It really started on the previous Monday. Hobie's rally that I mentioned last week didn't last beyond Saturday evening and, by Monday morning, he was in a very poor state. We decided to get him to the vet who gave him a thorough check-over, agreed that he was very uncomfortable and had an elevated temperature. This was the same vet who gave him the steroid injection that helped him so much before. It came as something of a surprise to us to learn that the injection was almost six months ago!
We discussed with the vet in great detail the options that were open to us. Basically, these consisted of another injection and reducing tablets, which could give him a few days' relief (although the risk of collateral damage to his internal organs had already been pointed out at the last visit), or more permanent relief.
It seemed to us that a few days' relief could leave him back where he then was, at a time when we couldn't get him to a vet and so, with a very heavy heart, we gave the answer that it turned out the vet was hoping for, that we should give him permanent release.
We both stayed with Hobie during the procedure which, as those who have been through it before will attest, is sad and upsetting, but not distressing. I like to think that the last thought to go through Hobie's mind was, "Thank God - the pain has stopped!"
That then, is the end of eleven and a half years sharing our lives with Hobie. He was said to be two and a half years old when he came to us, which means he had a life of fourteen years. Not bad for a labrador!
Our monthly transfer of cash from UK generally arrives on 21st and we can see it in the account on 22nd. Because of the timing of the weekend, it arrived this month on 23rd and we couldn't see it until 24th. That meant that Christmas Eve was our regular shopping day. Had it not arrived on 23rd we might have had an even leaner Christmas - as it is we are hoping against hope that the pound will rally before too long (it touched 1.038 this morning, which means our monthly transfer in January is likely to be at, or close to 1 - a far cry from the 1.46 we were enjoying a couple of years ago). Nonetheless, we did treat ourselves to a couple of small luxuries.
The weather forecast told us to expect a light sprinkling of snow on the afternoon of Christmas Day - it arrived on Boxing day and lasted for about an hour. Didn't really count.
On other matters, the work on the new web site for the Trust is continuing, and we are definitely set to go live on 1st January. Some of the articles from the Accipiter are being incorporated - Meadow Muses, Hospital Diary, Trust Diary and Research articles - and the on-line quiz was also asked for. I took the opportunity to update the quiz and, in case anyone wants to have a go, I have incorporated it here.
I think that's probably about it for this week. Carin will be with us from Holland for a few days from 31st, Tania is now in Peru for a couple of weeks adventure trek through montane cloud forest at altitudes of up to and beyond 14,000 feet. I should have so loved to have done that at her age - I think now, without a lot of serious preparation, my body would object to the altitude and to the trekking. We hope she enjoys the experience. It certainly started well - she texted me from her aircraft yesterday to say she and her friend had been upgraded to Business Class for the transatlantic flight!
Meanwhile, we have to start thinking about the garden for 2009.
Have a good week.
À la prochaine
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