Friday, 6 October 2023

6th - 8th October 2023 Post Comment Love - Goodbye Bob.

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life  and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week and all we ask is that you leave a comment on either mine or Stephanie's post which you linked up through and at least one other post. We'd also love it if you could RT us on Twitter when we tag you to help us reach a wider audience.

14th February 2010 - 29th September 2023

It was with a heavy heart that we had to take Bob the dog to the vets last Friday to say our goodbyes. I've linked up this week with Bob's story.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 




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Monday, 2 October 2023

Bob the dog - 14th February 2010 - 29th September 2023

Bob came to live with us in South Africa in 2013, moving to Dubai in 2015 and onto the UK in 2020.

We've had 10 glorious years with Bob, so many adventures and memories and we'll never forget Bob who bought us so much joy.

Bob was taken poorly in July this year, a trip to the vets for an anti sickness jab to make him comfortable, but we really thought we'd be saying goodbye to him back then. He recovered and was back to walks and running off lead, but he had slowed a little.

Mid August his was back at the vets with the neighbour as we were in Australia, another jab to keep him comfortable until we got home. Again he rallied round, but his walks were shorter and he didn't run when he was off lead.

Then the difficult decision had to be made when he was ill again the end of September.

Goodbye Bob, you'll never be forgotten.

Meeting Bob for the first time.



Putting a bit of weight on

Lasy days by the pool

1st beach trip to St Lucia

Camping trips

Crocodile and hippo watching

Flights to Dubai

Out in the desert

Soft play

Dog parks

Last walk in Dubai

1st walk in the UK

Up the Malvern Hills

Old man



My heart is broken



Sunday, 1 October 2023

Week 39 Project 365 and One Daily Positive 2023 - Goodbye to Bob the Dog

It's been a really tough week with family illness and on Friday we had to make the decision to put Bob to sleep. It was easy to make the decisions he was suffering, but so bloody hard to follow through we and I cradled him in my arms as he went, although he did try to put up a fight, he had nothing left.

I was poorly most of the weekend with a heavy cold and sore throat but didn't have the luxury of just watching TV and doing nothing.

Peter's mother has come to stay with us after being taken ill on Monday night. On Tuesday the dog started going down hill gain and by Thursday wasn't eating or drinking and was being sick.

268 Sunday A lie in, some blogging and commenting done and off to Worcester with mum to do some shopping, coffee out and home for a BBQ. Mum offered to do the ironing and I caught up with some reading for work in the morning.

Christmas is coming.


269 Monday Into work for 45 mins then off to Worcester to visit my student for a catch up with her course work. Drove home, where Peter took me back to work as he needs the car for some tip runs. I got a lift home in the afternoon.

Our resident pigeons, the cat and dog have always accepted them in the garden.


270 Tuesday Peter dropped me at work and drove down to Bristol to collect his mum. I left at 10.30am as I wasn't feeling well. I walked home. I changed beds and had a tidy round and went to bed myself for a couple of hours. Peter home at 5pm.

Anyone seen this anywhere?


271 Wednesday Still feeling under the weather. Peter took my mum home and I had to rearrange some furniture for MIL to join us in the lounge. 


272 Thursday I was awake at 2am and by 4.30am I was up and downstairs, lazy day with lemsip, box of tissues and lots of reading.

I washed all his bedding where he kept being sick, now the doggy smell has been eradicated from the house also.


273 Friday I went to work today, I was in a daze, knowing that Bob wasn't improving as Peter was keeping me updated. I got home and Bob didn't even lift his head off his pillow to greet me, he rejected his favourite foods, banana and cheese and just lie there looking at me. Eventually he got up for a pee and it was just blood, he'd been throwing up all day. He stood there, with his tail between his legs, his eyes had retreated into his head so I called the vet and we had an hour to say our goodbyes. My friend and neighbour of 21 years came to say bye to Bob and we video called with our grandchildren for them to say bye. The vet was incredibly kind. We came home in silence and friend brought round chips for dinner.

At the vets, waiting to say goodbye.


274 Saturday So hard not seeing Bob in his bed in the kitchen this morning. I tidied up all his things and we took mother in law out for a coffee. I went to Worcester to collect a birthday present for Peter next week, which was next door to the vets, so I dropped in a thank you card and was given some lovely hugs from the staff. I left them some of Bobs toys, food bowls and blankets and on my way home had to call in at the skip to drop off his bed. Child 2, his wife and grandchild came to visit MIL and we had a birthday tea with them for Peters birthday. Grandchild asked once or twice where Bob was, don't think it's sunk in yet. Bed at 9pm exhausted.

He really hated his paws being touched, but let me do this in the week.


On the blog this week:




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Friday, 29 September 2023

Post Comment Love 29th Sept - 1st October 2023

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life  and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week and all we ask is that you leave a comment on either mine or Stephanie's post which you linked up through and at least one other post. We'd also love it if you could RT us on Twitter when we tag you to help us reach a wider audience.

