On Wednesday we had to take our 10 yr old tabby cat, Cousin Eddie to the vet for a dental. He appeared to have a build up of tartar on his teeth so I dropped him off just after 8 am on the way to my Pilates class.
About 4 pm, Jane, the vet and a very close friend rang me up to say it wasn’t as smooth going as we expected.
Cousin Eddie soaking up the attention.
Unfortunately he seems to have an undiagnosed auto-immune disorder and it causes the roots of the teeth to dissolve. He had a couple of teeth with holes in them that didn’t get noticed during his yearly examination. It was only under anesthetic they could be found. As a result he had to have both his lower incisors, those big pointy ones, pulled out as well as a molar. Jane was surprised to see there was little root support as the roots had dissolved.
She took blood samples and that was good and x-rays showed a bit of fading like darkness on the film. She referred to the spots as “casts”. So now Jane is getting her head together with a specialist vet and see if anything needs to happen with these “casts” on the x-ray. After I pulled $2000.00 out of my pocket (tongue in cheek) I got to take him home. Thank goodness for pet insurance.
I worked out back in our “lock up” today. Lovely day. The cats go out here when theweather is nice and they are safe.
Vets have so much new technology now a days compared to the “olden days” and it costs a lot of money and it is the pet owners who pay for it. Do not think pet insurance isn’t worth it if you don’t have it. I have used it so much over the years.
Cruciate ligaments x 4 or 5 with dogs. Neighbour putting down rat poison and all 5 of our pets were poisoned though cured after weeks of treatment. Snake bite to one of our cats resulted in overnighting in emergency vet office and a week in hospital only to pass away at the end.
Pancreatitis in a dog. The list goes on and on and pet insurance covered so much of it. You just never know what is going to crop up.
I got this old wicker stand at the tip shop. It was really in awful shape so cleaned it up and spray painted it. It’s in the lockup. Christmas cacti bloom in winter in Australia so that’s now so not really a Christmas cactus,
We are having to feed Eddie little balls of mince for a week or tuna straight from the can as regular cat food will get stuck in his wounds and stitches. The stitches will dissolve. He can’t have dry food yet either because of the sore molar. So we stand in the kitchen rolling small balls of mince, tuna and chicken pieces, the size of marbles, maybe smaller and he gobbles them down. We laugh that with all there is happening in the world we stand in the kitchen and roll mince balls.
Meanwhile our other cat Grizzy has to eat in a bedroom as he has all the food Eddie can’t have yet. Back to the vet the end of this week for his checkup.
I managed to get to the gym three times last week which really felt good. I also had a lovely coffee with a new friend I’ve made through Fullers book groups. I really enjoy this woman’s company and we met up for a coffee and had the best chat. We have so much in common and she likes cafes and books as much as I do. Another Fullers book shop benefit.
This plant in our back yard is ready to burst into yellow. I’ll share it when it does.
My trainer and I went out too after my session. We were working on balance and both of us ended up in fits of laughter on the floor. Who would think an almost 75 yr old would roll around on the floor laughing.
So all in all it has been a pretty good couple of weeks. This coming week looks to be busy so stay tuned for the next post.
Let me know how your week is looking so far. I really enjoy hearing from everyone and look forward to seeing what you are posting up this week too.
I am posting a book review of an enjoyable French book in a moment so look out for that.
………. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. Dr Seuss
Who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss.
I had a lovely surprise this week. In fact, it was more than lovely. If you look at last week’s post you’ll see I talked about going to the book launch at Fullers book shop of The Lost Province on Tasmania/s West Coast by Lou Rae.
This book is so heavy!
I admired the historical book so much but at such a high price I didn’t buy it although I know it will be very collectable before long. Tasmanian history has always been a sought after genre. It flies out the door.
Monday morning I got a phone call from Ellen at Fullers book shop. She asked me if I knew Lisa Hill. I said, I certainly do. She is a fellow blogger friend who I’ve corresponded with for several years now but never met.
I have always loved maps.
You can find her very knowledgeable book reviews posts here. (ANZ Lit Lovers Lit Blog)
Ellen then told me, “Well, Lisa has left you a present here and if you come by you can pick it up.” I had no idea what it could be. Then I thought, Well she’s seen my post about the Penguin book Lolly Willows falling into the bathtub and getting ruined and she probably picked up another copy. So off I went to the gym for my pilates class (that almost killed me) then on to Fullers.
So much information.
Ellen handed me an enormous package, beautifully wrapped. The paper was gorgeous. I opened it then and there and I was overwhelmed when I stared at The Lost Province book. It is so beautiful.
It is full of history of this wonderful state’s west coast. The mines, the lumbering, the trains. It has such interesting topics and photographs. I especially love the old photos of early Tasmania. Life would have been so incredibly hard back then. For men and women. Women’s stories are included in the book as the author said they are not represented enough.
I cannot thank Lisa enough to think of me so much as to send this book. I might add it is also signed by the author. Thank you so much Lisa. I can never repay you. Unless you get down to Tasmania and I’ll owe you a lunch or two. And several coffees and a guided tour through Fullers, haha.
Loving the old photographs.
Last week was also the week Kamala Harris came on board and although I don’t do politics on this page, especially American politics, I cannot begin to tell you how my spirits have soared watching her speeches during the week. I have been glued to You Tube. I really must give it a rest this coming week.
I have a few things coming up this week that I am looking forward to with friends so I will stop this long ramble and finish up. I am just so fortunate to have amazing people in my life. Have a good week folks.
Good news- the days are a couple of minutes longer and the rain has turned to clouds. On Wednesday of this week we are expecting 15 degrees C (60 degrees F). It will hopefully be a mood lifter.
Mr. P is getting the ingredients for a big pot of chilli for tomorrow on the way back from his gym.
