning evacuation time and my plan to work from the office, while leaving them in the kitchen, fell at the first hurdle as I didn't have power to my desk up there and finding and running a fourway was just too much effort to contemplate. This meant that I had to endure much puppy dog eyes as I attempted to ignore them while working. They aren't actually that distracting most of the time it is just when they decide they want to be on my lap and start flinging themselves at my legs that it becomes difficult.

 

Final bottle

The deliveries arrived through the day and by the end of it the front room looked a little more like a sorting office than it had done; only a few more weeks, though, and all of this will be packed into the trailer and we’ll be on our way home again. I am very VERY excited about this as you can tell. Or maybe you can’t but believe me I am counting the seconds until I can be back over there. One landmark occurred that evening in that I opened the final bottle of Zagorka (the summer beer which A prefers) which leaves me with two bottles of my Kamenitsa Tumna and then I am dry of Bulgarian beer. We did judge that shopping trip to perfection but sorry to Bob who had originally placed the order for the Zagorka; I’ll buy you a few more when you’re over in the summer.

 

Another broken tree in the back garden

There had been quite a strong storm during the night Monday and Tuesday day which had caused more damage to the trees in the back garden. It was making me a little nervous of the groaning and cracking sounds coming from the huge fir tree in next door but as I type this (actually sat outside while the girls play in the garden) that tree is still standing and is straight as ever. I have now proven without a doubt that Louise is massively effected by the weather and hates it when it is raining. She was most unhappy every time I got them to go outside during the storm, creeping up the side of the garden under the shelter of the hedge and slinking around with her tail between her legs. She even ran away a couple of times when I opened the back door. The proof of her feelings happened when, unlike every other time she wants to go outside when she asks, she just curled a big poo right in the middle of the living room floor; I am convinced this was only so she didn't have to go out in the rain. Of course I told her off, rubbed her nose in it, then made her go outside anyway.

 

Destructive little buggers, those two

While I was tidying up after sorting through the deliveries I found another casualty of the girls in Mr Pig who was minus one ear. The missing appendage I discovered in their bed and so rescued with a vague idea of mending it however this has yet to happen. They are not exactly short of toys to play with so it can sit on the side for the while.

 

Carefully wrapped up

Now A is convinced that I did not do this myself but I promise you I did; I got the wrapping paper I had bought the other day and get her pressies together and wrapped them up really carefully. I was a bit shocked that the paper ran out when it did and only just had enough for these two parcels so I will be going back to get more to finish off the other little bits and pieces but if you knew me well you would know just how rare it is that I bother to wrap up anything; normally just shoving it in a carrier bag and handing it over is enough. To be fair wrapping paper is a waste but in this case it will be staying wrapped up until August so it won’t be ripped off straight away.

 

Slinking along in shelter from the rain

Wednesday it was back to the office again but that isn't so bad as I really get on with the people I work with. The girls had enjoyed having me around so much but they were back to the routine of being shut up until lunch time. The storm that I mentioned before was still around a bit and it was still raining when I took let them out over the lunch break and you can see, in Louise’s body language in this picture, just how much she doesn't like the weather. She is hunched over and her tail is firmly between her legs. Thelma, on the other hand, was bouncing around loads.

 

The sky pretty much all this week

The evening was taken up first of all by the second vets trip. Contrary to normal behaviour they were super excited as soon as they realised where they were and it was quite hard work to keep them under control while we waited to see the vet. There was a delay as an emergency case had come in and was under a general anaesthetic. Eventually we were called in and they were weighed, given their second round of puppy jabs, and then had their chips inserted. Neither of them gave as much as a peep as the huge needle was shoved into them however they both came to me for comfort after – the vet is now not their favourite person. As we left a bigger dog came in and barked at them which scared them a bit; this is something I need to keep an eye on as I don’t want them to become scared dogs. When I got home I realised that the girl on reception had mixed their names up on the paperwork so I will need to get that changed.

 

Superb evening meal that I was really ready for

The second part of the evening was a really pleasant visit from Lee who was over this way for a meeting and combined that with coming to meet the girls. He was, of course, charmed by them and impressed with how obedient they can be. It was lovely to spend time chatting and catching up with everything at his end as well as informing him about my news and the time passed very quickly before he had to go or be late and I was by that time pretty hungry so ready for my dinner. The vet had expressed not concern but a slight comment about Louise’s weight and so I was a bit more insistent on her eating this evening. My plan to add the meat to their diet foundered on my own tiredness as I forgot but they did both fill right up to little barrel bellies and then dozed off until it was bed time.

 

New phone arrived

Thursday was a bit of a strange day in that I got to the office and then realised that my new mobile phone was due for delivery “before 2pm” so after my morning meeting I packed up and went and worked from home until lunch time. The phone actually arrived mid morning but by that time there was no point in walking back only to return for the puppies at lunch. I had another few deliveries arrive anyway so staying worked out for the best and the afternoon in work went well as well; I am very lucky to have such a flexible  workplace and this flexibility is shown in that I am pretty sure I will have the extension to continue working there while I am in Bulgaria which is my ideal.

