POOR SASSY

Sassy our oldest and most cuddly cat who rides Ruby our horse! had a terrible accident today. I had a phone call from Jean next door to say come quick Sassy had been attacked but a dog, next doors dog a little black one called Jess. We have lived here for 5 years and never has Sassy been got. But for some reason today he must have cornered her or something, really odd as she goes in that place a lot. When I got to Jeans I didn't like what I saw and Gaby the owner of the dog took me straight up to the vet with her. She was breathing fast and wasn't moving. The vet was really concerned. She will have to have her tail amputated as it is broken in 3 places. She has a few broken ribs and fluid on her lung, her claws are a mess. They can't X-ray her spine until she stabilises. But the vet is now hopeful, she rang again about half an hour ago. although the tail will have to go the fluid looks like it will hopefully reduce and with a lot of pain killers Sassy is weight bearing on the back legs. So we will have to see how she goes over night and they will X-ray tomorrow hopefully, it all depends on tonight really. I am just hoping all will be ok. I just don't get why? If it wasn't for Jean, Sassy wouldn't be here at all, so I just hope she makes it. Update tomorrow!

TIME TO CHILL!

Smartie has got it off to a fine art....chillin' I wish I were a cat...actually I wish I were on of our cats! But here she is sunbathing on the underfloor heating in the bathroom...Our idea is more like champagne in the bath, which is exactly what we did after one pig of a week, it seemed to make all worth while, just a little celebration to tell ourselves we are nearly there. Just hoping my health holds up! I am sure it will with the thought of champagne  ha ha

AND THE TABLE

Finally the table arrived too, wrong one but it arrived, I think the right one will be here in a few weeks from Ireland! It sort of the same only a little bigger. I must write down all the things that went wrong and didn't fit, I might run out of paper! But We do love the table so really looking forward to getting the right one.

ITS ALL ARRIVING!

And then the stairs turned up too....they don't fit but they are here! all in jigsaw bits....they will have to be cut by hand and eased in, I think its going to take a long long while!!

YIPPEE DO

Finally a cup of tea in our new house, after the fiasco over the kitchen and utility, we finally got our utility in and didn't waste a moment in bringing the kettle in to make a cuppa, even though we are going up and down a metal nobly ladder to get to it! There is still a lot to do, architraves, skirting's etc etc but we have a utility, while we wait a few weeks and hopefully not months for our kitchen!

PROTECTIVE OVER NEW BEDS!

Now the dogs are in their new bedroom or other words our utility they just don't want to get out of bed!

I THINK THEY WANT TO MOVE!

Shadow was sitting on her seat in the conservatory, she sometimes sits there for hours just looking... I tried to take them down through the field through the house and they sat and looked at me like I was mad or something...it was like..."No" we live in the other bit now!

LAZY GEM!

Gem is a real baby, she doesn't think she is a dog, she loves her cuddles, except if the other two are misbehaving and then you certainly know who is boss!!

RALLY STEVE

For Steve's 16th birthday we got in a ha;f race day at the Subaru rally experience. Laura met us there too I thought it was on her way home but it was near Chippenham!, she lives at uni at Chichester..not sure I was that popular , especially s she had a car full of uni stuff to bring home oh and Munchie the hamster!!! But we met up and Steve showed his true driving expertise. He hasn't driven before, well not really, Pete did let him have a go in our new car when Steve was 14, with no tuition, ...and I don't want to repeat what happened but the outcome wasn't good, I still even now can't believe Pete would do that,...but he did! Anyway, the only tuition he has had was me showing him the gears in the died in the truck, so we were a bit apprehensive, especially when Steve asked "Do you think I can  make the instructor scream!?" But Steve did really really well, he drove around the circuit at quite a speed and after a hour or so, he was a natural. I think he has the racing bug now though! He had a certificate and I took a few videos to remember it by, he also had a racing round as a passenger with at competition speed which was really great...But well done Steve XX

CATS HAVE NEW BEDS

The cats have moved in and boy do they love it here, in front the balcony windows in their new fluffy homes which me and Laura got in the sale so saved us a bit of money...funny pete doesn't see it that way ...odd!!?? very odd!

