Sky Watch Friday - Prairieland, English Style!

Photo opportunities were slim while I was away; as busy, busy, busy but snatched this one from my locality...Skies always seem extra big when the farmland is flat, and England has such an area that can even rival the Prairies of Canada!

Saturday Photo Hunt - Bulky!

This week's prompt from host tnchick, in light of the cold, immediately conjured up images of bulky Winter attire.

So I delved into the Photo Archives, for this odd shot of my snow boots...

I really could do with them right now, but they're out on the farm in Saskatchewan, CA!

Happy Birthday Twins!

Last Wednesday, I recognised my Prairieland Cousin Lucy-Lu's 92nd Birthday!

She is my late Fathers first cousin, so is my second cousin!!!

Today is her twin grandchildren Birdling & Peterpan's Birthday.

That makes them, my - 4 times removed/generation cousins!!!

The family connection is now getting pretty thin, especially as the Atlantic Ocean separates us.

Miss Birdling, is a talented, creative theatre costume designer based in Toronto...

Master Peterpan, a travel loving 'happy go lucky' chef, now in Vancouver for the Winter Olympic Games of 2010, who will rustle up breakfast for a roof over his head & boy, are the ones he does good...

I wish you both well.

Love & Birthday Greetings Birdling & Peterpan!

Wordless Wednesday - Happy 92nd Birthday to Prairieland Cousin Lucy-Lu!

Camera Critters Sunday - Bunny Ears!

Easter, two years ago, found me out on the farm in Prairieland, Canada.
Cousin, Headmistress bought bunny ears.
I, subsequently, tormented the late Wellingson & dear dizzy Daisy!

"A dog can express more with her eyes in minutes,
than her owner can with her tongue in hours"
Author Unknown

Boy, can you clearly see she, was NOT impressed...Camers Critters is Misty Dawn's pup.
The blog is HERE!

Good-bye Hoppy!

Late this afternoon, I received news, news that was in inevitably.

But, never the less deeply sad.

My small family, distant in blood line & due to location, revolves around the Canadian contingent.

Today it grew smaller, as a phonecall from my cousin Headmistress, told of the loss of her father Peter, known affectionately as Hoppy.

He would have been 95 on the 6th April this year, was married to my Fathers first cousin Lucy-Lu, they would have celebrated their 67th Wedding Anniversary this May.

This is his story, as I know it...

The above poor flash snapshot, of a photograph, shows the dashing career Officer in the Czechoslovakian Free Army Officer, Hoppy, who came to England, @ the beginning of World War II.
He was assigned to a specialist unit, being trained to parachute into Germany, on an assassination mission.

Fortunately for him, during a practice free-fall, he landed badly & broke his ankle, so was unable to participate in the drop.

The operation failed and all his colleagues were captured & killed.
Convalescing, he fell again but this time in love with English rose Lucy-Lu who was nursing in Dreamingspires.

Language was no boundary, they married in 1942...

After the end of the war, he & his bride returned to Czechoslovakia, where he resumed his professional military career.

But, they were forced to flee from the Communists, back to the UK, leaving every thing they owned.

Eventually, in the Fifties, along with their two young children, they immigrated to Canada & set up home in Quebec, which is how my only remaining family is so far away.

Daughter, Headmistress subsequently married Sir.

And, when they decided to farm in Saskatchewan, Lucy-Lu & Hoppy moved out from eastern Canada to the Prairies to help.

I caught up with my family there, in the early 1980 & visited regularly, found a kind father figure in Hoppy, so missing in my own world.

He enjoyed life on the farm & had a great affinity with animals especially dogs.
Hoppy, his son-in-law Sir, a notorious renamer, bestowed this nick-name on him after he broke his ankle for a second time, it stuck; found the rigors of old age, very infuriating.

Although, he had remarkably good physical health right up to the end, his eyesight & hearing became negligible, this was a terrible blow to a man who was once a highly educated, intellectual, able to read, write & speak fluently in six European languages!

