Thank fuck for that.

I FEEL AWFUL! I just nearly killed my dog. Tess, the most lovely dog in the world that has been in my life since I was 7.

Mum and Dad have gone to visit the Grandparents for the day and left Tess with me. So I went to get my bike out of the shed to cycle into town, and called her to follow me so that she could pee before I left her. I didn't think she'd followed me out and so assumed she'd be ok because the parents had already let her out before they left.

So I shopped. I bought about half of the things on my list, and met Caroline on her lunch break to try on sunglasses. I love shopping on my own, but for things like sunglasses you really do need a second opinion.
It started raining, much to my dismay, as my jacket wasn't waterproof and I can't cycle whilst holding an umbrella. So I sheltered in Starbucks with a mint hot chocolate (discovering that, despite everywhere else being prematurely Christmass'd up, Starbucks are yet to release their scrummy Xmas drinks menu - boo). I eventually gave up waiting as the rain turned to hail, and decided to cycle regardless, hovering my bum above the wet seat with my scarf pulled up around my ears, head ducked low.

I got home feeling thoroughly sorry for myself. Soaked through. Suede gloves slightly ruined. Shivering. So I whipped all my wet clothes off and cranked up the central hearing. Then I wandered around the house in my knickers and t-shirt in search of my darling dog to enquire into whether or not she'd had a nice day... But she wasn't in her bed and didn't come when I called her. I searched every room - even upstairs, where she only goes when she's scared. Then panic set in as I thought maybe she could be outside... I ran into the garden, barefoot and scantilly clad, to discover her underneath the garden table, soaking wet and shivering! SHIT.

She'd been out there five hours. In the freezing cold. While it rained, hailed, and had just begun to snow. I scooped her up and ran inside with her.

Bizarrely, she seems fine. I set her down on the carpet and ran to get her a towel, but as I ran she ran with me, tail wagging and bouncing about?! All she wanted to do was bound about the place growling and wagging her bum; like an energetic puppy! I, on the other hand, just wanted to grab her and hug her warm again. She let me, but I think it was more for my comfort than her's!

So... thank fuck for that.
She's 14 and that's pretty old for a dog. When I couldn't find her I panicked I'd discover her dead somwhere and wondered how the hell I'd tell the parents... Poor Tess!!

Summer At Home

Growing-Up Backwards

Okay, okay, I'll update. I can you all on my StatCounter, wondering where I've disappeared to!


I took Tess to H in Nottingham. She's still there now and the house seems horribly empty. Just when we were starting to bond again, she goes on holiday. Yeah... I'm talking about the dog! I usually come home from uni and kind of dismiss her; she's not the bouncy puppy she was before I left. She's fat (thanks to the parents mal-care), can barely walk (because she's 14 - 98 in dog years!), and has lumps, bumps, and old-dog problems. A nerve is firing wrongly somewhere, because every now and then she does this spazzy thing with her head!
But, bless her, the more time I've spent looking after her, the more I've realised that she still is that same puppy. And every now and then she springs to life and wants to play fight, or chase her tail, or juggle grapes across the kitchen floor.

Nottingham was ace. I met H's new work friends, and I thought she seemed genuinely happier than I've seen her in a long while. I'm sure she's growing up backwards; she managed to be the most sensible student I ever encountered and now, as she settles down and cracks the World Of Work, she starts to party more and discover a liking for sambucca.
I just think that next time I need to neck my drinks a bit faster, because when H gets drunk before me I can't seem to get as wasted. It's not that it's her, it's just that whenever someone else seems drunker than me, I end up feeling like I have to somehow look after them. Even when they clearly don't need looking after.
Regardless of my near-sobriety, I had a fantastic evening. I loved the company, and felt happier as happy can be to have such a sister.

Photos to follow, when I have the desire to upload them!