Beyond Adolescence - part 2

[SpanielsGalore]

No point banning coffee, as it didn't work last time. 🙄
Haven't had any cake updates from a while. @VanGoSunflowers Have you stopped baking already? You still had 8 cakes to go to make it economical.

Also I am not in the cool club either as I don’t have a weather station thingy 😀

Well done for getting through it @VanGoSunflowers ! It's quite an epic. I love the cover and the feel of the book. I'm sort of disappointed at myself for not being able to combat my squeamishness. Ironically, I'm from a family with scientists and medics on both sides.

I've picked up the first of the John Gwynne quartet to try. Traditional fantasy with giants and wyrms and standing stones is probably more my thing. I'll see how it goes.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I wonder if AI could rewrite it for you with that detail missing! She does go in to an awful lot of detail with that kind of stuff. Do you ever find it hard to get in to a story because you feel like you need to bond with the characters first?
One that keeps being recommended to me is Callie Heart’s Quicksilver - have you read that one?

I have to finish Alchemised now because the last season of Stranger Things is released on Netflix next week and that will take up a load of my time 😀

Bit of a pupdate - Pablo is getting very big now! I will try and get a photo of him with his Sexiphant @TheHungryHungryLandsharks so you can see! But it means rethinking my puppy proofing strategies. He managed to get hold of a scourer sponge and tear that up the other day 🤦‍♀️

Here we go, Pablo ‘dancing’ with his elephant 😂

I'm terrible for needing to bond or identify with a character @VanGoSunflowers I do have a lot of DNF's just because things don't click with me or I can't connect with any of the characters.

I haven't read Quicksilver, I ordered that and Brimstone but then cancelled when I realised how long the wait would be for book 3 - basically a year! I'll probably wait and get it as a complete trilogy.

Oh bless P with his sexiphant. @TheHungryHungryLandsharks should be working on commission for these humping dog "companions" 😂

Does P jump up to nick stuff off your kitchen tops or can he reach just by stretching on tiptoes? He does look quite leggy now, he's definitely looking more adolescent than puppy.

@VanGoSunflowers 'Dancing'...do you think we'll fall for that? We know what he's up too! 😂He looks like he's having the time of his life though. Where does it live when he's not abusing it? That photo reminds me of just how much Twatdog has grown tbh - his elephant (the first one...) used to be bigger than him.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I could do with the commission! Although I am not sure how the day job would feel about me moonlighting as a doggy sex toy advocate!

Ah I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it! When it was still a FF I enjoyed it, but I did skip quite a bit...but I do with a lot of books. It takes a rare gem for me to really read the whole thing - like you, I have to really click with and identify with a character.

I haven’t got a weather station either.

i’m a bit late to the Alchemist party. Who’s the author?

It's this @Silverbirchleaf , beautiful book and a bargain on Amazon at the moment. Started out as a Harry Potter fanfic called Manacled but now a book in its own right.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alchemised-SenLinYu/dp/0241714338

I have never even heard of a weather station before!! Do I need one?!

It’s been grim here today too. We’re forecast lots of sleet overnight but hopefully no snow because I hate it. I got a Facebook notification that Vinny enjoyed his first snow a year ago today. I am having flashbacks to earlier this year where our street was solid ice for 2 weeks straight and I couldn’t walk V properly for ages.

@SpanielsGalore I hope the local vet can help and you don’t have to do that long trip. Poor girl 😢

We’ve been for our monthly physio today and V’s back leg isn’t any better. She said he’s very stiff and I have noticed recently I can feel his joint ‘twang’ sometimes so it must be where it’s coming out of place. I’ve been really careful with him too and hadn’t had him off lead at all for a couple of weeks and then only for a very short period of time (less than 10 mins) to do some training, apart from that one time he decided to leg it around the woods 😒

We’re back on strict on-lead walking only and he’s booked in for 2 weeks time (she wanted to see him again next week but I can’t do the only time she has free) to re-assess. She did say it might be the change in weather which is affecting him as the cold can do that. Although he’s spent all day today laid as physically close to the fire as possible 😄 The physio suggested getting one of those microwavable wheat bags to lay on his back end but he’d definitely just try and eat it.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks haha, that’s what I have told DS he is doing with it and luckily he is young enough to believe me 😂 it’s just out in the living room at the moment because he doesn’t tend to go to it all that often - every few days and a few minutes when he does - but I imagine he will get the urge more and more as he gets older? And that’s when I should probably remove it from him! It’s much bigger than the last one, when I bought the last one it was the same size as him but he’s outgrown that one now 😂

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I am glad it’s not just me! I think that’s why it took a while to get in to Alchemised, the author is straight in to the main protagonist suffering and I needed to connect with her first. Whereas with six of crows, the initial chapters showed the characters quirks in a really clever ‘in your face’ type of way, so by the time they hit real challenges, you were rooting for them if that makes sense. I have loads of DNFs!

@Silverbirchleaf not sure if you’re a HP fan or not, but if you didn’t know Alchemised stated as a fanfic, you’d never know by reading it.

