Icky!

I had a day off from blogging yesterday and you got to see and hear all about the puppies back in the UK.

I didn't really do anything yesterday except for work. I did manage to get outside for the odd break with Rambo though and I got him playing with the oversized, bottom heavy Kong. Very funny, as he can just about manage to carry it.

Huge Kong

I did a watering round and spent some time in between files to look around at the growing vegetables. Some are coming along better than others, but at least they have not died!

So in this tray I can only remember that there is cabbage and cauliflower and the third lot may be broccoli, if memory serves me right.

Various veg

In the raised hot beds the sweetcorn has really made great progress too.

Corn

The fastest growing thing I have at the moment is the onion bed. I cannot believe how quickly these have shot up. I cannot wait to taste one!

Onions

And of course, let's not forget the one crop I will be especially proud off if they come good.  SPUDS!

Potaaaaatoes

It is surprising that after the winter we have had that anything actually survived at all. This Clematis is still growing strong. It really has come to life in the last week or so.

Clematis

Whilst looking at the Clematis, I noticed something flapping in the wind that seems to insist on blowing every day at the minute. This beautiful and rather large moth, at around two inches.

Beautiful moth

So that was yesterday. Now today, without the men around to keep me on the go I have basically sat at my desk and typed from 7am to 5pm. I did go down again to see Rambo this afternoon and I realised that he had something on his face. At first glance I thought it was mud from his puddle as it looked like drops of clay coloured dried soil. After a closer inspection I realised that it was something more. After some deliberation and finally getting a decent photo, Twitter kindly told me that they were ticks! Excellent. I love being here alone and getting all the icky stuff happen with nobody else to help me deal with it - no, really! He has two on his cheek, one on his lip and I am not sure that there isn't one attached to his eyelid, it looks small but it could be. I am also not sure if they would, could or have burrowed into his inner lip. Good grief, poor Rambo!

Urgh!

I have watched the "How to remove ticks" videos until I could do it blindfolded. The problem isn't really getting them out, it is getting him to sit still in order for me to get them out. No chance. Having had a good look around him I am convinced that there are just too many and mostly in very difficult areas, so tomorrow I will take him to the vets in our local town and he can deal with them. I managed to scoot out earlier this evening to try and find some treatment for them but the best I could find was a tick collar and I am not sure how effective this will be, if at all.

I really cannot work out where he has picked so many up from and my only thought was the lake, but I don't know if they congregate around water or not. I'm not up on tick habitat.

I am feeling very stressed about this, as you can imagine. I am really not good with all of this and would like now for the Mr to come back.

Signing off now and going to try to get an early night.

Leka nosht.

A x