It was Summer - All Weekend

Well, after the "Two Year Winter" and the long, long, oh so long stretch of freezing, icy, chill weather... it's been so nice to have some sunshine!  Of course, what's happening just now, is that we get a day of sun, then several of rain and wind - so sunshine is seriously a bonus these days.

But yesterday and today it has been Summer. For certain.

Look:

There are flowers in the borders - even bluebells.

 

Aquilegias,

 

Clematis Montana climbing up the Willow tree,

 

Apple Blossoms!

 

The Willow tree is in leaf (at last!).

 

Mr. Blackbird is busy collecting food for ever-hungry chicks.

 

I even found an Orange Tip Butterfly on the flowers.

 

 

 

Miffy & Petra have been enjoying the fresh air.

 

 

 

However, the reason I know it is Really Summer, is this:

 

Dave & James have put the trampoline together!

 

Summer is here - at least, until tomorrow...

 

 

 

Sad

Coffee

Died Friday 17th September

Aged 4 years

* * *

I had to take Coffee to the vet.  She hasn't been well for some time - kept losing weight and wasn't her usual self.  We thought it was because her teeth were growing too fast and preventing her from eating.  These were trimmed, but she then got a cough and infection, which needed anti-biotics.  She seemed better, but only put on a little weight.  Recently she's had her teeth trimmed again, as they were getting long and she wasn't chewing properly.  But even after this, she continued to lose weight. 

Over the last few days I have been hand-feeding her with her favourite grapes, tomatoes and other nice things. She gradually got sadder and sadder and lost her enthusiasm for even her favourite foods.  Today she refused to eat at all.  I syringe-fed her with fruit juice and some baby food (banana and pear puree), but she just sat in a corner and shivered.  It was clear she was really sick and wouldn't recover without urgent help.

So we went to the vet.  Who said she had a tumour in her intestine, which was preventing her from eating.

She was beyond help - nothing I could do would save her. 

The vet gave her some gas to make her sleepy and comfortable, then gave her an injection to humanely put her to sleep.

* * *

Even after all these years of keeping guinea-pigs, I am still heartbroken whenever we lose one.  These little creatures have such personality and are so sweet and friendly.  It's not possible to keep them and not love them.  Each small piggie has its own personality.  Some have been cheeky, some funny, some made amusing noises - one of our piggies would squeak every time her foot touched the floor, like a little commentary on every step she took.  Some are clever and some are not.  I've had a piggie with an amazing sense of humour (!) and a real interest in humans as fellow beings. She loved to talk! 

Coffee was cute, super-fuzzy, a bit cheeky. If you put a hand on top of her head, she'd butt your hand; she would shout for breakfast and chatter her teeth at you in appreciation.  She came to you if you put your hand in her house and called her.  She liked to be stroked and cuddled - she lay in your arms like a baby, on her back! She purred at you and nuzzled your hand.  She was sociable with other guinea pigs too and stood up for her piggie-rights when it came to squabbles over the food dish. She had curly, fuzzy fur and her toe nails grew curly too.  She was soft and so cuddly. 

We loved her.

* * *

Sad News...

Well, if you read yesterday's post, you can probably guess my sad news. Our sweet little Ginger guinea-pig died overnight.  The vet rang at 8:30am to let me know.  They offered to let me fetch her and bring her home, but I thought we'd rather just remember her as she used to be. 

These were taken in September 2005, when we first got Ginger.  She was about 6 weeks old and soo little - about the size of a large hamster!  The furry piggie next to her (with her head in the food bowl!), was a normal-sized guinea pig!  As you can see, J. was also a lot younger (age 7)!

Here she is full-grown, with Coffee (a current piggie) and Apples, who died shortly after this (sniff...). They are in our "new" kitchen in October 2006, the year we moved here.

and this is Ginger four months ago, pretending she's scared of people... that was her favourite joke. Show her the food, however, and she suddenly forgot to be scared!

