Wobblydog

Poor Jack. He’s going to see a specialist at a veterinary University on Wednesday, which is good – hopefully they will be able to diagnose the problem and do something that will ‘cure’ him (at a cost of ££££ unfortunately – but money’s no object when it comes to the Boy).

Meanwhile, we just have to try to cope as best we can with him. He can no longer stand, or walk properly, unaided or for any length of time. He can’t go up or down steps or inclines. Unfortunately he’s also lost control of his bladder and bowels to a certain extent (he’s leaving us little presents around the house). We’re having to sleep downstairs with him as he can’t make it upstairs to bed and will be distressed if we go up without him.

Last Sunday we took him for a walk in Southgate and he was fine – running around, coped going up and down the cliff fine – basically was just normal Jack. Now, a week later, he can’t even walk out into the garden without falling over. What’s happened to my boy I don’t know, but it’s breaking my heart.

Thanks to all of you for the kind messages you’ve left – Jack sends big sniffs and licks to you all. Hopefully I’ll be able to tell you some better news on Wednesday.

Duvet day

Poor Jack

Originally uploaded by prrincess purrplechick.

Today I’ve taken a ‘duvet day’ to be with Jack (a day of leave that hasn’t been pre-arranged). Poor Jack’s legs are failing him and we’re off to the vet for the billionth time later on this afternoon.

To keep his hips warm, I’ve tucked a blanket round them, and he has his head on one sofa and his body on another. Lots of fuss on tap and the window blinds are open so he can keep an eye on His Domain as he dozes. So he’s as happy as he can be.

Let’s just hope that the vet can help as he can’t walk properly at the moment and fell on the stairs last night

Is there a doctor in the house?

Everyone seems to be suffering some ailment at the moment. Spots, fever, migraine, hayfever, bugs, sore throats – we’re all sick. Even Jack’s problems are worse at the moment.

It’s weird how so many people (and dogs) are all feeing poorly at the same time. Could it be the end of summer, or some kind of weird planetary alignment? Or are we all infecting each other via the Internet – a different kind of virus? Answers on a postcard.

If you’re not feeling 100%, I hope you feel better soon – there may be small comfort in knowing that you’re not the only one suffering, but I doubt it. Take care of yourselves, and try to stay healthy!

Shakespearean sausage surprise

I had two surprises this week.

Being a bit of a Shakespeare fan, I am so pleased that there is an Outdoor Shakespeare company that regularly performs at Oystermouth castle. We’ve already seen A Midsummer Night’s Dream there this year and thought that would be it until next year. It was a pleasant surprise when Steve was emailed on Monday with the details of Hamlet, performed on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. It was short notice, but an opportunity not to be missed.

The other surprise came on Shakespeare night, when I ordered curry sauce and chips and somehow ended up with sausage and chips instead.

Perfect

Someone could have designed this just for me.

Naming is power

I’ve been thinking about names lately, for no other reason than the fact that I am reading a book where the main character is called Cat – a name I’ve always liked for its feline qualities

Anyone who has read stories of magic and sorcery knows that naming is power. Giving something a name denotes some kind of ownership of that thing. Think about it – names are given not only to children and pets but also to cars, houses, boats – to rename a boat is considered to be very bad luck. Things with a preceived value tend to be given a name.

Names can make you feel different things according to how they are used – a schoolyard bully could call another child ‘Fatty’, ‘Skinny’, ‘Smelly’ etc etc. Whereas the same tormented child, in later years, could be called ‘Slim’ or ‘Squidgy’ by a loved one and not get at all upset or hurt.

Lovers call each other pet names; friends call each other nicknames; internet forum users and bloggers will create their own pseudonyms, as do authors and pop stars. Newspapers are never happier than when they can coin a nickname for a celebrity – it’s all about power.

I’ve never liked the name my parents gave me – it’s one that many girls my age have, and I don’t actually like the sound of it when it’s said. One of the reasons why I created an online pseudonym for myself – but also because prrincess purrplechcik provides me with anonymity and I feel I can be more myself without having to worry about people ‘finding’ me that I would rather keep my internet life away from (colleagues, parents etc).

Belle de Jour is the ultimate anonymous blogger I think, and she has very good reasons for keeping her true identity secret – but don’t we all like that chance to reinvent ourselves that comes when we choose a new name?

Yours, Ermintrude

Breathe

I’m so bunged up, I just can’t breathe. I can only sleep with the help of Olbas oil, eucalyptus oil in an oil burner, an air purifier in my face and in a sitting position. I can’t breathe through my nose, as it’s blocked, and I can’t breathe through my mouth as my chest is full of mucus and breathing through my mouth seems to aggravate that (and breathing through your mouth is just wrong anyway).

I’m currently trying to breathe through my ears and/or my arse.

Stressed Eric

I hate August. While everyone else takes time off and enjoys the last of the summer, I’m stuck in work covering for my boss who has 3.5 weeks off every August. And of course everything that can happen in work, does, so I end up running round like a blue arsed fly. My working days have been anywhere from 9-12 hours long, every day. I’m dealing with things I know next to nothing about. I’m having to manage 2 major pieces of work at the same time, as well as doing my own work and that of my boss. I’m stressed, tired and run down.

So I apologise for any thing I haven’t done that I’m supposed to. If I haven’t replied to an email, it’s because I just haven’t had the time and/or the energy. I need a virtual answer machine: “purrplechick is unable to function as a human being at the moment. Please leave a message, and she’ll get back to you in September”.

Trying new things…

This weekend I have tried some new things, with varying success.

Last night we tried to make vodka martini espresso cocktails – unfortunately we didn’t have vodka, so it was actually malibu martini espresso cocktails, with some chocolate sauce to sweeten. They tasted like shit but they had a hell of a kick! From ‘merry’ to drunk in 60 seconds. I think I actually fell over at one point. Ooops! Fun though.

Today, I ate ostrich steak for the first time. If you’ve never tried it, it’s got the consistency of steak but tastes like a game-y version of chicken. It was delicious.

I also had a Tibetan acupressure head massage, which included my head being ‘anointed’ with oil. Very relaxing and made me feel a bit spaced out, I was almost falling asleep until The Boy came and shoved his nose in my face!

On a girlie note, I also tried and bought 2 new red lipsticks My weekend is complete.

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

Most visitors chez purrplechick are expected to take us as they find us. Sure, we make an effort to clear dirty dishes and make room on the table to have dinner, but on the whole our home is lived in, get over it.

There are rare exceptions however, and the arrival of the Queen of Sheba (a.k.a. my sister) is one of them. The QoS has a tendency to be extremely blunt, and will tell you straight away if she doesn’t like something. Whereas most people will eyeball a mess without mentioning anything, one can never be certain whether the QoS will pass comment.

The queen mentioned she would like to see ‘everything you’ve done to the house since I was last there’ which meant that the usual trick of shoving everything into the least-used rooms and shutting the door wouldn’t work as the Grand Tour of the house was on the agenda.

On the plus side, we now have a lovely tidy house, and even all my shoes have found a new tidy home. The good news is, no negative comments were made and in fact I think we passed the inspection. Phew!