Another 47.7 miles! And a new companion on the quest.

Wow!! I'll be beating Frodo to Mount doom at this rate (well, not really, but I'm certainly speeding up!) nearly 48 miles clocked up since my last update, it's a bit crazy!!

I have this lad to thank for my new burst of speed





This is Barney, our new lurcher. He's 5 years old, and we adopted him from GRWE Glos. GRWE are a charity that rescue greyhounds, other sighthounds, and their cross breeds from all over the UK and Ireland. Lots come as failed racers, but many come from pounds and other rescue organisations too. Dogs are carefully matched to prospective adopters, and there is always someone you can call for advice with any problems you might have.
Barney has been with us 2 weeks tomorrow, and he is settling in very well. He is clean inside already, and is learning the rules quickly. We hope to be able to take him to a training class soon. He's very good with all the dogs we've met out walking, so we think a mass training class will be good, not only to train him (cos he really does need it, he doesn't know any commands at all) but so he can mix with some other dogs and let loose a little bit. It's still early days though, and we don't want to rush him, it's been a big change for him, coming from a poachers can (they think) to a pound, shipped over from Ireland to kennels, then on to us, poor chap must be confused! He is showing us he likes being here more enthusiastically every day though, it's wonderful watching him come out of himself.

More on Barney another time, time for me to go to bed, more miles want to be walked tomorrow!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Long overdue Eowyn challenge update!

Wow! Since my last update, I have walked a whopping 60.7 miles!! I am shocked!

I have been actively trying to be more...active, lol, and it appears to have paid off! I have actually done more than thus, as I know of 2 quite active days I forgot to take my poke-walker with me, but I'm not going to estimate those, my own fault ;)

My total miles is now at 116!! I have left Tom Bombadil's house, after being rescued from the Barrow Wights, and am riding north on one of the ponies borrowed from Tom.

I must try to update more regularly again, but this has given me a big boost :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The big dog update!

And he is a big one!!

I've not mentioned doggies here before, as I've been trying hard not to get excited about it too much.

Chris and I have been thinking about getting a dog ever since I moved in. He has had a family dog for years, and I've always fancied one (which sounds bad I know, but I am a responsible pet owned human ;) ). I have loved Greyhounds ever since I became aware that you could have them as pets. I know it's very stupid of me, but I never thought about them as anything other than racing dogs, and imagined they'd make terrible pets. I am much better educated now though thankfully, so just over a week or so ago, we contacted a local Greyhound rescue.

Our home check went very well, Ozzie, the dog who owned our checker was a perfect gentleman, and made me realise just how tall these dogs are-I'll need to move my dolls, that's for sure!!

Home check sorted, we waited for a call to say they had a dog that might like us. It didn't take long, and today we went to meet Poppy-a 6year old lady greyhound.

She was lovely, but she had killed some cats, and as we already own 2 wonderful rabbits, we just couldn't risk it.

So then the lady said 'well, there is one more possible dog....'. So then we met 'Roy'. I put his name in quotations because, well, he doesn't really have a name. They got him from a pound after he was confiscated from suspected poachers, who denied he belonged to them. So a random name was picked for him. He doesn't know it, or answer to it, shoe could be renamed :D Anyway, that's boring, let me tell you more about him!

He's a lurcher, very tall, and heavier built than a greyhound, but still obviously grey related. Very handsome face- pointer-ish look to him. Beautiful markings, mostly white, with red brindle patches, and tiny spots through the white, rather like a spaniel. The coat is like a short haired Labrador coat, same texture and slight curl.
He is so affectionate! Both dogs were, but he was very obviously besotted with Chris ;) and while he was happy to go round getting fuss from everyone, he kept going back to Chris, and staying with him longest. The poor chap has had a urine infection, and so they've not been able to neuter him yet, but he is the calmest, most laid back lurcher I have ever seen!

I think you can guess that we rather like him, and so, very kindly (because of the rabbits mostly) they have said we can borrow him for the weekend for a trial. It's not something they usually allow, but Jan, the lady in charge suggested it as our circumstances are a little different having rabbits at home. He did apparently ignore a rabbit when out walking, when all the Greys went nuts, which is a good sign, but I'd imagine that he might be feeling rather rubbish with his urine infection (which is clearing, and should be much better by the weekend) and so might not have felt like a chase.

So there we are, we have gone from looking at (and being offered) a little, dainty greyhound girl, to very seriously considering a massive brute of a lurcher boy! Perhaps it's meant to be.....we'll see :D


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New gym record!

Managed 3 miles on the cross-trainer at the gym yesterday :D I've gotten faster too. I'm very proud of myself. I've not totalled up my pedometer steps since the last update yet (I'm not expecting it to be great) but I'll update with those, and my current location in Middle Earth soon :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More whining, feel free to ignore.

Everything is turning to crap. Not your standard type of crap, but the wet, runny kind of crap-the kind that really makes you feel, well, crap!!!

I am so stressed out at work, that I really want to leave. The Head of the Sciences dept is being a total asshole. He has terrible, awful problems at home, but he is allowing that to affect his work, and by extension, me. As the lab tech in chemistry, in a pretty small school, I'm pretty much a gopher as well as a tech. I'm expected to do work that most school techs wouldn't have time to do, even if they agreed to (which they wouldn't, techs are a funny breed ;) ) Because I have so much time on my hands (which of course I don't, cos it's filled with the other stuff!) HoS thinks it's ok to give short notice on practicals he wants. No. Not ok. EVER. Notice periods are set for a reason-to allow the tech to be able to properly manage her time so she can work safely, and because she can work safely, the risk to students is reduced (if I rush the preparation and make a mistake, it can be very dangerous for those using it). I am struggling to get anyone to support me in either telling him he needs to buck up, or in going above his head. Oh they all agree he needs to either sort himself out, or go home and let someone else do it, but publicly, no one wants to stand by me.

To add to this, I have my PCOS tests coming up. I haven't had my letter for my scan appointment, but as it had been over 3 weeks I phoned the hospital myself-it's in 2 weeks time. I can also have my blood tests done now. I am terrified. I should have phoned yesterday to get an appointment for the bloods, but I couldn't do it, I'm not sure I want to know anymore.

Then there's Chris's sisters baby. He announced this morning that they are coming round this weekend. Yup, this is the baby I don't want to see, it will be in my house (I say 'it' I know it's a girl, but that is literally all I do know, Chris hasn't offered any other info at all). I went mad! He knows I'm not coping with it (oddly, friends I feel close to I'm ok with having babies, I'm not all gushy-happy, but I'm ok), but he wants her husband to help him with his landrover or something (not sure, didn't listen to his excuses!) and she can't possibly stay home alone with the baby (like every other day when he's at work). I don't care, if that makes me look bad, tough, but I do not care if she wants to see her husband at the weekend, I don't care that Chris needs help, or that her husband might want some bits from the car they are breaking, I don't want them here, and I shouldn't have to be pushed out of my home. That's what will happen, I'll go out somewhere so she can be in my house. I'll come back and it'll stink of puke and nappies.

I need to escape from work, from home, and from my own failure of a body. I've not felt this bad for while.

I want out.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bad week.

Had a bad week, not felt like going to the gym at all, so only pedometer steps done since my last update. They do equate to 16.9 miles however, so not too shabby!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Another 21258 steps!

I need to think of some better titles for this!! I have done another 9.4 miles on my pedometer, and 2.5 miles in the gym yesterday, 11.9 miles, in just a few days!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone