Re: Gardening Thread.

[Sabot]

It's bloody freezing here. Sitting in bed with a hot water bottle.

[bb1]

I'm warm enough in the house. I dug out my Stones CDs in honour of Bennett.

[lily]

It's bloody freezing here. Sitting in bed with a hot water bottle.

For you too, Sabot.

Bonny, are you listening to Her Satanic Majesty's Request?

[bb1]

Was earlier.....Sympathy for the Devil was always a fave of mine, too. Odd, though, that the Stones are all much older than Bennett - and it's him who looks 'orrible.

Never mind, we know how to keep him at bay now.

[lily]

Was earlier.....Sympathy for the Devil was always a fave of mine, too. Odd, though, that the Stones are all much older than Bennett - and it's him who looks 'orrible.

Never mind, we know how to keep him at bay now.

You bet. Give him the sign and play this

[bb1]

Bennett and a few others would do well to listen to that - and understand the meaning of it. Preferably when they are looking in a mirror.

[lily]

Do you think they would dare to?

[bb1]

Shoppers stripped the shelves in the Tesco store in Abedare in South Wales. Customers have been stocking up on both milk and bread as the weather forecast predicts heavy snow and wintery conditions overnight and tomorrow

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2263837/UK-weather-Snow-forecast-UK-motorists-told-travel-avoid-it.html#ixzz2IGlMCh36
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Oh, good God! How truly, truly feeble!

[lily]

Oh my! Thank goodness they are not saying that this could go on for a week or so.....

[Sabot]

Snow here, but not enough to be fun. Did the shopping yesterday. Lots of fags and booze. No flies on me.

[lily]

Well done, Sabot. You will be fine.

[Sabot]

Off to the Vet's on Monday. Went to visit a friend today, and he is coming with me. Such a relief, because I can't quite cope with having the rotten little much loved horror story put down on my own.
Such love Romulus has given to me for more than twelve years now, but twelve years is very old for a Shar Pei. They are very damaged dogs just by their gross inter breeding, and I might be thankful that Romulus has survived for this long.
My Vet might tell me that Rom could be kept going for a small while yet, and I might go along with that. But I hope not. My much loved Rom has ceased to be a pleasure, and is now only a worry. Long gone are the days when he and I larked over a floor brush, and I fought to take it away from him because it was his favourite toy. Nowadays I only hope that he is still breathing when I wake up in the morning.
Other people talk about the death of their best loved dogs, but not too many of them talk about the inevitable process of getting there. Watching a dog getting more old and more infirm, and when to know when the time has come. But then we never do know, unless they die in situ, which is never good.
Tis a bit pissy at the moment. Romulus is old and he isn't going to get much better, so at what price another year if I am permanently worried?

There was only ever one real Dog Passion for me. The one that left me totally bereft. And he died of old age fifty years ago, although I didn't for even a minute see that coming. His name was Hamlet and quite the most beautiful thing that you could ever wish to see. Rom is half as beautiful, and nearly as good, but heaven alone knows why my best dogs have been male when I don't even like male dogs. Nasty, pissing things that cock their legs all over the place. And don't tell me that they don't because they bloody well do.
And No, I am not into castrating anything.

Sorry about this. Just having a bit of a worry.

[Lamplighter]

Sending you calming, loving thoughts, ma trés chére petite. LL

[bb1]

We've all been there, Sabot.

[Sabot]

Thank You, both. LL and Bonny. A bit of a bad one because I have to decide. Shall he live or shall he die? In fifty years I have never had to decide before because it has always been obvious. But now I even wonder if I am just pissed off with him for interminably pissing on the floor, and maybe just looking for a reason to have him put down.
My youngest son says that I should have clouted him long ago, but in my experience clouting previously house trained dogs doesn't help. In fact clouting dogs is never a good idea anyway.

I will be okay now because a friend is coming to the Vets with me, which is all I actually needed. And Anna Raccoon made the appointment for me from Bergerac because my phone is being a bit difficult at the moment. Yes, she did. She phoned my Vet, and explained my fears of Romulus ripping the throats out of anything that growls at him, which he remains entirely capable of. So not a good idea to have him in a Waiting Room. He will stay in the back of my Van until the time that The Vet will see him. I needed someone to explain that.
So you see, some people have been very kind to me. But everything is ever complicated.

[bb1]

Don't despair, Sabot, he may just be a bit leaky in his old age, but otherwise healthy?

[Sabot]

Don't despair, Sabot, he may just be a bit leaky in his old age, but otherwise healthy?