So, you can see that we have some good memories of our little piggie.  We'll all miss her - especially her loud squeaking when it was meal time (and the way her ears used to jump up and down as she shouted for breakfast!).  It's amazing that such small creatures can have such an impact on our lives; and that even though they are so little, each one has a very distinct personality and character. 

Ginger was gentle, a bit shy, but pushy if it involved food.  She was a "nibbler" and we used to hear Coffee complaining, because she'd nibble Coffee's fur and annoy her. We put lots of wooden things in their house, so she could gnaw those instead!

If you sat her in your lap, she'd sit absolutely still and not move a muscle.  Once she'd got used to being stroked, she'd relax and - true to form - start looking round for the snacks!  A guinea pig with a big heart (for her size!) and an equally big stomach!

When I go to Heaven, I expect to see all my guinea pigs, trotting around happily.  I will be pleased to see them again - each one has been very special and I love them!

Super Stamps, other Updates and a Request for Opinions!

My Etsy Shop News
  

My Dragonflies journal was sold - to a fellow blogger! It's on its way right now and I hope she will love it.

I also took the plunge and listed my Lino-cut stamps in my shop. I decided to offer one stamp and a set of 3, chosen by the buyer from the designs I had already made.  I will make the stamps to order, from the same circles of lino material.  I made up some "example sheets" and posted them on the listing.  We'll see how it goes... 

  

Wish me luck!
  

* * *
  

Scrap Club
 

We had our Scrapbook Club meeting on Sunday.  I only stayed for the morning, as DH was away and J. wouldn't have enjoyed a whole day there.  I worked on the next two pages of my "The Project 2009" mini-album.  Must put more effort into that, or it'll never be finished.

  

* * *
 

Current Projects
  

I'm working on a couple of Wedding Guest Books just now.  The first will go in my shop.  It's a sort-of "dry run" for a commission piece, as I want to be sure the techniques I use will work and look nice etc.  That doesn't mean  the book I make won't be a good one - if it's not up to scratch, I won't put it in the shop! But it will be a nice little extra to add to my stock.  I plan on finishing that tomorrow, then getting stuck into the Commission book on Wednesday.  Hope to finish that by the start of next week at the latest (other commitments permitting!!).
   

The first book is going to be 8 1/4" x 7 1/4" (21 x 18cm). It's covered with cream damask-effect paper, which is really quite pretty. 
  

It has 20 pages of good, stiff cartridge paper in a soft white.  I will use a Japanese stab binding.  This is all ready to be done. 
  

However, I can't decide on the rest of this book.  The Commission Book will have cream linen covers, with green silk on the bound edge (like on my Japanese Snow Blossoms Notebook ). 
  

I can't decide whether to add a silk edge to the smaller "test book", or leave it as just the damask paper. If I do add silk, I'm not sure what colour to use...
  

If I don't, I can't decide what colour thread to bind it with! I also had an idea to use a piece of vintage-style cotton lace to embellish the bound edge, where the hinged part is (it has a hinged cover to make it easy to open).  The sewing would go over the top of the lace, but I would use matching linen thread, so it wouldn't spoil it.

 

Not the best photo, but it'll give you an idea of what it will be like.

  

See, it has no binding yet... It is a sort of ivory colour, btw - in case your monitor struggles with the poor quality photo!
 

So, if you have an opinion on this - now is the time to share it! I'll finish the binding tomorrow afternoon.  What would you like to see, if it was for you, or your friends' / relatives' wedding?

* * *

Poorly Piggie

Lastly, please include Ginger the guinea pig in your bed-time prayers.  She was a bit off-colour yesterday and quiet this morning.  This afternoon, I didn't like the look of her and lifted her out of her cage.  She didn't run away, as she normally does, and was freezing cold.  She warmed up as we held her and was grateful for some juice-and-warm-water out of a syringe, but it was obvious she was really not well.  I rang the vet and we took her there at 6pm.   
 

