AlTRPD

Thanks, Clair and Kazz for your good wishes. I'm feeling pretty positive about it all, though and just trying to make the practical things happen that will be best for all concerned, and in as managable a way as possible in the circumstances. It's going to take time, because there;'s a lot to do and I will have to go at it steadily, as and when able. Kazz, I can cut you a set of coat patterns from fabric and if you give me an idea of styles and sizes of most use to the rescues you want to support. Cloth ones last longer than paper. Please PM me on the TRPD forum with sizes/styles and your address. Here my PM box fills up and locks all too fast! Also, please post the requirements in the 'House Clearance Project' thread on TRPD, so we can keep track and it will be a case of first come, first served.

I've now posted a thread for rescues to register an interest in any of the contents from the rooms to be cleared. It can be found at: House Clearance Project Ange, I had thought those small blankets would be useful for the Oldies Club, perhaps you can confirm, if so? (They are second-hand, and will need edging and washing before despatch, though, which we will do, but please confirm if The Oldies Club can use them, thanks. They would suit small terrier types, little pups (or cats/kittens) only. There will also be some pillow sip sizes covers, and cushion coers, too - again second-hand.

I have now posted a thread on the TRPD Pet Craft Project Forum where rescues can register an interest in any of the items we may discover when clearing the rooms concerned at our HQ. Please visit: House Clearance Project - if you think your rescue, or your favourite one, could possibly benefit from this, thanks.

I think I'll start a thread on the TRPD forum that we can list what's available as we find and sort it, then you can all decide whether it's for use by the rescued oldies, or might be worth putting on a stall - as in car boot type things. Obviously, some things just can't be posted - such as any boxes of china/glassware/ceramics. There should be quite a few small blankets (second-hand) and other things that would be useful to use, but probably not saleable, plus repaired/recycled things. Until we really get into the storage rooms, I just don't know what there could be. Some of this stuff has been stored for years! It (bedding stuff/cushion covers) all has to be washed and so on first, too, so Roni will be busy.

Thanks, Ange. TRPD will be moving a load of stuff into temporary workshop/storage facilities from next weekend, so I'll be filling bags to donate to rescues, as well as sorting things to sell and use. If the Oldies Club have any specific needs, please let me know, thanks.

...And also a couple of prizes, but I understand that these have now to be sent to an address other than the ones I have. Is it yours, please, Ange? Thanks.

During the coming weeks, TRPD will be clearing a large amount of surplus stock and materials, fittings etc. This belonging to the Pet Craft Project and the TRPD Pool, which is a collective of TRPD related groups that have been storing their surplus at my home. We have managed to get the chance of a temporary storage facility and workshop locally, and will be moving all the surplus there from next weekend to be sorted out, and prepared for sale or use. This is partly because, as many already know, I am undergoing treatment for cancer, and also because I now desperately need the spare bedrooms currently being used for storage for the TRPD groups and so that my son and grandson can move in to live with me. As a result, a huge amount of materials will become available, with all proceeds raised being applied to various charitable projects and causes supported by the TRPD groups involved, and via the (link) TRPD Auction Club If you make things like dog coats, raincoats, collars etc., there are sure to be lots of bargains available. Some are already listed at: Current Auction - but this is just the tip of the iceberg... There are two bedrooms full yet to be accessed - and they MUST be cleared ASAP! Once we start moving things into storage, it will be easier to see what we actually have available, and to add items requested to the Auction Club clearance sales. Also, if required, to precut coats and prepare those for binding and strapping by the purchasers, if that will help those starting out and who don't have patterns etc. It might even prove possible then for me to be in a position to be able to teach others interested in learning how to use an industrial machine to make dog or horse clothing and on a one to one basis from home. One thing is certain, the more people capable of doing this to help rescues, the better and the more who can help.

I've measured along Bron's back, and really think 16 1/2" is still going to be too long, and she would probably be better suited to a 15" saddle when the time comes, especially if Ethan's going to be riding her. Pity, but thanks anyway. Hope you sell it easily on eBay.

I'll try and get my camera working and take some photos of the things I want to swap/sell. 16 1/2" wide fit would possibly fit Bronnie, but 17" is too long, for her back, and too big for Ethan (grandson). It's going to be another couple of years anyway before she's old enough to do much with, though, so not so worried about fitting her up yet. Are you looking to sell or swap, please?

Does anyone here have any outgrown, small child's riding gear to sell - or available a donation to a rescue - please? I'm looking for a 6 3/4 riding hat, size 10 - 11 jodphur boots and jods to fit a 3 - 4 years old. Also looking for a small (15") medium fit GP saddle (English leather or synthetic) - or even a felt pony pad saddle to fit an 11hh Sec. A pony. Have a 17" medium/wide width Thorrowgood black synthetic GP in reasonable condition that I could swap, and also some new & unused, English Oak bark, naturally tanned adult's stirrup leathers. I was offered a lovely Maxam synthetic saddle yesterday, but it turned out to be a 17" when the lad brought it over. Nice saddle, in great condition, but miles too big for Daisy and my grandson! I tried it on Bronnie, just for the hell of it, and because she was curious to get in on the action! (She's that sort of pony!) Had it been a 16", it would have been perfect for her, although it'll be a good while yet before she's broken to saddle, as she's only 2 years old. I still have it here, and was thinking of trying it on Merlyn, as it'll be lighter for him to carry than my leather saddle. The old beggar took one look and disappeared across the fields at a rate of knots! He did the same thing when I showed him a dandy brush, too. Pity he doesn't when I produce a bucket of feed!

