Gilbert the Good – my weekend

 

Gilbert the Good – my weekend

                        We had a busy day on Saturday and it was fun.

We went out early as usual as it was going to be hot later on and it’s not good for us dogs to be out in the heat, even in the woods.

 We couldn't go in the ponds, though, as there are signs up warning of DANGER from blue-green algae. The humans found out more from AI:

Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) is extremely toxic to dogs. It grows in stagnant lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers during warm weather. Ingesting or swimming in contaminated water can cause rapid liver failure, neurological damage, and death within minutes to hours. There is no antidote.

My humans have spoken to some people whose dogs died because of this, and they were very sad.

When we’d been home for a couple of hours, we had visitors! Bethan came to see us with Charlie and Jack. Robert stayed at home because he had banged his head and felt a bit dizzy. Anyway, he was company for Lolly.

It was Charlie’s birthday earlier in the week - he was eleven years old. That’s the same age as Roxy. He had a birthday party before the end of the school summer term. He’s a keen cricketer so the venue for his party, Lord’s Cricket Ground, was perfect. I don’t understand cricket, but I’m just a dog, so that’s understandable. I like ball games, though.  Roxy and I have a ball each and we chase them for a little at the beginning of our walk and then carry them the rest of the time. 

Jack made lots of fuss of Roxy and me, while Charlie played with Herschel and Jellicoe. Everyone in our house was tired the next day, and we didn’t go out. Bethan and Charlie went to Lord’s again for the finals of ‘the Hundred.’ That was cricket, too, and my humans sat and watched it on the television. They wanted to see if they could see Bethan and Charlie in the crowd. They didn’t!

The women’s match wasn’t very exciting, but the men’s final was gripping – well, that’s what the humans said, anyway.

 We didn’t go out as early on Monday, but we still weren’t allowed anywhere near the ponds.

In the afternoon, Roxy managed to find her way past the fence into the garden pond. There’s no blue-green algae in there, just lots and lots of duck weed. The humans were thinking of removing the fence, but they're thinking again now . . .

She only paddled, but her fur soaked up a lot of water which then dribbled all over the house.

On Friday, Susannah and Frankie and Arthur are coming back from their holiday in Devon. They’re going to stay on Friday night and go back to London on Saturday. It will be nice to see them again. I like playing with Arthur – he’s fun.

TTFN

Gilbert

Arthur takes a trip

 

Arthur takes a trip

 Drugs are Bad, Mkay?

Five-year-old Arthur is an affectionate, confident, working Cocker spaniel with a busy nose and an ever-wagging tail. Living in London with Susannah, his walks are enlivened by enticing smells of fox poo, which he eats, or rolls in, or both (ugh!) There is far more fox poo in the cities than there is in the countryside. Country foxes roam far and wide, while urban foxes haunt gardens, and restaurants, and rubbish bins, where the pickings are easy.

If Arthur is caught before he indulges in a tasty ‘treat,’ he is disappointed, but philosophical. (There’s always tomorrow!) However, if he is discovered mid-snack, he rapidly gobbles whatever it is. That is precisely what he did on Thursday last week, local election day. All Susannah could ascertain was that it was a large amount of ‘something’ as it disappeared down his gullet.

Shortly after he arrived home with his mistress, he began to display signs of distress. He appeared frightened, was lethargic, flinching, and occasionally trembling, and was most unlike his normal, extrovert self. Susannah rushed him to the emergency vet, who confirmed her fears that he had been poisoned. By the time she left him with the vets, where he was to spend the remainder of the day, he was extremely unsteady on his feet, though he made a feeble attempt to follow her. 

Blood tests revealed that he had swallowed cannabis, along with newspaper and fox poo, which were evident when he was made to vomit. A dose of activated charcoal was administered to reduce absorption of the toxins. He was monitored for the remainder of the day, and was pleased to see Susannah when she went to pick him up, though still quite unlike himself.

He slept a lot on Friday and was not interested in his toys, or food. He’s normally very tolerant of the cats, but was irritable with them. Always a dog wanting a lot of attention and overt affection, he was more than usually insistent on reassurance, as he still seemed scared and disorientated.