The vet was concerned about her and thought she might have had a minor stroke. She seems a bit confused, doesn't stand or walk properly and has suddenly lost weight and got dehydrated - in spite of drinking plenty yesterday and seeming to be eating fine etc. They have kept her overnight, to try and feed her a little, re-hydrate her and observe what she does, how active she is etc.  She may recover and be able to be nursed at home; or she may not.  Tomorrow will tell...  

It's Friday...

Greetings from the Studio, where I'm slouching lazily in my pj's, with my Assistant close at hand...

Well, this has been an interesting week... Guinea pig salon on Tuesday morning, lovely parcels in the post, trips to the hospital, books nearly finished...

Oh, I had better tell you about it all really! 

Well, you know about the guinea pigs.  They are still happy in their high-rise houses, squeaking away, so we'll just let them get on with it, shall we?

I tempted fate on Tuesday.  I said it had been a quiet day. That's never a good idea.  On Tuesday afternoon, just around tea time, the phone rang. It was my mum's friend, to say that Mum had been unwell while she was visiting and she had pressed the emergency buzzer for their warden support.  They sent a paramedic, who called an ambulance and she was about to be carted off to hospital for a check-up. 

This isn't the first time, by any means.  We have these incidents every few months now and are getting used to it.  Poor mum has a variety of health issues - too many to get into now - which can cause her problems.  She has had this happen a number of times; she has a sudden pain in her chest and goes all white etc etc.  So they call an ambulance.  Of course, it's never clear what is causing the problem, so she's always sent to hospital.  We're so used to it now that she has a "hospital bag" in her bedroom cupboard, with a wash bag ready packed, a book, pack of cards, radio etc.  There's also a bag to put her meds in, so she can take them to the hospital and keep taking them as she needs them.  I know the routine now, so I go and get her stuff, put a coat and shoes in the boot of the car and follow on to A&E.  It always takes ages for her to arrive, so by the time I have done those jobs, she's usually there and just getting settled in for the duration.

Last time this happened it wasn't so simple.  She had severe pain in the left side of her chest and no-one could work out why.  Her best friend was there and she went to the hospital first.  They sent mum to the ward and we stayed til late, as she was still in pain and we were worried.  In the end, after a couple of days, they had to conclude it was connected with her kneck, which has osteoarthritis, and / or muscular-skeletal issues. She was okay by then, if a bit stiff, so was shipped off home again.  We eventually decided it was most likely caused by a jolt she'd had from the seat belt, when I had to stop in a hurry a few days before (a woman pulled out of a turning ahead, drove straight at us, then swerved at the last minute.). We both said "Ow!" at the time and we think it may have injured her shoulder/collarbone muscles.

This time was more straightforward, thank goodness.  As soon as I could get J. organised - fed and homework packed up - we went to Mum's to get her stuff, check the cat etc, then to the hospital.  She was there, having blood tests and looking okay (if a bit tired and shell-shocked).  She didn't need oxygen (asthma) or pain killers and was able to sit up a bit and chat.  We basically just sat with her, trying not to get in the way of the nurses and drs.  My sister came down from Northampton at about 8:30 and I took J. off home to bed. 

On Wednesday morning, the Dr. came round and saw Mum.  He said they didnt really know what had caused the attack. It wasn't her heart, lungs etc.  Blood tests were all fine, no sign of heart attack or other problems.  Apart from her usual health issues she was fine.  So she could come home again.  I went down to fetch her, we had a nice lunch in the restaurant at the hospital (they do yummy food - not like the patients' meals, which are rubbish!).  Then I took her home, helped with any jobs she needed, tidied away her hospital stuff and left her sitting comfortably, about to have a nap (as she got v. little sleep on Tuesday night!).