Daisy has a lot more white about the muzzle, Jacky, and is also a darker bay and a lot smaller and daintier than Bronnie. The latter has changed a lot since she arrived looking like that little scrawny, yealing waif. I'm fairly sure now that she'll mature at 12.3 - 13hh. (Her quarters are 12.3hh already.) Daisy is only 11 - 11.1hh and is a 6 year old. Discovering that she is a bit 'sour-faced' in the stable and possessive over her bucket feeds! I had the blacksmith out yesterday to trim her feet, so they are looking a lot better in the photo than they were. She was a bit of a madam having her feet done, too, and has a lot to learn about manners and being handled. However, she is already greeting me in the mornings with an 'I'm hungry' whinney, and, once I have managed to get a headcollar on her in the stable, seems to enjoy a bit of T-touch and massage, so is responding to me a bit. Not yet been able to try her tack on, but the bridle looks far to big, and there's obviously been pressure on her withers at some point from an ill-fitting saddle, so I'll have to check that - once she's ready and sound enough to do that, after her excursion jumping into the river!

Well, I finally got my camera to work briefly - got a couple of shots to show how Bronnie is developing, now she is a two-year-old, and one of the latest aquisition, the little 11hh allotment pony, Daisy - then the camera packed up again... Bronnie: and Daisy: They are quite similar, but Bron has a much thicker tail - poor little Daisy's is much thinner, wispy and straight haired, whereas Bron's is like a great thick brush! I wanted to get some of Daisy's face, but she was still scoffing and then the camera died again. Her head is much more like an old fashioned section A Welsh pony's, whereas Bron's more of a section C type. When she matures, it looks as if she will be quite stocky, especially if her shoulders broaden out to match her quarters.

Regarding the fieldsafe headcollars, where is the velcro piece fitted, please? Does anyone have a photo showing this, please? I can make a nose guard-cum-fly fringe, which could help prevent infection in those blisters.

Thanks, girls. Will look into both of those suggestions if what I have bought this morning doesn't work or could be improved upon. Sun factor 50 for sensitve skins was on offer in Lloyd's chemists - BOGOF, this week, so got two large tubes of that, and the hydrocortizone cream, plus a wormer. All being well, I'll have her sometime tomorrow, and will try and get some photos then for you, Jacky - or even this evening, when I go and feed my poultry down on my allotment. Last night she came trotting up to the gate of hers when I called her. (Must remember to take some carrots down tonight.) I think of Bron as being little, but in comparison, this little mare seems tiny! Must get the measuring stick on Bron again. Hard to believe she's been with me for a year now. If it weren't for her head, she'd be quite showy now, and really points her toes when trotting around in the field and bossing Merlyn around. He is such a daft, soppy, avuncular old git around the little females, letting them get away with murder - and yet he really hates other geldings sharing his space.

Some good news - touch wood, the little mare should be coming to me over the weekend and I have first option to buy her, together with all tack, riding hat etc. Off in a minute to get some hydrocortizone cream for her blistered and scabby nose and some high factor sun screen, plus a wormer. (Any other advise welcomed for treating sunburn, as it's years since I had to deal with such on a pink skinned nose!) I know something of the history of this little mare - she was bought as a two year old, and backed at that age, then used for a little girl on a leading rein. She is now six years old, is very quiet in traffic and, apparently, one reason the child has lost interest, is that the pony is too slow! She had a foal either last year or the year before, which she lost at birth, and after being kept with a yearling colt. She is very like Bronnie to look at, but smaller. Perhaps a slightly darker shade of bay, and her blaze extends further into her muzzle, which has a fair bit of pink/unpigmented skin. Bronnie still has a lot more growing to do, and her quarters aren't fair off 13 hh now. Indeed, she has changed out of all recognition, and I must get some updated photos of her. It will do her good to have a mature mare around, as she's become a very bossy little madam. Whatever, the important thing is to get things moving now, and start getting her treated and into better condition. Perhaps it is just as well that the start of my chemo has had to be delayed due to me getting a cold and chest infection? Whatever, once in better condition, at least she should be suitable for my little grandson to start learning to ride on. So far, his only experience has been having been led around on Merlyn, and he's already keen and keeps asking when he'll be able to ride Bronnie. Another two years or so is a long time for a little one to have to wait, always assuming Bron will be suitable anyway - which I suspect she may not, as a first pony. Will keep you all posted...

When my doctor returns from his holidays, I think he will have to eat his words after stating that my oedema would get worse. I over did things yesterday, and now have a really achy lower back, but my oedema hadn't increased last night, for all that, and despite being on my feet a lot during the day.

