Saying goodbye to a friend

We came home from Glastonbury early as I wanted to attend the celebration of the life of Ann.
Ann, a loving wife, a devoted mother and grandmother.
Ann, my friend.
I will send the last words you said to me Ann, back to you.... You are in my Heart Ann. ❤❤❤

Rafi on Tor 30th July to 1st August

30th July
Really this is three days worth of blogging in one post as the internet signal was way off, very intermittent.
We left early on Tuesday morning for Somerset and arrived just before lunch. Even though the journey its self is only about two and a half hours we had a long coffee stop to allow Rafi half an hour out of his crate, as he decided he didnt want to go to the loo before we left.
After setting up the caravan and having a cup of tea we went and got some shopping then andy went to Hamwall nature reserve while Rafi and I set off on a 'one and a half hour walk', we took a photo of the 'map' that was at the site suggesting walks in the area and left. Clearly some of the paths were extremely over grown and the map was definitely not to scale! It was very hot but looked as if it was going to rain again so I had my waterproof so added to the temperature I had the extra bonus of a jacket! I mentioned at the top of this post that internet was a tad sketchy well so was any signal. Periodically I would get a signal and be able to get a map up on my phone which allowed us to eventually get back to our campsite.
When we arrived back, three hours later, my husbad had just pulled in, in the car.
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and reading ...and watching the sheep steal apples and leaves from the trees in the orchard.
31st July
Woke up early, due to me forgetting to turn off my alarm! Doh! I got dressed and took Rafi for a quick pee walk while my husband did tea and breakfast.
When we were ready we got in the car and went for a drive, amoungst other places we went were Cheddar Gorge and another nature reserve which I forget the name of, Rafi found a hollow tree to explore and was "buzzed" by several drone like Dragonflies of various colours and sizes.
Back a the campsite we had a cup of tea and gave Rafi his dinner before heading out to Glastonbury Tor, we parked in the town and walked up the Tor to the Oratory at the top, the views were incredible, probably made even better by the strange smells we kept getting whiffs of coming from small groups of people sat along the pathway!! Once we had walked back down again we got fish and chips and sat eating them with  the Tor as our view. Once we had eaten we wwnt back to the caravan and sat reading and drinking.....Somerset Cider of course.
Great way to spend a Birthday.
1st August
Lazy morning, I remembered to cancel the alarm, then when we were up and had breakfast I decided to go for another walk, this time taking a photo of a real map! Rafi and I set off while my husband went back to Hamwall again to see if he could see one particular bird.
Our walk was both more and less successful than the first days walk as in, I had a great map and knew where I was going but the footpaths on some were obviously rarely used and seriously overgrown with Stinging nettles and brambles meaning both Rafi and I struggled to get through. Once back we had a cup of tea and sat out reading in the sun. When my husband got back he had bought some scones and cream, we already had some jam, we had a cream tea for lunch then packed up the caravan and set off for home.

Rare Breeds

Its been over 3 years since I was at the Weald and Downland Museum, except for one day when I went to say goodbye to the lovely Bayleaf Neville.
It felt quite strange walking in, it felt even stranger having to pay! I was a volunteer there for over 10 years, helping with the three shire horses and the other animals and being first aid cover for the many events they held.
This time I was a member of the public, taking my two granddaughters for a day our to their rare breeds show.
The first stop had to be the stables to say hello to Mac, the only remaining shire on the site, they now have two Percherons called Ollie and Kash to help Mac with the work load.
It was a lovely surprise to bump into another of the volunteers who I used to work with, she was also at the show socially and wandered with us for a while.
Rafi was very well behaved considering there were so many people, new animal smells and stalls selling food. He was interested in other dogs but didnt get over zealous with them and was quite steady with the livestock both the four and the two legged varieties.
Once back home however he just flopped into his bed and slept.

Ann

Yin and Yan .....or little pink flowers!

Today didn't start well, I got up at the usual time let Rafi out, and went and did the horse everything was fine all were behaving themselves but everywhere I looked, little pink flowers seemed to have popped up overnight. This is nothing to get worked up about, but, in April I lost my beautiful Skye dog, shortly after this we went away for ten days, when we got home the place in the garden where the skye dog liked to be the most was marked by a clump of little pink flowers! Add to this the fact that while we were away my husband bought me a bracelet which had a charm on it depicting the very same little pink flower. For them to suddenly appear everywhere reminds me how much I miss her and what an incredible companion she was.
This afternoon I took Rafi out for a rather long walk, longer than he usually has, I lost track of the distance we had walked. He doesn't seem to be any worse for it and I almost let him off his lead he was so good. A sudden panic that he might choose that moment to run off made me change my mind. His excellent behaviour had brightened my mood a little too.

You can follow Rafi on Instagram

rafi9lives

Empty! (Four Feet)

Today my beautiful Dog would have been 15 Years old.
And for 14 years and 7 months you were a part of my life.

Rudyard Kipling

Van Gogh!

When you have a dog your house has movement in it, swirls of air rushing behind its every move, its every breath...
When you don't have a dog the house is two dimensional flat it lacks life.
I want my house to feel like a Van Gogh, I dont like this Lowry lifelessness!

No April fool.

Today is up there with the saddest days of my life so far!
Today I had to take my amazing beautiful clever dog on a one way trip to the vets, it has to be one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life.
She had been a search dog and a family dog, but most of all she was my dog, my best friend, she never judged, was always ready to go for a walk even in the pouring rain, she knew all my secrets and never told a soul.
I am so going to miss my gorgeous girl,
Sleep well my beauty.

