Category: Garden and Dogs

Mount Gambier Part 2

by edgar62, posted in Garden and Dogs, House, Garden and Dogs
My Sturt Desert Rose
My Sturt Desert Rose

To pick up from the other day – Mount Gambier informed me on Monday that there was no accommodation to be had within a 50 k radius of Mt. Gambier on account of the annual Jazz Festival. I spent the next two days telephoning all around the  area  outside the 50 k to try and find accommodation. I felt it was important to attend. I finally found accommodation in  Dartmoor, Victoria about 55 k from Mt. Gambier.  I was quite pleased about that. Last night, Wednesday , a new email to inform me that because of the lack of accommodation in Mt. Gambier and surrounds, it was decided to  change the date of the conference from Saturday 7th May to Saturday 14th May. Can’t say I was terrible impressed since I now had to contact the Dartmoor Hotel,  cancel the booking and explain why. Actually they were very good about it and I thanked them for their consideration.   How that effects us here – we had organized  a congregational dinner for Saturday 7th May.  It was decided, that because of the clash with Presbytery, the dinner was changed from Saturday 7th May  to Saturday 14th May to allow me to attend. We cannot alter it again – that would be just too much and it would start to impact on other things. So, I wont be attending the dinner – I’ll be driving back to Adelaide. I’m not impressed. Anyway, the only real consolation is that I can spend a bit more time at the Lady Nelson Sailing Ship and the Umpherston Sink-hold Gardens. It also means that after a spot of dinner I can go back down to Umpherston for a night tour because I understand at nighttime the place has a lot of possums and they are very friendly- so that should be interesting. However, I have read that the possums are not around every night, so I hope they are when I am there –  I would love to see them.

Benji and the WaWa.

Benji
Benji

Benji is fairly calm and placid, but for all that, he is not a pushover and will stand up for certain things. He is used to playing with his toys on his own or with me.  The other day he brought his toy into the lounge and was playing with it for a while, then he left it. A short time later the wawa started playing with it and  a bit of a disagreement ensued. Benji went back to his toy, lifted it and walked out of the room with it and put it on his bed, which is in my room. I just stood quietly and watched this. It was very interesting and I really wish I had had a camera on me at the time. Actually, there are toys all over the lounge and it looks more like a large play-pen than a lounge room. Also, although the wawa seems to have “adopted” Annabell, she does come to greet me when I get home after being out – however, Benji gets a tad jealous about this and pushes her out of the way.

The last few mornings have not been all that great so instead of going out early, I have coffee and  a play on the computer then we drive down to the wetlands and spend a good hour and a half down there. We still go walking around the district at night but the mornings in the wetlands have been very interesting – never knew that the place could get so busy with walkers, joggers and cyclists. Fortunately for us ( Benji and me)we go off the  the general track and since the walkers, joggers, etc. don’t go there ( it’s gravel and dirt tracks rather than  bitumen)  we can  walk in peace

Photograph I took in Naracoorte
Photograph I took in Naracoorte

and quiet. It’s amazing how many people think the  wetlands is the area  enclosed  by the bitumen – which covers about two ponds, when there are seven ponds in total. Admittedly, the area of the bitumen is the area that has been most developed with swings, barbecue area, flying fox, grasslands for sport and recreation, whereas the remaining area is still gravel and dirt track – it’s also the area where much of the wildlife is – Black Swans, Ducks and  Australian Moorhens – or Marsh-hens, which I first came across in Naracoorte two years ago. The ones here are very skittish and take off as soon as you approach them – perhaps having the dog might have something to do with it – I don’t know.

Hospitals, doctors and Chienne the attack dog.

by edgar62, posted in Garden and Dogs, House
Assembled. This is the easy part :o)
Assembled. This is the easy part :o)
IMAG0070
Another view

Monday: First hospital visit this morning. This is to her  Diabetic Clinic and some tests. Hope we don’t have the same results as last time round BP 235/90. After the clinic we go shopping and I can pick up the Stroller for the Man.  – We brought the shopping inside and put everything away then I got down on the floor and assembled the Stroller. It was fairly easy since everything was clip-on and nothing to screw or tighten. No tools required. It’s blowing a gale here at the moment so I wont be taking them out for a little while – at least until the wind dies down a bit. North of South Australia – generally a windy place and going into spring increases the strength of the wind until  summer takes it by the throat and strangles it, then roasts us for the next three months or so  :o)

The wind died down at about 8:40 so  put on a Jacket, put a leash on Chienne and put the Man into the stroller. We only did a short walk and he was pretty good although he did want out at one point and I did bring a second leach with me so that was ok. He needed to pee,  but I left him out and walking for a while. It was a bit odd for him but I think he will get used to being wheeled around.

Something I did a while ago was get three inches of foam to place under their bed so that the dogs have something springy and soft underneath their bed. I did this several months ago, so you can imagine my surprise, not to mention my utter dismay, to find the foam had been ripped apart and was scattered  across the room.  Who is responsible?  Hmm, let me think…. The man is weak and sleeps much of the time; he has not the strength in his present condition to do this; he has NO teeth; it certainly wasn’t me, I was visiting friends in the Land of Nod,  and it wasn’t Herself, who couldn’t bend down that far anyway – so by process of elimination – Chienne!!   Why?? I have no idea. I am not altogether impressed – this week I have so much to do – looking after herself and the dogs, the foam thing was not something I really needed this week. Never mind, worse things happen at Sea – or so I am told  :o)

Today – Tuesday – we have two hospital appointments, the first one being for the Kidney Ultrasound in about an hour from now. In a little while I will take her to hospital and then sit and wait and read – I’m doing a lot of reading this week  :o). Lunch then back to hospital in the afternoon. The morning session took longer than expected. They did the UltraSound then decided to do a CT Scan as well and they injected some dye into her so now she has to go for a blood test on Thursday afternoon to ensure that the dye has cleared and it has not caused any complications (remote) Two more appointments to go and that’s us  for the week. Phew, it’s been a busy week. Actually I dozed off in the waiting room this morning.

Chienne (Chi for short) - The Foam Destroyer
Chienne (Chi for short) – The Foam Destroyer

One appointment today and since it’s fairly early on in the morning we might actually get some time at home.  That would be nice. ( Not long after I wrote this we were “Blessed”with two more appointment) The wind, although high, didn’t cause too much damage here but I believe that was not the case in other areas – namely Adelaide and Melbourne  – with gusts up up to 130 kph. Nice, interesting start to Spring. Herself came up with a great idea ( knew I kept her for a reason)  Cut what is left of the foam to the size of the inside of the Dog Stroller, put it inside a pillowcase and there you have it – his very own foam mattress  :o) Gosh, she’s good!!!

 

I have actually managed to do some work in the garden this afternoon. A sort of quiet before the storm. I have emptied out one of the sheds and moved it (struggle but got there) to a new location- now I am about to go out and put everything back in to it. Had me coffee, back to work !