Dog Stroller – Edgar's Page

Benji, Walks and Photographs

16/04/2021 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

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.

Fitbit, Stroller and Benji

08/04/2021 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

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

Benji in the Stroller — Same time same area.

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

Cars, Dog Stroller and Cars.

02/03/2021 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

What now my love, now that you’ve left me, how can I live through another day?

It has now been seven days since the car was towed away and the repairs started. The unit for the ignition system was supposed to be over here from Port Pirie yesterday and, I imagine, fitted yesterday and today. I would like to have the car back sometime today, but, to be really honest, I am not very hopeful. Today, being Friday, summer officially ends in two days and Monday 1st March is the 1st day of Autumn (Fall) Summer begins on 1st December and ends on the last day of February, a total of 90 days and from that total we have only really had 14 days when we could say “Summer is here.” A total of three heatwaves – 5+4+5- there has been a lot of rain, there is flooding in Queensland and people being evacuated – cyclones in the north have meant heavy rain here accompanied by high winds. In fact I don’t recall seeing all that much on the weather charts but high winds. Well, that’s not strictly true, sometimes the forecaster forecasted “damaging winds 95kpm+) I answered a comment by Tippysmom the other day and I said it was a nice day with a gentle breeze and it was for about half the morning before the wind increased. I took Benji out for a walk and before I was halfway through the walk I was struggling and ended up carrying my hat rather than wearing it. In fact, the long range forecast is for more rain

I am concerned in that it is not very long before I have to take Annabell to the clinic at Flinders medical and I still don’t have a car. Yes, I realise that the visit to the Clinic is ten days away but that’s wont stop me from worrying. Yes I worry, it’s my job :o) I worry, Benji does the relaxing – we share the load – that’s what friends do!

I am beginning to believe that the birthdate on the Adoption Papers for Benji – 2010 – rather than the Microchip birth date – 2012 – is the correct one. That would make him 11 this year. I have noticed that he is starting to slow down just a bit and it was very noticeable this morning when he started tiring and dragging towards the last 200 yards of our morning walk. I thought he looked

so tired that I lifted him up on my shoulder and carried him the rest of the way. This afternoon I wanted to go for a walk and he came with me. We had not gone far when he really started to slow down. I turned around and came back home. I got the “Dog Stroller” out of the garage, cleaned it and put a thick blanket in there for him to sit on. Lifted him him in, attached the harness and off we went. He loved it, sitting there watching everything around him and still being out with his daddy. Can’t get better than that. ( I have to mention that it is over 34 years since I pushed a pram for any distance and I forgot how tiring it is on the arms) I also took a bottle of water and a collapsible bowl so we could both have a drink. Well, yes, I got some looks from passing motorists, but who cares. Benji was comfortable

John & Rene’s Toyota Camry which I am now using.

On the subject of friends, a member of the church heard that I did not have a car so she phoned another friend who telephoned me. She asked if it was correct that I did not have a car at the moment and wanted to know how I was getting about. I said either I was not or I was by taxi. She said that they have a spare car and I was welcome to use it. I said it was ok and my own can should be back soon. I thought that was that until she and her husband dropped off a Toyota Camry in my drive. They handed me the keys, said it was registered until June and I can bring it back when I no longer need it. So there we are, I have a car- now I can take Annabell out as needed. Just as well since I ended up at the Emergency Dept. at the hospital with her last night. She was not a well girl – had another infection.

It’s all Confused!

07/10/2020 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I have been away from this blog for a few days and I come back to find that everything has changed and I am not certain that I really like it: that I actually understand it or that I can

use it. I have no idea how I managed to get this far. I will keep on writing and see where it leads. I don’t know where my photographs are or how I can get photographs on to the page. I was particularly comfortable with the way the page was and if I knew how to I would try and return it to what it was before. Somehow it went on to Block Editor and I don’t know why this happened, but I seem to have got it back to Classic Editor, which I am much more comfortable with.

The funeral on Wednesday was was very sad. Of course, all funerals are but this one was particularly so. It was held at the Funeral Home mainly because they have a large hall, and our church would not have been large enough – under the current restrictions – to accommodate enough people. There were a number of people from the hospital in Adelaide who traveled up. As I said, I was attending and had not intended to be part of the service. In the event I was asked to take part in the service. I was also asked to undertake the Committal at the graveside. William was a young man in a high pressure occupation – he was a psychiatric nurse and Team Leader at the Psychiatric Unit at a major hospital in Adelaide. At the Cemetery, Annabell remained in the car . The walk would have been too much for her.