No, Bonny, he is not a bit leaky. He can produce half a fekcing gallon of pee pee when he feels so inclined. His Mother was exactly the same when her immune system was breaking down., but it happened to her when she was only six years old. I came late to owning her and she had not been very well treated. I won't go into how she ever got pregnant in the first place, but it was by a Shar Pei puppy who was only nine months old at the time.
It is possibly some kind of Dog Dementia. They seem to forget where they should actually be peeing, and I don't think that they ever do it on purpose. But I have seen it all before. Weepy eyes, skin problems, and any other problem that you care to think of. Not least peeing in the house.
Shar Peis have been so very ill bred, and it is a miracle that Rom has survived for this long.
Will I have another? I really do not know. I really do so like them. But I will want to see the mother and the father and several generations before. I have seen too much of grand daddy screwing his grand daughter in the name of profit. But who can actually tell?
There were never quite enough of them in the beginning, so they are mostly grossly interbred.

[Sabot]

Monday the 21st of January. 2013.

Had my lovely old boy put down today. He was twelve years and four months old and I had owned him since the day he was born. I managed to stay with him until he went to sleep, but I couldn't face staying until he actually died. But he won't have known that, so I will forgive myself eventually.

The house is desolate and empty and I don't quite know what to do with myself. This is the first time in twenty years that I haven't had a dog in the house. I keep on expecting him to come lumbering towards me looking for more food. Or I am checking to avoid stepping in a puddle of pee every time I turn around. But he hasn't been his normal, boring, bouncy pain in the neck for some time.

My Vet of many years said that he was really not very well, and wasn't going to get any better, simply because he was old. He might have gone on for a short while longer, but there was no great quality of life anymore.

But the deed is done. And now I shall roll up the pee and bleach sodden kitchen carpet and dump it in the bin, clean up the kennel that I have long called home, and recover the arm chairs that ceased to be my sitting space a long time ago. But not until tomorrow.

Not too much sympathy, please, otherwise I shall start bawling again. And I have done enough of that today.

[bb1]

OK Sabot.

[Lamplighter]

Here for you as always, ma petite. LL

[lily]

Oh so sorry, Sabot. Bless you both.

[bb1]

Do seals have nine lives? I ask, because of this one's antics:



http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/seal-pup-found-on-car-dashboard-by-rescuers-1-2762699

[lily]

What a fabulous story. Isn't he a cutie? I would love him too.........

[Sabot]

Okay, Gardening. I need to get away from other insanity for a minute.

I have spent most of the Winter doing things in the garden. Retreating some of The Decking, which i have to say has stood up quite well, although I have bought more expensive stuff of late. And it is worth treating the wood before you lay it down, even if it was treated at source. It only involves slapping on a coat of of wood treatment stuff. After you have dried it out, of course. And you can do this while listening to abysmal programmes on Radio 4.

The Broad Beans are doing fine. And my Bulbs are now starting to flower. Such pretty things. Spring is on the way.

I have more or less recovered from the death of my dear old boy. In fact, my stress levels have been reduced to nearly nothing much at all. Sad to say. But then one probably doesn't much realise how stressful an ageing dog can be when you hope he will go on for a bit longer.
I haven't rushed out to buy another dog, and not sure I even want one at the moment. But I expect that the time will come.
I am not a Rescue Person, and make no apologies for that. I need to know how my dogs have been treated before they came to me, especially since I had Rom from the day that he was born. So any peculiarities that he had were entirely my fault. Not that there were many. Just an inherent desire to tear the throat out of anything that attacked him or me. But then this is what Shar Peis have done for centuries.

Still riveted to "The Hotel" on Project Free on Line. It is a nightmare. That poor, silly loyal man. His staff are killing his business. I can only hope that he is getting well paid for their carry ons on TV. Some Hotel Inspector has vaguely tried to tell him that he needs to sort them out, but I would sack the lot of them.

Anyway, did a load of Weeding today. I am fast learning that weeds are best disposed of when the weeds are young and the ground is wet. Now is the best time to do it.

The Post Lady has stopped mashing up my front grass after I asked her not to, but then I do pay a healthy amount into their Christmas Tip Box.
There is a funny and ancient story about Tipping the Post Person. When Pension were first introduced into France the peasants thought that The Post Person paid The Pensions, so they tipped him or her in case it stopped. Me? i just do it because they stop off and collect my outgoing post and save me a trip to The Post Office.

Just about to get out the heated propagator. Tis time to plant seeds.

[lily]

Glad to hear you are okay, Sabot.

I envy you guys the ability to see spring flowers. In this part of the world there are few native flowering plants.

However, we have gorgeous palms galore. Dates, phoenix, sago and others.

Plants that grow well outside are plumeria (frangipani)and I have 6 of them at the moment, together with jasmine and gardenias.

Would love to see photos of flowers from you guys.

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