It's the 14th Anniversary of my blog on Sunday. My first post was all about my week as the winner of Fancy Dress Friday #FDF a friendly competition that used to take place on Twitter on a Friday evening. It got quite competitive and was a lot of fun. I made some lifelong friends over on Twitter, who I have regular contact with, both online and face to face. 


I never dreamt I'd still have something to blog about 14 years later, although these days I tend to only blog for #PoCoLo and Project 365 with my One Daily Positive that I started in 2015.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. It's been a bit hectic here with my MIL who is unwell, the dog is also unwell and I've been under the weather dealing with the stress of everything and catching up with rest as I've not had a weekend off since we got back from Australia. I hope you enjoy this weeks post.




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Monday, 25 September 2023

Wildlife in Australia

The wildlife in Australia is stunning. Having lived in South Africa we are used to be able to drive a couple of miles to a nature reserve to see Rhino, Hippos, Zebras and Giraffes, but we rarely saw any wildlife outside of the nature reserves. We did have some interesting Rain spiders and Park Town Prawns and Geckos were common. Dual was similar but with Oryx and Camels in the desert and the odd Gecko in the house. Back now in the UK, it's been Spiders, Ants, Woodlice, Bees, Butterflies and Moths and fields of sheep and cows.

Many people have told us they wouldn't visit Australia because of the Spiders and Snakes and we've always been under the impression that to see them you needed to live in the outback, however we came across this beauty in the tree above the footpath walking in Manly just 35 minutes outside Sydney at a busy seaside resort.

A Diamond Python.


We also saw this one in Airlie up near the Great Barrier Reef, also on a coastal path in a busy seaside resort.

A Collared Whip Snake (mildly venomous)


Peter was starting to think that Kangaroos were a figment of our imagination and finally on his second trip to Australia he saw one and then several hundred more.


We saw a lot of Wallabies also which were really friendly.


The birds are stunning, such pretty colours and so friendly.


Rainbow Lorikeet.

The Pelicans are huge.



The cockatoos in volume are similar in numbers to the amount of pigeons we have in the UK.

Kookaburra visit.

There are random Turkeys walking on the beaches.


Herons just wandering around.


Galahs.


And Bin Chickens in the streets. Or the Australian Ibis.


The sea is crystal clear and we were fortunate enough to visit The Great Barrier Reef to go scuba diving and snorkelling.




We also saw an abundance of Whales and Dolphins from boat trips and out on coastal walks.

My favourites are the Koalas and Penguins that we visited in Philip Island near Melbourne.

Unfortunately it is rare to see Koalas outside of sanctuaries which aren't netted so the Koala can move around. Like the Penguins, the conservation fee you pay to visit them and The Great Barrier Reef also, helps to protect their habitat.





Saturday, 23 September 2023

Week 38 One Daily Positive and Project 365 2023

Absolutely shattered this week, it's been a busy two weeks with the golf, no time off and hectic in work. I've had a migraine threatening and towards the end of the week, a sore throat.

261 Sunday Last day of the golf, early start and after breakfast with Sam Torrance, I went out with Matt Fitzpatrick, Matt Baldwin and Pablo Larrazábal. The heavens opened as we started on the 17th and just after we got off the 18th they sounded the siren for lightening and there was a 90 minute delay. Thankfully we were able to drop off our kit and head off home. I usually stay till the end and watch the winners but I had work in the morning and a 2 and a half hour drive home. Unpacked, had a bath and went to bed.


262 Monday Back to work via a blood test at the GPs. I'm not feeling work at the moment, there's so much stuff going on but it's all so secretive and it's really irritating when you're working with a student but you're not in the circle with the people who never do face to face with that child. Home from work via the builders yard to order gravel, had dinner, watched TV including the new neighbours, totally confused with what's going on, guess the story line will unfold soon.

My student is off sick so I attend all their lessons and take notes and photos of what we're reading so she can keep up from home.


263 Tuesday Left work early to visit a student who had surgery last week. Home to clean and get ready for mum arriving tomorrow for a week.


264 Wednesday Dug my winter coat and boots out this morning. Peter picked my mum up as she's staying with us for a week. I walked into town after work and we met for coffee.

Priory Park in Malvern.


265 Thursday Up at 5.30am and got some blogging done without interruption. Off to work and home to chill, watch TV and read. The gravel was delivered for the new paths and patio area.

Started watching The Great Gatsby. I've read the book but wanted to see the Robert Redford version of the film.


266 Friday Into work for 8am, super busy and had t pop out for 30 mins to collect mum. I didn't stop all day sorting out problems. I was in bed and asleep by 8.30pm.

Peter edged the lawn last week and has started putting all the gravel around the house.


267 Saturday Peter dropped me and mum at the Three Counties Autumn show, went for his flu jab then joined us mid morning. We had a lovely day, bought lots of plants. I popped out to the supermarket after we got back to get tea. Evening spent tidying around.

Jousting.


On the blog this week:

Our last week in Australia


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