She has been fine since then and went out to lunch with some friends yesterday.  And we're no wiser about the cause of the pain, than we've been before.  Each time she says she's "never had a pain like this before". Each time they look at her and can't find anything wrong (except on the odd occasion when it's been a severe chest infection or pneumonia!).  Then they pat her on the head and send her home. And we all go back to normal, til the next time. 

I think she is right, that it's to do with the neurological problems she's developed over the last few years.  The pain is always to her left side, but in different places each time.  It looks as if it's somehow connected with her chest muscles, but we dont' know - and neither, it seems, do the doctors.  But we're grateful it wasn't serious this time and that she could come home so quickly - and feel fine again!

So I spent yesterday catching up with jobs etc.  Then in the afternoon I carried on with a book I've been making for my shop.  It's almost finished... I have one more thing to do.  Then I will take pictures and post it in the shop - and a picture of it here.  I'm also in the middle of a photo album for my niece, C, whose baby is due in less than 4 weeks.  It's coming on nicely. I may get it finished today (if I stop blogging and start working!).

I still have it in mind to make some more tutorials.  I remember saying I'd try to do a "Sock Cat" one... then there's the idea of some more simple book binding stuff.  I wish the light was better, because I could take photos of the books I'm making as I go along, then post them with instructions!  Maybe I could do another hand-drawn one for you.  Ideas are brewing....

Meantime, I told you all that I had won this in a giveaway by Mel of Feltmeupdesigns:

This lovely little Tweet arrived at the weekend.  She is sooo cute and I had to fend off J. who wanted to keep her for himself!

Mel uses little birds' nests and birdhouses as props to display her lovely felted birds.  She posted a link to this shop, where I bought myself this:

My little bird needed somewhere to live...

I did take a nice photo of my Tweet with her new home, but my camera battery has run out, so I'll have to post it this evening. 

See you all later!

The Piggie Makeover Show

Well, today I've been busy.  These three ladies are a very important part of our household!

Coffee

Ginger

 

Rosie-Lee

They live in two little houses at the side of our dining room and have a lot of input into the goings-on of the household (or at least they think so).

High-Rise Living, Guinea Pig Style

We are greeted each morning by their sweet singing (well they squeak like mad for breakfast!).

They chatter away whenever there is someone there to give them some attention.

They know the daily routine and when it's snack-time and they come to the door of their cage to ask for snacks.

They love crispy salad leaves, tomatoes, banana, carrot and apple; they don't mind broccoli, spinach and kale; they don't much like spring greens or cabbage.

They have discerning taste in other areas too - whenever a science fiction type programme starts on t.v. they start typing their memoirs on the water-bottle-typewriter.

They love to be talked to and stroked, but they hate being groomed or having their nails clipped.

They loathe baths.

Their favourite place is in their little guinea-pig run, on the grass, in the shade.  They really miss their outdoor time in the winter, although a bit of play-time on the kitchen floor is an acceptable alternative.

Coffee and Ginger live in the large blue house at the bottom and Rosie lives in the top-floor room (like Sian!).  They all enjoy each others'  company, as Guinea pigs are very social animals, but there isn't room for three in the bottom house and Rosie was ill when she came to live here, so we put her in the top on her own.  She seems happy enough, but definitely enjoys the chance to socialise whenever possible. They do squeak to each other anyway, and if one starts, they all squeak together.

As you can see, we are fond of our little friends.  They make us smile and remind us that it's important to take care of those who are smaller than ourselves.  They also set us a good example, as they live together peacefully, with few quarrels, taking care of each other and sharing their food very nicely. 

When J. was small, our guinea pigs were a useful and important way to teach him to be kind to animals and to appreciate them as pets. Even now he's fond of them and is now responsible for their breakfasts every day and for topping up dry food dishes and water bottles. 

It's my job to clean their houses!  This I did this morning, as it was a bit overdue and the piggies were beginning to petition for clothes pegs for their noses (and for me too!).

Before I cleaned out their houses, I set up a piggie-creche in the kitchen, using their house-top to block the archway between the kitchen and dining room and putting their big cardboard play-tubes on the floor, along with snacks.

