Poor old brainy Mr Muffin, he’s been well and truly out of sorts this week so we decided to take him to the vets on Christmas Eve. In our house, if anything happens it’s always the weekend or a Bank Holiday, when it’s difficult to sort out. The thought of having to trail to Lytham to see an on-call vet at extortionate prices, as well as worrying about him if he gets worse, made a visit to the vets worth it.
Kevin took him in his carrier and handed him over at the door, as we can’t go in with him because of the virus. We wrote a list of symptoms for Kevin to hand over to make sure he got the right story. We all know Kevin can be a bit, let’s say, forgetful! Anyway, with the job done and the verdict announced, back they came with tablets and sprays and he also had a anti-inflammatory injection too.
Thank goodness he went as things would have only got worse. Anyway, back he came in time for his dinner, with the knowledge that we had to get three tablets at a time down him. They must be taken with food to save an upset tummy.
Brainy Mr Muffin
We tried putting the tablets in a piece of fresh fish, which they both love normally, but no, that was out of the question. Brainy Mr Muffin knew exactly what we were up to. We shook our heads a few more times, wondering how on earth we were going to manage to get him to eat them. Being a short nosed dog, he hasn’t got a muzzle to get hold of, so bribery is the only option.
We tried this, that and the other. Nothing, he wasn’t eating anything for no one. So at our wits end, he came and sat beside me on the settee, watching the living room door. This went on for long enough. He wouldn’t waver in his staring at the door, and I was beginning to wonder if he had sensed a ghost or something as dogs can.
Then daylight dawned suddenly when Jane announced that she must go and check on her cakes. She was baking two vinegar loaves – not as odd sounding as you might think – and simply delicious. It was my mum’s recipe which she baked every year at Christmas. Although, digressing slightly, I’m not sure why it couldn’t be made at any other time.
Anyway, there was this divine smell floating round the house at this point, so I bet you can guess what happened next. Jane went through the door which he was still staring at, and suddenly Kevin exclaimed “he can smell the cake and wants some”.
It’s full of dried fruit and cherries and is delicious I can tell you. The recipe for Vinegar Loaf is here, if you want to try it.
Brainy Mr Muffin, auditioning for Mensa!
Daylight dawned that he wasn’t touching a thing until he’d had whatever it was that smelled so good, the crafty little monkey. Jane came back, carrying a piece that had bubbled over the top as they were nearly ready. So a very small piece was crumbled into his food dish, minus the sultanas etc as they are poisonous to dogs, of course. When this happened, it was as though a light switched on in his head. He dived into his food and scoffed the lot, tablets and all, much to our relief.
Don’t let anyone tell you that dogs aren’t brainy because Muffin wouldn’t look out of place in MENSA! He is so intelligent it’s unbelievable, but he certainly made us all laugh. Probably with relief that he’d eaten his tablets without knowing!
Christmas Visit from Santa
After all that, were you ready for the Christmas visit from Santa with his sack of presents? When I was a child, not that I knew then, but my mum arranged for me to have a letter from Santa every year, until I knew there was no such thing.
I took it to school to show my friends as I was so proud that he’d written to me and put photos in of Greenland, I remember it so well. When Jane started to dither over whether he really existed, Derek made her a letter. He got a sheet of nice thick creamy paper and put a letter to her on it from Santa. To make it real, he singed all the sides so that it looked as though it had been burnt on the way down the chimney. It really did look real by the time he’d finished, with pretty illustrations on it. She took it to school the day after to prove that Santa was alive and well to all the non-believers, and guess what, they believed it too. So she managed to convert a class of children to believe that Santa was alive and well.
For us older people, looking back I think it’s a far nicer Christmas when your children believe in him, they were so excited. When they found out the truth, it was never the same again. A couple of days ago, Jane said that she had a surprise for me, and surprise me she did.
My own Message from Santa
Out came her iPad and suddenly I saw Santa in his grotto all dressed up and he was talking to me, little me.
Jane had been to Morrisons to help the Rotary club who have been raising money for food parcels all year. They came up with the idea of parents being able to get a video of Santa talking personally to their children, and what a good idea.
He called me Chrissie and asked if I’d been a good girl and all the rest of the things they ask.
The only trouble was, he was bending his head forward more and more as he spoke, so whether he couldn’t read what Jane had said about me I don’t know. But he looks as though he’s nodding off at one point! We both saw the funny side of it but what a lovely thing to do for me, a talk to Santa, even as old as I am.
Anyway, all you lovely people out there, I hope you’ve had a Happy Christmas and let’s all hope that 2021 will be a better year to put all this behind us. So keep safe while having a good time and I’ll see you later x
I’m having some time off this week, so I’ll be back when I’m back! Meanwhile, why don’t you read my last blog about joining the wheelchair brigade.
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