THEN IT DID

And then the cats jumped int he self levelling screed, dear of them eh!!

CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?

First with Steve and then the kitchen and the lintel, wrong table, delayed doors, oh and didn't tell you about the staircase, thats late now too as they are having problems with it and it will have to be sawn and fitted quite extensively on site now...which will be a real headache for craig and Pete!...oh and chairs that should have been in transit...arent...so awaiting them next week too and so it goes on etc etc......Now this morning it started with Dale telling me the utility has now been delayed its still in Ireland! So won't be fitted tomorrow , surprise surprise!! it will be next week, so we are still ages away from a cup of tea in the Mill!!...The kitchen has now been reordered and will hopefully arrive as soon as possible but its looking like 5 weeks or so unfortunately! Then after a bit of a day I opened the post and was excited to have a parcel only to open it and be covered in paint....the samples had come for the kitchen but had all spilt in transit ....now its all over me...what a day, surely its got to get better???

SQUIGGLEY HAS CUSTODY OF SMUDGE!

Squiggley has fallen in love with smudge a great big teddy dog thing that Pete gave me years ago. 12 years ago in fact! Squiggley wasn't letting anyone close it it and is oddly protective over it!

GOOD NEWS?

Our swing seat that we managed to get at the ideal home exhibition arrived yesterday, it shouldn't have done as we were on meetings all day, it was supposed to be the day after but no it arrived ...luckily ant and Andy were here to help unload....but it looks great quite odd!

And also arriving was our very heavy table its a chunk of tree on legs really, and Andy and Ant had to load it on to their truck and Dad helped them manoeuvre it into the mill as we weren't here, it took them ages, you wouldn't believe how heavy...and when we got home we realised it was the wrong one...they sent the wrong one from Ireland....OMG it could only happen to us!! SO they will change it over in 6 or so weeks time!

WHAT A REAL NIGHTMARE

What a day can't think where to begin really....Started with Pete drilling the curtain holes to fit the pole and the lintel came out in his hand!...It appears that it wasn't fixed.... he was jumping...not a happy bunny!!! Then a visit to the doctors after some not so good blood results and not going in to detail , but need to take it really easy for a while and more bloods on wednesday with a few referrals and specialist appointments looming...then I came home to a phone call from Steve, he had gone to football today with a couple of friends, he has been working for me a bit over the Easter and revising so it was nice for him to go out. He rang in a panic, as they were walking home from the pitch a car sped past them and threw what Steve thinks is a loads of stones or something white and it hit him in the face, he couldn't see for a minute or so and blood was pouring from his nose... I rushed to collect him and by the time I got there, it had stopped, so brought him home and settled him and went to report it to the police...meanwhile Laura is on the phone there was a man here to see me from the kitchen company, I said I would try to be quick depending if I had to visit the hospital with Steve, but came straight back to find Pete had got home early and was talking to the man, he looked quite serious, so I cheerfully went up to him and said "hi great you are early have you come to do the kitchen?" He said no it isn't coming on time, its late, I was expecting a couple of days, but apparently it won't be here until the very end of May???? I was dumb founded, that can't be right we have moved in we are expecting the kitchen on Monday??? we ordered it 3 months ago....but he was serious, so told him to cancel it and return our monies today, I was livid, Pete was in shock....all the work day and night to be ready, paying people to work all hours and paying over the odds just to be ready.......we sat down and couldn't believe our ears, then we rang another company who will draw it up and try to make it, but either way its join to be 5 weeks or more....so we are living in 2 houses for at lead the next 6 weeks or so, I can't believe it, perhaps I will wake up in a min...best not tell the doc about my day eh.....Good news is Mum made us a hot pot so we ate tonight!! thanks it was lovely:)

SHADOW RELATED TO DUNLOP?

