Soop's kind, caring and sharing kitchen.

I shall say an early goodbye today. Stuff to do. It's still rampaging out there. Please do take care if you venture through the front door.

Ironing for pal tomorrow morning. Back with you all, internet willing, early afternoon.

TOYA

Gransnet wasn't responding for quite a while but it's OK again now.
The vet rang again this afternoon ,(fantastic service, so unlike the Dr's), and warned that Baker's recovery is likely to be slow and he will have to be on antibiotics for quite a long time. Poor boy,he hates them---I have to squirt this liquid down his throat with a syringe and I'm definitely not his favourite human at the time!

All is quiet here after the storm but OH, who is a keen weather forecast watcher,announces that another storm is on it's way for the weekend. Oh joy!

Sympathy to all with woes and troubles to deal with, and commiseration to all with animals who are determined to go their own sweet way , right or wrong.

So pleased Baker is improving chicken. You probably get better service from the vet because you are paying him!

Thank you soop,Lins and others for your kind words and messages.x

dragongly how right you are. The vet's bill was enormous, but of course we think he's worth every penny.

soop your last photo .
I've had a few of those, but not quite so bad.
Have you been to a 'Falls Clinic'?
I think I've worked out what causes my falls - my left leg/thigh is much stronger than my right, because of my right hip replacement in 2006. Muscles never rebuilt.
So I have to walk on the side of the road where the pavement slopes down to the left or I might topple over to the right. And constantly keep my eyes down.
Walking on grass is much better.
Always worrying about breaking bones as a cause or result of falls, I recently asked for a bone density test and TG I haven't got osterparosis.
Take care!

Lins do your son and dil live near you? The poor spaniel will not know what is going on being deprived of friends like yourselves who she has known so well.

Mr. Lins will have to keep his cellulitic leg elevated. I also am amazed he was not hospitalised at the very least to give him IV antibiotics for 48 hours.

Are you on medication for your osteoporosis?

Tara came home at a reasonable hour tonight and is now resting her eyes upstairs. I had an early shower and washed my hair and she sat waiting for me outside the bathroom door ever hopeful I was going to bed. Her back is totally black- it is her tum, face and feet which have white markings and lying where she does she is in grave danger of
me not seeing her and injuring her.

I have an extra early hospital appointment tomorrow so she will enjoy the early rise. It is one day I hope she wakes me in case Alexa does not.
TOYA

Chicken, I am another who has to dose their cat every day with antibiotics from a syringe. Mia won`t come near me now, except when I`m in bed asleep, she just doesn`t trust me anymore, and it`s the devil`s own job getting hold of her and giving her the medicine! How do you persuade Baker to open his mouth? I just have to keep annoying Mia till she miaows at me in temper, then squirt the stuff in! Her medicine is Metacam.

callgirl1, it's a real horror trying to get the stuff down Baker's throat and he just HATES it---and me for doing it! I sit him on my lap, back towards my body, then gently squeeze on both sides of his jaw. Theoretically, this should make him open his mouth enough to squeeze the medicine in , but of course he's fighting to get away and I haven't the manual dexterity that I once had, so it turns into a tussle. His medicine is an antibiotic suspension called Veraflox. Why can't the manufacturers make the stuff TASTY ? Good luck with Mia; if only they could understand that we're doing it because we love them.

chickenof course they should make it tasty, dog toothpaste is liver flavoured I think, not having tasted it myself? the spaniel loves it so much when I get the toothbrush in, she clamps her teeth down on it and sucks it furiously, not much brushing going on! Very best wishes for Bakers ongoing recovery.

Hello kitcheners, I am recovering from a 5 year olds birthday celebrations at a "themed" play centre yesterday. Fortunately I was in charge of the baby brother (five weeks), so was not involved with the running round!!!! Very bright colours, music and noise but Birthday Boy loved it. Birthday Boy has asked to go to the local Indian restaurant this evening and a sleepover here as part of his "Birthday week" he has decided on Lamb Tikka, Mushroom Bahje and "some of Grandpas"!

I am off to the gym in a minute, my lovely ladies are cleaning my house so it will be clean when I return.

Getting animals to take medication is an absolute nightmare, when we had to give our horses meds we were in danger of losing a finger or two. They get wise to it being hidden in treats. Have been known to hide tablets in the middle of a Rolo as they are so sticky the tablet cannot be separated from the sweetie.

dragonfly Baggs marydoll and all other kitcheners that are poorly I hope you have a peaceful day.

Charlie has metacam for his arthritis. I just spot it on his food and he doesn’t notice it.

Ironing done and put away. A really lovely moment when I walk through our front door and MacS makes a pot of coffee. Bliss!

chicken Baker has sussed out the routine. Felines are canny creatures. Is it possible to squirt the meds into some savoury food and offer it on a spoon?

Fennel I know what causes me to fall. Lateral Scoliosis of the spine, which leaves one leg weaker and shorter than the other.

Charleyg Hoping that you hospital appointment went well.

