CATCHING UP

What a week; I realise it's been that long since I last posted. I've found myself thinking longingly of my half hour in the MRI scanner after the frantic nature of the past seven days. I took the photo above in Sunday morning's glorious sunshine. Hasn't it been lovely? Apologies to any snow-bound followers out there; it looks like our spring has arrived at last. I was wearing short sleeves! I think the photo is very calming and, given the next paragraph, I need a bit of that....

It would be safe to say that our meeting with the paediatrician last Thursday did NOT go well. The incompetence of this department along with the infamous CAMHS (child and adolescent Mental Health Services), which I now discover is run, not by the NHS, but by Richard Branson in the shape of 'Virgin Care', is quite staggering. Last January, we received a letter from another member of the department following an initial meeting which read very clearly:

DIAGNOSIS: Tourettes Syndrome

Now, it seems, they are retracting that given current 'GUIDELINES' which say that Tourettes Syndrome must include tics that are considered to cause public offence. I should mention that Tourettes Action, the respected charity to whom they directed us last year, tell us that 90% of Tourettes sufferers DO NOT swear. A major discrepancy there. There were many of those and we weren't going to take it all lying down. The doctor was completely wrong footed by the fact that we were very upset and very angry and weren't going to let it drop. We were in there for over an hour and he was visibly shaking by the end. We felt utterly depressed when we came out but he was very, very contrite if not admitting liability for the complete balls up. OB does have Tourettes and if they spent half an hour in our house when he gets home from school, they would have no doubt. Their issue is now the fact that the Virgin run CAMHS is responsible for its diagnosis, rather than them. There is a lot of offloading and we're just completely fed up with it. We said how disgusted we were and asked what on earth they suggested we say to OB? He has spent the last year coming to terns with and telling people about his now doubted condition. It's disgraceful. He was grudgingly apologetic BUT, he did say he would try and get us the referral to the Great Ormond Street Hospital tic clinic that we've been asking for. If we get it, it would make the nightmare worth it. 

Right, enough of that. Our lovely son will be ten tomorrow and it must be a positive day involving that new bike, which has the frame size for a small adult and 26 inch wheels! Lots of books too which he will be less enthusiastic about initially, but enjoy later. I have a huge backlog of pictures but have really tried to edit better than usual. It used to be my job so there's no excuse. Here goes...........

These were taken in watery evening sunshine after dropping Trigger off with the madams:

The dogs have been having fun:

The birds have started to appear, including the first Stonechats, ready to try and fit in four broods:

Having sunshine has been fantastic. It brightens every scene. This view of the 'Round Pound' is almost impossible to photograph without it as it disappears into a flat line without the shadows:

The garden birds are happy too including rather greedy Great Spotted Woodpecker:

Pouncing male Chaffinch:

And this lovely Blue Tit:

I keep finding Trigger asleep in the sun

The Dartmoor Madams have taught him to eat Gorse; he would never have even tried it without their guidance but on the way to see them, he keeps stopping to snack on its agonising prickles:

Lady Jane is always pleased to see him

I saw my first Ladybird of the year on Sunday up in his paddock here:

Don't you think this lichen/moss combo looks like some kind of aquatic fossil?

So sorry I've been so rubbish at posting and visiting. The chaos carries on with OB taking five friends to the cinema and then back for tea here on Saturday. I'm planning to do a Rubik's Cube on his cake with coloured icing. I always ice his cake with whatever his current obsession is. I'm not looking forward to this one. Failure is NOT an option. Thanks so much for all your lovely comments on the last post and good wishes regarding the so far inconclusive MRI scan; am still waiting for feedback. So, until next time, here are those dogs this week.

MIRACULOUS ICE SHEETS

Where is a time lapse camera when you need it? It really hasn't been a cold winter but on Sunday morning, a phenomena that occurs often in deep winter was apparent here, but on a less heavy scale. What happens is a crust of ice develops across the top of a dip or puddle but nowhere near the water below. On this occasion, because it wasn't that cold, the ice was wafer thin, allowing me to look into the bowls below. Sometimes the ice creeps along and out from something like grass, as above, but in other cases, as below, there is seemingly no means of supporting the span. At the top right of the sheet, you can see the spiky ice fingers gently touching the peat at the edge of the bowl allowing it to rest there:

Jack broke the ice on this one and you can see how deep the bowl is and how far from the puddle below:

Beautiful patterns in this one:

I thought I'd try and lift the whole ice sheet off this one. It was reluctant to move, its edges meshed with surrounding fine roots but........

............underneath, it was as bone dry as any thing can be here at the moment. I would just love to watch how that formed. 

A more grass related one:

This one was absolutely enormous; at least 3 feet wide and absolutely beautiful:

Just a few more beautiful ones; like the finest sugar work:

Sunday was just awful - it rained heavily all day and on Monday morning, the wild ponies had perms:

Whilst out walking yesterday, I was looking very closely at some Crottle on a rock and noticed it seemed to be quite aggressive as lichens go. Given how slowly they grow, this will have been an extremely slow invasion, but look how the white Crottle has grown over the other more leafy lichen and, in the second picture, the surrounding moss. Amazing stuff.

More beautiful lichens:

It was threatening to snow but we got away with it. 

You really don't want to know why Jack is licking his lips:

Gorse is flowering of course:

OB can now solve the Rubik's cube in one minute fifty two seconds and has found a use for the Polo's previously redundant cup holder - genius:

Mum to Waitrose and MRI tomorrow, a meeting with the paediatrician on Thursday WITHOUT OB thank goodness and parents' evening that night, so a busy couple of days ahead. Hope your week is going well so far and welcome to a couple more followers. So until next time, here are the dogs enjoying themselves yesterday.