By Saturday, he was much improved and even went out for a short walk, on the lead. He was unusually tired after it, panting a lot, but his appetite was returning, and his usual ebullient character was coming to the fore once more. On Sunday, his eyes still betrayed signs of confusion, but he was almost back to normal. He now has to become accustomed to a muzzle, which he hates, to prevent further accidents, while training is ongoing to teach him not to pick up and eat tasty morsels. He is not a greedy dog, but some forbidden things seem extraordinarily attractive to him.

Cannabis poisoning is a common emergency in dogs and is effectively treated if quickly recognised. It affects dogs intensely because they have more cannabinoid receptors, so the chemical in cannabis binds more powerfully. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is fat-soluble, meaning that it is absorbed with dietary fat and so stays longer in the body, rather than being flushed out quickly.

Poor Arthur certainly did not have a pleasant 'trip,' and ‘coming down’ after it was not enjoyable. The whole experience was frightening and bewildering, seventy-two hours of his life that were a nightmare.

My word, you do look queer.

How and why cannabis had been left under a bush in a London park is a mystery. Was it a deliberate ploy to poison animals, a ‘drop spot’ for someone to access, a secret stash, or an accidental loss? There will never be answers, just speculation.

An extra pair of hands

 

An extra pair of hands

Susannah is staying with us for a few days, and insisting on helping. We took her at her word. Barry hacked, I pruned, and Susannah cleared and graunched and mulched. The brown gardening waste bin is filling satisfactorily, and the trees will appreciate the mulch.

We got so much more done with that very useful extra pair of hands, and the strength and energy they’re attached to.  She commented that it’s not a low-maintenance garden. It’s better than it was. When I remarked that we’d removed on arch, she said, ‘I knew there was something different, but I couldn’t think what it was.’

Well, we haven’t seen her since Christmas!

Gilbert went upstairs to our bed – he didn’t like the noise of the grauncher. Roxy relaxed, happy to be left to her own devices and not be asked to play by Susannah’s dog, Arthur. He wanted to come outside with us, and helped in the only way he could think of, by bringing some toys out and eviscerating them.

Busy

 

Busy

We have had a busy couple of days. On Friday, there was much excited barking from Arthur as he heard the front door open. I thought it was Barry, coming back because he’d forgotten something – he’d just left to take the big dogs out.

The barking increased and eventually eldest daughter, Gillian, appeared, bearing a large box containing all sorts of comestibles. Very generous!

It was lovely to see her, and so unexpected. Much as I love seeing my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it was very pleasant to sit and have a conversation without interruptions.

While she was here, my daughter-in-law ‘phoned and we had a chat. By that time, Barry was home again, so he and Gillian were chatting in the kitchen while he made coffee for them both.

On Saturday – today – youngest daughter, Bethan, and her family came to see us. Barry cooked a beautiful joint of beef ‘sous vide,’ and we had a lovely lunch, though I do think I overdid, or, rather, underdid the vegetables – they were more almost raw instead of the ‘al dente’ for which I was aiming.

The cats received an inordinate amount of attention, as usual, and the dogs weren’t overlooked, either. They all were given toys!

Tomorrow, middle daughter, Susannah, arrives to spend a few days with us. Arthur will turn himself inside out when he sees her and his little heart will overflow with joy.

Arthur attempts . . .

 

Arthur attempts . . .

 to do what he’s bred for!

Walking in Simons Wood, Arthur reached the lake.

 In the middle of the lake is a small island, on which birds rest and nest. Usually, it’s Canada geese that inhabit it, but this week it was a couple of herons.

Arthur spotted them.

Arthur jumped into the water.

Arthur started to swim towards them.

Barry called him out and Arthur obeyed.

A couple of minutes later, Arthur jumped into the water again, and again was called out. This continued until Barry and Arthur had walked on and the lake and the birds were no longer in sight.

Arthur was a happy, wet dog and slept well after his exercise.

 

The ‘phone rang . . .

 

The ‘phone rang . . .

. . . but Barry couldn’t find it, He could have answered it on his watch, but that’s not very satisfactory. He found his ‘phone in the shower room. He’d taken it in there to clean his teeth, or, I should say, while he cleaned his teeth. He uses it to time the tooth-cleaning ritual. Technophile? Never!

Anyway, it was our grandson calling to say he’d just dropped his wife off at the railway station and was travelling on to see us. He would be with us shortly. We just had time to tidy the major muddles and put clean covers on the chairs before he arrived, one little girl in his arms and her older sister following.

