Poorly Pup (Again)

Barry has been a very poorly boy again and it's been such a worry. It was only mid-March when he last spent three days at the vets due to sickness and tummy upset and it's now early May and we're back again with a similar thing :-( Sorry if this post is a little graphic to read!

Visiting Barry at the Vets yesterday in an attempt to persuade him to eat

It started on Thursday afternoon with almost constant sickness and for the first time ever Barry refused to eat any food. This is very out of the ordinary for him, especially when he was only being offered plain boiled chicken (because of the sickness) and usually he eats this with glee. He didn't eat anything at all that night and started to look very sorry for himself by the next morning after a night of sickness too. He still wouldn't eat the next morning and when diarrhoea started which was mainly just blood I got very concerned and took him straight to the vets (it was very startling and scary to see). The vet couldn't feel any obstructions and so it was put down to severe gastroenteritis like last time, only this time called Haemorrhagic Gastroenteritis because of the blood. The vet said that fresh blood in stools isn't too worrying compared with 'coffee granules' dark blood which pinpoints problems much higher up in the digestive system but it was advised he stayed in to get him straight onto fluids and medicine to try and get him feeling better. Off he went out the back with the vet and they rang later to say that he was bright, but still some sickness and diarrhoea and therefore they wanted to keep him in overnight to keep him on the drip. I rang a few times the next day and it was the same story, though the sickness had finally stopped. On Sunday morning the vet rang and said he was much brighter but still not eating and therefore they asked us to come in and try and persuade Barry to eat.


Barry was very happy to see us and we managed to persuade him to eat a tiny amount of chicken which at least was something. Saying goodbye to him again was horrible and he howled and cried. They managed to get him to eat a small amount more yesterday afternoon and the vet rang this morning to say that it had successfully stayed down which is good. He isn't interested in eating again this morning but the vet said she's happy for Barry to come home in the hope that he'll start eating at home. So I'm off shortly to go and pick him up and I can't wait to have him home, we've really missed him this weekend.


As to the cause of his tummy troubles, it's very hard to pinpoint it as frustrating as that is. The vet says he obviously has a very sensitive digestive system and she herself has terriers and that they are more susceptible to sensitivities and are also extremely fussy (which I can vouch for with Barry!). Barry is already on a very good food (Arden Grange) and has been on that for 4 months now having changed it from James Wellbeloved a while ago to try and help his sensitivities to an even better hypo-allergenic food. The vets advised we stay on Arden Grange for now to see how he gets on and then we'll have to consider what to try next if not. Deary me, they're such a worry! I'm just glad he's ok and hope he'll be much better soon and not have anymore flare ups for a while, it's horrible seeing him so poorly.


In other news (no sickness or other messy stuff!), my parents arrived yesterday to spend a few days with us. Dad has got stuck straight into the tiling here at our house, with Jack's help. Jack and I madly spent Friday evening clearing the conservatory and ripping up the old laminate wood flooring as well as moving items off of the kitchen worktops ready for Dad to tile the conservatory floor and the kitchen walls. My parents are staying with us until tomorrow so hopefully the tiling will get finished, there may just be some grouting for Jack and I to do. I certainly can't wait to see the finished look in both rooms. I cooked a barbeque yesterday with Jack's help and it was very tasty. I made a tasty salad too and we of course had to have corn on the cob on the BBQ as that's my favourite.

Quickly took a photo last night; Dad & Jack have made a good start on our new kitchen tiles!

It was lovely spending the day in the garden with Mum while the boys were busy tiling. The tortoises have spent all weekend in their run and are very happy in their outdoor home. We just missed having Barry running around too.

We had to share our strawberries with the tortoises yesterday! They're very dusty in this photo as they've been busy digging into the little 'cave' I made them in their run

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the hot sunny weather; I can't wait to get my boy home, spend the afternoon with him snuggled up on my lap while I read your blog posts!


Have a great week all!


Em x

Lovely Bank Holiday Weekend With Family

Morning all, I hope you've enjoyed a lovely bank holiday weekend where I think the weather was pretty good considering it was a bank holiday and they can be a total wash-out.