@YorkshireFelix & @SpanielsGalore hope all improves with your respective pups

@Silverbirchleaf as VanGo said, it was a HP fanfic (which was where I read it originally - years ago - because I am a nerd 🤓). I've not read the actual published version yet but the fanfic version was really good. I think at one point it was the second most popular fanfic on the main site...

@VanGoSunflowers hard to know if he'll keep wanting to do it as he gets older! Twatdog does, but for him it's definitely a 'I'm over stimulated and need something to exhaust me' type thing. He sits in front of the box it lives it, I give him10/15 minutes with it, he rips a hole in it (the arm-pit is a particular weak spot) and then he returns it looking pleased.

@YorkshireFelix so sorry Vinny still isn't feeling any better and is a bit stiff. Is there nothing operation wise they could do? Or is it one of those things that would be just too insanely expensive and no guarantee of working?

Okay, now that @YorkshireFelix @Silverbirchleaf and @VanGoSunflowers have confirmed they do not have weather stations I feel a bit less like I was being thick 😁

I finally got around to writing my own Christmas list last night... dog walking coat (lightweight), new dog walking leggings, Miss Sparrow socks, trainers etc. It looked so boring written down and looks even worse in the daylight 😂

I’m not actually a big HP fan, so will I still enjoy it. I do like the films when I watch them, but am not even sure I’ve seen them all, and have never read the books. We did go to the HP exhibition at Leavesden , Watford, but that’s partly because my dh used to know the site when it was a Rolls Royce factory site (helicopter engines, not cars).

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I thought, why are you wearing Miss Sparrow’s socks? Who is Miss Sparrow, then realised they’re a brand.

I think you're spot on here @VanGoSunflowers I always get along better with books that are character driven - like Six of Crows, that diverse group of people around the complex, flawed human that is Kaz. And if you read the other Grishaverse books you'll meet Nikolai, my favourite male lead in any book ever. It's also why I loved the Throne of Glass series, that female MC is so strong from the start.
Alchemised has a similar feel to Olivie Blake's Atlas Six trilogy, it has a very complex magical system, is very wordy/literary, but the characters just don't jump off the page for me. It left me cold. Maybe the subtlety is lost on me, I'm very childlike, with a love of fairy tales (such as The Winternight Trilogy), so perhaps Alchemised is too adult for my tastes.

@Silverbirchleaf It bears no resemblance to Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. It's a very heavy, dark, adult book. I quite liked HP (apart from all the Quidditch stuff, that got on my nerves), but I'm a fantasy nerd and Alchemised is a different genre. It's more urban/dystopian than sword and sorcery.

Everyone needs a weather station. How else do you know if it's worth hanging the washing out? 😂

@YorkshireFelix So sorry to hear about V's leg. I'd ask if you think it's getting to the stage of needing operating on, but that hasn't resolved P's issues. Although hers was a level 3, so we didn't have a choice. It's thoroughly depressing. I hope the physio can help him.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I've asked for scented candles and incense sticks. I bloody hate scented candles, but after ten days of us all camping out in the living room 24/7, the room smelt very doggy.

Foul weather here this morning. It's been very windy all night and now it's lashing it down. Very tempted to buy another coat in the next size up, so I'm fully covered. It annoys me that my current one rides up in the wind and my knees get wet. Question is, do I get another pink one or go for purple or light blue? 🤔

Last day of Taper man today. He's going to paint the ceiling too for an extra £50. I thought that was a bargain. The paint would cost me about £20.

@VanGoSunflowers Meant to say, Pablo looks huge! Is he fully grown now? I think cockers stop growing in height around 7 months, but I know nothing about other breeds.

Ah @YorkshireFelix , sorry things are not great with Vinny's leg. Interesting that your physio mentions the weather potentially affecting him and that he likes being warm. Clearly that's going to be an important factor for you in the coming weeks. I know you're surrounded by moorland, as we are, and at the back of us it's all snow covered this morning.

@VanGoSunflowers Not all adult males are humpy. Ours never were so we never had the need to give them a "dance partner". It could just be an age thing with P or it might become a bigger need, there's no way to know. But M,F & A were all entire and not humpers in adulthood, although N & R (both female) used to go at it with sofa cushions sometimes 🙄

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks It's just occurred to me that I don't even have a Christmas list 😮 We have just ordered a stack of DVDs though. For the curious, that would be Downton/Versailles/War & Peace/Seven Kings Must Die.
But I do want some slippersocks and waterproof overtrousers, so I shall start a list.

I recently read something scary about scented candles not being safe for dogs with epilepsy @SpanielsGalore 😧 Sure my house must stink with big wet dog and cat litter tray, but we have to be completely scent free because of my migraines. I even have to ask visitors not to wear fragrance 😬

Go for sludgy green in the coat. Or black. You know you want to! Can't go wrong with a bit of grunge 😉

As regards growth - smaller breeds reach full size much earlier. Even so, we thought this one was done at 6/7 months but nope, massive growth spurt at 9-12. Pablo is probably not quite full height just yet...

Are you going to share a photo of your newly decorated kitchen to make us all envious? Mine is very 1980s 😝 all needs ripping out but we keep thinking we'll move to Scotland.

