Dogs, Holes and Gardening

 

Jim

 

Rosie

Rosie and Jim have settled in well. They've been with us since December last year. As their confidence has grown, it has been interesting to see their characters emerge. We were told by the animal rescue sanctuary that Rosie was timid. Oh no she isn't! This tiny bundle of fun is the instigator of most games and the creator of much mischief. She loves digging holes in (what's left of) the lawn. For Rosie, anything can be a toy; yesterday she and Jim were enjoying a tug-o-war with a long blade of dry grass.

Jim often runs around the house with toys in his mouth, the fluffier the better, and will bring us toys - but really he just wants cuddles. He loves being able to ramble around our garden by himself. Sometimes he just wants to snooze in a quiet spot. He'll do that for a few hours then come bounding back into company and want more cuddles.

We've had a few funny comments about them. One small child thought they might be "miniature moo-cows". Jim was described as a giant chihuahua by an elderly man who'd seen him. Later, he'd told his wife about this and she'd laughed at him and said giant chihuahua's don't exist. A few days later, the same couple saw Rosie and Jim out for a walk with Richard. "There, see!" said the man. "A giant chihuahua!"

Another time, a lady in the park asked me asked if they're mother and daughter. I replied, "They're siblings."

"I don't know that breed," replied the enquirer.

Richard with a few buddies

 Richard has a new job. His previous job with an agency only offered   zero hours contracts, and the agreement at his interview was that he'd   do a minimum of 20 hours per week. One month later, and without   warning this was cut to 14, and two weeks later another cut followed. 

 So obviously he began a job search! Within days he landed a new job   doing similar hotel work, employed directly by the hotel, and with a   proper contract offering a guaranteed number of hours plus overtime   if he wishes or if it's needed - a huge improvement over his previous   role. His new place seems a much more   pleasant working   environment, too, so he seems to have landed on his feet.

 I caught Covid-19. It came on me so quickly! The day before I     became ill, I was totally fine and enjoying a lovely day  with my   sister Evelyn. We lunched in a pleasant new café then walked the full   length of Southport pier, stopping to enjoy a vintage  slot-machine   arcade whose machines still run on Imperial penny  coins. The swans   are lovely to watch, too, as was a creche of   goslings being guarded   by four adult geese.

The next day, I thought, Ooow, I feel a bit odd... By that evening I was running a temperature and 'enjoying' bizarre fever dreams in which I was busily sorting out documents which had numbers and large X's printed on them, and it was terribly important to get them in the right order. Lateral flow test showed two lines and so I was clearly Covid-positive. The rest of the week was mostly spent asleep.

Art Studio Desk, May 2022

Rosie, keeping me company in the art studio.

I've been painting, of course, and my adventures with art can be easily followed by watching the various YouTube videos I've posted here, or simply by heading over to my YouTube channel.

I've also been writing, working on the fifth Artisan-Sorcerer novel but also creating some short stories. I've always enjoyed short formats, as they're easy to fit around the day-job schedule and the multitude of other tasks which require attention - such as gardening.

Our Patio, May 2022

Jim, pottering around the plants