Memoir of a Mad Girl

‘Slumming It’ with Kevin McCloud

memoirmadgirl — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:53:44 +0000

Just finished watching ‘Slumming It‘. The dvd was a Christmas present. Really brings home how it doesn’t take much to bring happiness….community and having basic needs met. I am appreciating what I have now. A good relationship. Friends and a home that meets our needs. And of course our animals. If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend the dvd. So much about humanity.

Strange dog

memoirmadgirl — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:32:42 +0000

We have a strange dog. When we were walking him last night we were up the street and as we passed the vet he wagged his tail and turned to pull us in. He loves the vet. I’m not sure why because every problem we go to the vet with there is always talk of cancer and operations, and then we solve the problem with antiseptic cream. Joseph the vet was wary of Max at first. A lot of people are worried about Max because he is a big white dog but he is the softy of the family. Once the vet needed to shave his head to treat a bite (from Haighs of course) and was going to put him under for it. Max was happily put in a cage and we were more worried than he was when we left. When we picked him up that night the vet said he didn’t need to put Max under because Max sat very still and let him do what he needed to do. No doubt wagging his tail. It is like going to the vet is a treat. Max gets to say hello to everyone and gets pats and a treat before we leave. I hope he teaches Jemma his strange habits. Jemma hasn’t had as many positive experiences at the vets. I would feel the same if I came to the vet with four legs and left with three.

doggy happenings…

memoirmadgirl — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 03:16:48 +0000

Just picked Max up from his sleepover. It went very well. Friends of ours have a puppy so Max is teaching him good habits. Hit a bit of a hurdle when our friends gave Max the puppy’s bed, but it all worked out.

In other news Jemma has been promoted to Green level at dog training. Same level as Max. She has achieved in 2 months what took Max 2 years. And she only has three legs. She has become quite the celebrity around the club and she is accepting the attention more graciously every week.

Max doesn’t seem to mind Jemma taking the limelight. He is as soft as ever.

Dressing the Christmas tree

memoirmadgirl — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:02:43 +0000

I have spent the afternoon dressing the Christmas tree while listening to the Orbweavers. It is quite humble but makes me happy. It has danish decorations that my sister brought back from travels in the mid 90′s.

I will put a small shot in of it. You might be able to make out Jemma sleeping, seen between the branches.

The Orbweavers: http://youtu.be/QKcD_62VIx0

In other news, Max’s lumpy leg is fine. It seems it was something from the garden…possibly a spider bite. I am loading him up with medicine so that he can feel better.

Have a nice weekend.

Max the Wonderdog happenings…

memoirmadgirl — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:08:52 +0000

Max and I were promoted to level 3 Green in dog training today! Quite an accomplishment. We have a certificate to prove it. Only yellow and blue levels to go and he is a fully qualified dog person. We go to Southern Obedience Dog Club and are very happy to be back training after months of the grounds being damaged due to floods. Jemma started training a month ago and is doing amazingly well and is showing a lot of natural talent, but I won’t go into it as this is Max’s moment.

We had a bit of a scare this week. Max came up with a large black scab and it wouldn’t heal, then another popped up. We took him to the vet and we were told it could be a tumor however we were to rub antiseptic cream into it for a week to see if it improves, before doing anything drastic. Some of the scab has come off and shown pink skin so we are quite hopeful that it was nothing – some kind of bite probably. He is back to the vet for confirmation tomorrow night.

The tumor idea is very scary.

Gardening skills #2

memoirmadgirl — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:57:41 +0000

This is a photo of my latest harvest. It is a native yam. The one and two dollar coins not only show the size but how much the spider-like yam cost. Expensive snack, but I have roasted and devoured it already and it was great. Hopefully my other plants will grow bigger? When I roasted it the ‘legs’ went grey and it really was like eating a spider….a spider that tastes like potatoes.

Milestone

memoirmadgirl — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:49:53 +0000

I was just called Ma’am by a spunky guy at the cafe. This has happened a few times lately. Hmmm. I think I have made it to the second coming of age. I think I’ll just go with it….

happy anniversary

memoirmadgirl — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:34:33 +0000

B and I clocked up 6 years (and going strong) last week, so we went by train to a Japanese restaurant and had a feast with champagne.

The champagne was beautiful – it was a gift from a friend last birthday and we had been saving it for the occasion.

After reading ‘Eating Animals’ (by Jonathan Safran Foer) we do feel incredibly guilty eating some Japanese dishes and so try to save sashimi for special occasions. Apparently our large platter would have been made up of a table full of caught fish to be able to be presented with the fish of choice. Seriously I nearly became vegetarian. Now I try to give thanks before each meal…..that is the compromise

The Toilet Paper Crisis

memoirmadgirl — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:56:45 +0000

This morning we woke and realised we were running late for an appointment. We made a mad dash to get ready and jumped in the car.

When we returned home a few hours later, I opened the front door to find puss waiting for us inside the front door. He meowed mournfully having being left inside alone for hours. I gave him a cuddle and we got on with things. I then discovered that he had been bored while we were out. He had unravelled a full toilet paper roll again! We hadn’t thought to close the loo door before we left. The toilet lid wasn’t even down so he must have balanced on the side of the seat to create his ‘art’. It is getting desperate. We couldn’t re-roll this one so we have a testimony to progress in the form of a white pile of tissue bunched up and set off the floor.

We are in the midst of a toilet paper crisis

and a bored pushkins.

The Great Unraveller

memoirmadgirl — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:21:06 +0000

Pushkins is finding new ways to amuse himself. When I got home from work tonight I found a mound of toilet paper on the toilet floor. He must have done it in the early hours of the morning when he was asking to be let out and we wouldn’t cooperate. It wasn’t yet light outside.

Looks like we need to keep the toilet door closed all the time, now.

What will he find as his new hobby?