Journal Entries
NaJoPoMo 2014 Day 3 - Leaving my dog
Posted Nov 3, 2014
In order to allow me my family holiday in Dorset last week, I put my dog, Harry, in kennels. Before last week, in the nine years I've had him I've been on 5 holidays. I went to France twice, once for a long weekend and once for a Mon-Fri break, and during both of those trips my brother and sister-in law moved into my house to look after him. The other three holidays were with my mum & stepdad and their dog in their caravan, so Harry came too. They've sold the caravan now, so that's no longer an option, plus Harry seems to get grumpier with age and really doesn't mix well with other dogs. I haven't had a holiday for the last five years.
I therefore decided it wouldn't make me a bad person to board him for 5 nights at the local Border Collie Trust - he's a collie cross, they'll understand him & treat him well. My mum's dog was also boarded there - not that that made any difference to Harry as they don't really get on.
I left him there on Monday morning and was greatly relieved when he immediately seemed to settle down on his bed with the rawhide chew I'd just given him. I left without ceremony, despute wanting to throw my arms round him and squeeze him. It's better for him if I walk away & don't look back, he doesn't pick up on my stress then (or something like that). But I cried on the way home.
Despite enjoying my holiday, and loving spending so much quality time with my niece & nephews, I missed Harry every day of the holiday, especially when we were at the seaside - he does love chasing the waves! So it was a great relief to pick him up after lunch on Saturday. When I arrived he was lying on his bed quietly, not barking like a lot of the other dogs. I don't really know if that's a good thing or not - had he just abandoned all hope? He was certainly pleased to see me, though, licking my face and crying. This time I did throw my arms around him and squeeze him!
Harry's nearly 10 now, I don't know how many years he has left and I really don't like the idea of him in such a noisy & possibly stressful environment. So I don't think I'll be having another holiday any time soon.
Deb 
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Latest reply: Nov 3, 2014
NaJoPoMo 2014 Day 2 - 8 go down to Dorset
Posted Nov 2, 2014
I've just spent a wonderful 5 days in a caravan in Dorset with my mum & stepdad, my brother and sister-in-law and their 3 kids. I shared a room with my 7 year old niece and woke to her beaming smile every morning, and as soon as we said good morning her brothes (6 & 5) heard us and in they'd come. I willingly took on the role of early morning babysitter, letting everyone else have at least 15 minutes longer than they would have had. It seems there's no such thing as a lie-in once you have kids. At least the dog lets me go back to bed after he's been out for his early morning trip up the garden!
On this holiday I discovered Lyme Regis. It stole my heart completely and we spent 2 lovely days there, on the beach, walking on the cobb, searching for fossils. The kids loved that.
Unfortunately we had to endure the evening entertainment on the campsite cos the kids loved it. But does it really need to be THAT loud? I understand it during the kids segment but during the bingo? Every time someone won, while they were going to check their ticket they had the DJ playing a pump it up thing and everyone was expected to pump their arms in the air. Thankfully we never stayed late.
Dorset's my favourite county in the UK, and given the chance I'd live there like a shot. But oh, it's internet connection! I spent ages trying to get on-line, and when I did it reminded my of the days of dial-up, only even slower. I actually waited for 10 minutes for a web page to load at one point. So when I become a millionaire and can retire to a quaint cottage in the Dorset countryside, I can see I'll need to spend some serious time researching areas that actually get a decent connection before I even start looking for my dream home 
When we left on Saturday morning I felt the holiday had been exactly long enough. I was completely peopled out, and really quite desperate to liberate my dog from the kennels, but more on that tomorrow.
It was a really lovely holiday, but it was also really lovely to come home.
Deb
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Latest reply: Nov 2, 2014
NaJoPoMo 2014 Day 1 - Here I Go Again
Posted Nov 1, 2014
I'm going to attempt NaJoPoMo 2014 but I'm not sure how far I'll get. Despite the fact that I'd love to be a free spirit who floats along as the wind blows, etc, etc, I'm actually a bit of a stickler for routine and clearly defined parameters. And the way NaJoPoMo works is anything but routine or clearly defined.
I genuinely can't understand why everyone wouldn't prefer a page for this year's NaJoPoMo with 30 conversations, one for each day. That's how it worked a few years ago and it was great. But I think I'm in the minority.
So this year I'm just posting in my journal and if anyone comes across it and comments, that'll be lovely. I'll then read anything posted by people who's journals I already subscribe to.
This is a muddled-thinking, terrible journal written when I'm feeling swamped by the sheer amount of catching up I need to do after 5½ days without an internet connection! 
