Good news indeed - Let's hope the poor bugger gets a fair wind for the recovery and the future
Good stuff of the day
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Good news indeed - Let's hope the poor bugger gets a fair wind for the recovery and the future
Fishing with my grandson. Well, I kept him company while he fished and lost a float and two hooks and commiserated at the paucity of bites.
The Ray and the Cherwell were both overflowing their banks and not really a day for fishing but it was the bonding that was important. We are both off up North with the family for the funeral of his other grandfather and the moment when he took out the SAK his other grandfather gave him when he needed to cut his line was a poignant moment. I'm the only grandpa he's got now and I realised a sense of responsibility to his other grandfather to build on what he brought to our previously shared role.
The good thing is that he and his sister will have known the love and support of two grandfathers and that two grandfathers will have had the joy of seeing their grandchildren beginning to develop into worthwhile people.
The Ray and the Cherwell were both overflowing their banks and not really a day for fishing but it was the bonding that was important. We are both off up North with the family for the funeral of his other grandfather and the moment when he took out the SAK his other grandfather gave him when he needed to cut his line was a poignant moment. I'm the only grandpa he's got now and I realised a sense of responsibility to his other grandfather to build on what he brought to our previously shared role.
The good thing is that he and his sister will have known the love and support of two grandfathers and that two grandfathers will have had the joy of seeing their grandchildren beginning to develop into worthwhile people.
Took the missus and our five year old grandson down into the wood in the ATV yesterday. It's steep, wet and the ride zig-zags down the hill. It was the first time in the ATV for the missus and she did not like it at all (she's not good on high mountain passes in the Land Rover!). My grandson looked at her and said 'Gran, Taid knows what he's doing but if you're scared you can hold my hand'. He cracks me up every time he opens his mouth
My grandson took me and his father on his rounds as a volunteer herpetologist on a snake survey in his local woods today. It was a beautiful, warm day and as the three of us stood silently just looking and listening I had a moment of pure happiness to be in the woods sharing an experience with my son and grandson.
My oldest grandson (just turned 17 this past Monday) returned this afternoon from a weeklong youth mission to Houston. He and about 200 other teenagers from around the country spent the week helping repair/rebuild homes after last year's hurricane. They also packed lunches and helped feed "at risk" kids in the area.
Today's youngsters give hope that the world will be in better shape by the time they are grandparents.
This large dragonfly (common hawker?) had been hunting around the yard this morning but then spent the afternoon stuck high up in a barn by the cobwebby velux window being swatted by the cat. Too high to get to open the window so nothing I could do for it so I left it to its fate.
Just packing up for the day when Mrs N spotted the very sorry looking drangonfly upside down on the barn floor covered in ancient dusty cobwebs. I picked it up, took it outside and cleared some of the cobwebs off and after a few minutes it perked up and flew off.
Despite trying on many occasions, I’ve never got this close to a big dragonfly - a wonderful experience and a “win- win” ending to the day as it was definitely a goner if we hadn’t found it!
Edit: I think it is a Southern rather than Common Hawker
Just packing up for the day when Mrs N spotted the very sorry looking drangonfly upside down on the barn floor covered in ancient dusty cobwebs. I picked it up, took it outside and cleared some of the cobwebs off and after a few minutes it perked up and flew off.
Despite trying on many occasions, I’ve never got this close to a big dragonfly - a wonderful experience and a “win- win” ending to the day as it was definitely a goner if we hadn’t found it!
Edit: I think it is a Southern rather than Common Hawker
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Supposed to be very good luck here if they land on you.
For your kindness, you should be blessed for some time to come.
We have one here of that size but solid cobalt blue = Blue Darner.
Sometimes they catch something big enough that they have to land on a tree trunk to eat it.
They are so preoccupied that you can get quite close to watch.
You won't ever see much of the Dragon Fly totem in Pacific Northwest First Nations art and carvings.
Long ago, there was a Dragonfly clan of Haida on Haida Gwaii. Smallpox killed every last one of them.
For your kindness, you should be blessed for some time to come.
We have one here of that size but solid cobalt blue = Blue Darner.
Sometimes they catch something big enough that they have to land on a tree trunk to eat it.
They are so preoccupied that you can get quite close to watch.
You won't ever see much of the Dragon Fly totem in Pacific Northwest First Nations art and carvings.
Long ago, there was a Dragonfly clan of Haida on Haida Gwaii. Smallpox killed every last one of them.
Only a simple bimble through local woods, but really bucked that my grandson asked me to with him. Too busy talking to see much wildlife but great just to be there.