The first thing Melia did was to remove her shoes. She’s such a competent little girl. Little children’s shoes just melt my heart.

Hailey sat on my lap and gazed at me, as if trying to memorise my face. It’s a toss-up with babies if they’re going to cry or smile. She smiled and then she giggled. Well, I’m enough to make a cat laugh!

Melia is an observant and helpful big sister, giving Hailey a toy to play with if she seemed to need something.

Roxy was delighted to see Callum. He’s her favourite person in the entire world and she stayed very close to him all the time he was with us.

Gilbert had seen the little girls before, but he was so careful, particularly with the baby, sniffing her cautiously, so worried about doing the wrong thing.

 Arthur had not experienced small humans until today, and he was excited to discover how tasty they smelt. Hailey enjoyed having her toes and fingers gently licked.

Herschel and Jellicoe were indifferent, as is their wont.

Young children are so photogenic. They know when they are being filmed or photographed but are unselfconscious, natural subjects.

All too soon, it was time for them to go home. Hailey fell asleep as soon as she settled in her car seat. She had missed her afternoon nap, but wasn’t grizzly, as some often are when tired. Callum had the unenviable task of preventing Melia falling asleep on the journey home. I hope he managed it!

It was an unexpected visit and so lovely to see them.

 The bonus was that they were able to take their Christmas presents home with them, plus a couple of other things. It wasn’t quite a garage clear-out, but a few things have gone to new homes. The most important was a small upstairs dog crate for the puppy they’re collecting on Friday. Their young dog died unexpectedly three months ago, and their older dog has been missing her. There will be much excitement!

A visitor

 

A visitor

Arthur is visiting us for a few days while his mistress is otherwise occupied. She cannot leave him alone overnight. Roxy and Gilbert were delighted to see their little friend again. Herschel and Jellicoe attained the heights and looked down until they remembered that Arthur is no threat to them whatsoever, and anyway, they’re cats, and lords of the manor.

On going into the bathroom, Susannah was startled to find syringes laid out neatly on the counter top. This was not a sight with which she was familiar in her family home.

However, she quickly realised that they are ink jet syringes, used for refilling printer cartridges. What a relief!

Worrying

 

Worrying

Arthur, trying to make sense of it all.

Our middle daughter lives in South London, not far from Crystal Palace. Early each morning she goes for a run with her dog, Arthur. This morning, she discovered something disturbing in the woods. She took photographs, but did not investigate closely and would not allow Arthur too near, either.

Instead, she called the police, for what she had found looked worryingly like a body. 

 A police car and an ambulance arrived on the scene and after a short while the authorities determined that the polythene wrapped ‘body’ had probably been deposited as a Hallowe’en prank.

The police officer who was the first to investigate agreed that it looked very suspicious. It is a shame that one person’s idea of a joke results in money being wasted on public resources, but such things must be examined.

Not long ago, the various parts of a dismembered body were found near this location, so police are aware and alert at all times. This time, fortunately, it was just a poor joke in bad taste.

 

Short back and sides . . .

Wellingtonia Avenue, Crowthorne
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

  Arthur had an appointment with the dog groomer on Saturday. Susannah unexpectedly had the opportunity to go sailing with Barry, so I said I’d take him to his ‘hairdresser.’

At first, I couldn’t think where the grooming salon was and then realised it’s where the old ‘Iron Duke’ pub used to stand. It was pulled down several years ago and in its place is a small parade of shops, including the dog groomers ‘Dog Scents,’ a pet food shop and a small development of houses in Iron Duke Close.

Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

‘Iron Duke’ was a nickname for the Duke of Wellington. There are a lot of nods to Wellington in Crowthorne as his estate is just a few miles away at Stratfield Saye. Wellington College, our local independent (fee-paying) school was founded in his memory in 1859.

Duke’s Ride references his love of hunting in Windsor Forest. The Waterloo Hotel sat between Dukes Ride and Waterloo Road and was closed ten years ago and later demolished.

Wellesley Court is a gated development of apartments and Wellesley Drive is a small estate of predominantly detached houses. Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley was the 1^st Duke of Wellington.

