Hellloooo! (General update - plus dog pic)

I've been pretty absent online lately. Sorry about that. It's mostly due to starting a new job (yay!) and being pretty busy with writing projects (also yay!), leaving me little time for blogging (and tweeting, as it happens).

I just wanted to check in and say I am here, I'm ok and regular service will soon be resumed :)

Thanks for your patience. Here's a cheery picture of our dogs to make it all better.

Reviews coming up include:
Witchfall by Victoria Lamb (loved it - read Witchstruck first; both are ace)
Emily and Patch by Jessie Williams (a truly lovely read - definitely recommended)
Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs (great for Tempe Brennan fans)

Time for a little break. But first: See the Dogs Run

No, I've not come over all Peter and Jane. I have, in fact, got this marvellous gif to show you of our dogs running. I recently changed phone and, helpfully, Google+ automatically uploads any photos I take. Naturally, as it's a New Phone, I have been messing around with the settings and tested the 'burst shot' mode on the dogs running.

Back at home on the laptop after a walk, Google+ emailed to say my photos were available and, naturally, I checked them out (y'know - bigger screen to see them on and everything). Imagine my excitement when I saw that G+ had spotted the burst shots and animated them into gifs for me! So, to offset my guilt about not having a proper post for you today (and about needing to take a bit of a break), I thought I'd share this awesomeness with you :)

In case anyone's wondering why the lurcher suddenly appears part way through, this represents two separate burst shots (they were running laps). I don't know how to separate them :)

Anyway, hopefully this will make someone smile. As mentioned above, I'm going to be taking a little blogging break - all part of the looking after myself and getting my priorities right thing - and I'll be back on the 15th July with more reviews and other stuff. It'll be a bit of a relaunch with some changes. Nothing drastic, and (hopefully!) all for the better. See you then! I'll just leave you with some more doggish loveliness...

Jessie, the Patterdale(ish) terrier loves water

This is Hunter's preferred daytime position. What I'd give for that flexibility!

No longer lurching from crisis to crisis: a commitment

Warning: this is a really personal post, which may be helpful to some with similar difficulties, but if you want to back away now and come back for bookishness on Friday, no hard feelings :)

OK, here's the thing: I've been pretty busy lately and have put lots of things on hold 'until I've done x' or 'until things calm down'. I've only just realised that I've been doing this now for at least a year (yeah, I know - and probably a year's a rather conservative estimate, if I'm honest). This behaviour is not good for my mental
health - depression and anxiety are generally not helped by lurching along from crisis state to crisis state.

So, here, for your benefit - although I'm sure you're more clued up than I am - are my liberating realisations:

• I've been consistently busy, although with different and varied projects, for a long time now: I should see busy as normal
• If busy is going to be my normal state, I need to see this as my actual life, not preparation (sorry for the dramatic, but I bet some of you know what I mean!)
• Staring at a screen for ten hours is far less productive than doing, say, six or seven hours of screen time spread across the day



How could I have been neglecting this?

• Not only can I therefore 'afford' the time to go on the dog walk with my husband, but I positively benefit from doing so (duh!)

Review: A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean

Heartwarming tale of friendship and hope after loss for the 9-12 crowd (and teens, and adults...)

How much do I love this book? It's a delicious piece of writing, warm and emotional without being schmaltzy or manipulative. I'm pretty confident that it's the only book that both my daughters (aged 9 and 14) and I have all read within a short space of time and all loved. I think it was on the teen shelves in Waterstones, and it was the 14 yr old who asked for it and devoured it very quickly, telling me that I should read it. Then when I did, I realised that it was labelled as 9+ (thankfully the teen hadn't noticed that...) and the younger one had it off me quick as a flash. I think a single book appealing to both my girls at the same time is pretty unusual and goes to show how fab this book is: gentle enough for a 9 yr old, yet also enough to sustain a teen's interest. Pretty damn impressive, I would say!

The novel is narrated by Cally, who tells us in a statement preceding the first chapter that she hasn't spoken for 31 days. Her narration is pitch-perfect and gives us privileged access to all her thoughts and feelings, even as she's stopped sharing them with anyone else in her life. Poor Cally is mourning the loss of her mother a year ago, and struggling particularly with her father's awkward adult response of never talking about her. She sees a vision of her mother, but no-one believes her, and then the wonderful dog (a silver wolfhound, no less) enters her life. This dog, being huge, is not always welcomed by everyone else, and her teachers and her father particularly don't want it hanging around.

The plot moves along effectively, with all aspects of Cally's life - home, school, family, friends - explored and changed in the course of the novel. I think Sarah Lean captured Cally's grief and its effects on her beautifully, allowing us to share Cally's feelings without being overwhelmed by them. The grief is there, but this is no wallowy book. Instead, it's an optimistic read which offers up hope in the form of friendship, as well as the comforting subtext that adults aren't always automatically right.

Overall, I cannot recommend this highly enough. Just read it, ok? :)

From the Book's Website:

My name is Cally Louise Fisher and I haven't spoken for thirty-one days. Talking doesn’t always make things happen, however much you want them to.

