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[suzysunshine7]

Have you all been out hunting down Haggis for your Tea? ;o> ...

[Lez]

As it has now been revealed they’re really English, we probably won’t find any. ;-)

[suzysunshine7]

The Scots have been making them out of Sheep as well - and apparently they should traditionally be being made out of Deer Meat?

Never mind, Lez Lee, at least the good folk of Scotland haven't also recently started dipping them in Batter and Deep Frying them as well ... Ohhh? - ERRR? - Right! - Okay?!! ...

[Lez]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "The Scots have been making them out of Sheep as well - and apparently they should traditionally be being made out of Deer Meat?

Never mind, Lez Lee, at least the good folk of Scotland haven't als..."

Not that recently, no. ;-)

[theDuke]

Well....The family had the annual Rabbie Burns meal of Haggis neeps mash and fried eggies, washed down with a beer or two (too early in the day for anything stronger!), at bro's place...and very nice it was too.

But i so wish i'd could have got a photo of me sitting on the settee, with me plate of nosh (bro hasn't got a dining table), with one little woofer on the back rest of the sofa, snuggled up cozily up against my neck, licking my ear (!), another snuggled up against my right leg, another snuggled up against my left leg, and forth and final little woofer, a tiny chiwahwa (i dunno how one spells it), was guess where? Yep...snuggled up inbetween my legs! And then Sky, the little black & white moggy..also decided she wanted a piece of me too..so she expertly and as casually as you like, strolled up my outstretched leg & curled herself on my lap, underneath the warm plate that the now bemused and bewildered me, was holding, rendering me unable to move! The chiwahwah (?!) wasn't happy either!

There were four adults in the room all with big plates of food...but the posse of four legged furry ones, all had to come to me, didn't they??!! All 5 of them!

I dunno what it is about me...but animals are drawn to me for some weird reason....not that i do anything to attract their attention.

Maybe i'm just one those guys that naturally has animal magneticism! :)

[Martin]

Today went all to the good vis-a-vis the op, all over and done in about three hours - most of which was waiting time - the procedure lasted around twenty minutes with no apparent after effects. Round two will be in six to eight weeks for the right eye to be evaluated, not bad by NHS standards. Another well deserved round of applause to all involved!
Sorry to see that all is not well Suzy, best wishes for a speedy recovery 🙂.
Like yourself Duke I also seem to have a rapport with other people's pets which is often met with some surprise that he/she doesn't normally take to strangers. I've always put it down to not being nervous around them which I think they pick up on. As long as you go slow when approaching them and making contact they are mostly quite amenable and friendly.

[Martin]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "Have you all been out hunting down Haggis for your Tea? ;o> ...

"

Not this evening Suzy but will try to make amends next week when I get round to shopping, I'm quite partial to a plate of Haggis now and then with some mashed potato,carrot,swede and sprouts, generous portions of butter,cheese spread, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce to flavour, salt and pepper to taste.

[theDuke]

Martin wrote: "Today went all to the good vis-a-vis the op, all over and done in about three hours - most of which was waiting time - the procedure lasted around twenty minutes with no apparent after effects. Rou..."

Maybe that's what it is Martin....i don't shoo the little blighter's away! They just come up wagging their little tails and i try mu best not to step on any of them accidentally..not easy when one is 6 foot 4, with poor sight and little doggies running around me feet!

It's odd really, as i used to afraid of dogs as a a small lad, developed from one incident when i was 5 or 6 years old. The family was walking down a lane near our then house, and a couple walking their dog form the opposite direction, a great big fat golden retriever, unleashed...came lolloping up to me, jump on me shoulders...and i, unable to hold his weight..fell in to the roadside verge full of stinging nettles! Gosh..how i cried! Took me many years before i felt easy around them again...especially after we moved to a new home, Dad got a terrier type puppy to join the family. I still remember the journey back from the dog home, with me in the back seat with my brother, and the little tiny pup nestled in brother;s lap.......and me trying to merged with the door on my side of the car! I was terrified! And was 11 years old then! Of course, i became comfotable around 'Guinness', and other dogs..eventually losing my fear around them. Now..i'm not remotely scared of dogs..no matter how big or aggressive they look (I'm always bigger than them!).....dogs (and cats too!)..just seemed to know i'm okay with them.....either that, or i'm a soft touch with them! Still...i wouldn't own one myself..never really been much of pet kinda guy...even cats..which i do prefer more..just i don't like the damage they do...or their psychopathic tendancies towards wildlife either!