I went out to the Photography Club in the evening but my heart wasn’t really in it so I came home fairly early. I want to really improve my photography and I thought joining the Photography Club was the way to achieve this, but I am not sure. I think what I really need is a hands on photography course, and that’s not possible here – in Adelaide yes, but I can’t remember the last time we ran Community Courses here. Yes I have tried “On-Line ” courses, I have about three currently in the computer, but they just don’t work for me. There have been times ( yesterday, in fact) when I have gone out with the camera, taken photographs, came home and deleted every one. I was just unhappy and didn’t like them. With all the stuffing around the camera was a mess so I took the step of going into the settings and returning the camera to Factory Settings, wipe out all the other setting except the basic settings the camera came out of the box with. Start again from scratch without contradictory advice from assorted sources.

Oddly enough last Wednesday morning was the last fine day we had. It has been heavy rain throughout the state for the last four days. It has also been cold and windy. It is supposed to start warming up by the end of the

week, but it feels more like an extended winter rather than Spring. I have had Benji out and about and he is developing into a little con-man. Of late we are out walking and after a while he will start limping then stop and lift his right paw up as if he was in pain. When I bent down to feel all over his paw I could find nothing wrong, Even when I gently extended his paw he didn’t complain. He put the paw on the ground but when I started to move off, the paw went up in the air. Yes, I lifted him and put him on my shoulder and carried him for part of the way home. This has happened several times and much of the time I have carried him – except for today. Off we went at 6am this morning, and about three quarters of the way into the walk, the paw went in the air. I examined the paw,

found nothing amiss and told him that we would go back home—-well I had hardly said the word home, than he turned around, the paw went down and he took off, no sign of any pain or discomfort or paw problem. I had a chat with Annabell and we have come to the conclusion that this is his way of telling me that he’s had enough and he wants to go home. He is getting older so really we should expect that he doesn’t want to be quite as active as he was. Anyway, I have a “Pet Stroller”which I bought for Misty, a Maltese we had many years ago, who went blind. When we go out tomorrow I will take it with me and if he does the paw thing, I will lift him, strap him in the stroller and we can finish the walk together – like companions should.

Annabell is as well as expected. I will have her at the hospital on Wednesday and again on Friday. We may find out sometime after Friday what the problem is, but if not then it may be day surgery on the 22nd October.

Thinking Arizona Thoughts..

12/05/2015 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

We attended a funeral during the week. It was very unexpected in that he was ill but his death was sudden and came as a shock to his family. We knew the daughter and some other members of the extended family I have also been watching the British General Election, which is due this weekend. From what I have been reading it is going to be a bit on the nasty side. I miss the times when we had political figures that had the ability to use the English Language, who had wit and style, who could destroy, but still be good-mannered about it. These days I look on most politicians as thugs in ties whose first thoughts are in filling their pockets with looking after the interests of the nation coming a far away second. Vision is something that lasts only between now and the next election. There is something seriously wrong with a system where politicians can award themselves a 7% pay increase yet maintain that they can only afford a 1% pay increase for frontline troops.

Today here in Australia it is Mother’s Day – Happy Mother’s Day to all Mums and Moms and including all Fur-baby Mothers. My little Chienne is as happy as anything – we play and we go walks and she sits beside me. There is no indication that there is anything amiss and unlike the Man, I can do a lot more with Chienne because she is not blind and

can see what is going on. I feel a little sad in that Chienne was just a tad neglected these last few months when we were looking after The Man. If it gets to the stage where she has difficulty in walking ( and I really don’t see that happening) we always have the Dog Stroller to fall back on. That’s good fun. I put her in it from time to time and wheel her around the garden and the house and unlike the Man, Chienne is quite comfortable in it. My idea here is getting her used to it – just in case! I miss the Man and think of him constantly

It’s been a fairly quiet month and I have been doing some work in the garden and across in my office. My office was a mess- well very untidy anyway, so I decided it really needed a clean and a clear out of all the old paperwork that was piling up and was no longer relevant. Isn’t that what I bought the shredder for anyway?? So, I filled the recycle bin with all this shredded and other paper and generally gave the place a good clean out. I’m quite happy with how it looks now – like it’s supposed to!

Only a few weeks and I set off to Naracoorte. I am sort of looking forward to this. I have never been in that part of the state so it will be somewhat of an adventure – almost as far from Adelaide to Naracoorte as it is from here to Adelaide. Although I have driven through part of the way when I went over to visit Alan in Geelong some years ago. I am looking forward to having some different places to photograph. I was thinking of taking a short course on photography but having looked at some of the costs I decided to just potter along as I do. My photographs might not be great or professional looking but they work for me.

I am so sorry to hear that things are not well in Arizona. I am thinking about you all every day and I really hope that everything can be worked out and settle back down again. I am sorry about the horses. I know how you loved them too. Poor Charlie! I thought building the “Fortress” would solve the problem, but apparently not. Everything that has happened must be very upsetting ( to put it mildly) so I really do hope that you can sort everything out and get back to “relative” peace. I have missed you and I think others have too, so you know many people are thinking about you.

I have missed the posts of late, but then, since New Year I have missed a lot. However, as I said the other week, things have improved and I am much, much better.

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