Friday 12 January 2018

Pet Pals

Tess has just returned from her Pet Pals walk which she does each Thursday and Friday.   Each day costs me £10 and for this she gets a walk of around three quarters of an hour - on Thursday she is the only dog and on Friday she is one of three.
She shares the walk with Rio and Cosmo - a Dalmation and a Labradoodle. Usually friend S takes her for a walk on Wednesdays - this means that on three days a week she gets good walks.
Occasionally another friend J calls and takes her.
On the other days I take her for three walks - early morning, noon and just before it is dark (unless it is icy) so, considering she is ten in a couple of weeks she doesn't do too badly. 

Of course, as you all predicted, I was right in keeping her after I moved.   The bungalow would be a very lonely place without her and we have both managed to adapt our life style to the changes forced on us. 

We are settled in; there are many advantages, not least people and vehicles going past all day.   I thought you might like to see photographs of my sitting room (taken from both ends as it is a large room) and my kitchen.   More another day.


You will see that I have opened the louvred blind in the kitchen.   Anyone old enough to have seen 'The Day of the Triffids' will realise I had two choices - give my amaryllis more light or let it burst through the ceiling.   You will be pleased to hear that the bud is now opening.  Apple Blossom is the variety - and another bud is just pushing through at the side.

Until tomorrow. 

37 comments:

Sue said...

Your bungalow looks very comfortable Pat. Are the paintings by a local artist?

thelma said...

The bungalow looks very comfortable Pat, and Tess seems to be happy with all the walks she gets. Settling in can be difficult but you have plenty of people around in the neighbourhood, and you are such a friendly lovely person I'm sure your world will be peaceful.

Gwil W said...

You're doing very well. Your house is lovely and in a lovely neighbourhood. I'm pleased for you.

Mary said...

Yes, I'm SO happy you kept Tess too - she is great company and now used to her new home I would imagine. Nice she gets lots of walkies.

Pat, love your kitchen - looks spacious and comfy to work in, and the living room is lovely and cozy. The watercolors (3) look so wonderful - are they done by someone you know and original by chance?

Amaryllis - I bought two bulbs long before Christmas and neither did anything. Now one is growing with a stem and I'm hoping for a bloom. Mine seems to grow at least an inch during the night, not quite as tall as yours yet, but have already staked it with a branch (with seed pods still attached) from the garden rather than just a stick, looks pretty and will hopefully not fall over.

Mary -

Derek Faulkner said...

It looks delightful Pat, do you have any garden as well.
I have Snowdrops just coming into flower at the moment in the garden.

jinxxxygirl said...

Pat i adore amaryllis. I had to let mine go when i moved from Tx to Ca and i have yet to get one again.. I really miss them. We are working on the window sill and window in the kitchen and it will have a nice wide window sill. I worry it doesn't quite get enough light but we'll see... Yours is sooo tall!! :) Look forward to seeing the bloom.. :) Your bungalow is adorable! So glad you showed it.. Big Hugs! deb

galant said...

Your home is lovely, Pat! May you be very happy there with Tess.
Margaret P

Ruth said...

You are a great inspiration to anyone facing such challenges in old age! It seems everything has worked out so well for you and Tess. Your home couldn't be lovelier - makes me so happy for you! I hope I can have your courage if my circumstances become similar. "Home is the sacred refuge of our lives" - but home can be anywhere. Wishing all the very best.

Camille said...

You've done so well, and we know it was so very difficult at times! What a comfy home and I love your kitchen! Thank you for sharing with us. X

angryparsnip said...

Amaryllis are so funny, they grow so tall.
Your home looks so wonderful, comfy and I know very happy with Tess around.

cheers, parsnip and mandibles

the veg artist said...

What a lovely home. Glad you're settling in well. How is the 'cooking on gas' going?

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

It looks very pleasant, and unlike my place, tidy!

Librarian said...

Everything you have shown us so far about your new place looks cosy and neat, very homely without being overstuffed with clutter. I like the colours, warm and quiet.
For an almost 10-year-old dog, Tess is indeed getting good exercise!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I wish I lived nearer; I'd walk Tess for nothing. Someone bought my mother an amaryllis one Christmas. They wrapped up the box and didn't tell us what it was. When we opened it the stem was growing round and round, corkscrew-fashion inside the box! Remarkably enough it did flower though looked very odd indeed.

Living Alone in Your 60's said...

The bungalow is looking homely. I think I'll take up dog walking as hubby and I still can't agree on a breed so borrowing one everyday may be the answer.

Joanne Noragon said...

Fabulous kitchen!

Bovey Belle said...

