Paddy is home

Home check this morning and off tothe rescue centre to pick Paddy up this afternoon. As you can see, he has settled right in and made himself at home. He's very calm - except when he scents the cats next door and hurls himself at the fence to get access to them. I imagine word will soon get round the local feline community

"Steer clear of that place, fellas. There's a dog in residence!"

Seen in a field

I was reprimanded (in a nice way) by a friend for referring to snowmen, rather than snowpersons, so I took a photo of this one while I was out today. It's a headless snowperson and, as you can see, pretty 'armless too. (Sorry!)

Another snowy day

I went for a walk this morning. Well, it had snowed again and was continuing to snow and I was getting a little stir crazy. So off I went into the silence and stillness of a snowy day. This is what I saw.

Update on the hens

Elder Daughter reports that the three 'girls' are settling in well and have now learnt to go to bed when they are told. (Fast learners - I could have done with some of them in my class when I was teaching.) Last night she wasn't home till about seven o'clock and found that they had put themselves to bed.
Meanwhile, we are still waiting for the home-check lady to make contact but, as the rescue centre is out in the wilds, I think we may have to wait until the weather improves to collect Paddy anyway.
Today, I shall mostly be attempting to trek out to Chester for my counselling supervision. Should be a breeze, as one of my clients, who rang to cancel her appointment for today commented, "I don't think I can risk coming out there, you get far more snow in north Wales than we do in Chester." We shall see!

Some reading for a snowy day

As we have been advised to stay at home today and avoid the treacherous weather, I imagine that you will all be following that advice and may be casting around for something to fill your suddenly vacant hours, so here's to the rescue. (Don't say I never do anything for you.)
Younger Daughter teaches in a secondary school Somewhere in England. Early last week she was faced with a pupil who, despite several warnings, had spent the whole lession not doing any work. On being reminded that, as a result, he would have to stay behind, he took out his mobile phone and began to use it. YD asked him to give it to her, in accordance with school policy, which he refused to do. He picked up his bag and headed towards the door, but YD got there first and stood in front of him with her hand on the handle, whereupon, he pushed her roughly out of the way (all five foot two, seven and a half stone of her) and opened the door.
As luck would have it, the head teacher was passing by and witnessed the incident and the other 30 pupils in the class all supported her account of what had happened so he was told to go to the behaviour unit the next day as he was not allowed back in class. When he didn't do so, that meant a phone call to his mother. As she found herself quite unable to believe that her cherished son could possibly have behaved in this way, she insisted on a meeting with all the staff involved directly or indirectly. So on Friday, three or four staff spent an hour of their time meeting with the mother and her son, challenging, among other things, his assertion that actually YD had 'assaulted' him.
YD, of course, spent the interim days worrying about the possible outcome of this meeting (She has already been diagnosed with high levels of cortisol - at 25 years of age) because she knows from experience, that she does not always get the support she needs from senior staff where behaviour is concerned.
And the boy? Eventually and very grudgingly, he apologised. Sanctions? None.
Possibility of further disruptive behaviour? Very high.

Is your journey really necessary?

"Heavy snow hits much of England" says a news headline on my homepage, so I turn to read more here and, guess what? It has actually snowed in Wales and Scotland as well, not that you would know, of course, unless you live in those areas. If it's happening in the south-east, we get to hear about it ad infinitum and I sit here watching BBC Breakfast and wondering, not for the first time, why it is that everything grinds to a halt as soon as the white stuff puts in an appearance. We knew this was coming days ago, the Highways Agency maintain that they have extra officers out and gritters have been working through the night and "Everything is under control, folks!" People in Russia, Scandinavia, Canada and other places where snow is a common occurrence, must be laughing their socks off at us.
What I am really amazed at, however, is that there is no bus service in London at all. That is not to say the buses are not running. According the the item on the link above, the passengers have been standing at the bus stops for lengthy periods, only to see empty buses sailing past. Is it too simplistic to wonder why, if they are on the roads at all, they can't actually do their job and convey passengers from A to B? Can't be the wrong kind of snow. Maybe it's the wrong kind of passengers.

An adoption is announced

Paddy (Reserved)


· Border Terrier Cross
· Approx. 5 - 6 yrs
· Male
· Small Size
· Moderate Grooming Requirement
· Moderate / High Energy Levels
· Re-home

Description

Paddy arrived at the rescue underweight and a little nervy; gradually he is gaining weight and developing his personality.
He has a calm nature and is generally quite placid. He desperately needs an owner who has time to give him some much needed TLC. Once he has gained condition, confidence and his true terrier nature develops he will need a moderate to high level of exercise and mental stimulation to satisfy his needs. Paddy needs to be in a calm environment with no young children so that he can have the space he needs to adjust to family life.

There's a whisper that this little fellow may soon be coming to take up residence chez Jennyta. How about that!
PS. Anyone looking for an animal to rehome in North Wales, just head over to this site and take your pick.