Stressful times.

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!

Depression: Hmmm!
Anxiety: There - but not too bad.
Tears: Loads.
Laughs: Some.

 

Hormonal Hannah would like to apologise once again for Baggy's absence Baggees, but the truth is that things have been a little challenging of late! It hasn't really been Baggy's place to share, (or at least Freda Fretter has felt that it hasn't been), but in the spirit of the honesty that Creative Clara wishes to bring to Baggy's blogs, she will be a little clearer about what has been happening. It has been a terrible, sad and difficult year so far, for number one furry's family. This coming week Baggy and Calum will be attending their fourth family funeral in as many months. It will be Baggy's fifth funeral of the year.

 

 

It's unfortunately true that Baggy and number one furry, are of an age where they are inevitably going to lose more elderly relatives and friends, in the coming years. Hopefully, Baggy won't, as she is from a small family and her parents have already gone, and she's lost touch with her one aunt and cousins. Cal however is from a huge family,  which is very close-knit and supportive of each other, which is wonderful. But so many deaths so close together, would be hard for any family, especially when one funeral was for a young man who'd barely had a chance to start his life, and another for Cal's father. So, truthfully, it has been tough, especially on number one and his close family, and Baggy feels for him and them.

 

To add to the stress, Cal's diagnosis of diabetes, has been playing on both his and Freda Fretter's minds - largely down to the total lack of information that is provided once the diagnosis has been given. However, this worry was alleviated a little on Saturday, when Baggy and Cal attended the first half of a DESMOND course, that explains what diabetes actually is, and how to manage it. Freda Fretter had been worried about attending, as Furry Mama was so worried about the pooch. With no one to look after him, the plan was to leave him in Billy Bob Jalopy campervan, with the roof up, curtains closed, and side windows open. It stays really quite cool like that, even on a hot day; however, that doesn't mean that a) the pooch won't stress and bark and therefore that b) someone won't decide that he's too hot and smash a window to get him out! Freda was even more worried when they got to the venue because there was a massive festival going on, and people everywhere, and it was very hot. So, having taken the pooch for a run and a swim, they settled him in Billy Bob and headed to the course, with Furry Mama muttering that she would be leaving to check on him every thirty minutes. Cal suggested that they at least ask if Pepper could join the course. So Clever Bird did the whole, 'Would it be possible? - don't want to leave him in the car - you won't even know he's there - he's a rescue - he can't be left - I need him' - thing; and it worked! He could! And he did! And he was an angel! At least now Baggy is relaxed about taking him to the next session next Saturday.

 

On Friday, Baggy had to go to Ipswich hospital for her pre-operation assessment for her cataract surgery. Again, Cal had to take time off work to take Baggy, and to look after Pepper! While Baggy was in hospital for three hours, having stingy-drops stuck in her eyes once again, Cal took Pepper for a walk around Orwell park. It sounds as if the surgery will be in about six weeks time. Frankly, Baggy is terrified! How she is going to stay still for thirty minutes, whilst they cut open her eye, is anyone's guess. She was offered a general anaesthetic, as it was pretty obvious to the surgeon, that Hormonal Hannah was panicking, but she clearly didn't think that Baggy should take that option. Baggy said, 'I'll be fine.' Yeah right! The surgeon didn't believe her either Baggees!

'Speak to your GP and get some Diazepam.'

'Can't you give me a sedative, like they did for my gastroscopy?'

'No.'

Clever Bird has no idea why not, but there it is. She called her GP's surgery as soon as she left the hospital to ask for some Diazepam, only to be told that she already had some! And yep, she does! So that's cool. Let's hope it's strong!!

 

There has been the odd lovely bit! Baggy's sister paid a flying visit a couple of weeks ago, which was great. They all headed to Southwold then decided to get the ferry over to Walberswick. Amazingly, the dogs happily hopped in!

 

 

 

Debby also brought some gorgeous little plants as a gift, so she, Gloria Gardener and Cal, planted them!