Congrats on the eye op...wishing you a speedy recovery..i had both my cataracts done last year...so i know all about waiting in hospitals!

Suzy...sorry to read about Mitzi..hope she pulls through.

[suzysunshine7]

Well all the love and good wishes seem to have worked miracles?!! ;o>

I say, seem, because I definitely don't want to tempt fate a third time! ;oO

I sat up all night with Mitz so that I could risk taking the Bucket off her Head - which has cheered her up no end! - and I can get all of her many Medications down her far more easily as well now ... AND she has actually eaten the best part of 4 saucer-fuls of Chicken pieces since 6pm last night and just had a reasonably normal Bowel Movement a couple of hours ago too! ... YAYYY!!! ;o>

Dad has taken the sample in to the Vets as directed - as she is still crying now and then and hunching her Back ... but she is lying flat out on her side the rest of the time and even occasionally rolling on her Back for a few minutes at a time too.

Tia has been a bit mithered and overwhelmed by it all - and so we are trying to keep them both calm and rested and also spoiling them both rotten by pampering to their every whim at the moment!

M&D &me are all completely kerknackered now! - but nevertheless we are feeling very blessed, and grateful, and relieved. It's been one Hell of a week and it was looking a few times like we might even be about to lose our beloved Mitz to this awful bout of illness.

She is currently reclining on her Box Mattress and Duvet wrapped in a Furrybaby Blanket whilst watching HER Television in the Lounge with M&D ... and I've just come up into my Bedroom to spend some quality time with Tia who is currently revelling in the novelty of having some snuggly sleepy-time in my Bed with me ;o>

[[deleted user]]

Some good news at last, suzy. Hopefully Mitz is now over the worst of it :)

[[deleted user]]

It's been a hectic week for me - though I've only worked four shifts this week, they have been 13 - 14 hours apiece, and mostly in temperatures down to -3; even I've been feeling the cold!
That said, it could have got very warm yesterday when I had to pull my truck over as smoke was billowing out from under the cab. Fortunately, the truck wasn't on fire - it turned out to be a DPF regeneration/adblue fault (part of the cleaner emission system). A quick flick through the dashboard menu allowed me to temporarily isolate that system which stopped the smoke almost instantly so I could get the truck back to base, where it went straight into the garage for fixing.

[suzysunshine7]

Hiyah Poppet ... x ;o>

Whoah! - if I saw Smoke gently wafting, never mind billowing, out of anywhere on a Car? - then I'd be out double-quick and off up the Road like I had a Rocket up my Btm! ;oO

One of my Mum's Cars started to smoulder as we were driving along and burst into flames just as we got out. It turned out to be an Electrical Fault that pretty much blew up out of nowhere and had destroyed the whole Car by the time that the Fire Brigade arrived only a few minutes later.

It was months before we both got over it enough to ever want to travel by Car again - and, even now 30 years on, my Mum will suddenly, out of the blue, start to sniff and say "can you smell anything?" ... !

[suzysunshine7]

Chinese Takeaway for Tea ... for the 3rd time this week! ;o>

Well, it's effortless and tasty and we are all too knackered to care about anything else but the Girls at the moment. And Tia does love her special "Chippy-Chippy-Chip-Chip" treat of two of the biggest, thickest and soft-centred Chips ;o>

We are all sick to death of the very sight and smell of freshly-cooked Chicken as we are currently roasting one a day at the moment to be able to feed the little hairy woofers - and we have had to fit odd bits of Shopping in around numerous visits to the Vets.

I did an Online Tesco Shop yesterday to set us up and replace all of the extra Washing Powder and Fabric Softener that we have used up over the last week - about a month's worth, I reckon?! - and replenished the Food Cupboards and the Freezer with more of the emergency supplies that we have steadily got most of our way through during all of the 24 hour Dog-watching/cuddling Shifts that we have been covering.

Tomorrow our Neighbour is going to take M&D to get more Fruit and Veg and Fridge supplies - and I've added Lemonade to the List as I've just used the last quarter of the current Bottle up on a VERY long and VERY large Port & Lemon! ... CHEERS!!! ;o>

[[deleted user]]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "Hiyah Poppet ... x ;o>

Whoah! - if I saw Smoke gently wafting, never mind billowing, out of anywhere on a Car? - then I'd be out double-quick and off up the Road like I had a Rocket up my Btm! ;oO..."

I'm not surprised that you'd be out and gone, having escaped from one burning car!
Me?
I was a little more casual as the smoke was white, rather than black, making me think that the turbo might have blown so I looked for somewhere safe to park up and fairly out of the way to investigate. I settled for a slip road off the dual carriageway rather than a lay-by or just stopping just in case it was a fire.

