Poetry please

Friday evening proved that good company, good food and poetry can indeed ease the discomfort of a bad back.  Having suffered for most of the week, I was unsure of whether I’d be able to face the evening but dosed with painkillers and armed with a cheesecake, I set out to the gathering  hosted by Mary in her Hesket Newmarket home. The theme of the evening was about beginnings and endings, Mary having only recently moved into her house and as always, the group found a wide range of relevant and thought-provoking pieces to share. And my back held out.

Sit!!

We attended our second dog training class last week with Monty and other dogs in attendance. There was a lot of barking and a couple of “teeth–bared lunges” from some (surprisingly, a mute Monty behaved well) but all told, there was very little over-exuberance. Monty was an enthusiastic, good-natured participant and responded well to the tasks he had to undertake but we still have some way to go as he clearly has a number of behaviours to un-learn. An upside, however, was his evident enjoyment of treats as a reward mechanism, which is definitely something we can exploit

Afternoon Tea Treat

I enjoyed a wonderful birthday treat with Nerea last weekend when she took me for Afternoon Tea to Armathwaite Hall, a beautiful country house on the shores of Bassenthwaite.  We were seated in the bay window with views giving onto the lake and enjoyed tea from a bottomless pot served with warm quiche, dainty sandwiches and a selection of cakes. Because Nerea had mentioned that it was my birthday, I was also presented with a slice of birthday cake.  I enjoyed my afternoon enormously as tea is such a delightful meal, and in such elegant surroundings it was very special.

 

The Great British Bakeoff

I watched the final of the Great British Bake Off with more than the usual amount of interest as at the beginning of the series, several friends entered into a sweepstake style syndicate to predict the winner.  I settled on Nadiya as there was something about her and her baking style that I really liked so, as she was crowned Queen of the Cakes, I was declared sole winner of the £35 prize (funded by syndicate entry fees!). Although I should really buy cake ingredients with the prize money, it’s going to form a curry night kitty for the syndicate!

Picture from BBC

Non specific back pain!

I am really suffering with a bad back at the moment. The pain, lack of sleep and limited mobility was so bad yesterday that I phoned the doctor and got an appointment.  He thinks it is general “wear and tear arthritis” in my back and pelvic area with related compensatory muscular strain and prescribed painkillers and anti-inflamatories. Or put simply, it’s because I’m getting older. That isn’t any real comfort to me as I struggle to stand up or take the dogs for a walk! Anyway, I think it’s time for new trail shoes and wellingtons and insole shock absorbers

Remember Fenton?

We attended our first dog training class last week and were impressed. As we were only covering basics and domestics, the dogs didn’t attend, which was definitely better than trying to listen to information with a bored animal.  Let’s hope our expectations are fulfilled for although Montilicious has settled in well, he’s completely unreliable at coming when called. Remember Fenton? Monty proved this conclusively on Sunday when he made a bid for freedom after someone left the gate open. He completely ignored all my calls and was only captured when a neighbour offered him biscuits.  We have work to do!

“I feel it in the air, the summer's out of reach” (credit Don Henley, Michael W. Campbell)

Autumn is upon us! It’s not the trees donning their coats of red and amber or the mist cloaking the river in the early morning that signifies the end of summer, but my need to wear gloves as I cycle to work. Until now I’ve resisted the need to dig them out of the bag where they’ve spent the summer, but yesterday, I simply couldn’t face the painful warming-up process that my chilled fingers endure after I arrive at the office. So, it was gloves on and a brain sing of Don Henley’s "Boys of Summer" along the riverside track