Shadow has taken a liking to Dunlop and she is trying to convince me she is in fact related to a rubber welly dog!...I am not sure what she sees in him, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder eh!!
PS nice patio Ant and Andy,..thanks!

BBQ?

After a long moving in session, we didn't have any food! so we managed to cobble together some burgers and made a BBq in between the next lot to move in, as you can see Steve is taking 5! and Pete and Laura are not that amused...plus Shadow is scanning for any morsel she can find!! Quite nice though!

MORE STUFF ON THE MOVE!

After the pool table came the beds and oak furniture, and then Laura and Steve worked really hard for days moving the top floor over, it took us ages and it was really tiring, could have done with those elusive visitors to collar eh!...But things are moving in after long shifts and very tired arms! We need to clean and tidy and we are waiting for furniture to be delivered and wardrobes built but that will be a while!

TILES!

We are on a very tight time line and the tiler was booked to start the tiling, only to find that the screed had popped in places and we had to dig it up and redo it, it was like sand under neath nothing was binding it and the underfloor heating in one part was only covered with 22mm of screed instead of what we thought was down there 65mm at least, then we found all our marks on the wall that should be covered in screed but were still there....OMG what a nightmare we had to spend over a £1000 on trying to make the floor as ok as possible...Pete was really really not a happy bunny...samples of the floor were taken and the screed was too dry when laid and too thin, but after throwing even more money on it the tiler was able to start tiling and worked day and night and stayed here just to get it finished, so thanks really appreciate it.....last bit to do tomorrow and then the kitchen goes in next week!!

LAURA STUNG!

After returning from uni one day Laura ended up helping me the next and had a ride in the back of the trailer going up to move some heavy objects! we thought we would seed the fields along the way so as we were moving laura was chucking out the seed, we must have looked a right pair!! Then I stopped but moved quickly again and all I saw was a pair of legs in the back trailer sticking out of a bucket of grass seed, it was so funny, I wish I had it on tape I could have made a fortune. You know when you don't want anyone to see the pickle you were in, well we looked up and there were the two tilers that are staying here at the mo to get the tiling done on the ground floor...they were in stitches....nice one Laura, you made their day eh! Then to top it off when we tried to move the log seat at the other end, Laura went flying and was pickled top to toe in stinging nettle stings, picture above is just her arm it was all over!!, she was running around like a looney and I was running after her with doc leaves trying to rub it better....My sides were hurting with laughing so much that day!!

MOVING IN!

Its been a right week here, with all hands on deck to move the pool table and the mega piece of slate up a hill to the pool room in the new Mill. Mum and Dad and Auntie Lou kindly offered to help move it, with Pete and Steve, me and  Laura. It was possibly the heaviest thing I have lifted except for Lauras case on holiday or her D of E rucksack!!  ha ha We managed to get it in, even tough Auntie lou ended up the wrong wide of the table at one point!... But thanks guys much appreciated.

WOODY AND PIXIE A FOND FAREWELL

Pixie and Woody had to rehomed after the potential new owners of Woodmill did not want to home them :( We found them a wonderful home with three children and 4 llamas! ALready we have heard they have got stuck in the water bath and love a game of frisbee, the children love them and they are playing a lot of the time so hopefully they might loose a bit of weight!!! Ant came to the rescue with the tractor to move them, Me and Dad took one look at the box and thought they would never fit....but they did albeit a little squished but we got them in and tied a lid to the top, contrary to popular belief they do jump! Good job dad was here he was the knot man!....I was in charge of trying to get the tractor to lift up and hold in position ready to transport, I was just hoping I had all the leavers int he right order!!! But all loaded and safely off to their happy new life playing all day by the sounds of it. SO it was really sad to see them go, we have had pigs always since we moved in, so it felt really odd to not have any, a real wake up call that we were actually going to be moving and having neighbours, very odd feeling. I am sure we will get used to life without the pigs but is still odd at the mo... Good luck Pixie and Woody in your new  home, I couldn't have found a nicer one XX