Scottish Roots

Nov 30, 2022Nov 30, 2022 ~ Lucy ~ 2 Comments

My granny was evacuated during World War II and stayed with relatives in North Ayrshire for some of that time. I learnt this as a child, but didn’t understand then that it meant Granny must have had Scottish blood in her. It feels obvious now, but back then our family connections with Scotland had lapsed as there were no close living relatives to visit.

The last generation to actually have been born in Scotland were Granny’s great-grandparents, Annie and James, who moved from Edinburgh to Manchester and Liverpool. James was a bookseller in Edinburgh and a Bible canvasser in Manchester. I learnt these things as an adult when I started looking into family histories, scouring websites for clues and verifiable family facts. Was the family rumour of a connection with George Meikle Kemp, architect of Edinburgh’s Scott Monument, based on any truth?

Scott Monument, Edinburgh, and George Meikle Kemp

Kemp was proving illusive; he had died by falling in a canal one night aged 48. We are not connected with his four children but there is little by way of verifiable ancestry further back.

Victoria Dock, Singapore, 1890s
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Singapore_in_the_1890s#/media/File:Victoria_Dock,_Tanjong_Pagar,_in_the_1890s.jpg

The story got more complicated; James and Annie did not settle in England. For a time, in fact, the family lived in Singapore, where Annie died in 1900 in the Straits hotel. The Singapore she knew is long gone, but her children and grandchildren went on to live and work around the world.

Although this Singapore link was not permanent, it was certainly colourful. Annie’s son, my great-great-grandfather James, spent time growing up there with the Sultan of Johor. He later worked as an electrical engineer with trams in Brazil and lit the Mersey tunnel.

The more I looked for answers, the more questions formed. Who were these people? How would they have regarded themselves? Where did they consider home to be?

I did stumble across an Australian newspaper source from 1928 which included an extra detail I did not know about Annie. Something I did not expect.

She was born in Orkney!

This was a lovely surprise. It means that I am a wee bit Orcadian (one sixteenth Scottish if you include Annie’s husband James). This certainly justifies celebrating Scottish holidays in my experience, when considering the degree of Irish heritage much of America claims in mid March.

Annie’s maiden name Baikie was common in Orkney, but also leads to a suspicion there might be a link with famous Scottish explorer, linguist and Bible translator William Balfour Baikie. That would be another fascinating connection to make, if it can be proven. He was also surgeon, naturalist (he had a genus of beans named after him), planner and sometime commander. There is even a memorial to him at the Cathedral of St Magnus in Kirkwall. The research on Baikie can wait for now, but is certainly a line to consider.

I may not live in Scotland today but these links and histories have piqued my interest in learning more. The BBC made an interesting programme about Orkney as the Ancient Capital of Britain (for British viewers currently available here). The innovation, spirituality and wanderlust that runs in my blood may go back a lot further than I ever could have realised.

Skara Brae, Orkney
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Skara_Brae_passageway.jpg

Orkney Satellite Map image: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA – https://scihub.copernicus.eu/dhus/#/home,
CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78126591

Semi-skimmed Books

Aug 15, 2022 ~ Lucy ~ 2 Comments

Are you getting your recommended daily allowance of reading?

A funny thing happened recently when I went away for a few days with my family. I took quite a few books which I wanted to finish, left several long reads at home and bought a handful more while away. One was written to teach dogs Welsh, and while it scores points for not being entirely in English, I don’t think the dog – or I – have learned a great deal from it.

Notably, I found reading for pleasure while trying to relax with others who had not brought books almost impossible. We played games. We celebrated the rain. We marvelled at the colours of nature. We wondered how to pronounce Welsh words. We ate well (and decided not to worry about holiday calories, working on the hazy theology that ‘all the fat is the LORD’s’ – Leviticus 3:16).

Perhaps I took the wrong books with me. The newer ones had greater immediate appeal, of course. They had hooked me in and were lighter on the old neurons.

A boy looking at books for sale on a table - a large industrial hook hangs just above the centre of the table. — Every book needs a good hook

New books, outside the genres I write in, do not feel like work. I love reading, but the more I write, the more I want to read, consciously learning how other writers write. Some writers I return to frequently, thirsty for comic refreshment or astute observational prose. Then there are books which are heavier or drier: some I make myself finish, but not all.

In our local reading group we are working through a book which is deeper and longer than many. It is an Olympic swimming pool of a book. Sadly, this summer, while I can manage paddling pool volumes or even the occasional lido, I do not have the strokes to complete the thing. It will not be read in full, and therefore will not make it to my annual list of ‘All The Books I Finished Reading Completely’. Part of me is angry with myself for these reading shortcomings, but another part of me – the part that loves to find new metaphors – wants to celebrate the authenticity of doing well enough without overdoing it.

I bring you the art of semi-skimmed reading.

