In Quiet Remembrance

Been off grid a bit these last few weeks. There's been a lot going on socially, which is something I will never complain about - it's good to have friends who want to see you.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that after the Halloween shenanigans, things didn't ease up any and so I found myself on the Remembrance day weekend with Maisie in tow just having a quiet one. Hubby has self diagnosed Man-Flu which I have now successfully caught, though of a weaker strain. The work of the flu jab which I got privately through work, or better genetics? I'll let you decide.

Either way, my significant apathy was explained when I woke up with aching kidneys and my voice an octave lower.

Despite the frosty starts to the morning, the weather was kind for Maisies visit. She was a star pupil as always and ate all her food, including the dreaded lamb. (Backstory, once a month or so my Brother gives me a dozen sachets of lamb dog food. Apparently Maisie will eat the chicken, turkey and beef, but will not eat lamb for him. Financially it's still cheaper for him to buy the multipack, and so Missy gets the lamb). Well, you guessed it. I didn't have anything but the lamb in jelly (she also won't eat gravy) and the madame gobbled it all up and almost beat Missy to be the first to finish.

I'm fairly convinced she has my Brother trained at the point! 

And that was the weekend. There was much crafts (the Xmas deadline is approaching) and the hubby and I powered through Ms Marvel. It was good, but you won't be hooked till episode 4.

And this week has been a misadventure in DIY. The time line was fairly tight to begin with, but throw in us both having colds and getting the hallway skirting painted and a carpet put in has become a true quest. (Spoiler, we did not manage the carpet, however, all the prep has been done, so halfway there).

So. Remembrance. 

I will warn you now that its gonna get soppy.

This weekend we three sisters boarded planes to go see our Dad. As I've said before, he's unwell and we have an indeterminate time left of him being the dad we remember. His big wish was to have all 4 of his daughters together again. Yep. Another sibling. Though really more a cousin at this point - a nine year age gap and only seeing them twice a year until you were 14 kinda stops a relationship forming. There's no menace in it. It is what it is. So I've been orchestrating that behind my dad's back for a while now - let me tell you, whilst sibling 4 had the right idea of wouldn't a surprise be wonderful, I'd been having kittens that someone somewhere else was gonna double book him. So last week, on the eve of Remembrance day when I know my dad was hurting that he couldn't attend the parade, his wife let the cat out the bag. If nothing else, knowing the lift he got from that, it was worth the low key anxiety I've had for literal months.

I am very pleased to say that the visit was perfect. My dad was like a peacock strutting about in absolute delight. There was lots of photos. Lots of food. He had got us all Christmas presents and insisted we open them (I'm not entirely sure he's ever forgiven us for growing up, it ruined Christmas for him) and he grinned like the Cheshire Cat all day. It was lovely to see him so happy. We had all been anxious about the what ifs and the maybes and honestly, everyone out preformed themselves on best behaviour.

Except the dogs - but that's because Missy wasn't there to keep them in their place! (Seriously, Jock, the very grumpy daschund took one look at me and barked the house down. I clearly haven't been forgiven yet for bringing Missy into his home!)

And thats a wrap. It was a whirlwind day yesterday and I for one am knackered. Missy has been most unimpressed with the cold and damp weather of late and has rather enjoyed our quiet day today cuddled on the sofa quietly crafting.

So, as I do each year, I will silently raise my mug of tea in thanks and remembrance. Not just to those we remember each year in November, but also to everyone we hold dear. 

Till next time

A Catch up for the Coronation

It's been... A bit up and down the last few weeks. So, I'll start at the beginning:

The ups? Caught up with friends and we've started a new campaign boardgame called the Animals of Baker Street. It's super cute aesthetically, it has a great game mechanic and we all love our characters. I'm really looking forward to working through the campaigns over the next few months! 

Hubby and I went to see The Ocean at the End of the Lane in the theatre, as a belated anniversary date. 

Just go. Go and see it. You will thank me. 

Then after that, my Manchester based sister managed a sneaky trip up for the bank holiday. She's had a lot in her plate, between the after effects of covid and ill health in the greater family, she really needed a break where she could hand over the car keys and put her feet up for two days. She wanted to have a quiet day at mine, and then spend the second one giving the wider family a surprise visit. 

I had the family come here, neice and nephew leapt out from under the table and there was delight all round. I showed them round the House of The Binns, which is where I'm planning my neices photoshoot of her prom dress.

Then sister went home, visiting Stumpy at the Five Sisters before leaving (I was in work at that point, jealous isn't a strong enough word!)

So, the downs? I'll start with the biggie - after the bug surprise get together, my mum messaged to say she had covid. So I've spent half the week as a headless chicken trying not to panic at all the vulnerable people I've been about. (My mum is fine, otherwise that would have been the primary concern!) 

No, back to the start. Missy injured her shoulder - nothing serious, but it's been short walks and bed rest for 3 weeks now, and she's getting frustrated. Her health behind the scenes isn't spectacular, but it's being monitored and I'll update when I know what's going on. The vets assure me it's nothing serious, but it's hard not to fret. 

