BillyMalc

Trallwm Farm, you might have something to say about people spending their time protesting against this JL ad - and yes I was one of them (I've also sent a letter to Belfast City Council, to protest against the horrific treatment of poor Lennox, who has been in their cruel care for 6 months now, and who will have a court case next week, where it will be decided whether he lives or dies) - but you yourself have spent at least as much, if not more time posting on here criticising people for protesting. How has that made a difference then? I know that you're working flat out to save whatever animal you can, and I totally respect you for that. Not everybody is able to do what you are doing though, for whatever reason. Having JL change their mind about showing the advert, within less than a day of protesting, shows how powerful a site like facebook can be. Would it be at all possible to start a facebook page about this barsteward in Amersham? That way more people will get to know about him and his vile business and will have the option to protest - something which they don't if they've never heard of him

Just caught up on facebook: Hamish will survive!!! :partytime: THANK YOU for all your prayers and good thoughts, I'm so convinced they help!! :GroupHug: He's a long way from being discharged from hospital but at least it appears that his life is no longer in danger :biggrin:

I can only 100% agree with what everybody else has said. No matter what his condition is, your OH has no right to force you to do something you don't want and to blame you for his state of mind if you can't or won't comply with his wishes. He is (or should be!) a grown up man, not a child trying to get his way by throwing temper tantrums. I've been struggling against getting dragged down by depression for a long time, and I'm another one who has never blamed anyone but herself for the situation she's found herself in. Look after yourself okay, and don't allow him to drag you down or guilt trip you into thinking that you're somehow to blame for his state of mind - you're NOT!

Thank you so much for all your good thoughts and wishes. It helps to know that other people are wishing Hamish well too. I will contact the distant healing network today

Ella sounds like a proper b1tch Kathy, LOL! Her and Kiera would have enough to talk about, if they wouldn't be too busy throwing their handbags about I think you might want to put a little space between the 2 "http:'s" ?

I just got a message from a very good friend in Australia. Without going into any specific detail, she told me that her son Hamish is in hospital, fighting for his life after having been stabbed through his heart and lungs. I'm not religious, and don't feel like I could be of any help by saying prayers or what have ya, although I do send him and his mum, Michele, loads of good wishes for his recovery. Could I please ask if people, who do pray and can do reiki, or who have a spare good wish lying about, can send some to Hamish - please? I feel utterly helpless being so far away

Awwwww, scruffy Eddiiieeee!! :wub: Happy Gotcha Day, handsome boy! Have a lovely day and may there be many more to come

Fleur is gorgeous! :wub: Today we had part 1 of Sparky's second 'Gotcha Weekend': he came to live with us 2 years ago, the weekend after Bonfire night/weekend, which was the 15th November. Seeing as it's not much fun to have a Gotcha day on a Monday, I've just decided to have Spark's Gotcha day the weekend after Bonfire n all that. We were going for a "walk with breakfast", with Purrpuss and Jamie, but it turned into an 8 hour (!!) walk round Lyme Park, in Disley :) Puppies are now both fast asleep, bless em. Tomorrow Sparky will get a new toy: a Kong pyramid for his breakfast (everything appears rather food focused round ours, but it just so happens that all 3 of us are very food obsessed ), and we'll undoubtedly take advantage of any ray of sunshine by getting out for another nice walk Re facebook: I admit it, I'm a total facebook addict. I can see what everyone's up to in one go, and because I'm linked to loads of groups and causes keep up with things that I find important. I've also loaded the pictures of our day out onto my profile. To post them on here I first have to upload them on photobucket, and that site is so hellishly slow - it took me a couple of hours last time!

Morning Hurray for Spins' upcoming 40th anniversary Hope your hands get better soon Michelle Same for Alex' shoulder - but at least you have the satisfaction of having the curtain pole up My left hand doesn't want to play ball. It's like I'm wearing a thick glove and it's tingling permanently. No idea if it's RSI, but I had it years ago when I was working on the stall as well, so I doubt it It's annoying all the same. First week of being "inbetween jobs", I'm hoping to have a job secured starting the first week of December, but I keep applying for other jobs all the same, just in case this one falls through - you never know. Am taking neighbours and their gammy dog to the vet this morning, as they don't have transport. Two of their dogs got into a fight last week and the little one - who undoubtedly started it - came off worse: getting your head squeezed between the jaws of a masstiff cross is never a good idea Laters!

