Here’s a bit of Monday loveliness from Gloria Jones with Tainted Love
You can’t beat a bit of Monday Motown. It’s not very festive, I know, but I’m not in the festive zone yet. Last week was a bit of a vet blur. By the time I saw my vet for the fourth successive afternoon, she was starting to get suspicious I was stalking her.
Monday was the arrival of two dogs who were on a stopover before their journey to the UK. Heston fell massively in love with Galaxy, a wire-haired pointer. He yelled at her for about two minutes and then they wrestled and played chase for three hours solid. When she finally came in the house to sleep, Heston sat staring at her, his nose about 50cm from hers. He’d have been closer but the attention was too much and Miss Galaxy was growling any time he got closer than that. In return, Heston was growling at anyone who threatened to disturb the sleeping beauty. What was most sad was poor Hista. She was desperate to play with Heston and he was having none of it. He just ignored her frantic attempts to play. That’s a bit out of order if you ask me. They were very easy dogs to have around and I loved Hista’s little happy dance at tea-time. A bath and a brush and I bet she looks amazing.
Tuesday saw their departure, but also one of my little foster kitties died in the night. He’d had a rough couple of weeks and had cried constantly, gaining no weight. We’d wormed him on Friday, and he had an anti-diarrhea medicine as well as something to settle his stomach, but it wasn’t enough. I was convinced he’d pulled through as well. It makes me so sad to think that this poor little soul had nothing but a short life of pain. I guess being left in a plastic bag when your eyes are barely open is acceptable to some excuses for humans.
I did a run up to Poitiers on Friday for the first time, taking our dogs up to meet the transporter who takes them to Germany. Five of the six had homes to go to already. Isko was the only one who was going to a refuge, and he already had interest on Saturday. At Poitiers, they’ve just taken in over twenty Anglo hounds (the huge, elegant, long-legged baying hounds) who’d come from the most distressing of circumstances. Most of them have had to fight for food and bear the scars. Their ‘food’ doesn’t bear thinking about: it’s likely they’d survived by eating the bodies of the dead. Several are still in the infirmary. They seemed in good spirits though – the Anglos are confident as a rule and it’s not often you come across one whose spirit has been broken as you do with other hound breeds. I had a bit of a weep letting Attila go – he’s been at the refuge for a long time and he was one of my favourites.
Saturday was spent at a local charity event hosting a stand to promote the refuge’s work. I was happy to spend the day chatting to friends old and new, including a few people who want to come and help out at the refuge. It can be such hard work keeping volunteers that we’re always glad of more support. Usually, people adopt a dog and their commitments change. Many people come for one day and can’t face coming again, which I kind of understand but makes me sad anyway.
This week, I’ve got my final Japanese lesson to teach at the local primary school. I’ve really enjoyed teaching this little group – there are several of them who greet me with a bow and a konnichiwa. We spend most of our time doing little role-plays and singing songs to learn vocabulary. I really wanted to do a little origami with them, but it’s so hard to teach even one person how to fold paper that I thought it might be a bit much to do it with an impatient class of eight-year-olds.
My mum arrives today and we’ve got three days of trying to squash things in. Tomorrow, we’ll have a good walk in the forest, weather permitting, and then a bit of lunch and cake with some friends. I’ve also got an AGM to lead on Thursday, which means I’ll have to leave her to her own devices. She’s the kind of person that if I leave her alone, she’ll embark on a project. Last time she was here, she planted all my potatoes. Bit early for that in December!
I cannot wait until next Monday when I have got two whole weeks off for Christmas. I can’t wait to spend a little time catching up on all the things I’ve neglected, the messages I’ve not returned and the projects I’d started but not finished! I’m also excited because this time next week, one of my friends will have a new addition for the Christmas holidays: little baby Betty Bump will be joining the world properly and I can’t wait to meet her! Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly for my friend Rachel on Wednesday!
Lady Justine's Blog 