Must we consume the introduction, acknowledgements and blurb? No!

Try semi-skimmed. This tried and tested method is best suited to non-fiction and means reading enough but not overdoing it. Semi-skimmed reading looks through the contents page, the main points at the beginning and ends of chapters and the various headers throughout the work. It notes conclusions and references and gets the gist, but is also honest enough to admit that it hasn’t read the whole thing. If every academic had read every page of every work on their own shelves, none would ever have time to mark, eat or sleep. Balance is required. Semi-skimmed reading teaches you where to find what you need in future and gives you a greater respect for the topic.

There are books suitable for reading to children at bedtime, which can be semi-skimmed with a little practice. The metaphor can be extended, I am pleased to say. Some books are suited to reading on holiday, when you need something light or fast-paced (pasteurised). There are books suitable for deep thinking, in smaller doses (condensed). There will always be people who are lectose-intolerant and insist that they cannot possibly manage a book. I am cynical about these claims for the most part. We should all be on a well-balanced reading diet.

And the occasional read of something a bit fluffy because that’s all we fancy that day doesn’t mean we failed.

Bonne lecture!

Seeing the Positives

Feb 10, 2022Feb 10, 2022 ~ Lucy ~ 4 Comments

I sent my son to school today. For the previous eight days he had had to isolate in his room with Covid-19. He nearly escaped on day six, but we saw a faint positive stripe on his test that day, so he had to be confined to solitary for 48 more hours. See the joy on his face as he sets off, knowing that the first lesson is PE.

During this last week my emotions as a mum steered naturally toward disappointment and frustration. Missed clubs and hugs and time together. Far too much time for the boy watching YouTube and playing computer games, before a last-minute scramble to catch up on school work, much of which needed me loitering in the hallway explaining or translating.

But there were positives to be spotted too, and not just the annoying kind on a stick that send you to your room for two more days. Battling depression has taught me to look for the positives frequently, in order not to get overwhelmed by missed opportunities and disappointments. I was utterly aware that Joe’s experience of Covid-19, being particularly mild, was a blessing in disguise. The rest of the household are fully vaccinated (he is not yet old enough), but hopefully he’ll now have a measure of immunity for a time. We have the resources here in our home to isolate him, to feed him and provide him with all he needed, as well as enjoy a few treats such as homemade cake or a takeaway to lift all our spirits. One of our family traditions is Pop Tart Week. The last week in any half term when everyone’s stamina is usually waning is the best time for a fun breakfast week. Joe lit up when I brought him breakfast on Monday, having forgotten all about it. I heartily recommend occasional fun breakfast weeks!

There were other positives too. The timing was really not so bad for us and no major events had to be cancelled. Joseph was very grateful for all our efforts and enjoyed playing battleships (shouting across rooms) and listening to his bedtime story from a distance. The really lovely thing was when he and his best friend made up, having fallen out quite seriously a few months back. Who would have thought that they would both be ill at the same time? They played a few games together online and discussed plans for future careers (currently Joe is interested in the idea of being an aviation engineer for MAF). Having more time and attention for my daughter has also proven valuable and she has appreciated family meals with just mum and dad. We have gelled as a team over this time and had to reconsider each other more closely, including food needs, washing, bathroom use, wellbeing and emotional support.

I am grateful for the positives and the way this played out did get me thinking significantly. There are times when it is appropriate to count your blessings and recognise the good in situations which may otherwise be viewed as bad. The positive moments within the suffering. The people that come alongside, sometimes as a consequence of it. The good things going on in the wider world. Previous joys. Future hopes. However any of these things, if applied unlovingly, can be deemed cruel.

Jimmy Carr

Recently a British comedian caused something of a stir when he said that one positive of the Holocaust was that thousands of Gypsies were murdered. His appeal to hatred aligned him with the perpetrators of the evil actions and mocked the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. It was selfish; he was after the buzz of the laugh. It was thoughtless and untrue; in no way were these killings positive. And this did nothing to identify any true positives relating to the grim chapter of our past. Precious positive moments such as self-sacrifice, bravery, forgiveness, contrition and lessons learned. Even these, however, cannot in any way undo the trauma and evil. (If you want to read more about how it was possible for victims of concentration camps to forgive, do read about Corrie ten Boom).

Job’s Comforters

It is necessary to come alongside people who are suffering. To sit with those in pain or distress. Most of us find ourselves in this situation at one time or another. Many of us will understand the feeling that our own comforters have missed the point, rather like Job’s friends in the Old Testament. They see that he has lost everything and is in physical pain and try to blame him. I can just imagine them trying to take his scarred hands in their own, looking him closely in the eye and saying that he just needs to see the positives.

Really? Job replies, dropping his face. The positives of losing all ten of my children, all my financial security, my health, dignity and good name? The positives of not knowing what brought this on and how to restore it?

