Happy Cyril.

Cyril and Marleen.
Today started grey and cloudy, it was still unpleasant after midday, so no sun breaking through like yesterday.

I slept well last night, took half of a 2 mg diazepam to relax my arms, which were painfully stiff.

Today was a quiet day, no appointments; no-one came by either, which was a shame.

The dogs were very excited when Richie came back from doing some shopping with toys and tripe for them.

It is lovely to see how happy Cyril is to get toys; we do not think he had many before.

Richie gets him toys every week and they really have helped to build up his confidence, he is much happier than he was when he was first here.

Marvellous to see him feeling so at home now and starting to be really happy and playful.

So very satisfying, to see a depressed dog like Cyril coming out of his shell and being a happy relaxed and confident little dog.

Glad we got him and gave him a second chance, especially as he was so thin and so neglected.

He looked like a pup, because he had not got enough muscles for a dog of nearly six.

Three months of extra food, exercise, play and cuddles have had a good effect; he now looks like a healthy dog.

A Very Cold January Friday..

Woman with a Guitar, 1913
Aristarkh Lentulav
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristarkh_Lentulov

We both really enjoyed the central heating working again yesterday and our lovely hot showers that we had.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and the warm towels, when Richie had fished showering me.

Really gorgeous to be dried off with warm towels, it just makes it so especially nice, an enjoyable experience.

Certainly made up for the discomfort of the day before when the heating suddenly was not] working, that was a huge shock for us both.

Glad the heating engineer came here as quickly as he did so yesterday as the weather was getting noticeably colder.

Today it is even colder as it was last night too, bloody freezing which was why it was such a bright sunny day, today is not so bright but Richie says that it is freezing cold outside.

Got woken up just before 8 this morning by someone from Welzorg trying to organise picking up my wheelchair.

The new steering mechanism has to be fitted into the middle of the Perspex work surface that fits over my electric wheelchair.

I am looking forward to this being done next week Tuesday/Wednesday, which can not happen quickly enough for me now.

Sunday, 19, December, 2010. An Artic Sunday.

View of Toledo, Spain.

El Greco.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Greco

The weather has been awful since the downpour of sleet on Thursday afternoon, when it did not turn to snow; we thought we had made a lucky escape.

Sadly we didn’t as we woke to thick snow on Friday morning, and we did not know that there was even more still to come nor how much.

There was an incredible heavy snowstorm on Friday and worse of all the snow became very icy by around 16.00 in the afternoon.

On Saturday there was even more snow and conditions became extremely cold, Richie was taking even longer putting on all his layers.

Saturday we both missed Spike and cried a lot, I may start again at any minute it comes and goes just like with any bereavement.

Richie told methat weak as Spike was he seemed to enjoy going off  with him on the bike, sticking his head out of the bike bags and sniffing the air as he went off on his last adventure.

Poor Marleen is very down without her pack mate, she has been looking for him inside and outside, especially whenever Richie came back on the bike.

We are going to research this well and find her a new friend verey soon before she becomes really depressed.

This morning we were both still wiped out by being up so late Friday to Saturday, we did not get to sleep until 05.00 in the morning.

Richie took Marleen for a long walk in the park then returned and got me showered and put back in bed.

After which he set about getting ready for our party, Eva came around at 15.00 to help and to bring her contribution delicious bread from the great Moroccan baker near us.

By mid afternoon it became clear that sadly our party would not be able to go ahead.

The majority of people would not be able to get here due to all the ice and snow so we cancelled it and hope to do it in mid January.

Something, to look forward to in  cold, dark January.

Deepest Winter Sunday in January 2010

Winter in Amsterdam.






Winter in Wales.

It is a freezing cold Sunday, Richie seems to have many layers in order to brave the north easterly wind that is coming here straight from Siberia.

It has been snowing for most of the day, which resulted in some happy snowballs being thrown up at the bookcase sculpture; that is mounted on the wall outside our bedroom window.

The books are all books written by local writers, some well known in the Netherlands, and the artwork was by a local artist.

Got too late again last night and to sleep even later, three times just as I was falling asleep Spike had to move, I did not get cross with him.

So anger did not flood my brain making sleep impossible.

But still it eluded me which was very sad indeed, especially as I have been sleeping so well recently, I think that I finally slept at 5 am and slept until 12.30.

Since then the afternoon has sped past and it is once again very dark and cold looking outside, almost glad I do not have to take the dogs out.

But then again think that I would love to say ‘oh I’ll go with the dogs this time’

Realising recently that our memories are a great resource, sometimes I realise that depite a clear memory of a place, I have not been out and about for ages.

Yet my visual memory is extremely accurate, it can never be as good as those that are topped up daily at the source.