Wednesday
Month: April 2021
Benji, walks, weather and Glasgow
Two weeks since Benji was injured in an attack. He is recovered fairly well and we are out walking again, but on a different route. Actually we are back on the original route which is in the opposite direction from the area where we were injured. He still has antibiotics to take twice daily and I will take him back to the Vet on Tuesday as a follow up when the antibiotics finish. Apart from the surface wounds there seems to be no internal damage, for which I am most thankful. After three days in the stroller, he was ready for walking. He was glad to get out again and enjoying the walks and the fresh air. We stick mainly to the Ada Ryan Gardens and the Wetlands during the day when there are very few people with dogs around. Since we are surrounded by National Parks and Conservation parks, there is not many places we can go to. There are a number of places further down the coast that are pet friendly and the nearest of them is 70 miles away (think Glasgow to St. Andrews) so just going there and then coming back again seems to me very wasteful. In order to justify travelling that distance it is necessary to make a day of it. At the moment I am not happy going off and leaving Annabell. Yes the boys are here and that’s fine when I have to go to Adelaide for
Presbytery, but leaving her on her own while I go off on an unnecessary road trip with my dog is a different matter altogether In fact it almost ranks as being self-indulgent. When we have to go Adelaide and the Clinic, John usually looks after Benji, makes sure he is ok and feeds him. With the dog door, Benji can get in and out as he needs. When we come back from our afternoon walk to the Wetlands we go in the back gate and I take his harness off. Annabell’s comment is “What kept you? The dog was in ages before you!” Me: “Ah yes, but he has a private entrance”
The weather over the last week has been great and the boy and I have got out and about. However, with the cyclone in Western Australia and the effects reaching to us, this will change over the next few days with forecast rain and high winds. Well yes, it was a bit on the windy to very windy when we were out walking this morning but we didn’t get blown away and made it back to the house safe and sound. Sitting hear I can hear the wind rushing through the carport. It’s not constant and comes in waves. Anyway, a very warm welcome to Bogie. He is lovely and I did reply to the post but it seems to have vanished into some void. I am finding this with a lot of
things recently. Fortunately not the photograph I found and thought about Anabel Marsh – because I thought only a Glasgow person would really understand what it is all about. The photograph is real but it was part of an article I read about photographic mishaps and when I saw that one, Lobey Dosser was the first thing that entered my head. Weird, I know, but there you are.
As we move further into April the weather is starting to cool down in the mornings. This morning was positively fresh with a fine – but slightly damp – mist for a little while. Good for a 50 minute morning walk. I still have my Glasgow Street Director ( yes it is out of date,) and Queen Margaret Drive to the Broomielaw is about two and one half miles, so there and back is as much as I do in a day. :o)
Had Benji back at the Vet. He is very pleased with him and now that his fur is starting to grow back no more treatment will be required, but we did discuss how lucky we were that the teeth of the big dog did not damage anything internal or we would have been in strife. However, that has never happened to me in this area in all the years I have been here and I find that it has made me wary of other dogs and has made me change where I walk and and be in a position where I can see what is well ahead of me. No, we do not go out in the early morning dark any more. Sunrise is now our time.
Wednesday
Benji, Walks and Photographs
One week today since Benji was injured in an attack. He is recovered fairly well and we are out walking again, but on a different route. Actually we are back on the original route which is in the opposite direction from the area where we were injured. He still has antibiotics to take twice daily and I will take him back to the Vet on Tuesday as a follow up when the antibiotics finish. Apart from the surface wounds there seems to be no internal damage, for which I am most thankful. After three days in the stroller, he was ready for walking. He was glad to get out again and enjoying the walks and the fresh air. We stick mainly to the Ada Ryan Gardens, the Wetlands, the lighthouse and Stoney Point during the day when there are very few people with dogs around. Since we are surrounded by National Parks and Conservation parks, there is not many places we can go to. There are a number of places further down the coast that are pet friendly and the nearest of them is 70 miles away so just going there and then coming back again seems to me very wasteful. In order to justify travelling that distance it is necessary to make a day of it. At the moment I am not happy going off and leaving Annabell. Yes the boys are here and that’s fine when I have to go to Adelaide for Presbytery, but
leaving her on her own while I go off on an unnecessary road trip with my dog is a different matter altogether, I think the term self Indulgent kind of fits the bill. When we have to go Adelaide and the Clinic, John usually looks after Benji, makes sure he is ok and feeds him. With the dog door, Benji can get in and out as he needs.
The weather over the last week has been great and the boy and I have got out and about. However, with the cyclone in Western Australia and the effects reaching to us, this will change over the next few days with forecast rain and high winds. Well yes, it was a bit on the windy to very windy when we were out walking this morning but we didn’t get blown away and made it back to the house safe and sound. Sitting hear I can hear the wind rushing through the carport. It’s not constant and comes in waves. Anyway, a very warm welcome to Bogie. He is lovely and I did reply to the post but it seems to have vanished into some void. I am finding this with a lot of things recently.