Morning. Can't find article now, but there was an inch or so of snow on the Snake Pass in Derbyshire. There's been a few feet in the Scottish Highlands though. Apparently we're now getting floods. Here ended grumpy Billy's positive news bulletin for the day

So sorry to hear about your friend Eddie, and it is exactly what I worry about most when thinking of having to deal with Jobcentres or what have ya: having to dance to the tune of some jobsworth, who is more preoccupied with hitting their targets, as set by their managers (who also have targets to meet), who hasn't got a clue about or is even interested in the skills that I can bring to a job and what I would need for that job to give me. It seems that it's now considered unreasonable, if not downright arrogant, to want to work reasonable hours for a reasonable salary. If it really was the case that we would all pull together to get the economy back on its feet then fine, but at the moment it's (as per usual) a few fat cats with big salaries and a luxury lifestyle telling me that I should be prepared to spend hours of my life a day, plus god knows how much money, on travelling to work, if not "simply" relocate, to a job with a substandard salary. These people honest to god might have a feel for number crunching, but they've got no idea about people and they care even less

Here we go again, first day of being without a job, again, and I'm already slobbing about. The vile weather doesn't help much - I opened the door for Sparks to go in the yard, he took one look and turned back to go inside and on the sofa. Kiera's still in bed and will undoubtedly blame me for it being wet and windy, thank god we had a nice long walk yesterday so I don't have to feel too guilty about not taking them out for too long. Best get my backside in gear and do some "litter picking" in the house, after I've walked the muttlies

I think it's one of those typically Tory toff plans, coming from people who have a fat salary, a big house, have no idea and simply don't care beyond keeping and increasing what they've got themselves. I've heard of a few organisations that get people, who don't want to be there, shoved down their throats and the effect that it's having, both on the actual workforce and the quality of work done, it's just a nightmare! Imagine having to train people who don't want to be there in doing a job that they don't want to do, and thus don't lift a finger when you're not looking (because there actually is work that needs doing)? It creates more work for the people who are already struggling in their jobs to get the work done with the means they've got. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not at all suggesting that everyone on jobseekers is a lazy sod who doesn't want to work. However, there is a massive difference between finding a job yourself and being told that from such and such a day onwards, you're going to report to this and that organisation to do something that you have no say over whatsoever. It's not at all clear how this is going to be implemented: will people be given options, or have a say in what kind of work they would like to do? And, should they actually like what they are doing, would they be allowed to stay on, either while on benefits or by actually getting some kind of pay out of it? Or would they, after having done their 4 weeks, be "sacked" again to make space for the next unemployed person to do 4 weeks? Imagine what a strain it would be on the people working on the job to have to train up somebody new every 4 weeks - it's just ridiculous! And will people, who are already doing voluntary work, be exempted or will people who do valuable work for, say, an animal charity, have to give that up for 4 weeks, so that they can go litter picking? What I find most grating about this whole idea, is some rich toff, Ian D Smith, talking patronisingly about all these people, who "need a taste of what it's like to work", while in the same week announcing that about 500.000 (local) government jobs will have to go! I've been made redundant in May, and I've struggled from one temp job to the next, and I know a fair few people, who all had excellent jobs, who are now also looking at being made redundant. We all liked the "taste of wrok" thankyouverymuch, and would have preferred to keep it! Isn't it a bit very cheeky to pull the rug from underneath people's feet and then tell them that they should be picking litter from 9-5 to be reminded of what it's like to be in work! Stop shutting everything down and causing people to get sacked, then we don't need to be "reminded what it is like to work"! And it's going to have a bad effect on creating new jobs as well: why create new jobs if you can have someone on the dole doing the work for free? Absolutely bonkers idea, could only come from a rich fat tory, am dead against it (but you might have guessed that already)