As Mrs Grizzly has just walked in from work (and I wasn't expecting her until at least midnight) I'm going to see if she fancies a takeaway or whether she enjoys watching me slave away at a hot stove :)

[suzysunshine7]

I wonder what her answer will be?!! ...

But, whatever it is, I'm certain that Mrs Grizzly will enjoy it immensely ;o>

[Lez]

The first car we bought new was a Renault 16. We’d only had it a couple of days and my husband was on his way to a customer in Leeds. He’d just stopped at some lights when smoke started pouring from under the bonnet. He switched off and jumped out (as did the nearby drivers) and it gradually stopped. Police arrived with an AA man. Turned out some of the wiring had been set up for a left-hand drive resulting in some shorting. Could have been quite serious! Wonderful car though.

[suzysunshine7]

It's quite amazing how incredibly fast a Car can go from just a few tell-tale wisps of Smoke up the Windscreen to suddenly bursting into full flames.

When it happened to us, a guy dashed out of his House within a couple of minutes with a Washing-up Bowl full of Water but it made no difference.

[theDuke]

Modern vehicles are so packed with electronics and electrical gadgets these days..that these occurances do appear to be happening more frequently. Doesn't require much for something ina car to short or overheat to start catching fire....good maintainance is paramount! Or perhaps, in Lez's case....avoid converted left hand drive cars! The different specs of a particular model, where the same wiring loom is used for all models, can sometimes lead to problems, as lesser spec cars will have redundant electrical plugs...only takes a bit of water or contact with something metallic to cause a short, especially if the car is older and hads been worked on over the years.

In this week's local newspaper, there's a story of a woman who's dryer machine caught fire, which melted all the plastic facia...rendering it useless. Fortunately, the machine wasn't in the house...so no real harm done. Cause? Not cleaning out the filter, which was caked up with fluff!

[[deleted user]]

We had one of the Hotpoint condenser dryers that was subject to the safety recall due to the risk of fire. When I tried to get an appointment to have it looked at, I was told that I would be added to a waiting list and would be contacted in due course - in 12-18 months time!
Never did follow up on that appointment - we just made sure that the fluff filter was cleaned out after every use and never did have a problem with it. We upgraded to a newer model when we moved to our current address and gave the other one to my oldest step-daughter, having explained about cleaning out the filter every time and it is still going strong and problem free nearly 18 months down the line.

I would have thought that it was obvious that the fluff filter needed emptying but, that said, I'll repeat a story I've previously told about Mrs Grizzly and our first condenser dryer - I was pointing out various features on it and finished off with "and that's the water tank".
A little while later I could hear much cursing from the kitchen so went to investigate, where I found Mrs Grizzly who said, "this (expletive) dryer is (expletive) useless, it won't (expletive) work!" I had a quick look and found that the tank full warning light was on and asked why the tank was already full if the dryer hadn't yet been used.
Yep, Mrs Grizzly hadn't realised that the tank was filled up with the moisture from the damp clothes and had filled the tank up with water from the tap!

[[deleted user]]

I got a reprieve last night - Mrs Grizzly graciously allowed me to order a takeaway as it arrives quicker than I could have cooked something (they promise delivery within 30 minutes and it arrived in 20) so we settled on chicken fillet burgers with chips.

I will be dragging Mrs Grizzly to the shops later because we need to get a new mattress for our bed as I'm fed up of sinking into our current memory foam one and I just can't seem to get completely comfortable on it.
We're going to pop into the local Dreams store to have a bounce on a few mattresses to see what suits us both, do some food shopping and then go home to order a cheaper equivalent online :)

[theDuke]

I've just bought a new mattress too...as the bed springs on my current one are digging into me back. But i made fully sure the new one wasn't a memory foam one...i dunno how folks get on with them....they're weird! I like to roll about on me bed...not that easy to do with memory foam ones...plus..one the ones i have used....i was seem to wake up in the morning all sticky and clammy...yurk! So i've got a nice conventional hard mattress...dun like sinking in them either GG!

I will this though..the cost of them ain't cheap are they? I'm sure they could bought new for £150 or so, only a few years ago...makes me wonder what in them that cost so much?

Ah well..as long as i get another 8 years or so, nice 'n' comfortable snoozes...it'll be worth it!

[suzysunshine7]

Oooh, I love it!!! ... can I come?!! ;o>

I'd pay good money over just to watch frantic Salesmen trying to restrain two Grizzlys from running riot through a Shop Showroom bouncing up and down on every Bed! - LOL!!!