There is a photograph exhibition in May and I have been thinking of submitting photographs to it. I like my photographs but I’m not so sure others will. I was at the photograph club
last night and photographs that I thought were good were criticized by the judge who found many faults with them. I guess the idea is that the criticizing and pointing out the faults – as the judge sees them – is supposed to assist you in doing better, grow and mature, so to speak, in all the aspects of photography. I shall never succeed in this because I found many of the comments, pointless and excessively picky. Just as well I had no photographs there or he would have had a field-day, What I have is an excellent camera but I don’t know how to use it to get the best out of it. This group is “Competition Based” with only some minor practical nights. They are really very nice people but this is not what I want and really not helping me much. Many years ago the TAFE (Technical and Further Education) ran a number of Community Courses. A course on Photography – a Basic Computer course, the wife of one of the local doctors, ran a course on Indian Cooking, another lady ran a course on Italian Cooking. The fees were reasonable, cooking people brought the ingredients as required each week, and so forth. There were no Diplomas nor Certificates at the end, but they were well attended. But the Government of the day spent money on other things and when it needed money, it started closing down TAFE Campuses. It tore the heart out of the TAFE system and it never really recovered – it still has not.
Wednesday
Fitbit, Stroller and Benji
Every time I went to the door, Benji was there already. It was clear to me that he wanted to go out but I wasn’t quite sure that he was ready for a harness and walking. So, I went to the garage and got the dog stroller out and made it ready for him. I got everything ready to go out and then lifted him into the stroller, clipped him and half closed the overhead cover. Off we went. Since it was a public holiday (Monday) the place was fairly quiet. I also decided to go back to our old route. Yes there is a number of barking dogs but I now figure that they can bark as much as they like – they are behind fences and gates and therefore no problem. Except to Dougal who goes ballistic when a dog barks. I don’t mind
looking after Dougal. He is a lovely dog in the house, but a real pain to walk out with. A short tale for Fitbit users. When I took Benji out on the stroller, I was upset that my Fitbit
did not record any steps. Pushing the stroller means that my arms were not moving and the Fitbit needs movement to record. I mentioned this to my son and he suggested “why don’t you strap the thing round your ankle?” Yes, I dismissed the idea with a quiet chuckle. However, later on I thought about it and decided to give it a try – nothing to lose anyway. So, I did that – strapped it round my ankle ( the strap was long enough) and off we went. Well, was I surprised! I have used that route for a number of years and know how many steps it should be – at least I thought I did. When we came back home and I removed the Fitbit from my ankle I was shocked that it had recorded nearly 500 more steps than I had expected. It was a double shock because I really (honestly) didn’t think it would work, but it did. However, it is back on my wrist where it should be, but worth remembering if I have to use the stroller again. However, I think Benji is ready for walking.
I have no idea why WordPress decided to change a system that was popular and working well. I don’t like the block system at all and I have already outlined the process I go through to get back to Classic. It’s long drawn and convoluted but it works for me – as the saying goes.
Benji is coming along well. His wounds are healing up nicely and he gets his antibiotic medication twice daily. Since his wounds have now closed, I will start taking him out to the Ada Ryan Gardens when the weather is not too warm.
I took Benji out to the Ada Ryan Gardens this afternoon. We had a wander around the gardens and then drove to the foreshore where I bought us Ice Cream. Wont do that again! Since the Foreshore Café was closed down and awaiting repairs and renovations, food vans have popped up. It was to the food van that I went for the ice cream. Turns out they
use a machine similar to that used by McDonalds and it is not REAL ice cream – sort of soft serve stuff. Anyway, it started melting almost as soon as I walked away from the van and to add to that Benji just wouldn’t look at his. Well, he had a couple of licks but that was it. I finished mine (not great) and was left with this other stuff melting and running over my hand. Never thought I would drop ice cream in a bin, but I did, then looked for a water tap to clean my hands. Should have gone to the Wetlands where they serve real Ice Cream. The reason we didn’t go to the Wetlands is that it was a warm to hot(ish) day and I felt the Concrete Path would be too warm on his paws
Not a good day.
This morning on our daily walk Benji was attacked by a much larger dog. When we are out walking at 06:30 and I see people approach me with a dog, I will move with Benji off the 
pavement on to the roadway and give the people with the dog room to pass freely. I also do the same for Joggers. That is what I did this morning when I saw the girl with the Alsatian walking towards us. I took Benji off the pavement and on to the road allowing free passage. As they drew close her dog started growling and fighting to break free and the girl was struggling with it. Sadly the dog broke the harness and before anyone could react she attacked Benji. (yes I did find out that it was a ‘she’.) We managed to get the dog off Benji and she used what was left of the leash and tied it to the dog collar. Apart from being wet he seemed to be okay and I ran my hands along his back and sides and he seemed none the worse for ware. He seemed ok and I was too much concerned to notice that my right hand was streaked with blood. He let me touch him without a mummer so I assumed that he was ok, but I lifted him on my shoulder and the girl got on her way – crying by the way! I stayed where I was and let her get a fair bit away before I abandoned the walk and headed for home. By the time I walked home with him the adrenalin in him had calmed down and he was starting to feel the pain. In the house I put him down, and, with the lights on, I saw the blood on my hands for the first time. I tried to touch Benji and he snapped at me. I knew then something was wrong.