Deb
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Latest reply: Nov 1, 2014
Well, that's it nearly over with for another year
Posted Dec 30, 2013
By now I was hoping to be bored having time on my hands, and seriously thinking about having a clear out or something.
The long Christmas holiday is supposed to give me a chance to disregard time. I never seem to have much of the stuff and weekends are too given over to housework, shopping and family visits so I never, ever get that feeling of time stretching out before you with nothing on the horizon. Except at Christmas.
Please note that what follows is from my entirely selfish point of view and in no way indicates that I don't care about what's been happening, because I really do. I'm just mourning the loss of my anticipated time.
I broke up on Friday 20th at lunchtime, with 12½ days of fun, festivities, family and freedom ahead of me. I was also looking forward to a week of of not having to leave the dog much after the actual big day. I went to visit a friend and we spent the afternoon drinking tea, eating mince pies, and chatting our jaws off.
Then on Saturday my eldest nephew was taken to hospital with suspected appendicitis. His appendix burst on Sunday morning and they finally operated. Poor thing, he's 5. That was really hard on his mum & dad.
So I was babysitter to niece & youngest nephew. I have no kids of my own and being in loco parentis is challening for me but we managed. I got home at 4am on Sunday morning to be back again at 9.30am Sunday. I spent the day alternating between their house to give their dog some company and my house for mine. Their dog is a 6 momth old bundle of energy with no barriers about personal space and my dog is a grumpy 8 year old with a liking for his own space and no tolerance for over-enthusiastic, oh-come-on-let's-play dogs, so they can't be together at the moment (they've never even met yet).
Nephew was discharged on Monday night so we were all pleased he'd be home for Christmas. And I got to spend Tuesday doing all the things I'd meant to get done over the weekend.
Christmas day was hectic and fun and lovely, but marred by the fact that nephew was in some pain and had no appetite. He did participate at times, and clearly had fun, but he looked like an old man when he could be encouraged to walk around the room a bit.
Boxing day at my mums. Again, hectic and lovely. Nephew still old-mannish, though, although he had more appetite. I left there in the evening anticipating the coming days of getting up when I felt like it, going to bed when I felt like it, and doing whatever I pleased in between.
Friday me, my mum, my brother, my sister in law and my youngest nephew were down with either food poisoning or some other kind of stomach bug so it was a lost day. I surfaced from my bed at noon to take up residence on the sofa but basically I just slept all day.
Felt a bit better on Saturday, just in time to take up babysitting duties again as nephew has infection and was readmitted to hospital. This time it looked like both parents would need to be at the hospital most of the night so the kids came to mine. I'm afraid one dog had to be left alone and it wasn't going to be mine basically. Luckily my sister-in-law's mother and sister came up from down south, arriving in the middle of the night, so their dog ended up taken care of too, so that was a relief.
Nephew was opened up again and cleaned out, and is now being given antibiotics.
Took the kids home and handed them over to the care of their other auntie (SiL's mum was at hospital with her) at teatime on Sunday. My brother went home a bit later, taking his mother-in-law, so he could freshen up, etc, and my mum drove over to the hospital to visit nephew then bring SiL home when my brother got back. Nephew really wanted daddy time so he was taking the nightshift, as it were.
Lunchtime today I picked my SiL up to take her to the hospital and have a visit myself. Nephew looks unbelievably improved. He must have been feeling really poorly at Christmas. He's cheeky and smiling and eating junk, it's so good to see. And they're sending him home this evening.
And I'm mourning the fact that I now have 2 more days off, so basically just your average weekend, except I'll probably be expected somewhere on both new years eve and new years day. At no point have I had a sense of time stretching, only a sense of it passing, and I'm gutted. Because I know I won't have that feeling again until next Christmas.
And I haven't even started my first ever guide entry.
Deb
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Latest reply: Dec 30, 2013
Deb's NaJoPoMo Day 30 - And now the end is near
Posted Nov 30, 2013
Well, I've done it! I've managed a journal a day & have finished something I started. Whether they've all been worth reading isn't for me to judge but that's not the point, is it?
The best bit of NaJoPoMo for me is interacting with other researchers. Even last year when I had to give up on my own journals I kept up with everyone else's. I'm so nosey so it's great having these little glimpses into other people's lives!
This year's highlight has definitely been Asteroid Lil's Art of Death journals. They've been completely absorbing & so fascinating. Everyone else's journals have been interesting in their own ways, from mundane everyday life stuff to old school projects to brilliant reviews to ... butter 
It's been so much fun. Thanks folks for all the entertainment & well done everyone who's made it to the final curtain!
Deb
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Latest reply: Nov 30, 2013
Deb
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