[theDuke]

If i found two Grizzlys in any shop, i'd out of there sharpish! :)

[suzysunshine7]

Grizzlygrump wrote: "Yep, Mrs Grizzly hadn't realised that the tank was filled up with the moisture from the damp clothes and had filled the tank up with water from the tap!"

Well, I reckon it MUST have been YOUR fault for not explaining it properly ! ! ! ;o>

[suzysunshine7]

theDuke wrote: "If i found two Grizzlys in any shop, i'd out of there sharpish! :)"

I think I'd be more worried about a Grizzly that can drive a Truck! ;o>

[[deleted user]]

theDuke wrote: "I've just bought a new mattress too...as the bed springs on current one are digging into me back! But i fully sure the new one wasn't a memory foam one...i dunno folks get on with them....they're w..."

Turns out we don't get on with a memory foam mattress. Given the contours on what is supposed to be a flat mattress, I think it's fair to say that the memory foam has amnesia! :)

[suzysunshine7]

Well, it's obvious that it's going to be a very long and slow recovery ahead for Mitz - but she definitely does seem to be off the danger list now ;o>

We are still working really hard on getting her to eat anything - she has absolutely no interest of her own at all and will only indulge/humour us so much before refusing. We are getting about a Tablespoon of Chicken and Rice down her every 2 to 3 hours. She has lost so much weight over the last week that you can clearly see, as well as feel, her Ribcage.

Her Eyes are lovely and bright though and she is reasonably alert and perky between all her sleeps - and the Sudocrem is working very well indeed on her still slightly raw and sore-looking Skin.

She has always been a very tolerant and an obliging little hairy woofer and she now lifts her Tail and even backs up towards me whenever I put the Gloves on and reach for the Pot, bless her! It must feel SO soothing and she clearly seems to understand that we are only doing it to make her better and that it is working ;o>

[Craig White]

glad they're both on the recovery road.

me? i'm dealing with the supernatural pet world. you may recall that a wretched black cat called bob used to live in my greenhouse - before he got creamed in the road anyway! well, in the last week another entirely black cat (not as emaciated or scabby as was bob) has now started living there. eerie? you betcha, and to those ends we can't decide what to name him (now that we've started bloody feeding him/her now). the shortlist is,
a - bob zombie
b - bob of the dead
c - bob II
no idea if he belongs to anyone or what, we'll see how it goes.

[suzysunshine7]

Awww? - don't call him Bob as well! - it might tempt fate! ;oO

[[deleted user]]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "Oooh, I love it!!! ... can I come?!! ;o>

I'd pay good money over just to watch frantic Salesmen trying to restrain two Grizzlys from running riot through a Shop Showroom bouncing up and down on ev..."

In the end, we didn't go and test any mattresses, instead just picking a medium firm one from an online company which will be delivered on Thursday and is setting us back £340.

[suzysunshine7]

Did all of the local Bed Shops hastily put up "No Bears on Beds!" signs?!! ;o>

[[deleted user]]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "theDuke wrote: "If i found two Grizzlys in any shop, i'd out of there sharpish! :)"

I think I'd be more worried about a Grizzly that can drive a Truck! ;o>"

Mrs Grizzly also drives trucks, but only 7.5 tonners :)

[suzysunshine7]

Ohhh, that is SO much more reassuring news to know! - LOL!!! ;o>

[[deleted user]]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "Well, it's obvious that it's going to be a very long and slow recovery ahead for Mitz - but she definitely does seem to be off the danger list now ;o>

We are still working really hard on getting h..."

At least the situation is improving, and slow progress is better than no progress :)

[Lez]

I love my memory foam mattress, it’s 9 years old now and still feels the same. It does feel warm though which is fine for most of the year!

I wouldn’t buy Dreams own brand, in the latest Which? survey they came next to bottom (Benson’s were bottom), only getting 2 stars for most categories. Customers feel their mattresses are uncomfortable, poor value for money and don’t match expectations! Of course all the best buys are expensive.
The Which? site won’t let me copy any reports.

[suzysunshine7]

She is peaceful, content and pain-free - and that's all that matters right now ;o>

Despite all our best combined efforts Tia has been very stressed and distressed by it all and so that's been a huge worry as well. However she seems much calmer and less mithery and agitated in herself today and is currently tucked up and fast asleep on MY Bed! ;o>

[suzysunshine7]

As I understand it ... there is Memory Foam and then there is Memory Foam ... and some of it is absolutely excellent and some of it is complete crap.