He is now nolonger trapped in his own private world, but ours will be a poorer place without him!

I will remember him fondly as a sweet, loving man.

Camera Critters Sunday - A Farewell to Wellington!

Yesterday, an early morning phonecall, woke me with extremely sad news - it brought tears to my eyes.
One of my favourite dogs, had gone to the Rainbow Bridge!
Wellington was my cousin, Headmistress's beloved, spoilt loveable funny fur-kid...Regrettably, aged 10, he had developed Bone Cancer in one of his front paws - ironically Headmistress also has this Cancer, now thankfully in remission.
As puppy Wellington had arrived as a source of comfort to her when she was first diagnosed with the disease, the bond between them was particularly strong.
Anyway, the poor boy, had been suffering a lot of pain for a while now and as he was considered too elderly & too heavier a breed for amputation, he went to sleep peacefully on Friday.

I have very fond memories of him, from my time spent out in Praireland, Canada!
This highly hyper, Old English Sheepdog, affectionately called Wellie, unlike his OES predecessor Cromwell - an independent fellow; was a sensitive boy & his mistress's devoted shadow!
He was quite a character, highly intelligent, truly eccentric & very English in his habits.
For one thing, he loved his tea with a passion & has a twice daily fix.
After one taste in puppyhood, he demanded it.
Every morning, Wellie, would wait, initially patiently, by your side while you drink, then, if you took too long, the pawing paw would come up.
And, one never, ever put ones cup or mug down for one second & looked away!
Having me out on the farm, was a welcome bonus - meant extra tea rations.
So, having had his mistress's offering, he'd turn his attention to me.
But, as I always like more than one cuppa; he'd get frustrated - his face would be in my lap & he'd whinge, till I finally handed over my drink.
The same routine followed in the afternoon.
He turned his nose up @ Coffee & although, he liked Milk in his tea he wasn't that keen on it, on its own.
His other breakfast favourite was Porridge!
He preferred it with brown sugar & cream but would eat it plain or with syrup!
He'd, drawl painfully in anticipation @ sharing our bowels.
Ice-cream had the same effect too - there was nothing he liked more, than licking out the tub...Easter '07, I upset him with Bunny Ears - had to chase him upstairs to get this shot...But, I redeemed myself later, by taking him & sister Daisy out for long walks across the frozen Saskatchewan wheat stubble.
They loved to race & play together...With the severely cold Prairie Winters, his thick coat was much needed, but farm living, gluttonous mud when the thaw set in & the fact he wouldn't be home groomed, meant that he frequently became a shaggy, tangled couch-potato....That was very much the case on my last visit.
So, off went Wellie to the Dog Groomers.
No correction - Wellington, went to the Barbers!
The previously very hairy, matted dog was to become no more.
Despite much 'snappy protesting' on his part, he had a serious 'short back & sides.'
Upon his return, he was barely recognisable as the same dog, let alone an Old English Sheepdog.
The 'Before' and 'After' look...

The poor boy, was totally embarrassed by his new clean cut.
For hours after returning to the farm, he kept whimpering & seeking reassurance; going to each of us in turn, as if to plaintively ask "Do you still love me looking like this?"
Naturally, as soon as he was sheared, the unpredictable Prairie Spring weather turned bright but bitterly cool again; quivering with cold, Wellie was an even more pathetic sight.
We turned his doggy blanket into a make-shit jacket.
I don't think he was that impressed...But, to finish, on a happier note - here he is enjoying a word with Daisy on a warmer day, she will miss him greatly...And, this is how I will always remember him...
I know both Headmistress & Sir are heartbroken, I feel deeply for them as life on the farm just won't be the same without him - he will be much missed.
Run free Wellington, may you meet up my Hero & friend Oscar!

Camera Critters is Misty Dawn's meme - the blog is HERE!

Falls Run in the Family!