Big sister is struggling with a full plate owing to I'll health in the wider family and her own health. Sound familiar? Unlike my other sister, big sister doesn't take time out for herself and then ends up off loading to you in a 2 hour long phone call. Every attempt to get her away from the house to have time to herself doing something she wants gets cancelled because of the family. 

Which included today. I did not intend to do very much with the Coronation today (we have my friends coming tomorrow with the neice and nephew to have a Coronation themed lunch), but I did want to do something a little more than being stuck in my same four walls again.

So I ended up having a sewing day and listened to the Coronation on the radio. It was a productive sewing day (grand unveil next week) and I got some magic props made for my nephews party. I cheered up in the end, but it's been an odd run for me.

Still, adventures are planned for next week when Missy should be fully recovered (she already is, but the vet said to give her a week longer than we feel she needs). We also have a certain little Pouty McPoutface coming for a girls weekend, so even if it all goes wrong, there's bound to be a funny story to tell! 

Bo'ness and Birkhill Walk

So this was a funny weekend in terms of plans. A puppy play date was always on the cards and there was a list of places my brother and I want to take the dogs to. When asking my mother if she was free and fancied joining us, it was revealed that my aunt (who is undergoing cancer treatment and cant get out much) was coming through with her son, my cousin, and that my mother had already promised them both that we would all be going out and doing something together.

News to me!

Nonetheless, after pointing out that what doggie play dates generally entail is a lot of walking, we bumped heads together and decided on the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway. I quite recently took a friend there, so wont go into too much detail about the site itself, but it seemed a good choice as the weather has been particularly unpredictable of late and there wouldn't be much walking about. Owing to Maisie requiring her six weekly spa day and pamper, we agreed on the 2pm train and managed to talk my sister into coming along as well.

 

Anyone who knows me knows that two in the afternoon is a day of adventuring lost, so I decided that, after dropping the hubby off at work, I'd just head off and see what I had time to do in regards to local walks. I'd gotten very keen on the idea of walking from Bo'ness to Blackness Castle (a 4 mile circular) but as it was already hitting 20C and we'd be walking on an exposed coastal path, I decided against it. Coincidentally, as I was purchasing an annual ticket for the railway (there's at least one event I want to do this year, and I'm pretty certain I'll end up along there at least once more after that, so it will have paid itself off before the years out) it came out on the tannoy that there was the Kinneil house walk and the Birkhill walks that could be done as part of a journey.

I'd previously scoped out the Kinniel walk and knew it would be more than an hour, which would be cutting it fine to catch the train on return. A quick query with the station master revealed that the walk at Birkhill was a 20-25 minute amble of a walk and I'd have half an hour to do it in settled that for me. Missy decided to cuddle up to and hug a train spotter who made the mistake of smiling and making eye contact with her and, after assessing the situation where he was rubbing her face and ears and posing for selfies with her, I decided she was clearly causing no bother and got some photos of the train coming into the station.

Both Missy and I had lunch on the train in the 15 minutes it took to get to Birkhill and then disembarked at a scenic little station and found a clearly marked woodland walk sign. I was quite disappointed to realise there used to be a clay mine in the area and that the visitors centre attached was closed to public visitors in 2013. I found some old signs and peered down into the gorge before trundling along the track. With the thought of the return train in the back of my mind we briskly walked the circular route and were done in less than twenty minutes. I ambled about the remnants of the mine information for another five and then headed back to the station. 

As usual when I have time to kill, I had Missy pose about the place for some photos and we quickly gathered a bit of an audience who were all very impressed at her sit and stay abilities. She made friends with a little boy who, after realising they were the same age, begged his mum for a photo of them together. I'm rather enamoured at the thought of Missy making her way into someone else's holiday snaps, and was more than happy to let them have a picture together.

I timed the trip back well as everyone was just arriving as the train pulled into the station. It was good to see my aunt and cousin again and I was pleased that my sister arrived in time as well for the train. She had brought her very elderly MIL with Wee Ben in tow. She's too old and frail now to keep him full time, which is why my sister usually has him, but she has been desperate for some time now to come along on a puppy play date as I always make sure to send her photos of the dogs having fun together.

Tickets were bought, group photos taken and on the train we went. In contrast to the previous train I had gotten this one was mobbed. Clearly the post-lunch train is popular! We made do with what we could and I found myself chatting to my sisters MIL and my nephew. He was perplexed as to why we'd all want to go on a steam train (alas, he's clearly forgotten when I took him to a Thomas day many, many moons ago and he was inconsolably happy) and I joked about a lack of screens and enjoying the scenery.

He did enjoy it once he'd realised that this was his opportunity to rule the conversation and we spent most of it chatting about Pokemon Go. His mother and grandmother clearly thought we were speaking another language, but enjoyed the time all the same. Maisy however, was not happy. She looked miserable on my brothers lap and refused treats, so on the return we moved the dogs to a different car where they could lie down properly and Maisy seemed a bit better but still unsure.

