Whooo! Are you Scared? – LM
The Hound!
Happy Halloween folks!
Little Monkey and Mr Spaghetti Legs popping by to scare you!
I guess no-one will come Trick or Treating this year, with Lockdown.
What a shame – I’ll have to eat all the candy myself!
Erica 1
Haiku 214
Delicate as lace
Tiny tinkling flower bells
Spring is in the air
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Erica 2
Mr Spaghetti legs’ plant returns each Spring.
Although it isn’t really Spring till next month, I am certainly not complaining. I’m always happy to see the plant is surviving and even growing a little each year. You can see just how small it is by the bricks.
Erica 3
This plant with the tiny delicate flowers is a fynbos, Erica Quadrangularis.
Mr Spaghetti Legs.
Mr SL is all ears
SL Fynbos Plant 1
Haiku 131
So you have returned
Good to see you my old friend
Sanity restored
.
SL Fynbos Plant 2
This is the Mr Spaghetti Legs’ little fynbos bush, Erica Quadrangularis, planted in September 2016.
I am always thrilled when I notice new green growth and the tiny white flowers in Spring. (Yes, it is early this year, as it is still mid-winter here in Cape Town.)
SL Fynbos Plant 3
I tend to it regularly and make sure it has water throughout the drought, carrying around heavy buckets of grey water to keep it alive.
I am rewarded by its return; shown in the first photo with a tiny gossamer web encrusted with dewdrops.
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So we finally got the new Router. It was the right one this time and we are connected once more to the world wide web.
It’s good to be back, as there are certain things I missed, such as easy contact with my family overseas, my Duolingo languages and, of course, blogging.
And I do enjoy “surfing” the web and watching YouTube clips.
But I am not totally reliant on it and do have days when I don’t switch on my laptop at all.
So what do I do for entertainment then?
Our TV is abysmal and I never watch anything, but I have many movies on dvd (oh hundreds!). I do crosswords, cryptic, skeleton and others, and I have always loved to curl up with a good book.
Still, it is good to be back!
Hello again my friends!
.
Mr Spaghetti Legs
Mr Spaghetti Legs 8
Mr SL 3
Erica 1
Haiku 69
Welcome back old friend
So glad to see you survived
Love is triumphant
.
Erica 2
This little fynbos plant, Erica Quadrangularis, has survived another year.
The main stem is thinner than my little finger, yet it is once again covered in tiny white flowers.
Erica 3
You may remember I planted it for Mr Spaghetti Legs almost two years ago.
Mr Spaghetti Legs
And here’s the old boy.
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It’s good to know some things return in the spring.
Little Monkey – on the day we got her
Little Monkey is 13 years old.
I don’t know LM’s exact date of birth, but according to the rescue centre that we adopted her from, it is sometime around now.
For Little Monkey’s 13th birthday I present for your entertainment a collection of some of my favourite photos of this amazing dog; including never-before-seen footage!
Enjoy the uniqueness and daftness that is our very own Little Monkey.
The first photo above shows a young Little Monkey on the day we got her, in February 2007.
LM – daft
She immediately settled in and showed us her quirky character by trying to squeeze through the bars!
LM and Madam
Above Madam, the alpha female, has an ostrich bone and Little Monkey, the omega, is not going to challenge her.
LM – bone
However, the moment no-one was looking LM would gather all the bones or hooves together and guard them!
Seeing Eye to Eye – Madam and Little Monkey
LM and Madam always had an uneasy truce, mostly because LM hadn’t a clue about the social rules of dog etiquette!
LM and TJ 1
Long before Mr Spaghetti Legs, Little Monkey was best friends with TJ, who was about 8 or 9 years old here and LM was 2 and a half.
The pale thing on LM’s legs is part of a chewed up pool noodle!
LM and TJ 2
You may recognise TJ as being my WP Gravatar and also on my About page; My Tail Too.