 

Cheese board, bread and olive oil, and meat tray

Loz's suggestion: Squid - gorgeous!

Potatoes Alioli

Lee's addiction: Chorizo lollipops

My impulse: Prawns on Mushrooms

Iberico burgers

I rushed home from work dead on four as I had a very busy evening lined up. I was stood out in the garden with the girls having not really noticed the time when I spotted that Loz had not yet arrived and we were about to become late. I text him then didn't realise that he was actually waiting at the door having knocked and I myself was not fully ready to leave. No matter I got my shiny shoes on, said goodbye to the girls, and we headed into Manchester to meet up with Lee again for a lovely Spanish tapas meal at aposh restaurant. We made it in time, actually beating Lee, and seated ourselves and when Lee arrived a short while later ordered a good selection of food which you can see in all the pictures above.

 

Raising a glass to an excellent evening

It was an absolutely outstanding evening with excellent food, wonderful service and perfect company and we sat and laughed and munched and were still hungry after all the food shown above so we ordered more cheese and meat which really finished the whole thing off very well indeed; if we hadn't ordered that we would have just wanted to go back and start again I think. The only downer was some bad news I received which brought tears to my eyes and very much love to you both if you read this.

 

Awesome Gin & Tonic courtesy of Lee

After we finished eating there was some discussion about what we would do next, considering that Loz had driven and couldn't have any more beer, but we adjourned quickly downstairs where Lee got me one of the lovely Gin and Tonics that he had told me about. It really was rather marvellous and reminded me that I have to buy more Botanist from Bruichladdich when I am up there in a couple of weeks.

 

Four different beers

Designated driver face

From there we went on to Brewdog where Cat and Ryan joined us for a drink, and me and Lee had one of their excellent tasting selections where you get five glasses of 1/3 of a pint of each beer while Loz sulked his way through a couple of Lemonades. It was a shame that the public transport is so bad that we couldn't rely on it but the last train home is at 9.30 which is way too early to finish a night like this. After we had finished the drinks I called an Uber cab to take us back to the car which we had left near John’s flat so we could avoid having to drive in the centre. This ended up being a really fortuitous timing as just when we got out of the cab there was John and Magda sorting their bins out so we went inside for another drink (poor Loz on coffee) before heading home. What a lovely evening that was.

 

Clever puppy managing to climb onto me

I attempted a lie in on Friday, it having been 2am by the time I got into bed, however there is really no chance of that with those two little girls waking up and scratching at the door at 7am. I still had my eyes shut when I took them outside and it is a wonder I didn't fall down the stairs. Remarkably I had no hangover though I was tired so I set myself to work and managed to get quite a lot done before the hangover finally appeared around lunchtime. I killed it with pills, though. The girls had no sympathy and took to trying to get on my lap through most of the morning; here is Louise proving that she can get up there with no help at all, wriggling up my legs and underneath the laptop. Thelma is by no means capable of this yet and throws herself in hope rather than expectation.

 

It's a puppies' life

The day dragged in the end what with me being so tired and headachy from the night before but by the end of it, a little later to finish than usual, I had managed to ship the code I have been working on for a week or so which was a very satisfying end to the day. I actually stayed up a little later than planned as I didn’t notice the time while playing Civilisation but the girls had the right idea, snoring away laid on my lap and I do wish I had taken the hint slightly earlier.

 

Louise turned as I took the picture

Because of the lateness of the night before, I had also fed the girls late, they actually let me have a lie in until nearly 8am which is unheard of. They were still sleeping when I disturbed them to go to the toilet myself but sadly after waking them up they refused to settle again so that was the end of that. Rather than lay in bed and ignore them I dragged myself complaining from my pit and set about the jobs that were urgent that morning. First of all it was the washing which I put on before even feeding the girls. They were most interested in the sound it made as it started spinning but did manage to get their food down them and their bellies became very round indeed.

 

Puppy mirror, so I can see them while I am driving

I then set the girls in their cage in the car while I put their sun-blind on their window, set out the puppy mirror and ran the cables around the cable tidies for the phone so I can listen to music, and checked the oil and put air in the tyres.  I am now both ready for the Islay trip and was ready for my trip that day, down to see Cjc and Fi.

Chewing on the raw hide

Because we had been up so early I had plenty of time and there was no rush to leave so I made a lovely bacon and egg butty and then settled down with a book and read while watching the girls playing. They spent quite some time on the rawhide which John had given them on Fight Night and it is most amusing to give them two pieces and watch them fight for the one the other currently has. Louise is most amusing as she gets quite aggressively protective of any small bit she is trying to eat and gives very short very sharp warning growls if Thelma goes anywhere near her.