The dogs had an enjoyable bit of time in the yard. Ollie has an obsession with the neighbour’s cat who only goes out back with his owner. So Ollie exhausted himself, stuck to the crack in the fence watching them both this morning while they spent time in their yard. Peanny came in after her tasks were completed and stayed in the warm house. Sensible girl.
The past week had me attending a Fullers event that was really interesting. Tasmanian author, Lou Rae has launched an enormous book on the history of mining and the logging industry on Tasmania’s west coast. The book entitled The Lost Province: On Tasmania’s West Coast will be a very collectable historical non fiction book in the future. He not only details the history of mining and logging back to early 1800s, but he has collected a lot of stories from the families of residents, letters, library archives. He explained how many Tasmanian born residents have connections to the west coast, no matter where they live now in this state.
The event was very well attended and I think it was the first Fullers event where more men attended than women. I enjoyed his talk very much. I would like to own this book but at the cost of $100.00 I think I’ll get it from the library. If I were younger I’d buy it as it will no doubt be worth much more in the future.
BOOKS 🛀
Our next book for book club is an old classic published by Penguin now; Lolly Willows by Sylvia Townsend Warner. Published in 1926, Wikipedia says “it has been described as an early feminist classic. It is the story of a middle-aged spinster who moves to a country village to escape her controlling relatives and takes up the practice of witchcraft. The novel opens at the turn of the twentieth century, with Laura Willowes moving from Somerset to London to live with her brother Henry and his family. The move comes in the wake of the death of Laura’s father, Everard, with whom she lived at the family home, Lady Place. Laura’s other brother, James, moves into Lady Place with his wife and his young son, Titus, with the intention to continue the family’s brewing business. However, James dies suddenly of a heart attack and Lady Place is rented out, with the view that Titus, once grown up, will return to the home and run the business. “
I didn’t read any further as I didn’t want to encounter any spoilers. I bought the little clothbound Penguin classic to read. However, last week, on a very cold and rainy day, I decided to clean the dust out of the bathtub, fill it with very hot water and take my lovely little book, relax and read in the tub. I find I can really concentrate in the bathroom with the door closed and everyone/pets out. No interruptions! However, I accidentally dropped the book in the tub, thus ending my sojourn into oblivion.
Life’s annoyances just seem never ending though this was minor. I ended the whole adventure, got dressed and stood the book upright, pages spread on the dining room table, near the heater to dry. Once dry though, the book doesn’t close. It has stayed wide open and though the pages are still readable I am just over it.
I tried to read it but with pages sticking out everywhere and the print being extremely small (come on Penguin, just because it is a classic increase the font size).
I went to Amazon to get a kindle version of it. I do like the large text on my kindle. Good news, they were selling it for 80 cents! Bargain. The book stores sell it for $22.00. However I am a firm believer in supporting independent book stores so I paid the $22.00. The book has now cost me $20.80. You have to laugh.
LOOKING FORWARD 🤾♀️🤾♀️🤾♀️
The coming week looks fairly quiet. I am looking forward to getting through my two pilates classes and my session with my personal trainer. My balance has improved slightly and I am now standing on the reformer. One foot on a solid plate and one on the moving carriage. My trainer usually gives me a balance pole to hang on to but I didn’t need it as much last week. I will persevere. I have lost a lot of depth perception having vision in only one eye so my brain needs retraining.
I am also attending another Fullers event on Thursday with a friend. It is the launch of a book entitled Doing Life Differently in Thailand by author Mel Pike.
The Fullers blurb states:
Doing Life Differently in Thailand is a celebration of courage, curiosity, possibility and the power of travel.
“Realising in her early fifties that she needed to do life differently for a while, Mel Pike seizes the opportunity of a few months with no responsibilities in her happy place, Thailand.
Among the sun-soaked streets of Phuket’s Kata Beach, she discovers the joys of solo travel and embracing new experiences. From the aromatic flavours of Thai food to the restorative power of the ocean to learning more of the language and the fun of immersing herself in the vibrant culture, Mel takes you with her every step of the way.
The resilience and kindness of the Thai people she befriends have a profound impact on her. As her days unfold, Mel candidly reflects on love, loss and the passage of time, and sees how essential it was for her to simplify her life. This book sets out to inspire readers to step outside their comfort zones, live life to the full, accept the warmth of genuine human connections and create lifelong memories.”
Mr P and I have an upcoming trip later this year to Asia. We are going to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Then hopping on a small cruise boat in Siem Reap, 16 compartments, for a trip down the Mekong to Ho Chi Minh city. We then fly to Thailand to a large resort that has swimming pools, the beach and cocktails with umbrellas. We just want time away from the world. I am looking forward to photographing people especially as well as scenery. So stay tuned for that.
MORE PET NEWS 🐶🐱
Ollie and Peannie go into a wonderful kennel that they do well in. It is like camp for them, with three little rooms, a bedroom, an eating area and a large outdoor area that is private just for them. Once a day they go into a larger yard and play with just little dogs. The big dogs play area is at another time. It has under flood heating.
The cats go into a cattery that is separate from the kennel. I find good catteries are easier to find than good dog kennels. I do a lot of research and visit them. We just pretend price wise we have a child going on the trip with us and we need that air fare to get them there. It is worth the money to know they are completely safe and well cared for. After all, they do need to remember they are animals once in awhile.
PHOTOGRAPHY 📸
South west Tasmania
Well that wraps up this Sunday’s post. I didn’t do any photography this week so I might find a nature photo of Tassie to leave you with.
All the best for the coming week. ❤️
PENGUIN WANTS TO KNOW – If you’re reading a book now. Where are you? We’re in England in the early 1900s
Travellin' Penguin 