Ah yes, they suggest, clueless and tactless. You still have your wife!

He raises his head and whispers, But she wants me to die!

Ah, but your donkey-herder and shepherd and camel-herder and one other servant lived!

With no animals to tend! What are you talking about?

At this point friends who realise that they are doing more harm than good leave. Others of us plough on, preaching nonsense and not listening.

There are times when acknowledging grief and pain and lamenting with our peers is far more important than looking to find positives.

Jesus Christ

When your friends die, it stinks. Even with the hope of Heaven loss is real, physically painful often and emotionally overwhelming in recurring waves.

When Jesus turned up to Lazarus’ home four days after his friend died, he was absolutely certain of two things:
The power of resurrection.
And the pain of death.

Jesus wailed with the crowd in John 11, moved hugely at their grief and mourning at the loss of Lazarus. Of course it was not the end of the story, but it was a critical part of it. Jesus identified utterly with the distress of death and the stench of sorrow. Jesus knew how to lament honestly. He could see the negatives and react in love. This too was part of the healing for those nearby.

In verse 43, shouting (quite literally) loud enough to raise the dead, Jesus called to Lazarus to come out of the cave tomb. This was no magic trick or deception. The crowd knew what was what. Lazarus was definitely dead. And they believed they were well past the scope of miracles now.

But there was no denying the dead man walking, covered in cloth and stumbling in the light. No longer dead. No longer hopeless.

Jesus knew the pain of death in his mortal body and in identifying with mortal humans. But he also knew a deeper divine power. The positive power of resurrection was there, waiting to be witnessed, but not before the lament of the negative.

Let’s see positives, count blessings and recognise joys large and small every day we can. But let’s not forget to lament when we need to. It is right to wail over what is lost and weep over what is hurting. Some won’t understand this and will laugh. Some won’t understand how to help you and will say all the wrong things. But some will sit with you and weep. Or perhaps even shout at you from behind a door with hope and expectation.

We Need to Talk About Goldilocks

Jul 16, 2020 ~ Lucy ~ 3 Comments

On Saturday I cut the long, long hair of my daughter
shorter.

Disentangling her
and her hair
from unfair
association with any bears.

(Or bear-related criminal activity).

Her hair long enough to sit on,
I wasn’t going to stand around
and take it lying down.

I heard the cops might profile my daughter –
might escort her,
deport her, even.

So I cut her long, long, golden hair
shorter.

(You would, too).

Her description matched
The Flaxen Attacker.

It wasn’t the bears’ fault
they were victims of crime.
At the time
they’d been out,
at a picnic,
with the Cubs,
in the woods.

No big surprise,
they’d left their door unlocked.

And at the scene of crime
this evidence was there:
one long, long, golden hair,
stuck square in a large bowl of porridge (hot).

Not only that, but
the littlest chair
had been somewhat deconstructed
(her athletic tilts).

Criminal damage, breaking and entering, hate-crime, intimidation.
It’s big, big news down at the station.

She says she wasn’t there.

To make it fair
I chopped her hair.

Took an axe to the flax.

Popped it
under some stacks
of wood
round the back,
right next to the wolf-skin
from that awful incident
with granny
last Spring.

(That would take some explaining too).

Letting Go – Ode to a Car

Jan 12, 2020 ~ Lucy ~ Leave a comment

Just over ten years ago we bought a car which thought it was a van. Or maybe it was a van which thought it was a car. It was a good ~~car~~ van. It was functional, utterly practical and so, so roomy inside. It was a silver Peugeot Partner, almost identical to the Citroen Berlingo and the good points about it (in no particular order) were:

sliding doors for the back seats which made it easier to unload/load young children in car parks without them opening car doors on to neighbouring cars;
you could stand a Phil&Ted’s double buggy in the boot without folding it down;
you can fit a lot of luggage, children, dog, presents for Christmas all inside the vehicle without needing a roof box;
the number plate included the letters LE……GO which I always thought was fabulous;
it had a CD player (meaning we often had dozens of CDs in the car – even some for the adult travellers);
it was so tall we could always find it in car parks;
it was so ugly no one ever tried stealing it;
you could tell where the front of the car was for parking because you could see the headlamp bars (not sure it needed them, but they did help in that regard);
most of the doors worked most of the time;
it was not a car I needed to be precious about with children in, so it was allowed to get untidy and there was so much capacity in the foot wells we could get a full load of shopping in there (much easier than opening the boot);
I have transported all kinds of large furniture in it (beds, mattresses, book cases and even a dresser);
the boot was big enough for eating fish and chips in;
pretty good visibility and a high driving position;
a glove box which held together really well with gaffer tape;
storage everywhere – practically a caravan in fact – I loaded it to the roof when I helped my mum empty her parents’ house – and we could fit all the guinea pig stuff (including the hutch) in the boot.

