Abigailj

Aww how fab. I've just noticed that it is a year since he found a home... clearly I'm a bit behind the times

I tried to grow beetroot two years running and got nothing. They would get about an inch in size and then die. This year I have had loads thanks to some advice from a bloke on the plot next to ours. Most beetroot seeds are actually a cluster of seeds, and therefore produce several beets from each one. Most books tell you to thin them out so you only keep one from each cluster and I did follow that advice. This year the bloke told me to ignore that and leave them all in the ground because beets like to be supported in a bunch. I did that and it worked brilliantly. I have been eating lots of those stripy choggia ones (though not enough to turn my pee purple).

I have had a look at ours but they are not really calendar material...

I just came here especially to find out what had happened to Brian cos he popped into my head earlier today... and he has a home!!! That's great.

Happy Birthday Billy

Happy Birthday Mindy xxx

I have done it. Wrote my own introduction to my letter and made a few changes. It doesnt take long (about half an hour if you do the full list of questions that go with the letter).

I didn't think that little girl should have been allowed a second go. Tantrum or not ( I thought it was by the way) none of the others get that chance so why should she? Sure it made great telly and got the show even more publicity around the world so they can sell the format to further countries (assuming they own it) but it wasn't fair on the other contestants. It is no longer about talent. I'm not sure I can be arsed watching the final.

No. I don't get it at all. It might take skill to do what he is doing (whatever it is cos it just looks like shaking about to me) but it doesn't entertain me at all.

I'm so sorry Billy

Jasmine lives not far from us I have not met her but I have met a few of her surrogate fox babies. Her owners usually have a stand at our local dog show. This story has made it round the world. I recently had it sent to me by an American friend in Minneapolis - it was funny telling her that Jasmine lives a few miles away.

Rory came home last night. We have not got his spot ready yet so has been watching telly with us

That is just what we thought on Friday when we found out it was cancer. We had been feeding him low fat thinking he had a liver problem and we thought it was working as his results kept getting better and he kept putting his weight back on. I read that lymphoma stuff too, when they found an enlarged mass on the ultrasound that they thought was a lymph node. I'm so sorry. I know it is really hard not knowing, especially when it is your best mate

Billy I'm sorry to hear about Mal. We have just been through this with Rory (please don't let that scare you). His liver was enlarged and patchy looking on an ultrasound and his liver enzymes were raised. Thankfully Rory didn't need invasive surgery in order to get his final diagnosis (I'd not have put him through it). He had a needle biopsy done last Wednesday afternoon. He was at the referrals centre for about 3 hrs in total. They took cells from his liver, a lymph node and the fluid in his belly. Less than 48 hrs later we had a diagnosis. It cost about £350. I don't know if this is an option for Mal or not given that he is a good 6 years older that Rory was? Over the 9 week period that he was ill and liver disease was suspected, but without a conclusive diagnosis (his blood results kept misleading us that he was getting better when he wasn't) he was given antibiotics like Mal and also a course of vitamins (pettabs). Diet should be low fat and contain some quality protein (not white fish though as that contains purines). Rory had autarkey senior or CSJ wheat and gluten free, plus an organic chicken thigh for his extra protein. We were advised to give him 4 smaller meals rather than two big ones as a poorly liver can't cope with a large amount of food at any time - he will get more goodness from small portions given more frequently. Other quality protein can be soya, eggs and cottage cheese. (I paid a tenner to get an article from the March edition of British Vet Association magazine -all about liver disease treatment and diet). If you want to know anything else just ask (also sorry if I have repeated any advice already given - I have not been able to read all 12 pages)

I am sorry to hear about Bonnie but pleased she is home safe with you. My lovely Roar should be coming home in a day or two. I think he his being cremated today. It is important that he is safe behind a cabinet door (as our dog Mona likes to interfere with everything). We decided yesterday that he might like to go beside his favourite bed. There is a cabinet by his bed. This cabinet was often the victim (or lucky recipient?) of his nighttime pizzink incidents. *I must interrupt this and announce that a rainbow has appeared out of the back window - I have just had a good wave at it* As I was saying... thought he would like to go in that cabinet beside his bed so we went and bought an extra storey of cabinet yesterday. One side has a glass shelf in it and he can go in there (but he will have a mini duvet to lie on). The other side has a magazine shelf on it so that we can put some photos on it. His collar is not going in there as Spitty Gorilla is wearing it (his most favourite toy - he used to make it skwonk and carry it around whenever he was excited about something).