I'm well aware that it's over a week since my last Journal entry. The problem was that, as each day slipped past, I became less and less inclined to wander upstairs and settle in front of my Mac.
However, I can no longer use that pathetic excuse, as in the past week we have purchased a MacBook Air. The flimsy justification for this purchase was that I needed a decent laptop for an upcoming presentation. I think the truth is that 30% does like to splurge the cash occasionally, and her aged HP is well past its sell-by-date.
So here I sit with a rather lovely machine on my lap, whilst the TV witters on in the background.
So here is my attempt at summarising the news from the past week.
Let's start with TP. Last week was TP's first week in his new job as an Acoustic Consultant. It is his first salaried position after spending several years as a freelance Sound Engineer. He had become disenamoured with the nature of the work, and was keen to explore career options. He seems really excited and motivated by the new job and is looking forward to acquiring new qualifications. He is also quite keen on paid holidays and membership of a private health scheme.
We are both really proud of how he has applied himself to making changes to his career and wish him great success in the new job.
Next I will touch on the honey business. Sales seem to have gone a little crazy recently. I bottled twenty jars on the 9th of March and all of them had been sold by Sunday the 15th. As a result I was bottling another batch today, and will be soon be popping down the road to get another bucket from Pete.
This week's drama was provided by Hobson. Midway through last week I noticed that he had a touch of diarrhoea, but wasn't overly concerned. He seemed fine and wasn't subdued. It was a little unfortunate that he seemed fine, as we had popped in to the Vet's on Friday to get him weighed.*
Over the course of Friday night Hobson had clearly not been well and I awoke to both puke and crap on the floor. A good while was spent clearing up the mess and cleaning the carpets. Hobson seemed a little subdued, but was still keen to come for a walk later on in the morning. As we wandered homeward Hobson wandered onto the verge and arched his back. He then produced a stream of poo that contained a lot of blood and mucus.
As soon as we were back home a call was made to the Vets. They had closed for the weekend and a stressful hour was spent trying to make contact with their emergency out-of-hours service. We eventually gave up and made contact with an associated Practice listed on their website. We were soon on our way towards Shirley with a very poorly dog in the back of the car.
The Veterinary Practice in Shirley was VERY different to the little country practice that we normally use. It was gleaming walls, eighteen consultation rooms, 24 x 7 service and free refreshments for customers. Our normal Vet's has two consultation rooms and is tiny by comparison.
Anyway, the Vet we saw was lovely and decided that an anti-emetic injection, combined with canine paracetamol and a pro-biotic paste should sort him out.
I can report that he is now back to normal, but we were both incredibly worried for a couple of days. This was the first time that he has ever been ill and neither of us could bear the thought of loosing him.
So that covers the main events from the past week. I can also report that we have split and repotted a waterlily that grows in one of our rainwater tanks. It has lived in the tank for a couple of years, and we were both amazed when an arm-sized rhizome floated to the surface, having totally outgrown its original pot. It has now been divided in to four, and we are now waiting to see whether the fragments of rhizome start to shoot.
I have also collected lawnmower #5 from a chap in the village and 30% has kindly purchased a lovely little four wheeled trolley that is the perfect size for carry hive components to and from the orchard. It will be a boon when we need to take heavy supers off the hives.
I should also mention that I added a couple of packs of fondant to the hives at the weekend. I took a quick peek under the roofs on Saturday 14th, and two of the hives had emptied the previous packs. The bees are flying quite regularly now, but the spring flowers are still quite sparse, and the blossom is not yet out. I want them to have a reliable supply of food until they can rely on the local flora.
So that just about brings The Journal up to date. I'm sure I will have missed something ... Oh yes, 30% and I also had an appointment with a Solicitor on Tuesday to draw up our wills.
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* He now weighs 33.6 Kg, having lost 1.4 Kg since the beginning of February
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