This is the Easter long weekend here and most things are closed down until Tuesday, but I called my vet’s after hours number, got through and explained what had happened. He said he would be at the clinic in 20 minutes and I was to meet him there. He opened the clinic for me and treated Benji. First thing was to shave the areas of the wounds and having done that, gave him a pain killer injection. We let him calm down for a bit then washed the wounds with a saline solution. Anyway, he is home here and I have antibiotics to give him and to clean the wound several times each day with a saline solution. Also to keep a close eye on the wounds and if there is any swelling or if they start weeping I have to
call and take him back to the clinic immediately.
So, that’s been my morning thus far. Benji is very quiet and he is here by my side. He is so quiet and subdued. Just looking at his wounds I feel so bad for him and for me. It looks as if I shall be walking on my own for a little while, which will give me time to work out a new route. “Brainwave” I just thought in a few days I can take him out again and use the dog stroller, but I will work out a different route – not that there is much to choose from.
On the news this morning a vehicle was stopped by the police. The female driver was breath tested and blew six times the legal limit. On checking, the police discovered that the woman had never owned a license. The car was impounded for a month, she was fined and she was banned for holding a license for 12 months. Goodness but we know how to sort out those law breakers. South Australia is still living in the days when a talking to by a Judge and you never broke the law again.
I went out to the store for some things for Annabell. When I got back home, unlocked the door and walked in, Benji was there, tail going and waiting for me. What a boy!
I seriously dislike Blocks!
I had already completed a post with over 800 words and several pictures but a malfunction in WordPress – or me – lost everything. It had gone back to blocks and I tried to get it and load again in Classic and lost everything. I have no idea if this will survive. Anyway – What I do remember from the lost post is that I did recall on seeing an item in the news about a unit that is similar to a pacemaker only this unit is for the brain. Once activated it send signals to the brain and can reduce the trembling of hands as well as other aspects that are associated with Parkinson’s Disease. There was a demonstration on the news and once activated the difference in the man’s hands and in his overall demeanor was incredible. The reason I mentioned this was not really to highlight a breakthrough in Parkinson’s but the fact that the Medical Scientists are looking further and feel with further investigation and development it could be used to control and contain the effects of epilepsy. That would be some breakthrough.
Apart from a few days here and there, we didn’t have much of a summer. However, this early weeks in Autumn have been glorious, mild to warm and sunny – warm and sunny during the day, still warm in the early evening and cool to cold at night and in the morning. Yesterday Benji and I went for a drive in the car out to Fitzgerald Bay and the Shingle Ridge, from there to the Lighthouse. From there we drove to the Foreshore – which was busy so we went to the Wetlands and had a good walk there. This was followed by Ice Cream , Vanilla for him and Almond for me ( but don’t tell Annabell)
During the week I attended a Memorial Service at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Brian, a member of St. Mark’s, was also a good friend to us when we needed help. He died last year but because of Covid-19 nothing could take place. As of Midnight Tuesday most of the restrictions in South Australia were lifted and, with some assistance, I have put all the pews back to their positions and removed the seating tags.
Had a telephone call from Flinders yesterday and the reports from our last visit and not great but not bad. The cancer is still there but not moved nor enlarged. However, we will go back down to Adelaide in about six weeks and spend a few days there, There will be an investigation of what is happening and day surgery to replace the units. They will be left in place for six weeks and if there is no progress then they will consider chemotherapy.
The weather since the beginning of Autumn has been great – this is the weather that we should have had over summer. Yes we had a couple of heatwaves that lasted a few days each time, but other than that it was not all that great. This weather coupled with the Easter Holidays has people swarming to the beaches and
holiday spots. After church today (Friday) I made sure Annabell was ok then took Benji for a drive in the car. We had a great time and went to Fitzgerald Bay, the Shingle Ridge, the Lighthouse and back to the Wetlands ( no ice cream) – a pretty busy afternoon and since we went much further along the coast road, this time, slightly different from last time. I drove to the end of the bitumen and went on the gravel until I was able to turn around and head back. When I go out I always make sure I have my phone with me. When the hands free speaker tells me I am “disconnected” I will turn back and get my phone. It does this about 100 yards away from the house and out of range. If Annabell were to call me I am only about 40 minutes away from home and can soon be back.
Wednesday
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