Your new home looks very cosy and you have obviously got everything just as you want it now. I am glad you feel more "in the thick of things" and have folk passing by to pass the time of day with. I am sure Tess thinks it's a good life there too.

Penhill said...

So glad you decided to keep Tess,if I lived nearer I would walk her for nothing.Leyburn is a weekly visit in summer,a bit too far in winter on the icy road from Richmond.

Rachel Phillips said...

Looks like you were lucky with the kitchen there Weave, and the living room looks very similar to your one in the farmhouse. All helps to settle one.

Sue in Suffolk said...

I'm so glad you kept Tess, getting out with her each day is a lovely way to meet the neighbours.
You look nicely settled. Have a lovely weekend with some good meals!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Rachel. The sitting room is very similar in that it has the same furniture and rugs in it - oh and the same pictures.
Penhill. Now you tell me you come almost every week here in Summer - please do come for lunch one day. I presume you perhaps come to our market, which is poor in Winter but good in Summer. The only really reliable stall in Winter is Carricks who never let us down (both veg and fish).
Thanks to you all. And yes, the kitchen is huge - by far the largest I have ever had.
At least I get plenty of exercise walking up and down in it.
As to the paintings - they are all original, both watercolour and oil - as are the drawings. My first husband was a painter in both and also had many friends and several relations who were also artists, so I have many pictures around.

Jill said...

It seems you have a cozy home there. And I'm happy to hear you and Tess have both adjusted and are happy. I think her exercise regimen sounds wonderful for a pup that old.

Billie said...

What a lovEly home you and Tess share! I love your colors and your kitchen so airy and bright. Yes you absolutely made the correct choice concerning dear Tess.it is dark and raining all day here and will get down into the 20's overnight. Have a warm day!

Marjorie said...

Lovely home and love the Tess cushion on your sofa. I wish my kitchen was tidy enough to photograph.

John Going Gently said...

Another bit of the weaver tapestry

Mac n' Janet said...

What a wonderful place you're living in now, looks so snug and comfy. I'm so glad you kept Tess, I knew you would work out the walks part.

Iris said...

Thank you for sharing the pictures of your new home. Your kitchen is quite something. And what is that little thingy on the fireplace mantel that holds the photograph? Is it a carving?

Bonnie said...

I'm so happy you kept Tess! It is so clear that you and her belong together. Your home is beautiful and I love that kitchen!

Hildred said...

It looks very cosy, Pat, - Tess gets more walks than Bruce does, but the back garden is enclosed, and he has the run of all the little pathways and exercises his little legs four or five times a day. But I can't wait for the ice and snow to disappear so we can go walking again!!

Cro Magnon said...

I've had an Amaryllis on the kitchen windowsill for years, and this past year I decided that enough was enough. If the wretched plant sprouts from the compost heap, I shall go crazy!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Iris. It is a small carving - I think the material is possibly soapstone - which I bought in China many years ago. The photo is of the farmer with his walking group and is just pushed behind the carving.

As to the amaryllia - I didn't realise they couldbe kept from year to year - might try it this year as I almost always have at least one as a Christmas present and I do love the flowers although they are so tall.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Midmarsh John said...

Your amaryllis does look a bit like a triffid. I have one which has been flowering every year for many years and produced off shoots. I made a time-lapse of it a couple of years ago: https://youtu.be/DVhV0kJ0wT0

Heather said...

You have created a delightful,comfortable home for yourself and Tess - I love the Tess cushion. I must get back to blogging now my flat is looking more cheerful than when I bought it. Seeing your amaryllis reminded me of the year I gave one to my mother-in-law for her birthday in October. That Christmas I received it from her as my Christmas present!

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...


What a lovely space, not too big to care for - and I didn't know why my amaryllis was doing that long reach instead of just blooming - now I know it wasn't getting enough light.

Dogs adjust beautifully as long as they are still well cared for - and you have indeed provided a wonderful home, always, for Tess. Their companionship is immeasurable.

Rambler said...

I'm a great admirer of The Cinnamon Trust, who specialise in looking after elderly people's pets when their owners are unable to care for them. All over the UK they have volunteers who walk dogs for people like yourself, whose mobility has deteriorated. There's no charge for this and I'm sure there would be someone in your area who would walk Tess for you either as an addition to the walkers who already do it, or a saving on the £10 per hour charge you are currently paying.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Your new place looks lovely. The kitchen so open and inviting. My amaryllis is blooming now, too. Apple Blossom as well. We must have been in the same frame of mind when we chose this year. I will plant mine in my garden as in the usual warm soil in Texas, it survives. As I type this, however, I'm freezing. My outside plants covered in old sheets. Not used to that.

Judyk2310 said...

I love your kitchen!