Beautiful sunshine on Overstrand Beach, Norfolk

We loaded up the car on Friday afternoon and set off to North Norfolk to spend the weekend with my parents, brother and his partner. Usually the car journey from home to Overstrand is around four hours, but it took us well over five hours due to the volume of bank holiday traffic on the roads. I think Jack (who was driving) was rather frustrated with the constant crawling towards the end, but we did eventually reach Cromer where we picked up fish and chips for everyone from Mary Jane's (best fish and chip shop ever!) and took it back to Mum and Dad's where we ate it alongside champagne (we're not posh people, I think Mum and Dad were just very pleased to have their 'babies' home so it called for a celebration!). My brother Simon and his partner Jenna had arrived prior to us so it was lovely to catch up with them too and hear all their good news about the house they're in the process of buying. They are first time buyers so all the stress and excitement is new to them, but so far the buying process seems to be going smoothly.


We spent Friday evening having a good catch up and then we helped my parents with various jobs on Saturday to help them get ready for the garden party they had planned for Sunday. The weather on Saturday and Sunday was amazing and we can't believe how lucky we were! We all had pink faces by the end of Saturday where we'd caught the sun and it was so nice to feel warmth instead of an icy breeze. My parent's garden is so pretty at the moment; full of bluebells, tulips, blossoms, Camellias and Rhododendrons too. Jenna and I took Barry for a walk on the beach in the afternoon and it was beautiful down there and great to see lots of people enjoying the beach and sunshine. We spent Saturday evening having competitions with the Shuffleboard. I'm not sure if any of you will have heard of it, but we're all rather addicted to it now and it's great fun to play! It's a wooden table game where you push wooden discs down it and the aim is to get them through the different holes at the end of the board. I'm not too good at it but then I'm not very good at many games (I'm a sore loser!)

Sunbathing Barry - his fur is growing back slowly but surely

Shuffleboard in the sunshine

Beautiful colours in Mum and Dad's garden

The weather on Sunday was even better than Saturday and it made the party extra special for my parents. They had invited a big group of friends to come for a bbq for the afternoon and I think they all had a great time. I helped Mum with the food and we put on quite a spread. Mum's lovely friends Annie and Jenny made amazing desserts too which went down very well along with Dad's home brewed beer. Their close friend Hugh even played a few songs on his guitar including one he used to sing to me when I was very little called "The baby went down the plug'ole", look it up, very funny (lyrics here, but there are different versions and no-one is sure of who wrote it originally)! I'm glad that Mum and Dad had such a nice time with their friends and that the weather was kind to us all too. Barry was such a good boy around all the people at the party and he was very popular.

It clouded over and got a bit chilly as 6pm approached

Jack and I got up nice and early on Monday morning to take Barry for a final walk along the beach. It was low tide so you can get around the ends of the groynes rather than having to climb over them nearer the back of the beach. A fairly deep pool is always left at the end of the groyne though and Barry completely mis-judged this and ended up disappearing right under the water much to his surprise! Luckily he loves water and is a good swimmer and shook himself off before setting off again down the beach at 100mph! We then said our goodbyes to my parents, Simon and Jenna and endured another 5+ hour journey home (this time I gave Jack a rest and I drove). We eventually made it home all very weary. Sadly Jack had to go into work for a few hours so I just snoozed on the sofa in between putting on a few washes. We have a very tired pooch after all the playing, beach exploring and attention this weekend and Barry looked mighty pleased last night when we said good night and went to bed, I think Barry was asleep before we even reached the top of the stairs!

We've got a busy week ahead of us in terms of jobs to do around the house; I emptied the loft of nearly all of its contents the other weekend in order to sort through everything, throw things, bag things up for charity shops and sell other things on EBay. I've kept it all in the guest bedroom and slowly been sorting through it but now my parents are coming to stay with us this weekend I had better get a move on and finish sorting it. We've laid more loft boards in the loft so you can now walk around more easily up there and as I'm slightly obsessed with being organised, I don't want anything to just be thrown back up there and instead want to know what is in each box. My parents are coming to stay this weekend for a few days as my Dad is kindly tiling our kitchen splash back area and also tiling the conservatory floor. So he'll have plenty to do but have Jack's help too. The weather looks good this week so I'll be able to move my plants out of the conservatory too, more space again!