GrannyGravy When I was five, I was happy with jelly and custard and fish paste sandwiches. Balloons and pass the parcel. Children are so sophisticated "these days".

soop, sadly, he recognises the smell a mile off! We're just going to have to keep battling on

Good afternoon all.
It is only breezy here today after the wind and hail of previous days.
We had been forecast snow last night and today but none so fsr.

I at last spoke to the secretary of the surgeon who is doing my hip replacement, took me 5 attempts but my luck was in today.
It seems it will not be any time soon as I had guessed.
Long lists, hospital not making theatres available etc,etc.
She has promised to ring me as soon as she knows something.

I hope you are all keeping as well as you can and also warm, it seems very chilly today.

TOYA.

soop - your problem is similar to mine then. One leg longer/stronger than the other.

Well, I should have realised how the day was gong to unfold when I painstakingly got some toothpaste out of the near ending of a tube and squeezed it on to my electric toothbrush. I turned on the tap whereupon the toothpaste fell off my brush into the water. I tried to grab the blob of toothpaste before I lost it down the plughole at the same time as turnng off the tap. I dropped the toothbrush as the toothpaste shot down the plughole and to 'cap it all' the rolled up tube of toothpaste fell out of the cupbard hitting my head making me jump and then head butt the cupbard. And the day has continued thus!

Purely in the interests of research, I have sampled Aldi's custard tarts. Verdict: could do better. I will have to go round the corner to Morrison's to find their tarts for comparison.
Fennel, my surgeon managed to ensure that both my legs were the same length after the hip op. So I couldn't blame him for the falls I suffered last year. After investigation by the GP and the lovely doctor at the falls clinic, the only reason they could find was my own carelessness.

Chicken I use Shippams Sardine and Tomato paste with Smokie and mix it with liquid meds or coat a tablet with it. He gets the occasional treat of a very little on my fingers anyway and he loves it so much I hardly need to wash my fingers by the time he has finished licking it off!
Hope Baker starts co-operating soon, it is an expensive hobby taking them to the vet to give them pills. I can remember trying to help an elderly neighbour give her elderly cat some pills. We tried everything you could think of and the cat proceeded through some very weird positions including being wrapped in a huge towel while we tried to ram gently whisk it into the back of her mouth but all to no avail and the cat continued to spit the tablet in all directions as soon as we let go. My neighbour was as distressed as I was by all this eventually and so we sank back into our chairs at a complete loss. She apologised profusely to her cat and placed one of her nightime treats in front of her which of course went straight down the cat's throat rapidly followed by another and then another. Then she put the tablet in the same place as she had put the treats and said "just eat that too please" and the cat did! We laughed hysterically as we plied the crafty cat with more treats, it was clearly the only thing that was going to work.
Might be worth a try!

We took Smokie to the vet again today and paid a bill in 3 figures!

Anno I am not telling Himself about your testing out of custard tarts, he is completely adddicted to them!

After Himself had his first hip replacement he also felt that one leg was longer than the other but was shown the xrays which clearly showed they were the same length. His thinking on it was that he was 'favouring' his tender hip which meant it just felt that way. I suppose it could be the same for other conditions. How they manage to get the prosthetic legs to match beats me.

Synonymous I like your neighbour's solution to a very tricky cat situation.

I believe that I was born with odd legs. One is very much shaplier and stronger the other. However, I had scarlet fever as a four year old. When I returned home from Daventry isolation hosp., I could not walk for some time. The doctor said that it could have been due to some sort of virus that attacked my legs. Anyhow, I am also clumsy.

The islands were snow covered this morning. They are clear again. We've had hail and snow and rain. It's quiet at the moment.

ann Your time will come. My last hip replacement was carried out in a lovely private hospital. Not because we paid for it. It was because I had waited for very much longer than the usual whatever weeks/months. The hospital was well worth the wait.

Log off time. My love to you all. I hope to be with you again in the morning.

annodomini - another person in the same boat.
I think mine is more the shrunken right thigh muscles.
Still I plod on, looking for grass, or balanced or level pavements.

synonymous, thanks for the tip about the Shippams paste. I'll put it on my shopping list.

Evening all!

Sam had a trip to the groomers today so is looking kind of smart. We never worry about medication with Sam, he is ruled my his tummy , I hold the pill, wind him up with lots of ‘whats this end’ ? Make him sit and he can’t get it out of my hand quickly enough ?

Anno I thank you for your dedication !! I tried Lidl’s Portuguese tarts and they were ok but not a proper custard tart! So onwards and upwards !

I shouldn’t laugh Syn oh but your toothpaste tale made me chuckle !

We are off on a mission for our 10 yr old grandson who accidentally broke a special glass belonging to his Dad . We are off to the brewery to collect it in person .

So I shall check in with you all tomorrow evening .

*soop8 not the best day of my life- my minicab did not turn up so I arrived an hour late. I spent so much time hanging around doing nothing I could have read "War and Peace". Because I was there for so long I was given coffee and a sandwich.

Tomorrow I have a hair appointment- the weather is perfect for it- wet and windy.

Tara and I are going to have one of our early nights,