It was a car we took to France. A car we took our children around the UK to meet family and friends, take holidays, eat picnics. The car we brought the dog home in.

SONY DSC

We replaced the front windscreen (several times). The battery. The starter motor. The boot door. The tyres. The cam belt. The rear bumper. The wiper blades. Various bulbs. I learned how to take a wheel off by myself on this car. It was pranged one Christmas but was very forgiving. Yes, it was noisy, bulky and boxy, but it was a car we grew very attached to. Our son would lock himself in it when he was not in the mood to leave it and go indoors. Our daughter would insist on putting the music on, even at (no, perhaps especially at) junctions when we were concentrating on traffic. We gave lifts and sang badly. Well, I did. We tried to fit a roof top box – even bought the special spanner – and then realised it wasn’t going to happen. The necessary bits had rusted through.

IMGP9744

It was a workhorse of a car, and the only one we’ve had for several years now, but it was getting more unreliable, and besides, we wanted to move on from diesel.

So, in the usual way with these things, we spent the past few years assessing what our next car should be, and settled on a Golf SV. We then made a longer shortlist. A long list. Shortened it. Consulted the children. Consulted the dog. Reduced the list. Settled on a Golf SV again. It is not a trendy car. Jeremy Clarkson has nothing nice to say about it. This stands in its favour in my opinion. When one came up which met our specification, we went and saw it last weekend, and part exchanged yesterday.

Our boxy brute of a car is sold.

Gone.

Ready for auction (well, aside from the glove box, the dodgy door and the necessary deep clean). It may have enough life in it for someone to make good use of it for a while – I hope so. And I hope they have use of the official dog guard, which we won’t be needing any more as it doesn’t fit the Golf.

I do love the new car though. All the doors open. It has many buttons, and I already know what some of them do. I finally found the CD player – in the glove box. Which opens. It has a sun-roof (the car, not the glove box, as far as I know), which was high on my list for years. It has enough cup holders for a sports team. We bought it from a dealership in Essex, it has a Suffolk number plate and now lives in Cambridgeshire. Who knows how long we’ll have it? Perhaps it will also take us on many adventures.

New year, new car. But, to move forward, we have had to let go. It’s a lesson I think my old car had been trying to teach me for some time.

See?

IMG_2246_LI Or, maybe it wanted to go to a car wash, to let go of the winter muck.

Or, maybe it wanted a part in Frozen. And just couldn’t let it go.

Or, it wanted to drive to Le Tango in Venice.

Who knows?

I will miss my big silver ~~van~~ car. I’m very grateful for all the memories. Now it’s time to make new ones. And to find a home for the 64 CDs which won’t fit in the new car…

Year of the Dog – December

Dec 31, 2018 ~ Lucy ~ Leave a comment

It is almost a year since we met Faye, at Epiphany, at the King’s Lynn kennels of the Retired Greyhound Trust. We took her home at the end of February, and each month I’ve blogged about how things have been going. I still feel – much like parenting children – as if we are at the start of the adventure; every month we move forward in confidence and experience, and every month Faye manages to surprise us with more of her character, or quirks. Yesterday I got my first dog-related injury, when she tried to help as I was leaning over to collect my muddy trainers. Her skull is still intact, but I got two split lips and a sore tooth. No major harm, thankfully. Perhaps it is payback for forcing her to wear a reindeer hat.

With Christmas approaching, I thought I’d better help Faye learn about the new smells, textures and experiences she might come across. I took her to the village Christmas tree, which she was indifferent to (except for sniffing where other dogs had got there first), and I showed her that tinsel looks exciting, but is not for playing with. She was keen at first, but realised that it was not a toy.

After this I decided that she must be very clever to learn what is and is not for playing with; I let her have a large amount of packing paper from an Amazon box. She loved it. She spent twenty minutes or so joyfully pulling it into shreds with her teeth and playing in the paper. And then she squatted and weed on it. So now we have learned that Faye must have used newspaper when she was younger to amuse her and to line her toileting area. Oops. A quick distraction to get her away, a bin bag and some pet-friendly carpet cleaner did the job however. No more indoor wees!

On the final day of term I dressed Faye up in her festive attire and took her to school to collect Lily and Joe. She got lots of smiles (as usual) and children coming up to see her (as usual) as well as extra comments on her antlers. Children are not discreet when it comes to commenting on something they have spotted, so it was clear the hat was popular with the crowds.

Tell me truthfully – do I look ridiculous?

After the end of term we spent a couple of days recovering, but still had to get up and walk and feed Faye. I am actually relishing the discipline she has brought to my life in this respect. I am not a great morning person, but over the last few months I’ve been able to cultivate a really good morning routine for getting things done.

Faye will wait very patiently for her morning walk. If she’s really ready she might even lay her head on the bottom stair. Such a chilled out dog! Most of the day is spent lying down somewhere or other – I’m amazed she manages to sleep all night after a heavy day’s napping.