LM and TJ 3
I’m glad that LM had TJ in her young life, and later on, SL. As you all know, LM is an anxious dog and it’s very hard to find another dog who will tolerate her and that she is comfortable with.
The young LM
The above photo is of Little Monkey 10 years ago. She hasn’t changed much, apart from being a little hairier now and with more white around the muzzle.
If you scroll down you can see the various faces of Little Monkey, as she has appeared over the years.
Happy Little Monkey
Pensive – Little Monkey
Little Monkey Sunbathing
LM Walk 8
Little Monkey
Little Monkey – Always ready for Mischief
Little Monkey
Little Monkey stretching 1
Quagga Disguise – Little Monkey
Little Monkey 2
Little Monkey Collapsed 1
Little Monkey
Little Monkey 1
Little Monkey
And let’s not forget Little Monkey’s companion, dear old Mr Spaghetti Legs, who helped to make this blog what it is today.
Peas in a Pod – SL and LM
LM and SL check out the Puzzle Tree
LM and SL
LM Sundog 2
LM Sundog 4
Happy LM
LM 2
Super Dog
I hope you have enjoyed this special post on my very own Super Dog!
Little Monkey
A letter to Little Monkey
Well, I guess it was inevitable, even though I thought you’d never age.
I thought you’d make 15 easy. You aren’t even 13 yet!
But something’s not right.
After we’ve been out walking for a while, I give you the option as we pass the end of our road, to turn for home, but you choose to carry on and walk round the block.
Then with quarter of a kilometre still to go, you suddenly start walking as slowly as Mr Spaghetti Legs used to. And believe me, that was s-l-o-w!!
I’ve had you thoroughly checked out.
My amazing old Vet listened very carefully to your heart and said it was fine.
Your arthritis is minimal for a dog your age; just a slight stiffness in your right elbow and shoulder. (I got you young enough to take very good care of that, with good food, regular exercise and supplements for arthritis of omega 3 oils and chondroitin and glucosamine.)
But I have noticed with every other dog I’ve ever had, that you don’t age linearly; you age in leaps.
And there is a sudden leap around 10 years of age when you move into the Old category.
You didn’t do that leap when you were 10, or 11 or even 12; electing to carry on as Mad Cap as ever. You are my Domain Name after all!
Instead you waited till you were 12 and a half.
So there we are, my dear.
You are suddenly old.
And I must adjust my mindset accordingly.
But you’ll still chase a cat like there’s no tomorrow!
And no age limit!
.
HOW TO ADJUST YOUR MINDSET FOR AN OLD DOG:
Find effective pain management medication that works for your dog. Try a few meds and see which suits your dog best. PetCam is the most effective for LM, with the least side effects.
Take your dog on shorter walks more often throughout the day, instead of one long walk. It is important still to go on these outings, as dogs love to get out of the property. It is LM’s favourite thing to do, followed by food.
Give your dog nice soft bedding. LM has always slept on comfy sponge mattresses.
Give your dog gentle massages round those aching joints. I’ve always done this rather than just stroking the dog. LM loves it.
Watch their weight. With painful arthritis dogs will tend to move less and the weight can start building up. You might have to adjust the amount you feed them, without letting them feel hungry. Just a few less kibbles in their bowl will make a difference. LM’s weight crept up from 23 kg to 24.7 kg.
Do carry on with most activities you used to do; but be aware that your dog may tire more quickly. LM still hares round the garden like a mad thing, of her own volition, but is not quite as fast as she used to be and doesn’t run for as long. The important thing is that she still does it.
So Little Monkey is old; Now what?
I expect she’ll carry on like this till near the end. She could still make 15!
After all, Mr Spaghetti Legs did.
Mr SL is all ears
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post script: Many of you will be thinking of Lewis Carroll’s awesome poem, from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 1865, so here’s the link – You are old, Father William.
Erica 1
Look who’s back!
Mr Spaghetti Legs’ plant, Erica Quadrangularis, is in full bloom once again.