Cally Fisher saw her mum bright and real and alive. But no one believes her, so Cally’s stopped talking.

A mysterious wolfhound always seems to be there when her mum appears and now he’s started following her everywhere. But how can Cally convince anyone that Mum is still with them, or persuade Dad that the huge silver-grey dog is their last link with her?

********************************************

published in April 2012 by HarperCollins Children's

For more info and an extract see the book's website

Doing More Things: a happiness project of sorts

Lately, I've been trying to be more present, do more family things, that kind of stuff. It's definitely working. I'm seeing the benefits in my own health (especially in terms of stress-related issues) as well as in that of the family. Here are some recent highlights:

Saturday mornings at the zoo

We joined Twycross Zoo's 'Friends' programme last summer and are now into our second year of membership. This month, they started a Junior Friends scheme where the kids spend two hours on activities with Education Officers, while we wander round the zoo for a bit (and sample the fabulous cooked breakfasts...). I think the kids' highlight so far has been making papier mache pinatas to stuff with lemur treats. I've been really impressed with the activities and it's a great start to the weekend.

Prioritising walks

With two lively dogs (a terrier and a lurcher), a day without walking is never possible, but I have in the past been guilty of letting dear hubby take them on his own so I could get some work done. I always knew, of course, that a good walk is a brilliant way of taking a break as it can recharge and refresh, but when you're struggling to get everything done it can be hard. No more, though - me and my health first, then work. (And of course, work often improves too when you actually take care of yourself...)

A positive to-do list

This is an idea I got from the blogosphere somewhere (I'm really sorry I don't recall where exactly), but it worked really well for us this summer. At the start of the summer holidays, we each made a list of things we wanted to do during the break. We pinned it up on the calendar board and used it for inspiration to avoid frittering away the summer. Not that we had no down time, or ran ourselves ragged! It's all too easy to get to the end of the summer holidays and realise that you haven't done anything special - this list helped us escape that feeling. Isn't it ridiculous that we need reminding that we want to do fun things? But still, having recognised that, we were able to act on it. It's definitely an approach I'd use again.

Tuesday Tidings: New Dog Joy

Actually, he's called Hunter :)

We think he's rather lovely. He's a young lurcher, aged around a year, (we assume a whippet lurcher since he's quite petite) and we got him from the Dogs Trust in Kenilworth on Sunday. They acquired him with five siblings as strays from Ireland. We saw two of the others being picked up at the same time as we were collecting Hunter, so good news there.

The pictures belie his true energy levels. I didn't want to post pictures of a crazy blur with amazing speed despite poor limb control, so I caught him in his quiet moments. As you can see, he's taken to his mat and soft bed quite well. :)

Although he may not have lived in a home before, he's been quite good so far. At the time of writing (Monday night), we've only had one puddle in the house and he was much more hopeful of being able to get our dinner off us than our existing dog who's lived with us for just over eighteen months on Sunday, but was less optimistic today. We also had a howl-free night (hurrah!). So he's doing really well for a new dog and he's been lovely with the girls and our existing dog. We can't wait until he comes to his name well enough to be able to run free in the parks and the woods with Jessie the terrier!

Tuesday Tidings: Why we'll stick to toys from now on

These days are gone ...

We had a bit of a scary time on Sunday (but all's well now) when our lovely little Jessie hurt her throat playing with a stick. She had run to fetch it and made the most hideous high-pitched noise. We ran to her, thinking she'd fallen and hurt her leg or something, and it took us a while to figure out what was wrong. It seems the stick had gone down her throat and bruised the back of it, making it difficult and painful to swallow. There was no blood, so we were confident she hadn't cut herself, and we could see the stick on the ground, so we were able to check it was all there and not splintered in her mouth.

She was clearly a poorly girl, slinking home and then not moving around once we were home. Her gorgeous beard was all slimy with drool and we couldn't get her to drink, so we had to call the vet and see if we could take her in (I should mention again that this was Sunday). They felt they should see her, and gave her an antibiotic just in case of splinters and potential infection, and a painkiller/anti-inflammatory, with instructions to bring her back the next morning. If she wasn't better then, they'd anaesthetise her and explore her throat for cuts and/or splinters. Luckily, she was much improved on Monday morning and was her happy usual self by last night.

Don't worry, she can still play!

Whilst seeing what we should do for her, I naturally googled for advice on dogs hurt by playing with sticks and found some very scary stories. We have had a lucky escape and a fairly light warning. Jessie seemed very unwell and unhappy indeed, but it must just have been bruising for her to recover so quickly. We won't let her play with sticks again, and will make sure we always have a toy with us. She did pick up a stick within 100 yards of entering the park today, but thankfully she's pretty obedient and knows "leave" and "drop". Jessie has lived with us for just over a year now and she's about two years old (we got her from the Dogs Trust). We ought to have many more years with her yet.

Please, if your dog likes sticks too, I would urge you to think about alternatives. We would never have thought something like this could happen, but it's absolutely not worth it when there are other ways of playing the same game. The vet was all-too accustomed to dealing with 'stick damage', as they called it.