We went up to my parents-in-law in Blackburn for Christmas. We’d asked about borrowing a roof-top box for our car as we knew it would be a tight squeeze with all five of us and gifts, but the fittings weren’t the right size, so we had to jam everything in. Faye did not complain at all. She loves car journeys and was excited to revisit NT Clumber Park en route, with the finished ‘Central Bark’ cafe, other dogs, lots of squirrels and Christmas decorations. The dog-friendly cafe is one of several eating options, but has space and provisions for dogs with their owners. Faye was quiet and well-behaved, but we hadn’t realised that not all the other dogs would be so relaxed.

When we arrived, Faye needed to sniff around and investigate. She had a place to sleep, but wasn’t keen to use it – there was a noisy grandfather clock nearby and she wanted to be at the bottom of the stairs instead. For two nights she woke us several times with whining and whimpering, so Matthew had to spend some of the time sleeping downstairs. Thankfully she relaxed and got the idea by the third night; excellent timing and much-improved sleep for us, as ‘not a creature was stirring’.

She spent a lot of the time asleep, but also loved staring out at birds and squirrels. We allowed her a few treats, but not too many as she was unsure about eating usual quantities of her regular food in a new place.

We took her to a couple of parks in Blackburn. Corporation Park has lots of steps; Faye managed most of them, but wasn’t happy when water was running down one set and wanted to go through brambles instead. Other times she wasn’t quite sure what to do.

At Witton Country Park there were lots of other dogs, and Faye enjoyed a little bit of off-lead time, running and chasing. She is a real show-off when other dogs or new people are around, and tends to run even faster. There were longer walks to do and places to explore. Great for canine enrichment.

It was certainly colder in the north, but when she’d been running she got warm, which is why she doesn’t have a coat on while she was looking at the rabbits at Witton. (And has she been secretly been learning to read? Joe’s been reading to her, but I don’t think she really listens properly.)

It’s almost the end of the year, but what a super year it has been here. Adopting Faye has brought real joy to our lives and enriched us all. May 2019 be a joyful year for you too, and one where you can make the most of every walk, treat and opportunity to snuggle down in front of a warm fire.

b36b20ad-d2e2-4d03-8430-2baab7f3a98d - Copy

Year of the Dog – November

Nov 26, 2018 ~ Lucy ~ Leave a comment

Faye was not impressed this month when I finally got around to chopping up daddy’s old, threadbare dressing gown so that she had something cosy to wear on cold nights. On the first night she managed to escape from it, and even shook her house collar off in the process. Subsequent occasions proved no better; it must have felt all wrong, or smelled funny. I had seen a lot of hounds wearing lovely PJs on the Facebook groups I joined for Greyhound owners, and after some thought, and in order not to have to put the heating on when the temperature drops at night, I ordered her a fleece nightcoat, in racing green. Ok, olive green, but I’m sure she goes pretty fast in her dreams. The colour doesn’t really show well here; perhaps she’s dreaming of accelerating quickly enough to fly. Superdog! I was able to order her fleece from the Retired Greyhound Trust here.

November is a month for fireworks, and dogs are known to get very frightened of the loud noises and sudden explosions. Faye is not keen on surprises, but she didn’t seem to mind any fireworks we encountered on twilight walks. However, I didn’t want to have her worried when the major local events were on. Our daughter Lily is averse to the sensory overload of fireworks events with thousands of people, distracting music, smells of food and a long wait in the cold, followed by noise and shocks. This year Lily, Faye and daddy stayed at home, while I took Joseph to the display.

We had found when we first adopted Faye that having a calming oil plugged into a socket near her bed had been valuable in settling her, and we have a spray we can use out and about if we need to. In the end, with her relaxed attitude to fireworks we didn’t need to calm her down as it happened. She’s far more likely to yelp if she is worked up about going out for a walk. Crazy girl.

A first for us this month was a trip to the vet for a growth on Faye’s back, in her shoulder area. The abscess had been there for quite a few weeks and looked harmless, but we weren’t sure what to do about it. Greys, like other dogs, can get spots and growths, but this one kept growing and didn’t look too good to me. It was also painful for her. An internet search had given me some nerves over the many possibilities, so in the end I booked her in to the vet and went along to see what they suggested. The vet was very good and shaved the area before piercing it; we were both relieved to discover it was a simple abscess and nothing dangerous to Faye or that would need cells sending off to a lab. It had already grown to the size of a broad bean, but thankfully is healing up well, and at this time of year her shaved area won’t be on display all that much.

While I was at the vet I asked for Faye’s microchip to be checked, which was worth doing as we learned it had never been properly registered to us, despite adopting her in February. I have chased this up with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and registered her as our pet. They keep records of retired racers and having our address and details associated with Faye’s microchip is very important to me, just in case she ever runs off and is found by someone else. (She does have my number on her collar, but that does occasionally come loose).