Wellingtonia (Californian redwood, (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

There is also Wellingtonia Avenue, a road lined with giant redwood trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) They are known in Britain as Wellingtonia, to honour the said duke. The Americans wanted to call them ‘Washingtonia’ after George Washington. They were beaten to the draw by the botanist William Lobb. Lobb returned posthaste to Britain in 1853 with seeds and seedlings collected from the huge conifers. The trees soon became status symbols in grand estates, though they will never achieve the height and girth of their Californian relatives.

I duly dropped Arthur off. He’s not very keen on going to the salon, but I left him in the capable hands of the groomers and picked him up an hour and a half later. He nearly turned himself inside out when he saw me, such was his excitement and relief. He looked neat and tidy, as though he’d lost several pounds in weight, and smelt wonderful.

Arriving home, he was greeted rapturously by Roxy and particularly enthusiastically by Gilbert. A few hours later, Barry and Susannah returned, and the whole tail-wagging exercise was enacted again.

This morning, very early, Susannah, Arthur and the cats decamped for London, and the house is ours alone again. I hope we shall see them all again soon.

 

The Dorset Family

No photographs of the Dorset Family! No opportunities, so here's a photograph of Arthur this morning, saying, 'It's about time we went out for a walk!'

On Tuesday evening I had a call from my eldest daughter, asking if it would be all right for her to visit the following day. She had been intending to descend on us without warning, but her elder daughter said, ‘Mum, haven’t you read Janice’s blog? She said that it's lovely to see people, but a little advance notice would be helpful.’

I was surprised at that. I didn’t know that Marnie read my blog. Anyway, Gillian took the advice to heart. On Wednesday, Gillian, her daughters, one son-in-law and all six of her grandchildren arrived. Their dogs remained in Dorset.

Five-month-old Hailey was passed to me and sat happily on my knee watching her cousins. The other three girls, Marnie’s daughter, Isla, who is twelve, Kiri’s daughter, Ariella, four, and Callum’s daughter Melia, two and a half, did what girls usually do. They settled down on the floor with paper and coloured pencils, then gravitated to construction toys with gears and cogs. It’s clear that they spend a lot of time together, giving, taking, and working cooperatively.

Fergus, who is nearly eleven, concentrated on playing with the dogs, particularly Gilbert. He is very much at ease with animals.

 Luca was busy pressing buttons and investigating the contents of cupboards and drawers. He will be three in October and is ‘into everything’ as the saying goes. He needs a dedicated full-time adult to monitor his actions, and prevent them if necessary possible. He found the cat litter tray especially interesting. The texture of the granules was pleasing as it poured through his fingers. Naturally, the more he was dissuaded from investigating it, the greater was the fascination. Fortunately, the tray only contained unused litter! The cats were prowling around, quite unaffected by the sudden influx of people, particularly small ones.

Gilbert and Arthur were intrigued by the baby and gently licked her toes, which she seemed to enjoy. Roxy, of course, is an old hand paw with little humans, and knew which ones to attend, principally Luca, who was waving his food around in a tantalising manner.

Barry took Marnie and Dean into the garden, to pick apples and plums, of which there are an abundance. All the children, apart from Hailey, had a turn around the garden – such a Regency phrase!

Our garden is no longer a children’s space, in the sense that they cannot play football, cricket, or tennis in it, or ride their bikes, but it is full of interest. We have tried to divide it into ‘rooms’ with a winding path and arches which support a variety of climbing plants. Actually, it’s more the case that the plants support the arches now.

Marnie was in seventh heaven. Her ambition is to have a self-sufficient garden. She already grows a few vegetables, but has plans for much more when she and Dean can acquire a house with a bigger garden.

She came back into the house laden with fruit, a branch (!) of bay leaves to dry, thyme, oregano, a number of different mint plants, which she can root on, and a great quantity of cobnuts. She and Paul, her father, have been engaged in creating chutneys and pies. The crab apples are not ripe, so she will have to make a return journey to pick those for crab apple jelly. I haven’t made that for some years now as somehow everything in sight gets covered in stickiness.

They had to leave early as Fergus had a football match near Blandford. He’s a tall boy and plays goalkeeper, like his sister, Isla, and just as his mother used to.

All too soon, the house was relatively empty again and peace descended. The dogs and cats slept well, Gilbert retiring to (our) bed shortly after his supper at 6:30.

Tonight, there will be more upheaval for Arthur when Susannah returns. He will be so excited. He’s a lovely little dog, very faithful and affectionate and we shall miss him when he returns to London with Susannah and her cats.