Morning Hope all scaredy animals and humans have recovered from last night's loud shenanigans. Sparky has been scared to go out after lunch time for the last couple of weeks, ever since some idiots let off fireworks in the park at 6 o'clock - dog walking rush hour! Kiera on the other hand's not bothered in the slightest. She can't eat fireworks, they don't give her food nor take her food, so they're not important, lol! Last night went relatively well. Had the fireworks CD on a loop (Sparky had figured out within 5 minutes of me putting it on the first time that the noise was coming out of the CD player, so has now resigned himself to having to live with a human with extremely lousy taste in music ), the washing machine on and watched Transporter with the volume up - yes I do have a lousy taste when it comes to films - Kill Bill's on for tonight I tried the extra valerian, nice music and t-shirt combination a few days ago on Sparks - I've never seen him being such a nervous wreck, so we're not repeating that. He's not used to anything like that from me, so I guess the whole change freaks him out more than the actual bangs. We're off for a nice long walk in a mo, so at least they'll have had a decent amount of exercise before it all starts again - deep joy ...

Evening. Sparks is on the full dose of Valerian and Skullcap tablets, I've squirted some extra in his mouth and he's wearing a t-shirt. Got music on as well, to drown out the occasional bang. The table is shaking because he's leaning against it, panting heavily, poor mite

I'm so sorry, I've got no words of wisdom, just a big for you all and tons and tons of good wishes for Con

What a gorgeous, clever little man! :wub: He couldn't have done it without you though, Georgina, so for you both!

So sorry to hear about your mum But I can only echo what others have already said: It must have been such a relief for her to know that Sam was going to be okay and well looked after. He's a gorgeous little man! That last pic of him is my favourite as well - he's adorable! Should there be a need (but thank doG there isn't!), then Kiera would, at 7 years old, already be considered an "oldie" I can assure you that 'madam', and her side kick Sparky who will be 7 in a few months' time, have got absolutely nothing in common with an old dog (as much as I love them!). It breaks my heart to know that "less young" dogs are so often overlooked and cast aside, I'd never have a pup but will always look for dogs with a few years on them instead

Oops! Should've gone to Specsavers

So very very sorry for your loss Sweet dreams, gorgeous girl, until you meet again

Happy Gotcha Day, gorgeous Taffy!! :partytime: I love all his photos, but I think the last one with Timmy is my fav :wub:

Morning to all poorly and/or stressed out Fugees. I'm sorry I don't have any useful advice to add to what's already been said. Just hope you feel better soon I'm shattered. Kiera wouldn't settle last night, took her out 3 times between 1 and 2, to see if she needed to "go". Well, she did "go", but that didn't appear to resolve the matter, she kept pacing. Seeing as I couldn't find anything wrong with her, and figured that it wouldn't help her either if I stayed up all night too, I tried to get back to sleep. She clambered over me 3 times, rearranged the bed for me, laid down and got up again within 5 minutes. When I finally gave up at 5.30, Sparky had joined in as well, thinking that he shouldn't be left out of the excitement. Kiera's now blissfully asleep on the sofa, and Sparks is in bed Anyone want to take my muppets out clubbing at an all nighter? I give them some money to buy you a drink - or 2!

Awww, sweetie! He on the sauce again, is he?

Awww Max! What with him being blind I'm not sure where Mia thought she'd be going with that staring contest though

Hmmm, it was bucketing it down here this morning, but now it's cleared up nicely In July I received a letter from my lovely council landlord, saying that they were going to do some "very important" cavity wall insulation, and that I therefore should contact a company called Eaga, to arrange for a surveyor to come round. Long story short, I've been chasing this company ever since to get a surveyor to come round, and finally got one to come round this morning - to coincide with the boiler man. Eaga man came, looked at the walls on the outside and gleefully concluded that this "very important insulation" had already been done!! I just burst out laughing, and Eaga man seemed quite amused as well. What a load of faffing about for nothing! Boiler man then came and informed me that the pump had packed up. He needs to order one of them things, and it'll take a week for the thing to emerge. So I've no heating and no hot water, except, thank god, for the electric shower, for over a week! I do have the rest of the day off tho, which is nice