Frozen Frogspawn

Perhaps the frogs know something we don't, but we already have two batches of frogspawn in our pond. Unfortunately the pond is frozen today, and I'm not sure they'll survive.

A couple of weeks ago we went to Kingston Lacy to see the snowdrops. There are other flowers also opening up, and trying to welcome spring. This hellebore was particularly attractive.

Another unusual sight was this family of Kune Kune pigs, which are evidently originally from New Zealand. The youngsters were born in early December, and are thriving. I believe they are keeping two of them to breed at the estate.

Bad Timing

Talk about putting a damper on my Christmas fare! Yesterday I received a letter from our local GP surgery, asking me to make an appointment to have my blood sugar tested, since they have told me I have impaired Fasting Glycaemia! This is a pre-diabetic condition. I must have my blood tested annually to see if I have developed diabetes.

Following this they made recommendations about what I should be eating, less sugary food, less fat and take more exercise. Couldn't they have left this until after Christmas? I don't intend to make a pig of myself, but we all enjoy chocolates, Christmas pudding and mince pie etc.

I'll wait until the New Year to make the appointment, but suspect all my levels will be higher than usual because of the time of year. At least they are keeping an eye on me, for which I should be grateful.

Happy Christmas and New Year everyone.

Of Mice and Monkeys

Mouse alert! Mike decided to take garden waste to the tip this morning. On loading the car with the bags, a mouse jumped out of one of them, straight into the car (my car.) We tried poking with a stick to no avail. No sign of the little beastie. Mike decided to carry on.
When he arrived at the tip he opened the doors and found the mouse sitting in the wheel arch. It was gone in a flash, poor little thing. Far from home now and missing its family. Feel sorry for it, but I didn't want it running around my car when I'm driving, and maybe jumping down my neck.

It's great living so close to Monkey World; we often hear the chimps as they have their breakfast, but this last week when we've had cold weather, they've been making so much noise. Last Sunday we thought they must have escaped and any moment we expected to see some of them swinging over the rooftops. I think it must have been the direction of the wind that we heard them so clearly, or maybe they were complaining about being shut out of their homes while their keepers were cleaning them. No news of any breakout anyway.

What are we like?

We must be the most unromantic couple ever! We've had a week of quiet celebration. Last Thursday was our 37th wedding anniversary. On the Wednesday I asked Mike what tomorrow would be. His reply was that it would be Thursday, so I thought he must have forgotten.

On Thursday we visited a friend. Neither of us had remembered up to then. She must have said something that sparked a thought, so I wished Mike a Happy Anniversary. He immediately looked at his watch to see what the date was. Oh well, it doesn't mean that we don't care, just that we had more important things to think of.

Monday was his 70th birthday. On Sunday he asked me if we really had to go out somewhere. I hadn't made any arrangements, so said not if he didn't want to. He wasn't feeling too well that day, which explained why he didn't want to go out, but he was better next day, so we just ended up going for a quiet lunch at the pub (The Bear in Wool). It was very nice and I didn't have to cook. He wouldn't have wanted a big party anyway, but I felt it should have been more than it was.

Responsible dog ownership

As most of my friends know, I'm passionate about dogs. Sometimes though, it's possible to come across one who does not behave as it should. Usually it's not the dog's fault, as it hasn't learned some of the lessons it needs to learn about living alongside humans. Gizmo and I met such a dog the other day, and poor Gizmo came off the worst, with cuts around his ear, bruising around his neck, and a cut in his mouth. It could have been worse of course.

I'd just like to say to all those dog owners who let their dogs loose off the leads, which is not a bad thing of course where suitable, that if they know their dog could be aggressive, please keep them on the lead, and muzzle them. Everyone would be a lot safer then.

Autumn

One of the good things about this time of year is the colours we see around us. This Virginia creeper covers a wall at Stinsford, near Dorchester. We went there recently to visit the grave where Thomas Hardy's heart was placed. The rest of him was cremated and placed in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey.

The village of Stinsford was Melstock in his novels. It's an interesting and pretty area.

As for our situation, Mike is continuing to make good progress after his spinal surgery, and all professionals we come across say how lucky he's been. Don't we know it?! He now looks the picture of health.

Two good weeks, and wild flowers in the garden

The last two weeks have been quite a change for us. No medical appointments for either of us! Wonderful, but next week we have to go back to the hospital for Mike's follow-up appointment after his spinal surgery. He's doing quite well but it will take time for full recovery.

Earlier in the year, Mike scattered some wild flower seeds along the side of the garden. This is one of the flowers from that sowing. It looked particularly attractive one morning after rain.