Laura Seabrook's Ramblings

Brook next door asked me if she could have the end of a runner on one of my trees.

The runner's for Ebby, who likes to escape in various ways. She used to did under my fence but they electrified it (from a battery)  and that stopped that. Then she started to dig underneath the fence on the other side. Two dogs in there and she likes to play with them, but really it's not the sort  of thing to encourage. So Brook bought a proper runner and wanted to know if it would be OK to screw one end into a tree on my property (the Gum tree near the fence). I didn't mind actually because I understand the problem - had to put Pegasus on a runner until he grew out of it. I offered to go next door and help and she took me up on the offer.

As it transpired, the cable was too short to go between their tree and the Gum. It's supposed to be at least 1.5m above the ground so that the lead (on a pulley won't get snagged.  Plan B was to dig a hole and plant a post  to attach it to. WE both started digging but it's tough soil to dig, and there were major roots from the Gum. I brought over my small mattock and "spud holer" and we got to a depth of maybe 40-50 cm. But it was more complicated than that. Ebby had to be put on a chain because she was all over us like a rash, wanting to play. The kids came up to have a look and help and Brook had to bring Zoe up in the pram as well. Then Bobbie started howling back in my yard. He'd been asleep when I went next door and wanted me back.

Instead I brought him next door, where he amused the kids and sniffed around and barked back at Ebby. Very hard to have a conversation when two dogs are barking and the kids want to say stuff and so on. As it was, we got the post in and packed the soil around it with stones. We were starting to lose the light so it was decided to leave the rest until tomorrow morning. Brook's husband Tim is working up in Darwin  and I was glad to help. Tomorrow we'll get a strap around the post and around the Gum, so it'll be pretty secure before we get the cable up.

Brook was telling me about a "Protein Diet". Might be worth a try sometime.

• Earlier in the week I applied for a new dog with a rescue pet group. I know that someone else did (a family) and the big issue when Jerry came out was fighting fleas in the house, and making the fences dog proof (Bobby mostly doesn't bother). But I know that I'll hear nothing for a while. Why another dog? Bobby won't last forever and a younger dog would be good company for him. Also, when all said an done I am lonely here, and having pets on the whole alleviates that.
  
  But the waiting's been getting to me.


• I have been so frustrated with the lack of progress on the graphic novel. I've chosen to do the story framework via Second Life and it feels right to do so. But Everything on the sets needs to be "right" before I shoot anything. And I spent some time tracking down the right bits of furniture and emphemera and props for that. But I bought a whole slew in bulk via the SL Market place, and only afterwards logged in to have them delivered. Out of the 80 items I bought (using Linden dollars, the in-world currency) about 12 turned up. I'm missing the rest even though I've paid about $L 460 for them (about $US 1.86 in the real world). The cost isn't the point. The annoying thing is that to remedy this I have to contact the vendors for each of those items and request a re-delivery!

That means I can't effectively do the shoots until that's all done, which mostly means I'm getting further and further behind with it all.

All came to a head yesterday. I feel the loneliness and sadness extremely, and  was very very angry with myself. Today, I've already got the housework done for the day and plan on working through that list of undelivered stuff. I'll automate it as much as possible and probably only use a text browser (rather than a fully fledged viewer). And then it will be done. And tomorrow, regardless, I might just put some "place marker" pages up on the website and replace them when I get all that done, and in the meantime draw the first chapter.

As I so often say, we'll see.

Tucker was on my bed again this morning.

I put him gently back in next door's yard (over the fence) before walking Bobby. He was still there when we got back but people were up and about there. It seems he got into my place between 5am and 6:14aqm, because that's when they got up and showered, getting ready for a funeral today. I've plugged up a couple of gaps I found, so that might hold for a bit.

The bigger issue is that I won't have a side fence for about three days after Daryl and I dismantle it, in preparation for the new colorbond fence to be installed next Thursday. I'm going to block off the rear of my house, and use the side gate that Kevin and I constructed to keep the pups in (it failed, but they were big dogs). That should keep Bobby in, but if Tucker gets in to the rest of my yard he may decide to go for a wander instead.

Pets!

It was cold this morning and I stayed in bed an extra 50 minutes watching dopey news shows just to stay warm.

 When Bobby and I got away for a walk it was much later than usual. This morning I discovered that someone had ripped the middle barrier out from the footbridge across the creek in Barnsley It had three baffles that extended out from the railings on alternate sides so that you couldn't easily ride a bike across it. Ripping out the middle one meant that there was a gap on one side.

The other thing that happened was that just before Bobby and I got back home a dog came racing out from #42 (which had a gate left open) and started to attack Bobby. he got out of his collar and raced home before there was any damage, and I chased the dog back in it's yard. I expect that they just forgot to close the gates when they went out (big double ones for teh car) but Bobby was bitten by a roaming dog a couple of years ago in this street, and he did not forget!

Shortly afterwards I phoned the local council about both of these. We'll see what happens.

I thought that I'd take photos of the all the dogs before most of them move out with Kevin and Michelle. Stripe and Bella have caused me a bit of grief and stress over the last 9 months, but it's hard not to have any affection for them. All dogs can be cute when they're inactive. Even so, I will be relieved when they go, even though I will miss Hallie. 

Hallie is Kevin's dog. He originally got her from people on the other side of barnsley who were moving out, back in 2007. She was a good companion for Pegasus, my old dog, and is mother to Stripe and Bella. There were six other pups as wel in that litter. She was de-sexed only last December.

This is Hallie's "Anchor" . Hallie was quite capable of jumping any fence without it, but with it attached to her collar she was prevented from doing so. It consists of two dog leads knotted together - one end is attached to a pot plant base, and the other to a spring clip. The clip would attach it to the collar, and the base would act as an obstruction. The original version had a steering wheel cover over the rim of the base to prevent damage to furniture and feet. Other versions had a swivel joint at the base, so that the leads wouldn't twist around.

Bella is Hallies daughter. She tends to be the quieter of the two offspring , and the smaller of the two. She was de-sexed last December.

Stripe takes after his father George, who is a big Boxer. Stripe gets into mischeif a bit, and at the time this photo was taken is still not de-sexed.

Hallie and Stripe mugging it up for the camera. In the background you can see Bobby trying to decide if he should join in.