Faye has really enjoyed cosy evenings at home by the fire, especially if she has has the opportunity to tear up a cardboard box or a good ear rub. She has to get her walks in a little earlier at weekends if she is to get out while it is still light, but even sighthounds use their noses a lot, and she gets very excited about finding interesting* smells.

*Interesting for Faye might include: small animal smells, checking other dogs’ weemails, occasional fragrant plants and new items in her path. She was not all that fussed about a small animal hole we found yesterday, however:

While I work, Faye likes to curl up nearby, often in the same room (releasing toxic gases at times), and sometimes in the hallway watching the world through the window. She tends to sleep with one leg under her tummy while I work, but when she’s really crashed out she will melt on to one side and splay out. There is no logic in where she lies down; sometimes she is on the duvet or dog bed, having ‘dug’ at it for comfort, but at other times she misses the soft areas entirely.

Free Halloween Decorations Clipart - Public Domain ...

I’m pleased that she’s so relaxed at home (except of course for the toxic gas emissions), but out and about she can go rigid instantaneously when there is prey in sight. At a writers’ group last week she came across a cat through a doorway, and froze. We realised what was happening before she had the chance to act, thankfully. The cat was not keen to meet Faye and doubled up in height, all the while trying to out-stare her from a table. Faye had wanted to get close or chase the cat, but obeyed our instructions and allowed us to keep the cat away. It did cause her some confusion when the doors were closed and she was stuck in a room with people eating lunch though – she would normally excuse herself when we are eating.

She’s such a super pet. Like so many other greyhounds, she is a wonderful breed to own, even if you’ve never had a dog before. In Florida, lots of greyhounds are going to become available in the coming months as the racing tracks close, following a vote on the matter. In the UK there are hundreds waiting to be adopted, after retiring from a racing career. They love a bit of a run at times, but mostly they just sleep and want to chill out with you. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Click on the picture below for more about adopting a grey.

Year of the Dog – June

Jun 22, 2018 ~ Lucy ~ Leave a comment

I bagsied Faye this morning for ‘take your dog to work day’ and so far it has been a complete success. It would not have been simple for Faye to have gone on the bike with Matthew to his work, or to sit in his office passing wind and huffing every so often.

So Faye is with me. As usual, she helped me walk the children to school. She was very keen; she loves her walks. I marched, the children scooted and Faye trotted and kept an eye out for cats. She took an interest back home when I prepared her breakfast and cleaned out the wheely-bin. She observed me doing a bit of housework and admin, then behaved herself while I had my quiet reading time. She watched while I did some editing and research, all the while listening to the radio without complaining. She went outside reluctantly to lie down so I could hang out the washing. And then she came indoors reluctantly so I could get on with more writing. She wanted to come outdoors when I put the recycling outside. Mostly, however, she has been dozing. She doesn’t care about word counts, deadlines or making notes on last night’s great book idea which might have involved looking up blind dogs on youtube. Nobody yapped.

Much of the rest of the day: lunch, more writing, more housework, more admin, an early walk, meeting a teacher, collecting children and feeding everybody, should also involve Faye one way or another, although I will have to leave her for a short time later. Mostly she will be sleeping. Every so often she may pass wind or huff, but I won’t take it personally if I’m in the room. I have a thick skin and a fragrant room spray (fig leaf and elderberry).

Faye has it pretty easy really.

She’s been up to all sorts since I blogged last month, in fact. Here’s a little of what she has been up to:

Joe learned that if you put your bedding downstairs in the hope you’ll be allowed to camp out overnight, the dog will be very grateful and think it is for her. Faye learned that if you wait long enough, eventually you don’t need to wear your muzzle out and about everywhere. Both these things made her very happy.

We all attended the Greyhound Extravaganza near Newmarket at the end of May and Faye won ‘Second Prettiest Bitch’ and ‘Judge’s Choice (1st)’. We were all thrilled, although I was a little concerned about the Hot Dog stand. On such a warm day, and with so many greyhounds around (not muzzled, all behaving and not barking), I hoped they had sourced their hot dogs wisely.

We took Faye on holiday in May half term break to Sherwood Forest. It was wonderful and did us all good. Faye had the whole boot of the car for her things for the journey so we had to pack light in the rest of the space. She met Biscuit, my friend Andrea’s tri-pawed rescue lurcher and enjoyed sniffing around Major Oak, Clumber Park and Rufford Abbey, as well as exploring lots of forest areas. She had fun on and off-lead and seems fine with car journeys of a couple of hours or so.

Faye did another visit to Suffolk one weekend, where she walked to Trimley Shores. It was a beautiful day and she helped Grandad look out for lots of interesting wildlife. Nobody caught any, thankfully.

