Wedding layouts

Have been beavering away with the wedding album and done another 4 layouts that's 10 so far LOL.

Tomorrow evening is the first of our fund raising activities, quiz night and raffle, have 9 teams confirmed so far and hoping for a 10th. Can't believe that 3 weeks Friday the boys will travel up to Scotland, ready to start the walk, 220 miles over really rough terrain in 10 and a half days, just hope Marc's knee doesn't suffer too much. I think we will be hard pushed to match last years total of £2,550 as everyone is feeling the pinch this year but we will try our hardest. The long term goal is £10,000 and there are two more walks already planned for 2013 and 2014.

Also have Vikki and Ben coming tomorrow plus my niece and Marc and Harvey, Marc needs to print off the quiz questions and we have some other stuff for the walk to sort out. I had an article printed in our local magazine about the walk and there is a national dog magazine doing a 2 page spread this month. Paws crossed it brings some donations.

Hounds all well and happy, we've had to start being a lot stricter with Belle on the lead as she pulls so hard and has managed to really hurt me several times this week already, poor little mite is s fed up that when we let her out all that energy just explodes.

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Fridays scrapping

Total rubbish day, dogs were all playing up and so hyped it was awful! I managed to stick down 3 pieces of paper and 3 photo's in 5 hours LOL. Not one of my better days and of course by the time Daddy got home they had returned to their usual well behaved selves arrgh!!!

So nothing on the scrapping front to share!

I long for a beautiful courtyard garden, it's all planned out with water features etc and I know one of these days Eric will make it so for me LOL until then I have to make do with a few baskets and pots which are beautiful this year thanks to the watering system Eric installed (my Christmas prezzie). Simply turn the tap on set the timer and hey presto pots and baskets watered, love it.

Nothing planned for the long Bank Holiday weekend, hoping to catch up on some rest and Belle is now officially hard work, her next review is two weeks today and one is literally counting the days! She is very strong on the lead now and each time I take her out for toilet breaks I'm scared I'll be pulled over but when she has her supervised time out of the crate she quickly calms down and just wants to snuggle which is lovely, feel so sorry for her all that energy and frustration at not being able to play with the others. Sure hope she gets the green lights soon.

Sleeptight Henrietta

Sadly the last of my original ex battery hens has passed away, we collected 4 very sorry looking hens in April 2009 and there followed quite a steep learning curve for us but soon the hens looked so much better and started to keep us supplied with eggs. Last year 3 of the 4 passed away but dear old Henrietta kept on going and even at the beginning of this week still looked very well but she went downhill very suddenly, it's very quiet without her as she was very noisy and would announce to the world when she laid an egg! the 4 remaining hens are obviously upset as not a single egg has been laid since. We shall really miss her but knowing that she had more than 3 happy free ranging years helps.

Have done a few more wedding layouts, as there is no official wedding album it's all down to my efforts which I admit is making me nervous.Knowing this album is what Vikki and Mathew will show to people means I check and double check everything for fear of a mistake being spotted. Completely daft as no one will pay that close attention I know!

I so want to make a special keepsake for them that it is rather stifling the creative juices mad or what!

This last one I have shown before but now I am doing them in order I needed to flip it over and make a few changes.

Belle is getting well and truly fed up with the crate now and don't we know it! She's booked to see the vet on Saturday the 8th September for the next review and I am literally counting the days, I kid you not! All the other hounds are well and happy and continue to get away with all sorts whilst my attentions and energies are taken up with Belle LOL.

34c or 93.2f

Seriously that's the temperature my car read when I arrived home from crop yesterday and indoors thermometer read 32c! and as for the humidity gross! Apparently a little place not far from here was the hottest in the country yesterday. Personally a nice 20 or 21 is just right for me LOL.

I had decided to go to crop thinking that the village hall which we spend most of the year freezing in would be a cool haven, wrong it was so hot I had to pack up early and come home, actually quite a lot of girls did! My lovely new car has air conditioning and I had it on full blast and still roasted all the way home.

Fans have been on 24/7 in an attempt to keep the dogs cool, although Twizzle and Elmo don't seem to be effected by the heat and continue to roar around like lunatics whilst the other hounds look on in disbelief LOL.

Didn't actually get much done in the way of scrapping yesterdy but had a quick play with a digi layout today, photo's of Ben and Harvey taken Tuesday when we all got together.

Forecast tomorrow is 24c so hoping I might find the energy to actually do some domestic duties as not a thing has been done for two days!

Volvo passed it's MOT on Friday after having two new tyres fitted, Eric was having a banter with them when he went to collect it pulling their leg that they always fail our cars on tyres when another chap pipped up and said his bill was 3 times that of ours, bearing in mind the old Volvo  is now 23 years old I don't think we had much room to complain. Good job Mr T keeps her rolling along as we would be lost without it for hound transportation.

We've had Belle out of the crate a lot over the weekend as she's been a bit less manic due to the heat, she understandably craves contact with humans and hounds and really is a little poppet. Only another 3 weeks to the next review she says!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Little Belle update

Little Belle has had x rays today and Tom our vet has said the radius is healing very well, screws may be an issue with ulna, as they are a bit long (as per vets original note).