 

Last weekend, Baggy, Cal and the pooch supported their village, at the annual classic car show.

 

 

 

 

And of course, there's been lots of beach therapy!

 

 

Baggy will attempt not to vanish for so long again Baggees, but truthfully, Hormonal Hannah cannot promise that! So, for now, lots of love.....

Anxiety Therapy



Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!

Depression: It blew away!
Anxiety: Not great.
Tears: Why even ask.
Laughs: Lots.

Furry Mama has been back to the vets with Pepper Pooch. It is now a diagnosed fact, that like his mama, the pooch suffers from anxiety. His way of demonstrating his stress is to gnaw his own leg until it bleeds - and gets infected. Clever Bird is aware that for most of the time, he comes across as the world's most laid back dog, but looks can be deceiving, as Hormonal Hannah knows! Just because someone is grinning on the outside, does not mean that they are not crying on the inside. The pooch has clearly picked up on the current stress in the Baggy household and once again has a poorly leg, so after rest and keeping it bandaged and clean, it is now receiving his favourite treatment - saltwater washes!

Being back at the beach is also helping Hormonal Hannah who has been rather anxious. To be fair, some of the anxiety is warranted, but most of it isn't! But that doesn't stop it from being real. So, despite the still extremely chilly temperature of the sea, Baggy has been making Hannah paddle in it! It's definitely good for the soul.

Meanwhile, Creative Clara has been working her creative socks off, editing her novel. And guess what Baggees - she has just pressed 'send' and it is now winging its way through the e-mail network to a literary agent!! Well, more accurately, a few pages of it is, but still - BIG MOMENT! Naturally, Freda Fretter is now regretting it, and panicking that her covering note wasn't good enough and that her synopsis was confusing etc etc but at least she plucked up the courage to send it. Although frankly, the novel was a lot easier to write than the synopsis! How do you sum up a 100,000 word story, or in Clara's case, two stories-in-one, in 650 words?? But she did her best, and that's all any of us can do! Baggy will now be crossing various bits of her anatomy - arthritis permitting, that she gets some kind of a response. She will of course not be giving up, regardless, as she loves to write and has
already started the next novel!

Clara is in the fortunate position of having plenty of time to write. Even more time than usual at the moment, as Baggy is once again sleeping really badly. It doesn't help that Furry Mama is a big softy and allows this behaviour either...

This was the sight that greeted her when she went up to bed at eleven last night! And nope, The Domestic Goddess hadn't left the bed unmade - though she regularly does - this was Pepper's nest-making skills, a.k.a. gathering the bedding up in a big pile with his front feet, before flopping in the middle of it. And heaven forbid that Furry Mama should try to move him, because frankly it doesn't work! So Baggy hangs off the six inches of mattress on the left of the pooch and hopes that he might shuffle over! Take note Baggees, that this means that Baggy also does not have a duvet over her, as the pooch has wrapped it underneath himself! Shortly after Baggy had manoeuvred herself into position, Bracket kat came and laid on top of Furry Mama, just to add to the fun, but she wouldn't have it any other way, and she can always have a little siesta - well as long as she races the pooch to the bed and gets there first that is.....

Life's ups and downs.

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!
Depression: It's back blow it!
Anxiety: Pretty rubbish.
Tears: Goes without saying.
Laughs: Some.

A lot of things have been happening in Baggy's world recently. Some good; some not so good - pretty much life really. Nothing is ever plain sailing for the majority of people. Certainly Baggy's life has always been a constant series of things going pear-shaped, as soon as she feels as if she is on an even keel. This year has been a series of sadnesses so far for Calum and his family, and Baggy wishes she could do more to support them. At least she can do all she can for her number one furry, including supporting him in his endeavours to improve their little world.
 