Faye has been struggling on one of her legs with some arthritis, so she has started a course of K-laser treatment at the vets. She loves going there and gets lots of treats, rubs and attention. She’s still very stiff, so we are evaluating how long to keep her on the treatment.

She has to fit around us a lot of the time of course, but doesn’t always understand how to. When I held a planning meeting for a trip to Albania recently she decided that the map looked the most comfortable place to rest during proceedings. She was very gentle and didn’t damage it.

Right now she’s hoping for a walk, as she’s woken up and is staring at me, making a few whining noises.

Life is never dull with Faye, and no two days are exactly the same. I enjoy having her around to motivate me to work hard. She likes to be around me too and will get up and move rooms with me, even when she may be only half awake.

Perhaps there should be a ‘take your human for a walk and a chill out’ day. Hmm…

Year of the Dog – April

Apr 24, 2018Apr 25, 2018 ~ Lucy ~ 2 Comments

Before Faye, I honestly felt like I was missing something. There was a broody dog-shaped hole in my life, and I was sincerely hoping Faye would fix that. I had already made peace with the idea that it may never happen, and the equally frightening idea that it may not turn out to be what I had hoped.

Now we have her, Faye is proving to be all I hoped for, and far more. While life itself can often leave us unsatisfied, owning a dog (or being owned by one) turns things around. I have started being grateful for things I wasn’t grateful for previously, such as the beauty of the early mornings, getting out of the house when I would otherwise have been dozing, feeling accomplished at making another heartbeat happy in the world and noticing so many fascinating things on walks around the area.

We have achieved so much in such a short space of time, but I felt it would be good to highlight some of the moments which meant a lot to me in the past few weeks.

IMG_5565 (Edited) — Get that booper – Faye asleep in her favourite spot

Taking Faye out and about is always great fun. She has been around the village a lot now, as well as to Thetford Forest, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds (Joe realised Faye could help carry the picnic blanket for a short while), Felixstowe to see the sea and the hairdressers (for Lily). People often stop and ask questions, mostly about why she is wearing a muzzle, or to ask to stroke her. She takes all this in her stride and loves people. She is still working on reacting well to other dogs, but is making good progress already.

Faye won’t roll over for me, but will do it for Lily when I’m not there, just to have her belly rubbed!

She hasn’t quite worked out how to get treats from a Kong toy, but likes licking peanut butter from it. She also loves tea, and sometimes gets a taste when I’ve finished mine. She behaved very well in her first restaurant, lying on the floor patiently and enjoying the atmosphere.

She makes me laugh – sometimes she won’t eat a treat unless she’s allowed to take it in the ‘right’ room, and this week she was so tired she thought I was sending her to bed in the garden and lay down instead of toileting. She’s also been known to stop and lie down on a walk when exhausted, even if we’re already almost back. She won’t eat pasta or vegetables she can see in her meal. She finds the comfiest place to lie in the garden or house, even if it means flattening plants or using a bag of clothes. She crosses her legs like a diva and when she spots something cat-shaped she is transfixed, no matter how much you call or pull. It doesn’t matter whether the cat is real or not. She also loves spotting rabbits and squirrels.

She is a 26 kg dog but can still curl up into her dog bed and ignore everything – until she hears a sound like another dog, or food.

Here she is following the kids home from school. She has learned to be responsible and carry her own bags. I have to watch her carefully as she gets spooked by the scooters sometimes and moves sideways into the road. Walks are great fun for Faye, and checking her ‘weemails’ takes longer each day now the weather is warming up!

There is a secure orchard a few minutes’ walk from our house, where we can let Faye off lead and call her back. She is ridiculously fast with a very long stretch as she runs; she makes her high-speed bursts look very easy. She doesn’t like to go off on her own thankfully, and will happily chase around with the children or come to us if we call her.

Although most of Faye’s time is spent asleep, she loves to relax even when she’s out and about. The other day we discovered her secretly sitting, which is difficult for greyhounds to do. Usually when she is getting up or down, or perching in the car, she ‘sits’ with her legs to her left. On this occasion she was actually sitting properly. If she does it more I will teach her the ‘sit’ command.

On the beach, she dug a small dip in the sand for her huge ribcage so she could lie down comfortably; I’ve no idea if that is usual behaviour.

Faye now has a super new blue martingale collar for best and red house collar for everyday to match her normal martingale; I’m looking into whether to get her a harness to help keep her close when she wants to pull away at the wrong moments.

She’s taken to raising an eyebrow at times, although we are learning to read her body language. She does try to communicate with us when she wants something. As long as we take the time to listen to her and try and hear what she means to tell us; it could be that she wants to go outside, is finding her muzzle itchy or is waiting for her meal.

Faye’s met her ‘grandparents’ and got on really well with them and other visitors. She has interacted with other dogs and been on a walk with a vizsla successfully. I was also able to take Faye to a group dog walk last week, where she did really well most of the time with the six other breeds, although there were some nervous dogs there and one very small, very furry shih-tzu which took her fancy and had to keep a distance.