I had wooden blocks made and with depressions cut in the tops to hold my bed's legs, but some people seem to use a couple of breeze blocks. Have a read through this thread on the Naked Scientists forum for more information and to see photos of the changes in some people's veins after doing IBT for a little while: A Study to Show that Varicose Veins and Oedema will respond Favourably to Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) and do not Require Surgery

Mine doesn't have one either, and I've hardly moved down the bed at all. In fact, it is important that one doesn't end up with one's feet up against a footboard, as that can cause some compression and defeats the object. What Andrew also suggested to me, was not to wear any underwear/pants in bed, as if one does slide down a bit, those could end up a bit uncomfortable around the groin. There's more information if you follow the link in the first post of this thread, and I've a friend here now who has also been trying it for a few days now, and, although she doesn't have a vein problem, she's also said she finds she wakes feeling refreshed and full of energy, despite having been working a lot of extra overtime lately at work. If you sign up for the trial on the TRPD forum, Owl, please remember to nominate a rescue as the recipient of a goodies parcel.

I thought I'd give you all an update, in the hope that others can be persuaded to have a go at this. These are some of the things I have noticed in the 8 days that I've been sleeping on an inclined bed for this trial, and I have been amazed by several of changes already apparent - and not just in my veins/legs either... After 7 of the 8 nights, during which I have slept for at least 4 - 5 hours, I've woken naturally and feeling REFRESHED by the sleep! That is a big change for me, as I often struggle to sleep at all and for days at a time and, having fibromyalgia, almost always wake feeling as if I've not slept at all. Since starting the trail, I actually feel as if I have some energy for a change... and that's a bit of a novelty for me! The small, bobbly blue veins in my right ankle that resulted after a riding accident when I was 16 have disappeared! The oedema in my legs/calves has reduced by up to 5.5cms! Tenderness in the area of my varicose veins has reduced considerably, and I have even risked kneeling down to do thngs a couple of times and with no problem at all. (In the past this action has resulted in a bout of phelbitis.) The pain and inflammation, plus the fibro related 'hot spots' in my upper back (thoracic and lower cervical vertebrae) and shoulders has not affected me. (Immediately prior to the trial, I felt as if the area had been scalded and could hardly bear even a light T-shirt on that.) The arthritic pain in my feet, ankles and knees has disappeared! The low grade aching in my lumbar spine - L4 - S1 - appears to be reducing slightly. (And an x-ray taken of that very recently showed considerable osteo athritic activity and degenerative disc disease.) My blood pressure has been steadily reducing - similarly my pulse rate and respiration. I have lost a little over 3lbs in weight, and without any particular changes to my diet! (Which is a reasonably healthy eating plan, with a few naughty indulgences here and there. ) So far, I've not noticed any negatives. Even the dogs haven't complained about the change to the angle of their sleeping arrangements. Would I go back to sleeping on a horizontal bed...? Not if I can help it! It seems the ancient Egyptians always slept on inclined beds, so perhaps they knew things back then and were more advanced than our NHS is today? Oh, and if you do take part in the trail, and post your progress reports, don't forget that you can claim a parcel of goodies for your favourite rescue, too...

I have just added some 'I NEED A HOME' webbing trail harnesses to the first post in the sale thread at: TRPD Summer Holiday Sale - it has to be first come, first served, as these are in short supply at the moment, sorry, and I know several people have been asking about them.

The Flash & Grab must end on Friday evening, and there are still lots of bargains available in that sale for anyone that wants to grab them.

TRPD could make you one to order in the cushion or comfort webbing, if you wished, Rudi. It's ages since I managed to get here and I'm miles behind catching up with everyone's news. I had a scary time recently, and when Bronnie went down with gas colic, probably after someone fed her something like cabbage over the fence. Had to call the vet out as poor Bron was looking really bad. The vet even tubed her to release some of the gas from her stomach, as well as giving her an internal examination and injections for the pain and spasms. Bron was no sooner on her feet, than she was collapsing, quarters first and as if pole-axed. The vet was with her for two hours and said that if she had to come out again to her, we'd likely be looking at euthanasia. She (the vet) phoned me back about half an hour after she'd left for another call, and seemed surprised when I reported that Bron was back to her normal self, and beating a tattoo with her hooves around the stable, bucking and breaking wind very well! By morning, the little madam was rearing up over the stable door and in an attempt to escape her confines and return to the field and Merlyn! It seems that, like him, she does not like to be shut in!

I've printed out some copies of the general poster and will get them displayed in as many local places as I can.

Looking through the sales items, it seems they aren't actually listed, Jules, but there are several available. Payments can be made by cheque to: TRPD, 98 Robert Street, Ynysybwl, Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, CF37 3EA or by Paypal to: [email protected] - please make sure that you say what the payment is for, and include your name and delivery address.

There are some 12' camping ties in 5/8" green webbing that can be clipped around thigs like trees or fence posts, which might do your job, Jules. Could make them in wider web, too, if required. Let me know. (They are usually £8 each.)