Summer visitors

 

Summer visitors

Arthur goes to bed with at least one toy.

Arthur has come to stay for a couple of weeks while his owner visits the South of France for a few days. It is a working holiday for her. She was recently made redundant but managed to get another short-term contract, so is working remotely. She has gone with a pregnant friend whose parents have a holiday home there.

Arthur was always going to stay with us, but the cats had to come, too. The cat-sitting arrangements fell through while Susannah waited for confirmation of her new job. Solomon, Lenny, and Zula are safely ensconced in what we laughingly call the South Wing, East Wing, West Wing?? another part of the house anyway, where she and Frankie lived for almost six years. It’s just the three old bedrooms of our children, nothing spectacular.

Herschel and Jellicoe are fascinated and sit near the dividing door when I go in to ‘see to the cats.’ Arthur dances around outside, not desperate to visit his housemates. They are not nearly as tolerant as our felines, who give him a good ignoring while attempting to steal his food.

                                        Stopping for a portrait

Arthur is a very obedient little dog – a working Cocker spaniel, with boundless energy and the sweetest nature. Out of the house for a walk, he dashes hither and yon, but never goes far from whoever is walking him, currently Barry. He is polite to other dogs and people but is not really interested in them. Susannah has trained him exceptionally well. He is a great companion for her and an alert guard dog, though he would greet any intruder with immense joy.

I now have two dogs at my feet. Dogs seem to need more contact and reassurance than bitches. Roxy comes to us now and again for attention, but she’s much more independent than the boys. I suppose that’s the nature of the beast. The girls instinctively nurture their young.

 
Ready for morning cuddles

Preparations

 

Preparations

Gillian is apt to descend on us with no prior warning, with one or more of her children and grandchildren. It’s always lovely to see her, but we have to rely on what is available in the way of refreshments, though, to be fair, she usually brings her own. That way, the children are not faced with unfamiliar food.

Impromptu family visits are fun, but those which have been telegraphed in advance – that is, planned – take on a different countenance. Absolutely no-one in our family is at all awkward or demanding, but it’s always nice to ensure that things are as welcoming as they can be.

Part of the fun is making sure we have acceptable provisions. For example, dairy milk is not well tolerated by some, so almond milk is provided, but that’s not good for everyone, either, so we order oat milk. Some are vegetarians, and food provided for them must be kept at a safe distance from the offerings for the carnivores.

Once the food has been organised, we set about ‘tidying.’ This is a mammoth task, as we have many interests and are untidy and apt to be distracted.

Finally, ‘alles ist in Ordnung.’ For no particular reason, we use German phrases occasionally. I suppose we use French, too – ‘tout de suite,’ for example. Somehow, foreign phrases seem so much more fitting than our pedestrian English, and, of course, our language is littered with Latin expressions. What a mongrel nation we are!

Anyway, the house is at last less of a tip than usual, the dogs have been exercised, and we welcome our visitors with open arms.

A couple of weeks ago, Susannah and Arthur came to stay for a few days. Susannah works to a different timetable from everyone else, rising at 4:30 and retiring in the early evening. Her childhood friend, Jo, was staying with her for a few weeks. She now lives in Ecuador, but came to see us, which really touched us. She’s a breath of fresh air, a vibrant personality, and great fun. She and Susannah make a wonderful double act, with a terrific sense of humour.

 Yesterday, Bethan and her family came for lunch. They arrived with a beautiful bunch of sunflowers and a loaf of chollah. They never come empty-handed and always bring us chollah from a Jewish bakery close to them, as they know how much we like it. My first experience of chollah was more than thirty years ago when I saw it in a supermarket and thought it would be interesting to try. Robert’s grandmother used to make her own.

We aimed to eat at 1:00, and nearly made it. I think we sat down about 1:30, which is rather good, for us. Charlie and Jack are older now and better able to control their hunger pangs, so it was all quite relaxed.

                  The beef joint prior to cooking. It didn't end up on the floor this time!

Barry had prepared a beef joint ‘sous vide,’ garnished with rosemary and thyme from the garden. It cooked slowly for twenty-four hours and sliced as easily as butter. Bethan took over and cooked the vegetables – carrots, green beans and tenderstem broccoli. I only recently discovered that tenderstem broccoli, sometimes called broccolini, is a hybrid of kale and broccoli. It is delicious cooked al dente (there we are, an Italian phrase to enrich our English) or eaten raw in salad.

