[Sea and Sky]

Back :)

Apologies for neglecting these three blogs for a while, but it was our 10th weedding anniversary at the end of last week and I was just a bit pre-occupied! Should be back now with things to say and beadwork & photos to share :)

Long time, no updates

Various things (some nasty bug, pressure at work, other assorted health problems at home) have meant I've not been keeping up with things here as much as I'd like.

However, I have created a new photo album called Bead Horde which has photos of things I've bought at bead fairs and on eBay (and, because of that, I've killed the Lingfield Park album and moved the contents to the new one!) If I can find photos of beads bought at earlier fairs, I'll add them, too.

Update

Hrm - so I'm not keeping my New Year's Resolution very well so far!

I've started back on Weightwatchers this year - determined to lose weight properly, and tracking what I eat helps a lot! I'm doing the online thing rather than go to meetings because, well, I'm uncertain about them (and the last time I looked into it there wasn't one I could easily get to anyway).

Beading wise I'm working on a turquoise and violet lariat that was part of Dave's xmas pressie to me :)  I also have a few bits in my "to mend or re-do" pile - mostly to re-do - I've decided I don't like the length of my pearls - which is a pain because I hate doing all the knotting!

Work is busy and about to get more so - I can't see things quietening down until April at the earliest, but I may be pleasantly surprised!

(Added later: Dave is now a co-author here, so his posts may be popping up from time to time too)

RIP Raffles

Friday night at just after 8pm Dave & I had to make the hardest decision of our lives - to have one our two cats euthanased.

Raffles was a long haired moggy, not yet 9 years old, affectionate and mischevious, and generally happy. He had lost a little weight recently, but was otherwise in good health. Last Sunday he suddenly lost all interest in life, stopped eating but carried on drinking. He was admitted to the vets on the Monday afternoon and put on a drip. The initial diagnosis was diabetes, and after a little longer on the drip than the vets were happy with he started to pick up. Thursday night he seemed well enough to bring home, although far from better - he was practically skin and bones. He was x-rayed, searched for lumps, and was tested for feline leukemia and aids. All those tests came up clear. When he got home he showed some interest in his surroundings but pretty soon started to decline. Friday morning he was readmitted to the vets and put back on the drip. The vets at this point did not know what was wrong with him as he wasn't reacting like a cat with diabetes, or with just diabetes.

By Friday evening he had shown no sign he was going to recover so, after talking with the vet, we took the tough decision to have him euthanased. The vet explained the procedure, and we agreed to leave him lying where he was rather than hold him during the procedure. I sat by him and stroked his head and ears. He purred, and seemed relaxed and as comfortable as he could be up until the end. The vet told us it would take 10-15 seconds to take effect - in the end he was gone almost before she had finished the injection.

I have read some real horror stories from people who have been with their pet when they've been euthanased, and all I can say is that it was a very, very peaceful process. He gave no indication he was suffering from it, and did just seem to drift into a final sleep.

I feel incredibly guilty that we weren't able to save him, even though I realise that he had gone beyond the point of no return. I miss him dreadfully. He has been a good friend through good and bad times, and has helped me through some very rough patches. We still have his sister, who isn't quite sure what's going on right now.