Finally, just a photo of my two very happy tortoises on waking up this morning to find a whole windowsill box full of home grown lettuce for them to devour! I've tried to leave it growing as long as possible and had better get some more planted ready - I'd quite like to enjoy some too, but it is a lovely treat for Squirt and Lola!

Have a good week everyone!


Em x

Horse Mad (as well as dog mad, tortoise mad and animal mad...)

I've always been horse mad and have been riding from the age of about 5, though in the last couple of years I've barely ridden as we moved to Newbury and I was only briefly helping someone excercise their horses. I miss it a lot sometimes. I don't miss it quite so much this time of year when you had to unfreeze the taps at the yard and jump from quite a height off of a horse with numb feet (it used to feel like they had shattered like ice!) There's nothing quite like exploring the countryside on horseback though and it was definitely one of my favourite parts.

Jumping with Sparky - 1999

I used to do a lot of schooling and jumping on my old pony Jack; he was a Dark bay Dartmoor Pony and super speedy! He loved jumping and loved a race too. We had a great bond and when I think back to all the crazy things my friends and I used to do on our ponies (like pretend to ride side-saddle... without a saddle!), I suppose you're fearless then. We had great fun and I know I was very lucky to have a pony to ride and attend riding lessons - my parents always said my brother and I chose the most expensive sports/hobbies; me horse riding, Simon chose golf and football.

Jack all suited and booted before we were off to a local show - 2002

 

Back in 2004 it was time to admit defeat where Jack was concerned and move onto something a bit bigger. Jack was only 12.2hh and it was getting to the point where my feet were catching on jumps and I could touch my toes under his barrel belly! He'd have continued to hold my weight for a long while; Dartmoor ponies used to carry men and equipment down into the mines years ago and are a very sturdy British breed, plus I was always very petite anyway. I did however want to make the move onto a horse, though initially getting used to the change in speeds of gaits was very strange (I was used to do rising trot pony-style, aka very quickly, whereas it was much more comfortable on a horse). Flash had come to our yard a few months previously mainly as a companion for the yard owner's ex-racer, but when I was offered the chance to ride him I couldn't wait. Flash was a big change from little speedy Jack; Flash was a Fleabitten Grey 15.2hh big fat slow cob but with a very loveable personality.

 

Day 1 with Flash - 2004

 

I looked like a flea on his back to begin with, rode with my stirrups far too short and booted him like mad around the arena while he plodded on swishing his tail! It took a LONG time to get his fitness up and it taught me a lot too. Soon I discovered a way to perk Flash up; going on hacks. He loved being out in the countryside and his ears would flick back and forth as he trotted along happily. He was never spooky which was great (except one time my Mum rode him and he decided to throw her out of the side door!), but he went from one extreme to the other.... If I went for a hack with my friends on their ponies and we broke into canter then Flash just thought it was a race and would gallop off with me, knowing full well I was nowhere near strong enough to stop this huge horse! I can remember doing a whole lap of the field once and eventually my friends catching up, only for me to jump off Flash, give him a whack while I was in floods of tears and make him walk all the way home beside me as punishment - only the punishment was that it was a long walk for me instead - I soon learned! We did eventually install better brakes on Flash in the form of a stronger bit and curb chain and eventually my strength built up to pull him up a bit more (or at least ask him...) - to this day we still call my arms my "Flash muscles".

 

Far too short stirrups! 2005

 

It took quite a few years but eventually Flash and I had a fantastic bond, he was my world and I used to cycle to the yard (in the next village) almost every day to see him and ride him until I passed my driving test, or just pop up to give him a carrot and a fuss. He used to love lying his head on me in the field where I'd sit with him for hours in the summer, or letting me warm up my hands under his rug in the stable in the winter. Before long we were amazing a few people at the yard by doing a few jumps and Flash always tried his hardest for me. Our main love was always hacking though and in the latter days that was what we always stuck to.

