So the hedge man said he’d be here at 9:30am…
The dog wasn’t great during the evening. He was still bright, still interested, still wanting to eat. But every so often he’d give a little yelp. We kept an eye on him but in the morning he was still yelping and jumping and then looking for whatever it was that got him. So I phoned the vet, arranged an appointment around the hedge man, and did some other chores while I waited.
I had to move my car so the hedge man could park on the drive, and I did another dog-poo patrol – don’t want anyone traipsing that anywhere. And I waited. And waited… He finally arrived just as I’d given up and was leaving, at around 10:15am. I don’t know, 10 minutes early one day, 45 minutes late the next. We checked he could get in around the back, and off I went.
The dog’s appointment was 11am and I got there 10 minutes early. They know how shouty he can be with other dogs, though, and saw him as soon as we got there. And he wouldn’t let the vet examine him properly beyond taking his temperature, which was up. So the vet gave him an antibiotic injection and an anti-sickness injection, and we have to go back today at 10:50am.
The vet thinks the dog’s Dentastix (TM) might have prodded him in the throat. Rufus has had one of these sticks every day of his life so far, and might be part of the reason he still has all of his teeth at nearly 13. But I do know that some vets are starting to warn against them and putting them up there with rawhide – i.e. they don’t like them.
On the way home, I filled the car with petrol and when we got back the dog was a bit quiet and drowsy, which could be the injections. The hedge man had almost finished, but he did have to go and get his other chainsaw as the one he was using packed up.
And that was the morning gone. I had something to eat and started work half a day late.
I’ve been looking for a dentist, but I hadn’t realised that always forgetting to make the phone call or always realising it’s too late might mean I was psychologically trying to avoid ringing anyone. I suppose there might be some truth in that as I really do hate going to the dentist. I did try a couple of NHS dentists, but I think we’d already resigned ourselves to going private this time.
One NHS dentist was completely closed to new patients, despite the NHS website saying they were accepting new patients. Another said they were accepting new patients, but there was a 3-year waiting list. And one hybrid NHS/private dentist has a 2-year waiting list. Eventually, I contacted a completely private dentist and they are taking on new patients.
The lady who answered the phone immediately made me feel like an existing acquaintance. She wasn’t too busy to talk to me, or didn’t come across that way, was even happy to talk to me for an hour if I wanted her to. And it was her who suggested to me that I’d made the phone call and that was half the battle. The upshot is that we both now have appointments for the day after the poet’s birthday.
I sat down and finished that story for 12 STORIES IN 12 MONTHS, but when I went to post it, it wouldn’t let me submit it. I refreshed the website and tried again, doing one step at a time, and it posted. How odd. So that means I wrote a 1,200-word short story. I also had some more probate work to do. We hope to complete in the next 2 weeks…
Hedge man finished his work bang on 3pm. It all looks neat and bright. It looks a bit hacked, but when the leaves start to come back it will look lovely and we won’t look like the Clamp-its of the street. (Follow link for explanation, so I don’t get done for inadvertently using the wrong expression…)
The poet came home and the dog had something to eat. His eye looks a bit odd, though – the dog’s eye, not the poet’s eye. We kept an eye on that (excuse the pun!) and made a note to mention it to the vet today. Keep everything crossed that it’s a simple infection that can be treated easily enough…
Hello, February!
Here, then, is the plan for February:
- new month wordcount & progress spreadsheets for February
- THE SECRET OF WHITEHORSE FARM
- (week) daily blog post
- weekly tech scan
- weekly backup
- weekly diary work
- 2nd proof pdf pass for nasty book
- proofreader’s amendments to naval book
- author’s amendments to naval book
- return naval book to client
- start editing new Afghanistan book
- Monkey Dust admin just once
- Diane’s gig list admin every Thursday
- write a short story for anthology closing 29 Feb
- write a short story for 12 STORIES IN 12 MONTHS
- finalise and publish WORDS WORTH READING ISSUE 1
- finances for March
- take dog to vet
- monthly schedule planning for March
How’s your February looking?
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Poor Rufus. And poor you, it’s so hard when they’re sick.
February’s looking busy, but a good busy, I hope.
You wrote a whole short story! Well done!
Yes, and you just hope you’re doing all you can.
Now I need to write another one!
Well done on the story. Poor Rufus…Its tough when you start to get old…I know!!
February looks well planned, I hope it goes well.
Thank you! Vet was happier with him and gave us some tablets for a week.