Firstly, I want to say a heartfelt THANK -YOU, to all who left me kind caring comments re my latest mishap!
Yes, I'm a clumsy, accident prone klutz - that's me, have been since birth.
I sometimes marvel with my appalling sense of balance, how I ever learnt to walk!!!
My sense of falling head over heals is now so great, my biggest dread is braking an ankle or leg, because wonder if I would I ever get my back on my feet!!!
LOL!
But, as friend Dragonstar commented, maybe my 'firework' drugs for Osteoporosis did help me this fall.
For those who wonder, @ my odd description of my meds; they contain Strontium, which is naturally found in Celestite - I have a piece in my crystal collection...But, it is also present in radio-active fall out & used in pyrotechnics and in the production of flares - produces the red colouration in both, hence my name for the drugs I take!

Now, anyone who has followed /read my blogs for any length of time knows I lack family.
The only remaining bit I have is in Prairieland, Canada.
We seem to share the same accident prone genes - all on my Fathers side, I'll add!
My older cousin, Lucy-Lu, now 91 has fallen & tripped her way through life.
We have joked, she had her nose in the air too much to look where she was going, but fall she has frequently with a variety of breaks!
As I've already said I've been clumsy & top heavy from birth too!
Due to early mis-adventurous climbing, fell out often from my cot & pushchair!
Then, the school playgrounds hard tarmac & I became all too frequently acquainted as I fell with alarming regularity on my head & knees!
Teenage years saw more disasters, re me trying to ride a bike, roller & ice skate - all painful bruising failures with cracked bones & sprains.
My saga of minor & not so accidents has continued on to this day.
But, my other Prairieland Cousin, Headmistress, who is my generation has fared much worse recently.
Several years back, she severely broke her ankle stepping over dogs, but was soon chasing after them again!
Then, eighteen months ago she broke her hip - it just snapped beneath her - no fall!
She doesn't have Osteoporosis unlike me, but Bone Cancer, considered to be in recession.
However, being as she calls herself, a "Tough Old Bird" she was back on her feet & touring the Hawaiian Islands with husband Sir & son Peterpan the following December.
But, fate dealt her another MEAN blow this year - sorry last year, when just before Christmas she broke her other hip!
Like last time - no fall, no slip, no trip, Headmistress's bones just snapped again.
Between the Holidays & her coming out of hospital, it was mooted that I should head out to the frozen wastes of Saskatchewan to act as companion, helper, house-keeper etc during her convalescence, but nothing was settled between us.
What a blessing now that no one invested in my Air Fare!
Sorry Cousin - I'm not the tough nurse you need...But, I'm confident that being your resilient self, you will beat this without my help.

Art work - a watercolour by Peg Lattinville 2003, .

True Colours Thursday, Take 2 - Seasonal Blues!

As this is MY meme I can play twice - LOL!

In town this morning, I spied this delightful BLUE tree, with reflection, in a stores window in the High.

It seemed right to post it today...And, seeing it, jogged my memory - I'd overlooked another appropriate seasonal photo, taken whilst visiting 'The Winter Wonderland' @ Notcutts Garden Centre, in Kent...

I would love a BLUE & silver Christmas theme, but nostalgia prevents me - too many, old much loved decorations!

All this, in turn; reminded me that it's nearly time to get my very special BLUE Christmas jumper out of the closet.

This 'creation' was given to me as a gift by Little Buddy's Mother, the year I spent the holiday in Prairieland, Canada...You either LOVE it or HATE it!

Now in truth, I would never have chosen it myself, but do enjoy wearing it because it is so novel.

And, I will defend it to the hilt, against any, who disparagingly ask, as it's so bright & pearly,"Do the Snowmen's nose light up too?"

That comment from so called friends, went down in the channels of my memory as a dark BLUE mark against them!

However, my favourite Winter Sweater is this cosy wool one - love the Fair Isle detail.

It was a charity shop find...If, anyone else has 'Seasonal' BLUE thoughts, do feel free to post again!