After we disembarked, I mentioned that the tickets were an all day ticket and there was another train still if they wanted to go again. I found a booth in first class and they all crammed in except for my brother and his friend who'd found a roomier space in a different carriage. They messaged me and said they were going to do the Birkhill walk I had done earlier and I offered to take Wee Ben out and agreed to join them.

That's where the day was almost an absolute disaster. 

Missy spotted a deer or a rabbit or something and basically went missing. After ten minutes my somewhat nervous but its-all-ok attitude melted into blind panic and we split up to try and cover more ground to find her. 

After 30 minutes I realised that we were going to end up missing the train. My brother very kindly offered to get the train back, fetch his car and drive back to the station to help with the search. The rest of the family (barring my sister who was driving) had found out that the buffet car served alcohol and would be in no state to help having been left unchaperoned for so long, but he was resolute that they could suck it up and be left at a pub in Bo'ness if it came to that. He was going to come back and help.

40 minutes and I had reached meltdown. I couldnt shout anymore so was on the verge of sobbing out Missys name over and over when my brother called. No sign of the train yet and Missy was on the tracks. 

I've never run so fast in all my life. Missy was soaked through and cried at the sight of me before doing a 360 turning cuddle and whimpering and licking at me as I hugged her. Our guess if that she fell in the gorge, couldn't get back out and had to go downstream, cut across the woods at a distance where she couldn't hear us shouting and then made her way back along the tracks to find us. I have genuinely never been so frightened.

The train pulled in as we were all hugging Missy with an apology from the conductor about being late back (we said nothing, but boy, I was so pleased they'd run late) and we were back on the train. We reconvened at the station and, as my family staggered along and insisted we raid the gift shop, I discovered that the reason the train was late was that my sisters MIL decided to try and chat up the train driver and then stole his hat. There are photos of them all smiling with the driver taking turns in his hat.

For once in my life, I am not cross or embarrassed at them.

On a different note, today (asides from looking at dog trackers on Amazon at great length) I had a go at a craft project that's been on my to-do list for a while. Beeswax wraps!

Ok, not super exciting, but I'm trying to reduce plastic and this is whats being touted as the new clingfilm. I've made a few test sheets in some scrap fabric in different sizes to see what works and will revisit the project on a larger scale if successful.

Missy is asleep on the sofa. After a thorough check, she's non the worse for wear after her misadventure. Not even a broken claw or misplaced hair. 

She's stiff today but, after checking her PitPat activity monitor that doesn't surprise me - those 40 minutes I spent pacing and screaming for her, she ran at full pelt. She was very sorry for herself last night, and had clearly got a bad fright herself as she just velcroed herself to us. Saying that, clearly though she's not sorry, she vanished off after rabbits on her morning walk, but thankfully returned to me within a minute looking a bit sheepish.

Hopefully next weeks adventure will not be so hair raising!

Ruby and Agria Dog Walk

A busy little weekend with all the family visiting - firstly I had the in-laws pop down on the Friday in order to meet a very important puppy:

This is Ruby, Missy's newest little cousin. At three weeks old, she's far too young to come home, but we were delighted to go and visit her. Despite a litter of ten, the mother dog was anxious as her puppies were held, but the in laws seemed to pass some canine maternal test and she was soon happy to let them have pick of the litter.

It was the Agria Dog walk on Saturday and Missy had won tickets to go along. We're always keen to support the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home and the notion of a sponsored walk from Seafield to Joppa and back (3.1 miles) seemed a rather nice way to spend the day. Maisie came along for the adventure with my mum literally in tow. It was supposed to be a gathering of the cousins with Wee Ben, but last change work commitments meant that he missed the event.

We did have a bit of a laugh at my father in law who was proudly showing off little Rubys picture to the other dog walkers along the way. She's already a much loved little thing!

The weather held for the walk itself and we walked along the promenade up to Joppa and then the beach back down to Seafeild. Most of the dogs had on EDCH bandanas so its was really easy to see who was all taking part and it was great to see so many dogs at the event and Maisie is doing really well with her socialisation.

There was also a fun day afterwards and my Manchester based sister managed to arrive in time to cheer Missy on in the Prettiest Girl and Best Rescue competition. Sadly she placed in neither, but that's OK, she's certainly first in the opinion of the family!

Weather was terrible today so we split up in a boys and girls group with my sisters family and us girls went to Deep Sea World whilst the boys had a quiet day in. It was a really good day although it got very busy after lunch. Highlights were definitely the naughty hermit crab and watching the seahorse feed.

Now that I'm not worried about spoilers, here's a little gift I made for my sister:

 

A matching set - a project bag and sewing basket. The basket is an upcycle, the original fabric was  ghastly 60s throwback and the seams had given up in a few places:

Quite an improvement!