The drive over to Cjc and Fi's was really rather lovely, going over Derbyshire via Buxton, but I didn't stop to take any pictures as I left at exactly the time to get me there when I was aiming. There was one particular view which I do wish I had photographed where the valley swept away to the distance with many different shades of green from the trees, bushes, hedges and fields and scattered liberally throughout were the splashes of colour from cherry trees now in full blossom. It was lovely and I enjoyed the whole drive, singing along to Genesis while the girls slept the whole way. When I got there I found my text with my planned time of arrival had not been delivered and they weren't quite ready but it wasn't a problem as I just sat in the back garden and let the girls run around. Pretty soon I was joined by Fi and we spent a very enjoyable time (though slightly chilly as the sun was behind clouds most of the time) sat there drinking tea and laughing at the girls as they chased each other, leaves, each other holding leaves and anything else that took their fancy.

 

It was as overwhelming as it looks, but we finished it

Eventually it got too cold for us, and it was lunchtime anyway, so we got everything together and drove to a pub they had found which wasn't just dog friendly but positively welcoming; it even had a bowl of dog food next to the standard water bowl by the bar. The food for humans was really good as well and I agreed to join Cjc in a sharer desert which when it arrived was absolutely amazing; basically a huge cookie covered in chocolate sauce, marshmallows, popping candy and with dollops of ice cream. It did take some getting through but we got there in the end. With the weather not being great, and there being cats in their house, we stayed at the pub until it was nearly time for me to head back and the girls got their usual attention from serving staff and passing customers alike. Eventually we packed up and I dropped them off before heading back over the same lovely route as I had arrived, this time rocking out to Machine Head, and got home in good time.

 

Not really a puppy sized stick, but never mind

When I got home the sun was out and it was lovely and warm in the garden so we went straight out there for a fair while. Earlier in the week the girls had found a really large stick from somewhere and had amused me all week playing with it, though I had never been able to get the camera in time to capture them. This time, however, I was ready and got loads of pictures as they dashed around dragging it after them. It is about five feet long but they have no trouble carrying it around, shaking it and playing tug of war with it. I also had a really lovely time on Skype with A and my new phone came into its own as I was able to wander around outside in the sun while talking to her. I wish I was over there now.

Once again I totally forgot to put the meat in their dishes when I served them their dinner however I remembered in time to retrieve them, split the tin in half, and observe the results. It was really quite interesting as Louise devoured her meat without touching the normal dry food while Thelma ate a lot of the dry food before even looking at the meat. In the end they both finished it all, and a fair amount of dry food as well, and I count that as a definite success. From now on they will have meat with their evening meal and I am also going to give them a small amount of food at lunchtime. I really do need to get them to put some weight on before we go to the vet for the final time for their rabies vaccinations.

That wasn't very clever

Sunday morning started off with a bit of a bang as I opened the curtains in the front room and the rail fell off the wall. Inspection revealed that the plaster has collapsed around where the screw was in the wall so it isn't going to be a quick fix. This prompted me to gather my wits, get a list, and head out to the shops where I bought a new drill, some bits, and a few other items that I knew I needed including boxes for the whisky festival and a load of AA and AAA batteries for that and the journey back to Bulgaria.

 

New bed that makes lots of interesting noises

On the spur of the moment I went into Pets at Home and came out laden with stuff for the puppies, and a couple more kongs for Rambo so he doesn't have to feel left out. I bought a new waterproof bed and some proper dog “tie out” points so if it is nice weather on Islay I can hitch the puppies next to my bivvy and let them sleep in the open if they wish. Here they are in their new bed which they aren't quite sure about yet (as I type this, late now on Sunday, they are snuggled fast asleep in their old bed but they have spent some time jumping in and out of the new one so there is hope).

 

Puppy attack and loving it

I had a bit of time before I was heading out for my “gallivanting” for today so I read but missed the time and actually left a bit late which is very unlike me. No matter I managed to find the place I was meeting Cat and Ryan without problem though parking took me some time as I couldn't work out which side of the canal I wanted to be on. Eventually (after crossing the bridge four times) I ended up on the right side and went and found them. It was just about warm enough to sit outside which was good and we had some nice food (washed down with two very tasty strawberry milkshakes) and it was a really lovely relaxing afternoon disturbed only by the masses of people who wanted to meet the girls. This isn’t a problem except you need to know when you are outstaying your welcome and one particular woman stood there for ages cuddling Thelma and it felt quite awkward in the end. The much more welcome guests were the farmers (two different ones) who came over to say what good ratters they look like which is very nice to hear indeed. There was one other very amusing moment when Thelma got out of their bed, walked under my chair to my leather jacket that I had put on the floor, and proceeded to have the biggest wee I have ever seen her do right on it. This is why you have a leather jacket, though, as it just ran off and I was able to rinse it when I got home and there is no smell at all. What a cheeky monkey though! She had the whole beer garden to wee on!

And so, after feeding the girls (more meat success) and spending lots of time playing with them to distract me from typing, I come to the end of this week’s opus. When I finish typing this I will take the girls upstairs and then come down and tidy; I need to mop and hoover and clean in general as I haven’t done recently enough and I am starting to smell “dog” in the house. Cleaning at 10pm on a Sunday, whatever has come of me?