Death of a loyal Friend

We had to let our lovely Bullseye go on Saturday, he had been booked in for the removal of his staples, but had become so weak and wasn`t eating. D & G come back distraught, G goes to his room and D begins cleaning, hoovering and polishing.

Later D is sitting on the sofa with his lap top on his knee and looking at me over the lid, occasionally with a very suspicious and furtive look on his face. I ask him if he is looking at porn, he doesn`t reply, so I ask again. When he turns the screen around within my view, its a Bull terrier rehoming site for abandoned dogs. Bullies in Need. There is Bill who`s owners have beggared off to Austarlia after having him for four years, the write up says it has left him a very sad dog. Boris nips when he becomes excited and Jake is jealous of the resident bitch at his foster home. I inform friends and relatives of this and all are in agreement that it wouldn`t be fair to a new dog, us being 56, if the dog lived 13 years as Bullseye had done, would walking and caring become too difficult? Half of me feels written off, but the other half sees the sense in this. I make it a mission to disuade him, why not just buy a budgie? But then I am sucked in, You tube has a clip Bull terrier vs Cat, which so shows the playful boisterous nature of the breed, stop it Yvonne, you are not getting one!!!!

I arrive at Laboca early and chat to B, a young couple enter the cafe, he is smartly dressed in suit and she is smartly kitted out. They are having a conversation near the till, B is waiting "Come on, stop talking about your sex life and order"
He glances out of the window "It`s the tart, and she`s with somebody else!" he sounds surprised. "Yes." I answer "It`s a friend of hers called A, I`ve never met her, but she wants to go to the book club this afternoon. As A and D sit down, A shakes my hand and says "Pleased to meet you

B "The witches of Eastwick, what are you having"
Y "Two coffees and a hot chocolate, and quick about it"
B "I`m giving up women for Lent"
Y "So that means that your not giving up anything."

I inform D and A about the loss of Bullseye. A remembers when their tabby cat was run over on the main road in front of her two daughters. They brought the animal home and held a tearful burial in the garden. Later in the afternoon, A was in the bedroom putting clothing away, turned around, and there was the cat sitting on the bed. At first she thought sh`d seen a ghost, but then asked herself the question "So who`s cat had they buried?"

We make our way to the Side Cafe on the quayside. The door displays a Closed sign, two waitresses are inside. When I gesture for one of them to Come here, she looks at me as if to say "Can`t you read?" When I inform her that our book club meets the 2nd Tuesday every month, she denies all knowledge
Y We`ve been meeting here since May last year.
W. Well, we`re closed now from 3-6 every day
Y Couldn`t someone have rang the library
W. I don`t know
K. We have other people arriving

Suitably bored, she closes the door, not even asking us in to wait for the others, so we adjourn to the Akenside pub across the road then sit near the window. Promptly a Fed brewery van parks in front of the window, we gather our coats, bags and drinks to move along the window area, get settled and it drives off. Everyone is full of hell over the cafe`s inconsiderate behaviour. I suggest we go to B`s cafe Laboca. I ring him, he usually closes at 4.00 but assures us that we are welcome until 5, he will keep the cafe open for us. Canny bairn, now that`s what I call customer relations. If the others don`t mind the odd insult here or there, we`re set for our new venue.

Now that I`ve caught up with my blog, I might just have another look at Bullies in Need.

Vet Bill

The family bull terrier, Bullseye appears to be coming out in sympathy with his owner and has had two falls, he looks terrible when D & G get in from work, so they take him to the vets. This is Tuesday evening, the vet has to be called out, £70 for this. They are told that so far it will be £270 for Bullseye having spent the night in the surgery, blood test and anti biotics. Wednesday, they recieve a phone call, the dog needs to undergo a biopsy, vet thinks the problem could be liver related, now it`s up to £550. Thursday, we all really miss the dog and are very worried that he may not make it, but the vet is working on Bullseye being able to come home on Friday evening.

Friday, my boss P informs me that D has been on the phone and will be able to pick me up, she tells me that he has confided the bill price, it has gone up, but asked her not to tell me, It`s £850. I am asked to look suitably surprised when he announces this. I am beginning to feel that the dog is not the only one who may not make it. However, when D & G bring Bullseye home at 5.30, the bill is now £1,140!!!!
When D looks at the itemised account, there is a suspicious £59, the vet explains that it is their end of month fee from customers to pay for those who default payment. D refused to pay, he didn`t wish to subsidise non payers, so it was deducted from the bill. And all this before we know the results of the biopsy!!!!

Bullseye has to go back this Saturday to have the metal staples along his stomach wound to be removed....the muzzle will need to be employed if they expect to keep their hands.

They say that disaster comes in threes, well I`m counting, firstly, my head bashing on the patio, secondly, the dog collapses, thirdly, our freezer packs in. D is intent on an American monstrosity, but this will involve removing the fitted fridge and freezer and sawing the bench off, apart from anything else, we waste too much food already. He argues that as we have had them both for 15 years, the fridge will be the next to go, and it will be ecconomical to replace them both now. I win, putting forward the aesthetics of the kitchen.

Back from Curry`s, he is going to fit the freezer himself, "It will save £50" Hah, I think barely a drop in the ocean if this is an attempt to claw back cash for the Vet`s Bill. D has the instructions on the bench, but insists on selecting a part, then holding it up in various places, "To see if it goes there" I work out that this piece needs to go onto the actual wooden door, he pah pahs the idea, but concedes that I am right. I go into the sitting room. After 2 hours, D announces that all is in place, then he drops the wire back inside the cabinet, has to take it all apart, then after another 2 hours its finished. He parboils a cauliflower, bag of carrots, turnip and brocolli, puts them in food bags and itches for them to cool down so that he can put them in the new freezer.

After all of this I need a holiday, but I am beginning to suspect that a local beach will be the nearest we get. Or maybe I could send a begging letter to the vet, any old money?