I would never have a Memory Foam Mattress as it is the last thing I need to have to struggle to turn over or to sit up and get in and out of Bed.

I personally like a Firm Mattress with only just enough give in it as to be comfortable - one that I can independently manage to turn over on and ease myself upright and on and off without always needing assistance to be able to do so.

I have my wonderful Heat Pad to initiate warming me up and prefer to sleep under a lovely lightweight 4.5 Tog Duvet for most, if not all, of the year round. I've experienced the utter nightmare of Memory Foam Beds and soft Mattresses and heavy Duvets as a Severe OsteoArthritis sufferer when occasionally staying in Holiday Cottages, Hotels and B&Bs and so I know what works out the best for me to maximise on getting the most of the already limited amount of sleep that I always have.

[Lez]

There are different types of Memory, some have springs enclosed.

[suzysunshine7]

Yes, and the density seems to make all the difference too - to whether it helps to support well and immediately springs back into shape again or if it completely flattens out and continues to stay slightly compressed instead.

[suzysunshine7]

My Spine Consultant reckons that Memory Foam on a Bed is an absolute no-no for an Arthritis sufferer - but does recommend it being used cut down to size as inserts in Shoes and Boots as an Impact/shock absorber ;o>

[theDuke]

Grizzlygrump wrote: "theDuke wrote: "I've just bought a new mattress too...as the bed springs on current one are digging into me back! But i fully sure the new one wasn't a memory foam one...i dunno folks get on with t..."

Lol!

It's just foam..like any other foam, isn't it? I just don't get what's so special about it..a good hard mattress does the job of keeping the spine straight i think.

[theDuke]

Tech wrote: "glad they're both on the recovery road.

me? i'm dealing with the supernatural pet world. you may recall that a wretched black cat called bob used to live in my greenhouse - before he got creamed i..."

Could be the son of Bob! Call him Cob! :)

[theDuke]

Grizzlygrump wrote: "suzysunshine7 wrote: "Oooh, I love it!!! ... can I come?!! ;o>

I'd pay good money over just to watch frantic Salesmen trying to restrain two Grizzlys from running riot through a Shop Showroom boun..."

Yip...pretty much i paid for mine too, bar an extra £50 on top, just so feet have got the extra 3 inches it needs to rest on too! £50!

[theDuke]

Lez wrote: "I love my memory foam mattress, it’s 9 years old now and still feels the same. It does feel warm though which is fine for most of the year!

I wouldn’t buy Dreams own brand, in the latest Which? su..."

How about Regal? At least i think that's what new one is made by. I've only ever had silentnights before.

[theDuke]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "Well, it's obvious that it's going to be a very long and slow recovery ahead for Mitz - but she definitely does seem to be off the danger list now ;o>

We are still working really hard on getting h..."

Best wishes on her recovery, Suzy. Just wondering, how old is Mitzi?

[suzysunshine7]

They still act like overgrown Pups but will be 11 in July of this year ;o>

That may possibly seem old to owners of Pedigrees but Heinz 57 varieties tend to live much longer lives and so I was hoping for both of them to reach at least 14 years old like our last precious pair of little loves did.

[Lez]

theDuke wrote: "Lez wrote: "I love my memory foam mattress, it’s 9 years old now and still feels the same. It does feel warm though which is fine for most of the year!

I wouldn’t buy Dreams own brand, in the late..."

They don’t seem to have tested any Regals but they’re made by Hypnos who have the Royal Warrant! If they’re good enough for Liz it should be OK 😀

[theDuke]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "They still act like overgrown Pups but will be 11 in July of this year ;o>

That may possibly seem old to owners of Pedigrees but Heinz 57 varieties tend to live much longer lives and so I was hopi..."

Cos they're so full of beans, i presume?! :)

A couple of my bro's little dogs are of a similar age, & they're still very spritely in their mature age.

[theDuke]

Lez wrote: "theDuke wrote: "Lez wrote: "I love my memory foam mattress, it’s 9 years old now and still feels the same. It does feel warm though which is fine for most of the year!

I wouldn’t buy Dreams own br..."

Nice! I didn't really pay all that much attention to the brand name, when i checking the matress out. Funny that i should pick one that's in keeping with my regal namesake!

[suzysunshine7]

Martin wrote: "Today went all to the good vis-a-vis the op, all over and done in about three hours - most of which was waiting time - the procedure lasted around twenty minutes with no apparent after effects. Rou..."

How is your vision now, Martin? - settling down and improving by the day, I hope ... x ;o>