THE BALLS ARE OFF

Yesterday was B-day for Jack. Delivered to the vet's in Okehampton at 8.30am and picked up again at 2.00, a limp rag who had to be carried to the car and who slept the rest of the day. When I gave him to the nurse and we were going through the pre-op checks, she looked at him and said:

"They are very big for a dog of his size"

Here they are, VERY BIG,  in full flight the day before the snip:

This morning he was back to normal but extremely unhappy about the cone:

He has to stay on his lead out walking:

Ten days of this.....

He is NOT happy.

He will be soon and he was the day before yesterday:

I love this gaping rock mouth:

Some farmers are already putting their sheep back out on the moor:

It's just REALLY dank here. The washing line has looked like this for what feels like weeks:

Sodden Hornbeam leaves:

The birds are really hungry. It's the RSPB garden bird survey this weekend....I must remember to do it. Here's a pretty little Dunnock:

Great Tit:

Angry looking Chaffinch:

And the male GSW at last:

Welcome to three new followers who have joined thanks to Rusty Duck's lovely post about her visit here (http://www.rustyduck.net/2014/01/18/dartmoor-rambling/). Lovely to have you. Creeping slowly towards 100 which will be VERY exciting if I ever get there. 

The proofs of the cards arrived yesterday and two are fantastic (Magpies and the hole in the wall) and the others will be with some tweaking and borders. The Rainbow Sheep almost look like a painting which I was worried about at first but the more I look at it, the better I like it. So, until next time, here's the eunuch after a walk in the rain; he seems to have picked up a piece of leaf, at least I hope it's leaf.....

A WEEK IN PICTURES (INCLUDING THE RETURN OF TORNADO)

Apologies for the break in transmission. VERY busy week what with constant chasing of the phone company - we had no land line for over two weeks - pointless physio appointment and ferrying my mum around and visiting her pretty much every day. The Gabapentin for my back pain is making me feel seasick but that's getting better as I get more used to it. I've been sporadic visiting those of you with blogs too. More apologies. 

This post is extremely heavy on the pictures, so I'll try and be succinct with the words. I notice, looking through them, that we've actually had quite a lot of sunshine this week. Why does it not feel like it? In chronological order..........

The Dartmoor Madams looking pleased to see Trigger approaching:

Burning the gorse after cutting close to the Round Pound:

An encounter with a Staffie whose owner seemed to think letting it run around trying to steal picnicking walker's sandwiches and chasing Jack and Snippet whilst standing talking on her mobile for several minutes was responsible behaviour. In the end I had to shout at her  to call it as it refused to leave us alone:

Lone stone:

Back to the wind but enjoying the sun:

Dogs in grass:

Massive clouds, dwarfing the moor:

A lone Rowan in the shelter belt:

Life changing lead arrangement. allowing me to have pony in one hand, dogs in the other:

Fabulous rainbows:

Blue Tits on the feeder at last. They, like the Nuthatches, have learnt to tap on the plastic to release the last few seeds. They are the only two species to have mastered it so far:

Frosty grass sparkling in the morning sun:

Trigger and friends. He's always happy to come home to food and hay:

Furry foal trying to hide behind a rock:

These two Rowans stand alone by the road:

Strange ice formations on the road:

Jack basking in the sun from our only South facing window in the kitchen:

                                      

View from Trigger's paddock:

Today I found many more ponies than I've seen in months......

.....Including the beautiful foal we named Tornado back in July. This is what he looked like then:

And this is him now. Hmmm..........I'm saying nothing. 

Snippet enjoyed playing with him:

He got bored.......

    

......and joined a more suitable friend:

The Robin is enjoying the seed feeder:

So are the Great Tits at last:

Competing with the sparrows:

I'm really getting somewhere with the card printing at last. The company in Cornwall who never answered my emails have done some fantastic proofs for me now and will be sending samples out tomorrow I hope. I will never go near Next again after weeks of wrangling over the fact that they printed the Rainbow Sheep photo with roller lines all over them and then tried to say the lines were in the scan....which they're not. So much for having them ready for Christmas; perhaps for Easter? I'm really excited about what they've achieved with the drawings - they look fantastic in the proofs.  

The Tourettes meeting yesterday was less well attended than the Christmas party, but OB enjoyed seeing some of his friends. He has a nasty head wagging tic at the moment which is giving him headaches poor love. It will pass, only to be replaced by something else, but we hope something less painful and easier to disguise at school for him. So, until next time, here is a photo I love for it's complete lack of focus, taken in the early morning sunshine. Hope you all had a good weekend.