Back in 4 weeks for review may need x ray will decide when he sees her.

If screws are a problem then plate may need to be removed if screws OK then plate can stay in.

Lead walks around the garden and can slowly be increased, still to be crated but with the option of supervised “off lead” time out in the house.

Inoculations started today, second set in two weeks and then she can have tiny proper walks.

Trying not to think about another 4 weeks of her being crated, I know it has to be, to give the leg the time it needs to heal and strengthen but it's so hard for her and us.

Had a very busy day with grand kids and nephews etc but lovely to get them all together, dogs are shattered from all the attention LOL.Bought a couple of water pistols for under a quid and it kept the kids happy for hours, just goes to show you don't need to spend a fortune.

Vikki came armed with loads of goodies from America including my favourite cherry liquorice and Reece bars and to think I was going to start my healthy eating campaign tomorrow after two weeks of over indulging LOL. Would be very rude not to eat them wouldn't it.

Sue x

Photo shoot!

Last night we finally managed to get everyone together and get the photo to launch this years walk. Totally manic but we've ended up with a good shot! Really wanted little Belle in the front but she was so excited that we decided against it in the end for fear of her leg being damaged.

So a huge thank you to Jacqui for bringing her dogs over, Left to Right

Elmo, Stuart a new addition to the walking team this year also a policeman, Twizzle, Gangley. Alfie Bear, Marc my son and the driving force behind these walks, Orin, behind Orin is Mojo, then Jacqui's dogs Alfie, Billie, Steve the 3rd walker with Cara and Solo. All but Jacqui's greyhound Alfie are greyhound gap dogs!

After it calmed down we did bring Belle out as the police press officer wanted a shot of Alfie to write up his story on how GG saved his life after he was left with a fractured skull. Alfie ended up losing the sight in one eye and his leg and Little Belle again GG have literally saved her life by getting the owners to sign her over after they told the vet to PTS because they couldn't pay to have her leg repair.

I made lemon drizzle cake as a thank you for humans and pilchard cake for hounds, boy did they enjoy that.

Thankfully the rain held off and Eric's idea of having the banner at the front and taking the photo's from the top of a ladder worked well. The t shirts have been donated by a pub Steve uses and they are making a donation to each walk from this year as a thank you for the publicity they will get on the t shirts.

After everyone left  I felt a little sad remembering that Jim, Lucky and Ruby were missing from the photo, Max Steve's greyhounds and one of Jacqui's all lost to cancer.

So there we have it this years photo for this years walk  The Southern Upland way from one side of Scotland to the other, over 200 miles in 11 days starting 21st September.

Next fund raising event is a quiz night on 31st August.

All information can be found on our lovely new website here http://www.walkingthebeat.co.uk/ with a link to our just giving page if anyone would like to make a donation but please don't feel you have too!


Tomorrow I have daughter and daughter in law with both grandsons coming tomorrow plus my ex sister in law and her two boys, sure hope it doesn't rain and tonight I'm off out for a meal with friends I used to work with.

Little Belle

Gangley and Little Belle.

 Belle is our foster whippet x from Greyhound gap, on the 13th July she had a plate put in her leg to repair a break, complete crate rest except for toilet breaks is a hard one for a 9 month pup to take, Belle has been an angel but yesterday got quite upset so had a few minutes out for a cuddle, still on the lead and couldn't actually go anywhere but she just loved being out of the darn crate! So hoping after x rays Wednesday she may be allowed a little more time out of the crate!

Tomorrow evening is the photo shoot to launch the fund raising for this year's walk in aid of Greyhound gaps kennel fund. Weather forecast is looking iffy so please send no rain thoughts LOL.

All 11 dogs will be greyhound gap dogs, going to make a pilchard cake for them as I think I'll need some serious bribing LOL.

Better make a cake for the humans as well so had a practise yesterday, and yes it tasted as good as it looked.

Scrap day!

A quick layout (digi) done to record the arrival of Twizzle.

Had a super chilled out day with Dawn, dogs behaved beautifully and I even started a paper layout LOL.

Sue x

Working 9 to 5

I WISH!

My day starts at 5.30am taking little Belle outside and carries on until late, I am shattered.

Spent hours today sending off emails to local companies to see if they will donate a prize for a quiz night we have arranged on the 31st for the fund raising, haven't even started my own list today and just when you think that's it I've had enough something unexpected and lovely happens.

A lady in our village who is a retired nurse, has two lovely dogs recently won a small amount of money on the lottery apparently, well Eric was telling her last night about the latest additions to the pack and how Marc was again this year doing another long distance walk to raise money for greyhound gaps kennel fund, Eric was explaining about Marc's injury and operation and his fight to be ready in time. Being a nurse and also having a son who is a police officer she totally understood how anxious we feel and what do you know she went on the just giving page and donated £100 I mean £100 pounds wowee such kindness keeps you going.