 

 

 

 
Last weekend Calum and Gloria Gardener got on with building their parking space. In a bid to a) make it look as nice as possible for the neighbours and the environment and b) to do their bit for the local wildlife. They are trying to plant as many insect loving plants as they can. Meanwhile, Creative Clara painted the vibrant orange supporting girders a dark green - this is a work in progress, and further paint has been purchased. Calum grinded off the excess metal at the top of the girders which is possibly the scariest thing that Freda Fretter has ever had to witness! At least he stopped when it started to rain! So that too is a work in progress. He also put wire mesh between the girders, upon which Gloria will be growing lots of climbing plants.

 

 
Meanwhile Igor, the wild rose, and his neighbour Elaine (who Gloria has no idea what she is), are flowering for the first time - probably due to being seriously cut back to make way for the space and to Gloria feeding them and keeping them watered.

 
Her little pond is also developing. Admittedly, Clever Bird acknowledges that the only things living in it at present are mosquito larvae, but the birds are loving using it as a bath and drinking station. And from the speed that the water disappears from it, Clever Bird suspects some much bigger creatures are using it too - probably deer. Sometime soon, a solar pump will be bought for it, and some plants! Furry Mama hopes some frogs and newts may move in soon.
 

 

 
Gloria is considering English roses to climb on the parking area green grid, as this one on the house seems to rather like the sandy soil. As do these two, at the front.
 

 

 

 
Nature is a wonderful thing. Plants can grow anywhere without much assistance. Gloria's efforts to leave wildflowers everywhere is also paying dividends as there are bees everywhere in her garden. Freda Fretter worries a lot about what is happening to the wildlife, and is proud of her little corner of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Currently living in her garden: Field mice; pygmy shrews; shrews; voles; moles; slow worms; lizards; a toad; glow worms; worms; bees; lots of bugs; loads of birds.

Meanwhile, having wonderful family and friends is a blessing, and Baggy is fortunate to have both. She had a great time catching up with one of her besties, Tracey and her family at the weekend, and seeing her beautiful Goddaughter!  And today, another, very clever friend, sent Baggy the most wonderful surprise for Billy Bob Jalopy campervan!

Meet Little Billy-the-cushion, made by Baggy's friend Lettra.

 

How cool is he Baggees?

So, though life is chucking a few curve balls at Baggy and her family at present, it also has some truly magical moments.

Now Furry Mama just needs to get to the bottom of why Pepper Pooch is once again chewing his own leg and making it infected. Yes Clever Bird agrees that he could be picking up on the stress in the Baggy household, but she also queries why he is biting the same place as last time. So, in ten minutes, she is off to the vets once more.......

She's finished!

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!
Depression: Happily somewhere away from Baggy.
Anxiety: Okay just a bit stressed.
Tears: Well yes.
Laughs: Lots.

Hormonal Hannah, bless her little cotton socks, has made Creative Clara totally forget to write a blog - sorry Baggees! Though Clara has been rather busy anyway - she has finished her first novel!! Well kind of anyway. It now has a beginning, a middle and an end and runs to a little under 100,000 words. It's only taken her three years to complete it; there's no point in rushing these things after all. Now begins the major tweaking, also known as editing the edits that she's already done. This may take some time - actually, there's no 'may' about it; it will take some time. However, Clever Bird has Clara completely motivated to finish it to her satisfaction, sooner rather than later. She just needs to persuade Hormonal Hannah to let someone other than Clara read it, so that she can get some constructive feedback! Any volunteers Baggees? Truthfully, even though Baggy thinks it's pretty good, she is still terrified of sharing it.

Clara does have a little plan. There is a creative writing group in the local library, and she realises that it might be an idea to join it. It is after all run by a published author. What's more, Furry Mama is delighted, because Pepper Pooch is welcome to go too, so there is no excuse - apart from Hormonal Hannah's anxiety about sharing the book - ridiculous woman.

The novel is set in Suffolk, the county where Baggy lives, so a fair amount of it was written, or conceived in her happy place, Billy Bob Jalopy campervan, with her pooch at her side. (Sorry about the photo - the pooch is on Baggy's baggy tummy, the lid is off the cappuccino she had as a treat for coming up with a good ending!

