Elephants Ears

The trouble with puppies is they chew, they also eat anything and everything that they can fit in their mouth! True fact!
This afternoon I caught Rafi eating a plant, on further investigation it turned out to be elephants ears also known as Bergina I think. After asking on facebook if this could be a problem I decided to call our vets who told me to bring Rafi in.
All the way there I could feel panic, we have only just lost our beautiful Skye dog, and now we are going to loose this bundle of puppiness.
The vets decided it would be best to keep him in over night for observation meaning I went home without him. Poor boy must be so confused.
Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

Green Family

Today the ambulance service lost a student Paramedic in the line of duty.

The thin green line just got thinner.

Rest In Peace

Crazy dayz

Sleep

I have no words to describe the ways in which Rafi chooses to sleep, sometimes I worry he will cut off his breathing other times I'm just lost for words!

Pimms and a Steel Band

Today was our churches Patronal festival, so after Mass the social team had put on a BBQ and invited a steel band to come and play.
We were greeted with a glass of Pimms, (which my daughter called coke with salad in it!!) or fresh home made lemonade.
The food was lovely they had loads of burgers sausages, ribs, chicken, vegie burgers and sausages, onions salad jacket potatoes the list goes on.
Rafi came with us, I brought his water bowl and cool mat and found a nice shaded spot for us. To my knowledge he hasn't heard a steel band before and he just took it and all the people milling around, in his stride, this boy is such a good dog.

Heat Wave.

Today has been a very odd day, to start with I had to go to hospital first thing and was there for the morning, poor Rafi didn't get his early walk!
Once back home the temperatures were at 28 degrees meaning I couldn't walk him then either!
We have some large trees in our garden which give some shade all day through so just to give him a bit of a run around we stole my Granddaughters bubbles and Rafi chased them. He loves bubbles, jumping up to bite them and chasing around the garden.
He also loves his cool mat and lays on it far more than Skye ever did.
This evening because he hasn't been out yet he has had the devil in him, No toy is safe!
Once my husband gets back from collecting out daughter I can give him a walk as it has cooled down a bit now.
Rafi also had a visitor today who gave him a lovely present, it is a big thick fleecy bed mat which is a perfect fit for his on the go bed.
I hope it isn't quite as hot tomorrow!

Rafi met AnnieMay

Today I had to put the shelf in the caravan for the microwave, in the gap left from the heater my brother took out for me. Firstly I had to put insulating tape round a couple of wires that had been left from the electrical part of the heater.
All the while I was doing this Rafi was looking out of the window and sleeping on his bed. He had a good sniff round when we first arrived, as he hadn't been there before. I think he will enjoy our trips away.

Settling in.

This morning as my husband walked across the kitchen with his toast he found something black and white hanging off it, just for a second! Rafi is finding his feet.
I decided to try him in his crate for  5 to 10 minutes as a start to crate training. I put primula cheese on his lick mat and put it in first, he went in cleaned up the mat then promptly curled up and went to sleep. Ileft him for 15 minutes before latching and leaving him to make his own way out while I spent half an hour in my hammock.  Clearly he felt the hammock was better suited to his comfort level and jumped in with me.
Cuddles with my lovely boy. ❤

Day two in the little dog house.

To start with I should say that after three squeaks when we first went up to bed Rafi stopped making any noise and went into his bed. When I got up this morning he was still in his bed, nothing chewed or eaten and no accidents. What a good boy.
After taking Mums dog for her fiberglass casts to be made, we went for a walk on the beach. I don't think he has ever seen the sea before but after a tentative start he went in not far, but far enough to say he wasnt scared of it.
This evening we have a completely relaxed dog, he settled down after his last walk and seems much more relaxed.

In coming.......

Today I drove to collect our new family member, a JRT X Springer! All the way home in the car he just lay down and was quiet, no whining or squeaking. I took him into the house where he proceeded to 'kill' his favorite toy snake, which he had brought with him!  When he had calmed a little went  for a walk, after dinner he decided that he liked his bed VERY much and humped it for two and a half hours solid! Very stressy behaviour, eventually he just slept! I wonder how he will be through the night?!

Archangel Raphael

According to Google, Archangel Raphael is...

Archangel Raphael is known as the angel of healing. He works to heal people's minds, spirits, and bodies so they can enjoy peace and good health to the fullest extent of God's will for them.

Therefore it seems fitting that I have a Raphael in my life!
This Raphael has no magnificent wings; He does however have some seriously flappy ears!
This Raphael has no halo above his head; He does however have one around his neck more commonly known as a collar!

Meet Raphael or Rafi to his friends.

Rafi, is a 6 Month old Springer Spaniel, J R T mix, and as you can see he is a very handsome lad.

Just for comparison, so there is no mistake, here is a picture of the Archangel Raphael!

As you can see, there are subtle differences, He is almost always depicted with a dog, (Ooh is that a Border Collie!) a fish, and a staff. Here he is also shown with Tobias from the Book of Tobit.

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.

PAWS IN THE PARK ARDINGLY

http://www.pawsinthepark.net/

BYE BYE ITCH

Today a friend recommended a product called Bye Bye Itch for Mouse' sweet itch it is another herbal product so, having tried so many I am a little dubious of it actually working! That said I will try anything to ease the distress my horse goes through almost continuously with her itchy mane and tail.  Price wise its not the most expensive product we have tried but adding the postage pushed it up by 1/4 !
I am hoping it doesnt stink the feed roim out like some of the other herbal stuff we have attempted although if it works I dont really care what it smells of.
Just have to wait for it to arrive now.

RIB

In my past life, if someone had said RIB, I would immediately think.... inter costal muscles, flail segment, chest compression's and everything else which could surround the bony chest cage!
Now on the other hand if someone mentions RIB my immediate thought is.... Sun Sea and M & M's.
Right now I know which RIB I prefer (taste the rainbow)

Horse Power

This morning I got up early and went to the stables but instead of feeding Mouse I decided to ride her first, it was another lovely day so after tacking up we went out, Mouse has decided that one of the houses in the village is scary, there is no dog or flashing lights or people behind hedges, but every time we get to this house she refuses to pass it without a song and dance, well, maybe just a lot of cajoling once past she is fine then on the way back we have the same rigmarole again!When I got home the husband took me out for lunch as its his day off, I had salmon and he had steak pie, once back home the dog decided she would help me dig over the veg plot then when the seedlings had been planted it was out for a blast on the bike. Totally filled day off. Perfic.

I want to be a pirate!

When I grow up I think I want to be a pirate!
For the last two days I have been at my new job with the Harbour Conservancy and I absolutely love it, out on the water in a RIB all day, I mean whats not to like.
The sun shone and the air was warm, it was lovely. The people I work with are really nice and the time went so quickly I could have done another three or four hours, that said I was shattered by the time I had got home. I do realise that when its cold and wet things will be different but until that time, a pirates life for me, Arr pass the rum!

The first cut.

...is the deepest!

We had the lawn cut today for the first time this year, looking back this is the latest we have had the first cut. Its been so wet, parts of the garden were literally under water.
We have been promised a mini heatwave....
Well if it happens I hope it makes the grass at the stables grow and the ground dry up a bit, we have things which we want to move from the paddocks but its so boggy we can't get a vehicle across, not even my Landrover!
In the 7 weeks we have been at the new yard we have had, Frost, snow, torrential rain and brilliant sunshine! What season are we in again?