January 2024 - The Return of Molly

With the Woman's Mum now on the mend, Rusty finally returned home. Back out came the toy box, and I got to play with all my favourite toys again.

I may have overdone it.

Then the Man's Mum went into hospital for a hip op (they are all the rage), so Molly came to stay with us again. She wasn't amused by my toy nonsense and insisted I tidy them up.

For such a small dog, she has a large appetite. She shares her food with me (if I'm quick enough). 

She leaves me the bone.

She's a laugh. 

I taught her this position to get the best tickles. 

The weather has been wild this month, with heavy frost, snow and a couple of nasty storms. When we finally got back up to the cabin, our stay was short-lived, thanks to Storm Isha. We had hoped to stay three nights, but high winds knocked out all but a trickle of electricity. That night, the lights dimmed to a flicker, giving the place a spooky atmosphere while the cabin was buffeted by gale-force winds. We awoke to a freezing house, a beeping freezer and not enough power to heat a kettle or spark the hob. When it looked unlikely to be resolved that day, we headed home.

It wasn't the Man's best day. We returned to carnage. The storm had blown the house's side gate off its hinges (breaking off the panel that held the lock), knocked over the green recycling bin (sending its contents all over the back garden), and even broken the lid off the gas meter box.

Out went the Man in the rain, wind and hailstones with his hammer and drill (with extra screws and nails) to repair the gate, only to somehow get dog poo on the drill's battery base unit (nothing to do with me - a creature must have seized the opportunity while the gate was down). He didn't notice the poo, and it ended up everywhere: his hands, trousers and jacket. He was not amused. 

For dinner, to cheer himself up, he ordered a takeaway online, only to discover when he went to collect it that the curry house was closed that day. Fuming he was, especially when he discovered his credit card had still been charged (the bill was subsequently reversed).  

Then Molly caught a stomach bug. She had the squits all night, pooing on the kitchen mat, the carpet in the living room and four times in her bed. The Woman nearly ran out of replacement bed covers for her and spent most of the night downstairs monitoring her. It was just as well neither of them were working the next day because they were both exhausted. Molly slept through most of her recovery and was fine after a couple of days. Luckily for everyone, I never caught it from her. 

Despite the weather, I got a couple of good walks this month.

Durrockstock Park
(not that you can tell from the sign) 

A home for Ice Spiders?

I'd have been on thin ice if I'd tried ice skating. 

A winter treat

Sunset over the braes or Nuclear Winter?

The man also took me on a trip to a place he'd not been to for years: The Whangies. He'd forgotten how steep and long the walk was. And how wet it was underfoot, thanks to all that rain the storms had brought. It didn't end as intended.

You expect me to jump this wall?

I don't think so. I'll go this way.
(We ended up trekking through a marsh instead)

"Mud, Glorious Mud" was not on his playlist driving home.

We never made it all the way to the big stones, giving up as the sun began to set, his shoes and socks full of water. We returned to the car, him wheezing and squelching in equal measure, his old knees creaking. I think he forgets how old he is getting. The Woman told him off for not taking his wellies. We'll try again in the summer, I'm sure when the weather is nicer. 

I'll leave you with this image of a faerie golf course I discovered at our holiday park. No one was playing. They must all be fairweather golfers.