So my friends on UKS challenged me to do 1 wedding layout a day or at least to get the bare bones of 1 down each day, I finished this one that I started yesterday early this morning but have yet to start today's, oh well guess I'm not superwoman after all. I know I'll end up going back and tweaking them before I print but I am reasonably happy with this.

Hounds are all so energised which in turn excites Little Belle who is really fed up being in the crate, managed to have her out for 3 hours last night as she was so good and just laid beside me, if she was a cat the purrs would have been mighty loud.

My daughter and family are now at Niagara Falls, arrived late in the evening as they wanted to see it at night and today are taking a boat trip, boy had she better be taking photo's. Tomorrow they travel back to Cleveland and then Saturday begin the journey home arriving Sunday morning.

Going to attempt a scrap day with Dawn tomorrow, well at least I get to sit LOL.

It's a dogs life!

Belle was a bit unsettled yesterday so I abandoned domestic goddess duties to spend a bit extra time in the study with her and watched a tutorial on using masks and blending techniques, rather pleased with how it turned out. Looks very simple I know but there is a lot going on actually LOL.

Hounds are all well, Elmo has finished his 3 week course of ab's and his skin is back to normal and so is he ie full of mischief (she says putting it nicely).

Not much else happening other than dogs, dogs, dogs.

Did manage to do some baking this morning and repot two orchids, so guess they'll shrivel up and die now. Was lovely to get in the greenhouse, what with with all the ops etc haven't been in there for ages.

Hand clinic was good yesterday after 2 appts that saw no progress or even worse going backwards this time the finger had made a big leap forward on the degree it can bend and Charlotte has showed us how to tape the finger into a slightly bent position to try and stop this habit I still have of holding it out straight, well 18 months of ruptured tendon and ramrod straight is proving a hard habit to break.

Must crack on with wedding layouts, a friend has challenged me to do one everyday albeit in a rough form just to get it started, having a huge mental block over this.

Apologies for not getting round to visit you all as often as I would like.

Sue x

At last

Eric got a new (2nd hand) mobile with a much better camera on and was playing around with it on the meadow.  Finally got a good photo of Twizzle and then a lovely one of Alfie LOL.

Enjoyed crop and finished this layout of me and Eric all dressed up at Vikki's wedding. Went totally overboard with pink and had to tone it down with the black swirls and red butterflies. Think it's going in a frame, well it sure won't fit in an album with all those flowers.

Little Belle has grown a whole inch and is now letting us know she is a 9 month puppy and would  really rather like to be out of the crate and playing.

Mum sent me a photo of me at my nephews wedding. L-R Mandy my sister a friend, Trudy my neice and me.

Had a quiet weekend and watched a lot of the Olympics, usually I feel very guilty sitting down doing nothing but it would be most rude and disrespectful not to watch the home Olympics I figure.

Off to hand clinic tomorrow, no doubt further torture awaits LOL.

Sue x

Super day!

Well I decided to attempt to have a normal scrap day with Dawn. Not much has been normal around here since Little Belle arrived. Eric moved her crate into the dining room and before work took the other 6 for an extra long walk and what do you know I got to do some scrapping LOL. In fact I had a super day, finished off this layout which I started ages ago. This layout is a paper layout and I've taken elements from several different class kits that Ness at papermaze has designed. It is also the closest I have come in 6 years of scrapping to abandoning a page, sheer stubbornness made me carry on and finally I can live with it LOL.

Hounds are all well and full of beans, little Belle grows stronger by the day and is just a sweetheart. Twizzle has decided to revisit her puppy hood and is non stop all day, that girl never ceases to make us laugh at her antics, impossible to stay down and out with a Twizzle about.

Off to crop tomorrow for a few hours off from doggy duties.

Have a good week guys

Sue x

Post for Twizzle

Our postman brought a parcel for Twizzle

lots of excitement followed as all the hounds tried to help her unwrap the pretty paper.

Oh yes great it's a collar

but wait a minute there's more

yum yum special sweeties from Arntie Shellie and Unkle Kit, now that got their attention. LOL.

Drum roll have actually finished another  layout for the wedding album, two down LOL.

Wednesday is bone day of course!

So in our house Wednesday is the day Mr T goes to the butchers and comes back with bones! I've been trying ever since Twizzle arrived to get a decent photo of her, darn girl is so camera shy. Today I made sure I had the camera ready thinking she would be pre occupied with the bones but no,still didn't get that money shot LOL.

Yet another  photo of the rear end!

Almost but not quite!

BUT  I did get a fairly decent one of  little Belle isn't she just the cutest puppy! She really enjoys being out of the crate and mixing with the other dogs, she seems to understand it only happens if she behaves and doesn't go loopy. That leg still has a lot of healing to do.

Today is my Mum's birthday HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM, Mum has a rotten cold and is a bit down as my brother and family returned to America yesterday so not the best way to spend your birthday.

Hounds are all well and happy if not something of a handful at the moment, six I can do, number 7 added to the mix and crated is proving to be a tad tiring LOL.

Sue x