Bin done

It's Wednesday again. It was team work. I emptied the bins round the house and tied off the bags, leaving them in the hall for Jen to stick in wheelie bin and drop down to the road on her way to work. What does Jen do? Steps round the bags and goes.
I caught her before she drove off and she popped the bags in the bin for me and trundled it down the drive to the road edge. Thanks Jen!
I was reading friends' messages on FB today talking about fresh snow in Scotland today! Sitting here looking out at bright sunshine and spring flowers blooming it's hard to imagine. It is not that far from Scotland to the south coast but our little island has a diverse climate and very regionalised. What would we have to talk about if it was always warm and sunny every day?

I had some sad news at the weekend. One of my Canadian friends died on Saturday. He'd had major heart surgery in April 2007 and came through that really well but contracted C-Diff in post op hospital care. It took a heavy toll on him and messed up his digestive and urinary systems, causing continual problems. His quality of life has steadily diminished over the years and the final straw was being diagnosed with lung cancer just before Christmas.

Glen and me in 2007

It was quite a blow to get the news and we knew from what Carol said that time was fast running out for Glen. She had him home to care for him with visiting support and specialist equipment to help move him, but it was hard going for her. His doctor suggested a spell of respite care in a home for 3 weeks to give Carol a break and a chance to rest a bit, and they transferred him in an ambulance Friday. Saturday he said goodbye to the world. RIP Glen.

Another friend has just heard his brother and his wife have been found buried in the rubble of their apartment block in Christchurch, NZ. Full marks to the police and Salvation Army for tracing my friend, who had no idea his brother was there.
It may not be front page news any longer, but the suffering and mourning still goes on for the residents of Christchurch. Please spare a thought for the hundreds of people whose lives have been affected by this disaster.

On a lighter note, Honey is sunbathing! At this time of year the sun is at the perfect height and angle to shine straight into the lounge giving a large sunny area for a couple of hours. She has dragged her rug and duvet into the sunny zone and is stretched out enjoying the warmth on her tummy. A tough life eh?
She met one of her friends last night, Solo, a big white poodle. He is totally pampered and spoilt (like Honey) and it's like royalty meeting when they get together - the Prince and Princess of the doggy world LOL But they did seem genuinely pleased to see each other. Honey likes Solo because he wags his tail in greeting and doesn't make a nuisance of himelf by sniffing her all over. They have a quick mutual sniff then go off together sniffing the grass side by side - just pals.

Honey is quite picky about dogs she's friendly with, and she had a nice time at the weekend meeting another 'buddy' called Paddy. He is a big greyhound who had a nasty accident a few years ago ending up with a hind leg amputation. He moves very well on 3 legs and seemed very relaxed with Honey, even venturing quite close to me, which is rare for him as he is very wary of people. Maybe Honey told him I was ok and safe to be near. I passed on Toby's old fleece coat to Paddy because his owner had problems getting a coat big enough for him. Most of the greyhound coats are thick and warm but a bit stiff and it was hard to get a decent coat big enough to stay put on Paddy with his post amputation body shape. (Toby was John's old greyhound who used to stay with me quite often) The soft fleece coat works a treat, moulding to Paddy's body shape and keeping him warm, yet still light and stretchy so he can move easily. Honey loves hers and is always happy to wear hers. It's only one layer of polar fleece but it enough to retain body heat and keep the cold at bay. Maybe I should knit Honey some leg warmers too for next winter! If next winter is anything like this last one she'll need them to keep warm.

Enough of winter talk - Spring has sprung round here! Yayy! Make the most of the sunshine if you have it too.
xxx