I am hoping to help her socialise with more dogs over the coming weeks and begin some command training with a clicker now that she has settled into the family. The local community in the village have been wonderful at welcoming her and showing interest when I posted on the local facebook page that she is still adapting to life in a regular home. Many folk came over to our yard sale at the weekend and met her too, which was thrilling. It has really opened opportunities to meet many more folk in our area. Faye is a talking point and a way to connect to people of all ages and abilities.

Image may contain: one or more people, grass, sky, outdoor and nature — Suppawt dog walk

HI muzzle

Faye is making us more disciplined as a family (e.g. time-keeping, responsibilities, getting up and dressed) and helping each of us feel more loved. She is also getting a lot of love from us: learning new walks, trying new treats, having her teeth brushed, fur groomed and a chance to relax safely.

So the dog-shaped hole is definitely filled. I would love another dog, but Faye has taught me that she is enough and is constantly reminding me that there are so many things to be grateful for in life, big and small.

Year of the Dog – March

Mar 7, 2018May 25, 2018 ~ Lucy ~ 2 Comments

It is now just over a week since we brought Faye home. What an amazing week it has been. The anticipation in the final days leading up to her arrival was not dissimilar to the final days of pregnancy. Are we ready? Are we going to feel like family? Are we going to break the dog? What if something awful happens? Have we read everything? Why? Is all the chocolate and alcohol where the dog can’t reach it? Is all the chocolate and alcohol where I can reach it? Who can we ask all of our remaining really silly questions? Will this be my last ever lie-in? The usual stuff.

Then came the trip last Tuesday, in snow showers, through black fen fields, under moving skies. We were glad the weather had not prevented us travelling. In the morning we met with the Brecks, Fens & Pens Christian writers’ group in West Norfolk. Then a quick bite to eat and off to meet Faye again, fill in paperwork, chat through logistics and ask all the remaining silly questions. Debbie at the King’s Lynn RGT centre was patient and thorough and made sure we knew what we were doing.

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, tree, child, outdoor and nature

We left with Faye at around 1:30, back under the moving skies, through black fen fields and dodging more snow showers, in time for me to collect the children.

It was necessary to stand up and look around at every roundabout

Faye has adapted well to living with us. She has whimpered a little in the first few days, and surprised us by barking a couple of times when there were people playing outside at the front, but is very relaxed and easy-going most of the time. I think she must realise she is part of the family now, and is also tentatively trying to become part of the furniture.

Checking out the decal butterflies (this stops greyhounds bumping into windows)

Greyhounds love sofas; we have decided however to provide lots of alternative soft and snuggly spaces for Faye. That way, she can have a quiet spot under the stairs and a duvet which can be moved around to different rooms and we have the sofa to relax on without lots of dog hair or having to push her off. She has taken to lying straight on the floor and once or twice trying to sneak on to the sofa when no one is about. She can jump up there no problem, yet apparently isn’t able to jump up into the car. Perhaps she’s after the princess treatment. We’ll have to use treats and take her to lots of interesting places for walks to get her more excited about car travel I think. For now she enjoys spending most of her day asleep wherever she feels safe. Usually this is not far from me, which is wonderful, unless she has recently eaten tripe and got a bit windy. And no Faye, that is not funny.

When she is not snoozing, the next best thing is Going Outside, which Faye can tell might happen at the first sound of getting a coat on or picking up her lead. She adores walks, stopping to check out all the latest smells and wanting to say hello to all the other dogs (most of which are a little nervous of her, as she is still wearing a muzzle at this stage). Even in the snow she enjoyed getting outdoors as often as possible. I love walking her and getting the chance to introduce her to my own friends and people I’ve never met before. Lots of people ask to stroke her or what breed she is (part tiger?) and why she’s wearing a muzzle. The short answer to that is she has to wear one for a few months, while she learns about smaller dog breeds and birds. She’s been trained to race after small furry toys, so may not realise how to behave until we’ve retrained her. Hopefully in time we can trust her on walks without it.

It has been cold here, with snow on several days last week. On Saturday I forced the children off screens for a time to go outdoors and make memories, because that’s the sort of mean mummy I am. Joe helped make a snow-hound, which was great fun. He’d already picked up how Faye lies with one of her front legs folded and one stretched out in front.

Actually I amazed myself by getting creative making a gate sign. I decided I wanted a ‘dog’ notice on the garden gate, but didn’t want anything aggressive. I realised I could paint the shape of a greyhound using a printed outline, a pencil, a sharpie, a block of wood and some old tins of paint. I even drilled the holes and screwed it to the gate.

I’ll do another post on Faye next month at some point, but if there are any topics about greyhounds you want me to cover, do suggest them and I’ll get to those sooner.