It has survived a whole year, of sun and drought, and of barely hanging on with its tiny little stem and measly root structure.
Erica 2
Now, as Spring approaches once more in the Western Cape, it is in full magnificent bloom. A myriad of tiny white bell-shaped blossoms adorn the dry stick-like stems.
Hooray!
Erica 3
For size comparison: in the above photo, those dried up brown leaves under the bush are from my oak tree. It really is a tiny plant!
And because I know that secretly you all want to see some photos of the old boy, here is Mr Spaghetti Legs.
Mr Spaghetti Legs
LM and SL
Mr SL 3
Mr Spaghetti Legs 8
Mr Spaghetti Legs
Sea View
Yes, it is three years since I clicked the Publish button on the very first post of my brand new blog; and I haven’t looked back since.
Below are extracts from my first and second anniversary posts; because I really can’t say it any better than this.
First Year:
I’d like to thank the WP community for being so great. And I’d like to thank everyone who has popped by my blog and liked or commented on a post. I thoroughly enjoy seeing all of your amazing photos and reading your posts. I feel like I know some of my “regulars” as friends, even though we have never met, nor are likely to, being separated in most instances by vast oceans.
And Thank You to all of you out there who make the whole blogging experience a pleasant one. WP is a community, and if it wasn’t for feedback, likes and comments, what would be the point? I’d still be sitting here listening to the crickets chirp!
Second Year:
But just to reiterate; thank you to everyone who has followed me all this time and who continues to support me and offer words of wisdom and sarcastic comments. I appreciate them all! (You know people are your friends when they start being sarcastic!)
I thoroughly enjoy following all your blogs too.
Third Year:
I’d just like to say a very big thank you to all of my faithful followers, who like and comment on my posts, even when sometimes you don’t get my sense of humour, or British-ness/South African-ness.
To my old friends, thank you for sticking with me; and to my new friends, welcome aboard and I hope you enjoy the ride.
Without the interaction of my blogging friends, there’d be no fun in blogging.
And as long as I’m having fun, I’ll keep on blogging.
As a third year tribute to you all, I’ve selected some of my favourite photos from the past three years.
Just scroll down to enjoy the slide show.
Skies of Blue
Fluidity
Happy Little Monkey
Dandelion Clock
Baby Geese
Sunshine on a Cloudy Day
Pensive – Little Monkey
Fuchsia
LM and SL check out the Puzzle Tree
England
Swans 1
Mr Spaghetti Legs
Photo Frames 1
Bloom 1
Pretty as a picture – Sunset Western Cape
You Little Monkey
Blackberries and Cream
Strelitzia 1
Owl 2
The Concerns of Guinea Pigs
Baby
Little Monkey Collapsed 1
Comfort Flowers 1
Cream of the Crop 1
Little Monkey
Thank You One and All.
Erica 1
This is Mr Spaghetti Legs’ plant; a little Erica Quadrangularis my husband bought me when my old boy died. (I mentioned this briefly in Crunchy.)
It is still trying to get established and I have to water it a little every few days to keep it growing. I only have to be late one time and it will die! Hot summer days!
Happily, there is new growth, just at the ends of the fronds, but I have to watch this little plant very carefully and make sure the roots do not dry out.
Erica 2
You can see from this aerial shot that it is very small still. (That is grass on the left.) It will have tiny white flowers on it when it blooms, as you can see from below, when I was given it.
Erica 3
This little Erica is indigenous and therefore suited to our climate. All I have to do is keep it alive till the winter rains and it will do the rest.
After all, my Red Devil leucodendron is now half as big again as last year; see Fynbos.
post script: We had good rains on Friday! Yay! It didn’t fall in the catchment areas, so won’t have filled up the dams, but our lawns, and this little Erica, were very very grateful!
Roses
Three Roses
Three roses remain
After all the other flowers have gone
Providing comfort
Still reminding me of you Little One
.
Mad Cap Dog 