I’m late to the party @YorkshireFelix but does Vinny do any hydro therapy or would that not be appropriate?

Sleet here this morning. No more than a nose out the door.

No Christmas list and I’m more crime thriller than fantasy. Although I just gave a Lynda LaPlante a go and it irritated me, but I’d got too far in to give up.

Thanks all for the well wishes! Funnily enough @BackToLurk our physio has taken on some new premises which open next month and she’ll be able to do hydrotherapy sessions. She mentioned earlier in the year that he might benefit from them so I’m going to ask about it when we next see her.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Yes snow on the tops here too! We are down quite low in the village but get a clear view up to the moor from here and I noticed on our walk just now that it looked quite snowy up there. Seen loads of cars with snow on too. It’s freezing today but going to be even colder tomorrow. V stole my gloves before we were about to leave and they were all slobbery so I had to go gloveless 😄

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks@SpanielsGalore When he was diagnosed at the start of the year she said it was only grade 1 and she thinks it is manageable with his monthly sessions, plus any additional sessions if needed. He gets laser and then some exercises, and I do some exercises at home with him too. I think as long as I keep on managing his exercise levels as well we should be able to keep on top of it, but I am worried about it getting worse (which it seems to be right now). The physio has a sprocker with patella luxation which sounds a bit further along than Vinny’s and she manages it really well with taking lots of rest days etc. She did say there’s a fine balance between resting them enough but also doing enough exercise to keep the muscle built up to support his joint. So hopefully with all of that we will be ok in the long run but I am worried about surgery further down the line. I was going to speak to her about joint supplements too as she said they are worth taking, so hopefully can get some recommendations for decent ones.

@YorkshireFelix Do luxating patellas get worse over time? I assumed since it was a birth/genetic thing that they were born with it at the level it is. IYSWIM
P's right knee popped out all the time and you could see her do a hop, skip and flick her leg out to the side to pop it back into place as she ran.
Her problem now is thickened ligaments. And because she hasn't been fully weight bearing for two months, her left leg and hip are now paying the price. She has less movement in her left hip than she does her right.

But waffle aside 🙈, I have an appointment on Friday evening with a sports dog nutritionist so I'll let you know what supplements she recommends. I know she recommends Antinol but it is quite pricey.

@SpanielsGalore I thought the same but I was reading up on it recently and it can advance through the grades. I think mostly when it is untreated it can progress because the patella keeps rubbing against the cartilage in the knee and cause more damage. So if it’s managed correctly it shouldn’t advance any more, or at a minimal rate at least.

Poor P, I really feel for you and her! Our physio explained that they over compensate on the ‘better’ leg to account for the issues in the bad leg so it can cause problems elsewhere too, which is how we found out about the patella in his left leg because he kept limping on his right. I do wonder if I should contact his breeder and let him know but there’s not really much we can do about it now. He works locally so if I bump into him I’ll mention it. I hope your appointment goes well 🤞🏻 I’ve not heard of Antinol so will look it up. I’ve seen a few people recommend YuMove on the FB spaniel groups but I’m not sure if it’s just good marketing rather than a good product.

I too do not have a weather station but the fancy thermostat in the snug says it is a whopping 11.1 degrees. Think I might have to stop being tight and put the heating on. Pupsy doesn't seem to have noticed but it is absolutely Baltic inside.

Went to Oxford yesterday to do a talk about my book and get some help from clever people on my difficult next one which was excellent and rather pleasing to have a day off dog walking and wear some nice clothes for a change.

@YorkshireFelix That's interesting. Must admit I haven't done much research since P was diagnosed. Just looked into the different levels at the time and assumed the operation would resolve the problem.

From what I've read, YuMove is entry level supplement and you progress to the better more expensive ones. But the vet said any supplement is better than none.

I told P's breeder, but he wasn't overly interested TBH. I think he thought I was blaming him, so he was quite defensive. Said he'd never had any problems before or with any of the other puppies from P's Mum. Her sire is a well known FC, who was exported to America, so if it has come from his side it's a well spread problem.
I asked the vet if you could tell at 8 weeks so I could get K checked out when I bought her, but they said no so it's a gamble. I think they have developed a test for it now, but not sure how many breeders are taking it up.

@brushingboots We’ve had the central heating AND the fire going for the past 2 days so it’s roasting in here. We don’t have a thermostat but I’m sure if we did we’d be on 100000 degrees Celsius!!

I always feel so dressed up and fancy if I have to wear ‘normal’ clothes. Even if it’s just a pair of jeans instead of dog walking leggings!

@SpanielsGalore yeah I don’t think he would be that interested either. V was the only one from his litter who went to a non-working home so I’d be interested to know if any of the others have issues!

@YorkshireFelix Yesterday, I wore tights! And a dress! And went to a university library! It was like I had de-aged ten years. Pupsy boshed me in the face though on Monday evening so I have a bit of a black eye. Had to tell everyone I met yesterday that it was her and not a more malevolent force.

I long for a fire – it's on the endless to do list which I may or may not ever get round to so I am as they say, well jel.