BAYLEAF NEVILLE

This post is one I knew I would have to write but never wanted to!
Today, One of the Shire horses from the museum had to cross the rainbow bridge (Sorry I can't bring myself to write it any other way!)
He was 27 years old, he worked hard all his life but had a naughty / cheeky side which I adored. This boy was a big part of museum life, he was known by generations of museum visitors who would ask where he was if we were working a different horse.
Popular hard working and handsome.
Your work is done Big Boy, sleep well. XXX

Big Boy.

Here and Back

Well, The Northern Bird has flown, she is at this moment winging her way north again back to her family.
We have had some fun whilst she has been down, although not our usual out every day type visit we have still packed things in!
Crazy Golf, Coffee mornings, films, and lots of catching up!
Next time we will do our homework and make sure all the places we want to go to are actually open! Oops!!
Today is super foggy too, so I hope it doesn't cause her too much trouble on her 300ish mile journey home.

Nativity

Today I am going to see a school Nativity play. I can remember the last one, it was 8 years ago, it was my granddaughters and she was 4 and she was an angel! (She is always an angel, such a good girl!)

Today I am going to see my (soon to be) Goddaughter in hers, and I am so excited! Christmas has begun!

Lord in your mercy

We give back to you lord, those whom you gave to us.
 You did not loose them when you gave them to us, and we do not loose them by their return to you.

Two simple sentences.
Very comforting words.

Farewell to a friend

You taught me how to protect myself whilst at work, when confronted by a violent patient.
I will always be grateful.
Rest In Peace my friend.

December already, in more ways than one!

December already! It's just started to be cold! I hope it kills off the darn midge's which make Mouse itch so badly! Her sweet itch has been bad again this year to the extent that she is still on 6 antihistamine a day.
I woke this morning to the news of yet another of my friends passing away! Very shocking, she was younger than me! We were both pregnant at the same time 25 years ago, I remember walking into town with her and going for coffee, we then got our baby bumps out to see who's was the biggest! When our babies were born her's three weeks older was half the size of mine! The last time we met up was to ride together, it was frosty and slippery under foot, she rode one of my horses whilst I rode the other, even then the talk went back to when our first born's were babies. Sleep well lovely lady, you can rest now.

Anniversary.

Today is my Wedding Anniversary, the weather is very much as it was the day we married, it was maybe a little dryer that day. We had a vintage fire appliance to take Myself and the bridesmaids to the ceremony it was a Dennis F8! My mum made our wedding cake and my dress had been in a wedding dress sale. The best thing though was that our families and friends were there! Looking back at the day, so many have passed away since, including my Dad and my husbands Mom!
Today we exchanged cards and went out for lunch, this evening we are going to have cheese, biscuits and port and watch a film.
Today has been a good day.

ILLICIT CANDYFLOSS AND SMUGGLED PETS.

Sometimes you just have one of those days, you know the sort, thunderbolts and lightening, fever, flood and famine, and 999 calls which make you wonder how some people manage to make it into adulthood at all. I read on a social network site that a woman had called 999 for trapped wind! I have been called out on 999 calls to someone who forgot to pick up their prescription...for a month! And needed medication, I once had to climb to the 6 floor of a block of flats on a 999 call to someone who had run out of sanitary towels (The lift wasn't working! Of course!) Someone who wanted their blanket pulled up higher, this person became a frequent caller and had to be dealt with by other agencies in the end! I know all my Ambulance service colleagues have countless similar tales to tell...
Then there are the days where you attend a multi car pile up, a coach crash, a "One under" a sick child, a teenage resus days you would rather forget even if they are the real reason for the job, real emergencies. They can still make the day feel Meh!
So when little things happen to brighten up your day,and make you proper laugh out loud it puts everything right even if its just for a few moments... When it goes on for over an hour, well you know its been worth whatever the day threw at you, on that note I would like to thank the 2200 hour finishers, the single manned Night vehicle and my crewmate on the midnight finish, it was worth it. That is all!

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

My Chains Are Gone..

When my daughters 18 year old friend died suddenly with no warning, everyone was stunned and upset, such a young life on the verge of scooting off to uni. Who knows when our last day, hour minute might be! This year has been a particularly bad one for us with people passing away, My Aunt died earlier in the year of cancer, and although she was in her eighty's it still cut her life short! Another Two deaths we have had were the sudden passing of my old crewmate, who went home from work one day, went to bed and literally didn't get up in the morning. This was a huge shock to me as we had worked together for the first 18 months of my ambulance service career. He wasn't everybody's cup of tea but he was a loyal crewmate and a good friend, we kept in contact even though I have transferred into another NHS trust area, all be it, mainly random phone calls. The other a friend who had tumours on his brain and decided to take his own life rather than have his family watch him slowly regress!

Most people hope for a long prosperous and healthy life but how many actually get that? 

I for one am hoping that next year brings less heartache and more peace and happiness!

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           MY CHAINS ARE GONE, I'VE BEEN SET FREE

             MY GOD, MY SAVIOUR HAS RANSOMED ME

                                                    AND LIKE A FLOOD HIS  MERCY REIGNS                                                           UNENDING LOVE, AMAZING GRACE.    

Making Hay

When I got to the stables this evening to feed and check on Mouse, the paddocks set aside for hay had all been turned and heaped up ready to be baled. I love everything about this other than the scratched arms, from lifting bales onto the hay rick!
The smell of warm hay is lovely, you can smell it all round the yard, then there is the chugging sound of the bailer as it grabs the hay into bales.
Maybe its because I lived all my younger years on farms, or maybe it is simply lovely.
YOU CAN TAKE THE GIRL OUT OF THE COUNTRY, BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE COUNTRY OUT OF THE GIRL!