Flood!

This is the path that I cycle every day into the city centre. We call it the "marsh path" because it's surrounded on both sides by marsh. This week, the marsh has completely overflowed, and the path has been completely flooded by our recent torrential rains. The water on the path is about 12 inches deep in places! I finally broke down today and bought a pair of wellies (Wellington boots, green rubber knee boots like you sometimes see fishermen wearing--most people here own a pair for sloshing around in the perma-mud in the autumn and winter and spring).

But for the first couple of days, before I got the wellies, the only thing to do was take off your shoes and socks, roll up your pants legs, and slosh through. On the first day, I had to ring my bell at some swans who were gliding across the path in front of my bike! I was Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention to my poor bike, and my bearings are creaking now... so I'll have to take everything apart and dry it out and grease it up again. Sigh.

This is the park on the other side of the path called "Parson's Pleasure." See the signpost in the center of the photo? On the FAR side of that sign is the River Cherwell. Everything on THIS side of the sign (between the photographer and the sign) is supposed to a grassy park. At the moment, though, it's become an extension of the River Cherwell. It was funny to see swans and ducks and marsh hens swimming around the part of the park where you used to walk the dog.

Here's a lovely bench you can wade out to and enjoy a picnic on, if you've got your wellies on. Of course, in a few days when the river goes back to normal, you'll be able to walk out to it in your tennis shoes again.

Scary episode with the canine

The dog helps me finish off my strawberry smoothie

So Wookie scared the bejeezus out of us this morning. It happened once before a few months ago (before his surgery). He fell out of our bed, and started staggering around the room bumping into things. His head wagged from side to side, and he couldn't steady himself. His back legs seemed to not be able to synchronize with his front ones. I held him still and shusshed him, and after about 30 seconds, it was all over, and he was completely back to normal. Dave didn't even wake up, it was so quick. I thought he was just disoriented from having fallen out of bed.

So this morning, I was downstairs making my breakfast. I'd just put my egg into the pan when I heard a sound like Wookie falling out of our bed. I ran upstairs (I'm paranoid about it--he fell out my my bed in PHX once and hurt his back) and found him bumping into things, head swinging from side to side, eyes going crazily from one side to the other... I shusshed him again, but he didn't stop. After a minute, Dave woke up and asked if everything was OK. I said no, and he asked if Wookie was sick to his stomach (we fed him sweet potato scraps last night). I said no, that there was something wrong with his brain... he shot out of bed and came to help.

His back seemed fine--I felt all down his spine, and no yelping, no tenderness like in PHX. We tried putting him up on the bed--he wagged his tail in the chaos, but didn't seem comforted after I let him go. I picked him up to put him back down on the floor, and his legs all shot out (like an epileptic or something) to the left--it was like he was trying to roll over in my arms! I put him down on the floor, and he staggered out of the room and toward the stairs! I ran and picked him up again and put him in his bed on the floor. He seemed to settle a little there and sat down, but his whole body was tense and shaking, and his head was still wagging, and his eyes were super creepy, shooting right to left to right to left. I guessed that he was having a seizure.

I held him full body (which he didn't seem to mind) and Dave held his head still and stroked him. After a couple of minutes, he stopped shaking. After a couple more minutes, his eyes slowed down a bit, and then eventually they stopped going crazy. He sat very still in his bed for a long time after that, while we stroked him and calmed him down a little more.

Then I saw him smell my egg (which Dave had run downstairs and turned off when it started burning), so I went downstairs, and Wook followed me all on his own, just fine, no problem, gobbled up my egg, and went outside to pee as if nothing had happened. As long as Wookie's appetite's fine, he's back to normal.

So I looked on the Internet and found these pages. I *think* it has to do with his inner ear, which could be linked to his having lost his hearing recently as well.
http://www.nspforum.com/bbs.cgi?read=22102
http://www.vara.org/VestibularSyndrome.htm

Given his recent deafness, I guess (hope) that's the problem. It doesn't sound like there's anything the vet can do, though? Maybe I'll try to get him some antibiotics or something? Apparently, they often throw up during these episodes because of the world spinning, and Wookie didn't, so I assume either he's not as bad as he might be, and/or that holding him still is the thing to do when it happens.

Wookie takes a rest after a little light reading on cultural resistance

It was terrifying. I wasn't sure whether to just stay and hold him (it worked last time, so that's what we did--I assumed that if we could steady him and calm him down, he'd get through it, but it DID seem to go on forever this time) or call the vet.

As usual, I was cool as a cucumber throughout the episode, but as soon as he calmed down, I started bawling. What a way to start your morning.

photos from stonehenge

we spent a wild and windy halloween day risking our lives riding with my father as driver on the left side of the road, clutching at the upholstery as we flew around the roundabouts, but finally made it in one piece to stonehenge, as evidenced by the photo above.

of course, one (only slightly) more furry-faced member of the family was NOT ALLOWED past the boundary of the historical monument. the discrimination continues.

poor wook was kept company outside the fence by d, who's seen stonehenge three times now and enjoyed a hot coffee from the shop. the two friends partook of a walk in the local sheep fields instead or marveling and the wonder of the world near salisbury. far stinkier and by far more interesting for the canine, probably.