 

2006

 

Flash was about 14 years old when I first started riding him and as he approached his twenties it was clear that he was struggling with arthritis so we took a more sedately pace on hacks, mainly just to stretch his legs which always helped. He was always on his toes though and he especially liked it when I would hack him to our house in the next village where Mum would feed him a carrot through the living room window (Flash enjoyed eating said carrot while checking out his reflection in the window!). Dad's dismay was clear when he found the slightly sunken hoof marks in his lovely front lawn, but I don't think he minded too much. At one time we had 4 of us on the front lawn - the neighbours even came out for a look!

 

Taken from my bedroom window - Flash having a snooze at the back!

 

The time came when work and studying commitments were taking over and so I made the decision to stop riding Flash, so the yard owner retired him into a lovely big field with some companions where he could gorge on grass as much as he liked! I eventually moved to Newbury with Jack but would always pop and see Flash each time we were back that way. Eventually it was evident that Flash's arthritis was getting particularly bad and it was a worry each winter as to how badly the cold weather would affect him, so in the summer of 2014 the decision was made to put him to sleep. I went and said my goodbyes which was incredibly hard, but Jack and my Mum came with me to say goodbye too. He still whinnied for me that day and I gave him lots of polo mints and carrots. I miss him so much sometimes, but during almost a decade with him I know we had a great time and I gave him lots of love.

 

2009 - such a handsome horse

 

Flash's picture now has pride of place on the wall near our stairs in the house; Jack took the below photo of me on a hack (back in 2011) and I so loved how the photo came out with the oak tree too. One day I hope to have a horse of my own again and only hope he is half the horse my lovely Flash was :-)

 

Em x

 

 

British Wildlife

I've read no end of articles lately saying how endangered our wildlife is here. It's predicted that hedgehogs will be extinct within ten years which is quite scary. We had one visiting our garden every evening which we loved as they're funny to watch, listening to them sniffing around. Not only that but we have A LOT of slugs in our garden and they relished them! We always keep Barry away when we knew the hedgehog was in the garden as I know many hedgehogs are attacked by dogs (which ultimately is instinct for a dog). Sadly it's now been a month since our prickly friend visited us and I believe he/she has probably been run over in the village. Our village is quiet in terms of traffic but I've seen a number of poor hedgehogs by the side of the road (sadly they're not very road-savvy in rural places).

 

 

 

There are lots of other British wildlife species that suffer too so hopefully a few of my photos will help refresh our memories on why British wildlife is so important. If ever I get a smallholding I'd like to dedicate an area of land just to wildlife. It doesn't take much (most of us already have feeders, wildflowers etc. in the garden to give wildlife a helping hand) and it's nice to know you're doing something for nature. I always buy my wild bird feed from RSPB too as all profits go straight back into conservation of British bird species. They also have a fantastic shop if anyone gets a chance to pop by, they have some brilliant Christmas present ideas and their prices are reasonable. A link to the shop is here.

 

Anyway, here's a few photos I've taken over the years in various places around the country. There's still lots of wildlife I'd love to see, to name a few;

• Deer - especially during rutting season, the stags' antlers are so impressive
• Red squirrel - I'm yet to see one in the wild!
• Golden Eagle - planning a trip to Scotland next year to see these magnificent birds
• Water Vole - I find these little creatures fascinating and have seen them before in the wild but sadly not to get a photo

I must get out with the camera more :-)

 

This is still one of my favourite photos - I took this at RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes, Cambridgeshire. I'm sure the Kestrel is gesturing her warning with that mouse!

 

 

This took a lot of patience and a lot of sitting very still!

 

I love this frosty photo

 

Coming in to land

 

Encouraging my photo subjects with some tasty mealworms!

 

Not fantastic photo but these Hares were quite a long way off in the field behind our house

 

Beautiful Red Admiral Butterfly

 

Scandinavian visitors; Waxwings. The first time I've ever seen these beautiful birds and they were perched in our front tree!

 

 

What is your favourite British wildlife species?

 

What wildlife visitors do you get to your garden?