Rocking Your World 2016; Week 31

Well it has been a mixed week here, but I shall still start with a smile.

During July and August, lots of folk here talk about "going home", and usually they mean returning to UK to escape the hottest months, and visit family and friends. So when I saw this on Facebook today, it did make me smile.

If only it was that easy!!

Now I am going to get my sad news out of the way first, because although this is primarily a very positive blog, and I link it to two very positive sites where we are encouraged to think about what has made us smile, and lifted our spirits, occasionally life throws us a curved ball that we can't just ignore. And this blog was originally, and still is,  a news dairy to keep my family in UK up to date with what I am doing, so this had to be included. 

You have all met our black dog Miki, who I usually describe as a bit 'dopey'. My grandchildren called her Licki-Miki because she would lick you to death just saying 'Hello'. Here she is sleeping with Tango, and looking her usual contented self.

However, last weekend something happened in her mind and she suddenly became very agressive, especially towards our smaller dog, Foxy. It took us by surprise, and in his attempt to separate them, Chris was bitten and knocked off balance. Within hours it became apparent that the two dogs could not be kept together, and poor Foxy was confined to the sitting room where she hid under the table. Miki did not attack Kim, we think because he is a male, and considerable larger than her, but she continued to watch all of us with a wild look in  her eyes. 

Some friends took Foxy to their house for a few days while we waited to see what would happen. But our vet, who is lovely, recommended that we have Miki put to sleep. She could find no physical reason for her change in temperament,  but said she had seen it before in other dogs, and it was probably a latent problem in her brain, though none of us know what triggered it. She said we would never be able to really trust her again, and after some soul searching we knew she was right, so on Tuesday evening, we took her down to the surgery and said our last 'Good-bye'.

It was very sad, and we really miss her, but for the safety of ourselves and the other dogs, we know it was the right decision.

Foxy stayed away for another day and it was really strange to take our early morning walk with just Kim in tow, but Chris took his lead and I followed just behind with my camera, because this is not something I can usually do, as I have the other two on separate leads so my hands are full. Kim was quite happy to trot along and keep an eye open for rabbits. We often see them in the mornings.

Here are a couple of other photos I took. This is a phenomena that always amazes me. As soon as the hot weather arrives, one area is swarmed with white snails. They attach themselves to anything and everything, including one another, and they seal them selves in and stay there until the first rain of the Autumn.

When it rains, they will all wake up and disappear as quickly as they came. The heat is intense on that open land. I don't know how they survive.

Another thing I wanted to take a photo of, is these pretty pinky-mauve flowers. Up at the top of the village, the road runs along, and above the rambla, (dry river bed), and there is a long stretch of iron railings which for a couple of months, is covered in these climbing plants. 

They are very similar to our common bind-weed, with slightly larger flowers, but their leaves are a tiny version of the leaves of a morning glory, which, of course, has a similar flower, only deep blue. The morning glory is cultivated in gardens around the village, and this is 'just a weed', but I think it is equally beautiful, and would happily have it growing up my garden fence.

It has been very hot this week, though there has been some breeze to relieve it. We have made good use of our little pool, and some days we don't even bother to get changed after a swim, as we know we will be in there again later. So it was that I found myself sitting out in my swim-suit, under the shade of a large parasol, drinking hot tea which is far more refreshing than any cold drink in my book, and crocheting a thick Winter blanket. How odd is that?!

Well spotted if you noticed that the blanket I am working on is my Frida's Flowers. I thought it was time I got it finished, so I spent two afternoons crocheting the border. And here it is, all finished.

The corners are a bit curled as  haven't blocked it yet, but I am very pleased with it. It is by far the most complex pattern I have followed, but it was worth it, and I learned a lot along the way. So now that one can be packed away, and I can get on with some my other projects.

Chris likes to sit out on the porch all evening, but the light isn't good enough for me to do some of the things I like to keep busy with, so I usually do something down in my room first, and go out for an hour or so before bed.

One of the things I managed to do was clear my two desks which were knee deep in paper and other bits and pieces.  I started with my computer desk which is now considerably cleaner, and the shelf at the side is mended and back in place. I found some papers I had lost, and threw away a lot I no longer needed.

Then I turned my attention to my craft desk. At the end of a project there are always a lot of paper off-cuts, plus boxes of buttons, ribbons, dies etc, and I am lazy about putting them away. So I had a really good clear-up and suddenly I have room to start again!!

And the first thing I did was to make some soon-needed cards, and then I did two more pages of my Scrapbook of our holiday in Ireland (four years ago!!). So here are two layouts of our day trip to Baltimore, and then Kinsale where we stopped off for a break on our way to Cork.

Foxy is now back home with us. She was very pleased to see us again, and she and Kim have settled down together, and don't appear to be missing their big sister as much as we are.

And finally here are two lovely sky pictures that I took on my way home from choir practice on Wednesday evening. It was like a very bright yellow light in my mirrors as I drove home, and I was glad it was behind me and not shining in my face. There is a lay-by for decanso(rest) on the road down from Albox, and I pulled in there to take these pictures because I knew it would be gone by the time I got home. I only had the camera on my phone, but they came out really well.

And now I must link up with Annie's Friday Smiles, and Rocking Your World on Virginia's blog, and then I shall go and join Chris on the porch, and listen to my water feature splashing down, and maybe have a late night dip.