 
Meanwhile, number one furry has been getting on with his parking area, and Gloria Gardener's new bit of garden, with a bit of help from his friend. It's looking good, although still a work in progress.

The latest plan is to create green walls between the upright metal posts, rather than chopping them off. Work has commenced on this plan, but Clara hasn't taken the photos. Typical. However, she did take a few (poor ones) of her plants in the giant molehill....

and of Gloria's pond, which is also a work in progress...

It's taking a while, but Baggy is proud of Calum's efforts. Work will be progressed at the weekend hopefully, and more plants may be purchased!

In other news, Baggy has been declared free of anaemia, apparently her haemoglobin levels are the highest that they've been since 2015 - however, her iron levels are almost non-existent! And nope, Clever Bird doesn't understand those facts, however, it is why Baggy is so tired again, so she's added a daily iron table to her diet, and has been told by her doctor to take them for the rest of her life.

Baggy's arthritis is a bit of a problem, especially in her knees, so she has bought herself a witchy-style walking stick (which is helping). It does get a bit interesting for Baggy, when Furry Mama is trying to control the pooch, and the long stick, but practise makes perfect. Apparently her physiotherapist will be referring her for x-rays and to see a consultant about a possible knee replacement fairly soon. Freda Fretter was extremely anti this plan, but Baggy's lovely doctor said 'Better to have it done when you can really benefit from it,' which is actually a good point. It is annoying when Baggy can't even get herself up off the sofa, (or more embarrassingly still, the loo), without pushing herself up, and even then she gets stuck! Gloria can't kneel down to do her gardening, and The Domestic Goddess managed to get Baggy stuck on the kitchen floor after she had put  the shopping away. Truthfully though, Clever Bird feels it's unlikely she will qualify for the operation, as although she's in a fair amount of pain, she is still extremely active compared with many.

She and the pooch hobble up this beach on most days, after all, so all is well in Baggy land Baggees, Baggy hopes it is well with all of you too......

Living life.

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!
Depression: Hovering about.
Anxiety: Okay for once.
Tears: Lots.
Laughs: Yes.

Baggy got told that she was young today, which was rather pleasant and made her feel all warm and fuzzy for a few seconds! But of course, everything is relative, and compared to the majority of the patients of the physiotherapist who made this comment, Baggy probably is young; too young in Freda Fretter's humble opinion to have arthritis, and definitely too young to have surgery for it - but then Baggy thinks she's too young to have children too! Mentally that is (obviously), physically, even if she hadn't had a full hysterectomy, she couldn't have kids - she's far too old. Anyway, sorry Baggees, Creative Clara is rambling! The point that the physiotherapist was trying to make was that he would be referring her for x-rays to ascertain how advanced the arthritic changes in her knee are. In turn this would mean she has to see an orthopaedic consultant about a knee replacement. If she can move enough, she won't have to have one. This was enough motivation for Clever Bird to make Baggy get on with her exercises! Baggy feels that she's had enough surgeries in the last few years, one way and another, so if she can avoid more, she will. She was given a few new ones to do, including one with a giant rubber band - don't ask! And as she leant against the bench doing very baby squats, all she could hear was crunching noises. 'Oh that doesn't sound too clever,' said Baggy, then realised that it was coming from her right knee, not the one being treated. Hmmm.

Furry Mama has been helping out, by making Baggy walk a fair bit, much to Pepper's delight, but she hasn't yet braved the swimming that she was instructed to do. Hormonal Hannah is just not confident enough to allow Baggy to go to a public pool, and the sea is definitely NOT warm enough yet. In fact today, there was ice in the rain as she and the pooch walked along the beach! Mind you, he was perfectly happy to go for a swim. Yet, even though frankly, she was freezing, she was happy to be on the beach. It felt good to be alive, even if 'alive' did mean a shivery, wet, windblown, limping mess.

The truth is, that every day spent on this earth is a blessing, and none of us knows what's around the corner, so even on ghastly cold rainy days, Furry Mama will brave the weather and enjoy it........