Almost as soon as we sat down, Charlie asked if I had made a trifle. Luckily, I had. Out of curiosity, we looked up the French and German translations for trifle and were rewarded with ‘bagatelle,’ and ‘kleinigkeit,’ both meaning ‘a little thing, a minor detail.’ Clearly, trifle is not something familiar in French or German cuisine. It is English in origin, first appearing in cookery books in the sixteenth century.

Roxy and Gilbert were thrilled to see more family members, nudging and nosing them, Gilbert bringing them toys. Robert, Charlie and Jack were delighted to see Herschel and Jellicoe. They would love to have cats of their own, but Robert is allergic to them, and has to take antihistamines before he visits us – or maybe it’s us to whom he’s allergic.

The cats were fussed and stroked and talked to and played with, and responded with grace and patience.

Jack trawled the raspberry canes to discover edible berries, which turned out to be anything which was pinkish. He also discovered a few more cherries and strawberries. Charlie concentrated on training the cats!

                                        Roxy snoozes and dreams

It was a lovely day, and we all slept well last night. My back was stiff and sore by evening, but that was a small price to pay for the pleasure of seeing much-loved family.

                                Gilbert enjoys a well-earned rest
As children and grandchildren grow and create their own family units, it becomes more difficult to arrange meetings. Barry and I are the older (oldest!!)  generation now and as is normal, older family members tend to fade a little into the background, or possibly it is that we become observers more than participants. I know our children would hotly deny that this is the case, but it is the natural order of things, which they will realise in the fullness of time.

The mute

 

The mute

            Trombone with a straight mute. This is the most commonly used mute for brass instruments

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

                                    Trombone with a cup mute

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

A mute is used on musical instruments to change the quality or tone of the music produced. It can be used to allow a player to practise more quietly, hence the saying, ‘Good mutes make good neighbours.’

 Hat mute for trumpet
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Perhaps the mutes most familiar to onlookers are the plunger mute or the harmon mute that create the ‘wah-wah’ sound.

                                 Harmon wah wah mute for trumpet
                                        Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Gilbert doesn’t play a musical instrument, though he has some squeaky toys. He does use mutes, though.

 

On this occasion, the mute was a yoghourt pot. 

At other times, it’s a ball or a toy.

Arthur favours the double mute method!

Gilbert the Good – Events

 

Gilbert the Good – Events

Susannah and Arthur have come to stay for a few days, which is nice, but Arthur keeps taking my toys. He can’t go anywhere without carrying something. It’s a cocker thing, apparently.  I don’t mind too much, but I wish he would bring them back when he’s taken them outside. We still like to play together, though not so much as when we were younger.   

                         It’s been quite busy round here lately. Jellioe had to go to the vet again on Wednesday. He was being a bit picky over his food and then, after he had eventually eaten it, he threw it up all over the sitting room – well, the bit of the room he was sitting in, anyway. He’s had an antibiotic injection, that lasts for two weeks, and he’s had to go back on the diet he used to have. He is much livelier now and on Saturday afternoon he captured a small mouse and brought it indoors to show everyone. The humans chased him out! He and Herschel sat and looked at it for a bit, then they got bored and walked away.

 

                                               Such a little mouse! 

When Roxy and I got home from our walk on Thursday, everyone asked me, ‘What’s wrong with your eye?’ Well, I didn’t know, but it felt sore, and it was watering.

  Janice bathed it and that helped a little, but I couldn’t open it properly, so Barry took me to see the vets. I was quite happy about that – I always get treats when I go there. Anyway, they put some dye in my eye to see if it was scratched, but it wasn’t. I’ve got some painkillers to have with my supper for a few days, and the humans have got to watch me to see that my eye doesn’t go bad or something. The humans keep saying, ‘Aww, poor Gilbert,’ so I carry on looking pathetic, in case they decide to cheer me up with a treat or two.

I sit by Janice’s feet quite a lot, and she often says, ‘Lovely boy’ to me, and then Barry answers with, ‘I know I’m a lovely boy.’ Do you think I should tell him that it’s me she means, not him, or would he be upset?

Barry has said that I can’t go out for a couple of days, which is a shame, but I suppose it’s sensible. My eye does feel better, but I’m still a bit winky.

 

TTFN

 

Gilbert