I then set up the Guinea Pig Beauty Parlour, ready for a makeover.  All have grown very long claws recently, as they just can't get outside, so they don't wear down at all.  So, each lady in turn had her claws clipped nicely - they were all very well behaved.  I then gave each a bit of a brush-up with some cleaning wipes. In nice weather, they do have the occasional bath (which they tolerate but don't like much), but it's far to cold to get them all wet, so the wipes did the job for now. 

Rosie has had quite a life.  She was very small when she came to live with us. She can't have been more than around 6 weeks old and was only the size of a small golden hamster. Her original owner had taken her to the pet shop, along with her brother, and asked if they'd take them on, as she couldn't cope.  They were about 2 weeks old at that point and the shop nursed them and weaned them, treating them for a skin condition and getting them healthy again.  I found Rosie sitting alone in the adoption centre at the pet shop and felt so sad, that I called D. and asked if he minded me bringing her home!  So, home she came and took up residence in our spare cage.

Last winter, while I was still in trouble with my back injury, Rosie's fur began to fall out.  She seemed to be very itchy, constantly scratching, to the point where she had raw-red patches and cuts on her body, which hurt and made her cry. 

We were very worried about her and called our friends, Mr & Mrs. R, who breed guinea pigs and had given us Coffee when our dear little friend Apples had died the year before (for the record, Apples was quite the loveliest guinea pig I have ever had, which is saying something because they are sweet, gentle animals.  She was happy, friendly and smiley, always ready for a cuddle or chat and very sweet natured. I cried my heart out when she died and I still miss her now!).

Anyway, Mr. R came and took a look at Rosie. He said she had a fungal infection and gave me some stuff to treat it (bear in mind I couldn't go to the vet because I couldn't drive).  Anyway, after a bit it was obvious that this wasn't working, so I had to beg a lift to the vet, as poor Rosie was in a terrible state. She was losing weight, nearly bald in places, covered in sores and so miserable.  I felt awful to have let her get like this, but it was so hard to go anywhere, so I'd just had to struggle on, treating her skin and applying soothing cream to the cuts and sores. 

The vet said it was mites that were causing her problems.  They were tiny mites, living in her skin and making her itch like mad.   She had an injection, antibiotics and some special stuff to treat her skin, along with a treatment for the mites and some pain-killer.  I had to bathe her and use the skin treatment every day.  To begin with she cried when I washed her and all the sticky fur fell out in chunks.  But after a few days she began to pick up.  She is a brave little piggie and put up with all the treatment very well.  She ate all the nice fruit and veg I gave her, took her medicine and got on with recovering. 

Now it's a year later.  Rosie has gained so much weight.  She is much bigger than her friends and covered in thick silky fur.  In fact, it's so thick that it was forming mats on her rear end.  Today she had a haircut, to remove the mats before they become a big problem.  I also brushed her well, to remove loose fur and untangle the long bits. Then I trimmed her long fur a little, to tidy her up and give her less grooming to do.  She looks lovely.  I don't think she enjoyed the grooming process, but she let me do it, with only a couple of warning nips, when I pulled her fur a bit too much.  Now she looks a million dollars - the poshest guinea pig in Bedfordshire!

Posh Piggie!

I also did a bit of cleaning, especially to sort out this:

A certain gentleman has been in the shower tray again.

And I replace a broken string on my guitar:

I do love my guitar. Now my back is so much better, I'm trying to get back into the routine of practising every day.  I couldn't play for months, which was so sad.  Even now I have to be careful, as it makes my back ache if I play for too long, or don't sit properly. 

I am saving up to buy a 3/4 size guitar, with a full-length kneck, as the body of this one is really a bit big for me, but J's 3/4 guitar is a bit short in the kneck.  I can buy one from Admira Guitars, for £150, but need to save up!

So, a busy sort of day.. doing not much, but doing it well!