On checking email on return found notification of Paul Kirltley's new video, so into the garden to practice batoning and making feather sticks. Although a new skill to grandson, my own demonstration pointed up the importance of keeping skills up to date by constant practise. Good job I didn't find how rusty my skills had become at a time I urgently needed them. ( Not a good idea to learn to swim while the boat is sinking!)
Watching him learn more about something I have cared about all my life is very invigorating.
On checking email on return found notification of Paul Kirltley's new video, so into the garden to practice batoning and making feather sticks. Although a new skill to grandson, my own demonstration pointed up the importance of keeping skills up to date by constant practise. Good job I didn't find how rusty my skills had become at a time I urgently needed them. ( Not a good idea to learn to swim while the boat is sinking!)
Watching him learn more about something I have cared about all my life is very invigorating.
A good end to the week with my grandsons:
First -Thursday night we went on base for a free movie and popcorn at the base recreation center. The Avengers: Infinity Wars. Good movie and snacks and when Carson's attention span failed they had a play area with toys for him while James and I finished the movie.
Second - Friday night we were invited by the boys' step grandfather on their Dad's side to go to a baseball game (our local Minor League team, the Blue Wahoos) with seats in the exclusive club section with a buffet included. And oh! Yeah! The Wahoos won! Carson even got a souvenir ball (a pop fly that went over the clubhouse roof and the PR guy brought it back and tossed it to Carson so he could say he caught a game ball)
First -Thursday night we went on base for a free movie and popcorn at the base recreation center. The Avengers: Infinity Wars. Good movie and snacks and when Carson's attention span failed they had a play area with toys for him while James and I finished the movie.
Second - Friday night we were invited by the boys' step grandfather on their Dad's side to go to a baseball game (our local Minor League team, the Blue Wahoos) with seats in the exclusive club section with a buffet included. And oh! Yeah! The Wahoos won! Carson even got a souvenir ball (a pop fly that went over the clubhouse roof and the PR guy brought it back and tossed it to Carson so he could say he caught a game ball)
A nice day out yesterday taking my 82 year old mother on a bracing 9 mile circuit from Torpantau up over Fan y Big in the Beacons.
She wanted to repeat last year’s Beacons Horseshoe walk from Cwm Gwdi but poor weather forecast and my reluctance to mix with the rabble on PyF meant we chose a quieter route.
Proud of her and long may she continue stomping the hills and coastlines - next stop the Fife coastpath.
She wanted to repeat last year’s Beacons Horseshoe walk from Cwm Gwdi but poor weather forecast and my reluctance to mix with the rabble on PyF meant we chose a quieter route.
Proud of her and long may she continue stomping the hills and coastlines - next stop the Fife coastpath.
A slightly traumatic day yesterday but one which will hopefully turn out OK.
Yesterday afternoon while the rest of Wales was glued to the rugby, Mrs N was doing her rounds and found a large collie cross hanging by a hind leg from a gate. The poor thing had tried jumping through the gate but caught it’s paw in the top wire of some stock netting covering the bottom 2/3rds of the gate - I’ll spare you the rather upsetting pictures.
It had spent a very cold and uncomfortable night and was very weak - I found out later that he was very much a “one man dog” and not keen on strangers but either he was too weak to object or just grateful to be rescued and he did not resist while Mrs N supported him and I cut him free and warmed him up with a blanket and some shared body heat and gave him a first drink in a while.
A quick phone call to the neighbour who shared that boundary established that the dog belonged to another farmer who had been beside himself and out searching since losing the dog yesterday afternoon when it headed off after a rabbit.
After an emotional reunion with his owner and rather undignified medevac involving a wheelbarrow and the back of a tractor, following a trip to the vets, the patient was back home warming in front of the fire after his first night away from home in nine years. Still too weak to stand (back to the vets on Monday to check on damage to the paw) and not out of the woods yet but in with a better chance than another night out in the open.
Fingers crossed for a full recovery.
I do hope so. Generally dogs adjust well, and if he's had an infection on top of the injury he'll already be adjusting to a life on three legs as he'll have been in pain throughout. He'll need short walks for quite a while, no jumping, strict diet for weight control, but he should be ok. Maybe he can be a pet dog from now on?
14 months on, a nice postscript to this rather traumatic tale - this afternoon Bengy the now three-legged Collie-cross and his owner paid us a visit.
The dog has adapted well to life on three legs and his owner is chuffed to bits to still have his companion - may they have many more years together!
A very handsome dog. Looks very pleased with himself....as he/ she should be. So glad he/she is back to full health and happy with life. Good news.