Family Friday: top tips for walking with kids

We've taken our kids walking for several years now. The youngest was probably three when we started regularly walking as a family (she'll be eight in a fortnight). We're not enormous distance hikers - five miles is a long walk to us, and we probably more regularly do around three.

One of these has been helpful but you absolutely can enjoy family walks without one! (She's only been with us for a year, and is out first family dog.)

So, here are my top things that encourage kids to enjoy the great outdoors:

1. Checklists of things to spot. This has easily been the most helpful single thing to get the kids involved. We have a book of family walks which helpfully includes checklists tailored to each route, but we also make out own for other walks. It's important for the list to be a mixture of easily-spottable things (depends on the route and sometimes the time of year, of course, but cows, acorns, swans are good standbys for us), specific features of particular walks (a windmill, a standing stone) and sometimes number-based challenges (how many herons can you see etc). 
2. Snacks - ideally hidden ready to be produced at a 'flagging' moment. As well as the obvious boiled sweets, dried fruit is good. Water is, of course, essential.
3. Stiles, brooks and livestock (ideally separated from you by a fence!). I could never have predicted the amount that stiles increase the fun of a walk by :) and paddling in or crossing a brook is also a joy. Spotting livestock is popular as well, but some kids are made nervous by walking through a cow or sheep field.

Do you have any to add?

Family Friday: we love English Heritage!

We have been members of English Heritage for three years now and absolutely love it. It's been brilliant on UK holidays in particular, as there are so many places you can just visit on a whim. And there are often great events in the summer like jousting, falconry and medieval music - at no extra charge! Finally, quite a lot of their properties allow dogs in the grounds (or in the case of ruins like our local Ashby Castle, all over the site).

This week (on Monday in fact, in recognition of Lammas, the grain harvest), we went to Sibsey Trader Mill in Lincolnshire and had a great time. We were able to see it in full sail and saw some of the inner workings. More was available to view but cowardice got the better of us after two flights of, er, ladder. I didn't even manage to get an inside pic, as we were too busy being scared :(

Recovered from the ladders! 

Anyway, our youngest, who has recently become close to obsessed with the song "John Barleycorn" was thrilled to be able to actually see grain being crushed "between two stones" and was amazed to see that the mill can work with three different grains at a time.

We can also recommend the tea room :) I can personally vouch for warmed fluffy scones with jam and cream!

April A-Z: Health and Happiness

Since I'm posting from my phone (again! Virgin Media to blame), this post will be a fairly simple account of what helps me retain my health and happiness - for the most part at least.

I did hesitate about posting on this topic, since I do have a bit of a stress thing going at the moment. However, since I'm managing that largely successfully and I do (like everyone else currently in UK Education) have an increased load in terms of stress at present, maybe my experience is worth sharing.

WALKING
For me, walking the dog has been a great help. Exercise has long been known to improve health in many ways, but it can be very difficult to fit into the day when you're already feeling tired or low. Ironically, it's a key thing to improve mood and raise energy levels.

WRITING
I suppose creative work of any kind will work - you just need to find your version of this. Personally, it's been crucial for me to include fiction writing into my routine. I was already doing a considerable amount of 'teacherly' writing and had shelved my kid lit ideas 'until I have time'. This was a mistake, and I've been doing a lot better since I realised this.

SWITCHING OFF
It's hard - but essential - to step back from work regularly. Took me a loooong time to learn this and I am now much better at it. I would argue I'm more effective at work too, rather than less, since I'm not a stresshead all the time these days.

April A-Z: Black Shuck

The Black Shuck, a demonic dog, is my favourite bit of folklore from my East Anglian youth.

In the legend, the devil appeared in the form of an enormous, slathering black dog to the good people of Bungay, Suffolk, while they were in church.  This occurred during a storm on August 4, 1577.  The dog ran through the church, killed two people and caused the roof to collapse.  The claw marks he left on the church door can still be seen.  As the book cover to the left suggests, the fact that lightning was  also something that occurred that night may be relevant ...

This story is well-known locally and there are many 'black dog' pubs and other businesses in the area.  The legend of the Black Shuck continues to be told, and I clearly remember being told as a teenager in a Norfolk pub that anyone seeing the Shuck would die (I think within a year - you've got to have time to spread the word, haven't you...).

Of course, there are other similar stories worldwide, but I do find it interesting that in East Anglia there are several versions of this black demon dog tale, while other areas have their big cats and other phantom beasts. Shuck is said to come from the OE or Anglo-Saxon 'scucca' meaning demon.

Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay
The book cover at the top of this post is something I found in searching for a suitable image whose copyright I wouldn't be infringing (I usually assume authors want their covers seen).  I hadn't come across this book before, but was able to read the first chapter online and have now added it to my wishlist.  It's written jointly by a local historian and an anthropologist and has a blurb by no less than Ronald Hutton.  The book clearly explores the story as folklore, as myth, in terms of what it tells us about the area and its people, and seems like an interesting read.  So, I'm glad my husband suggested this topic or I wouldn't have come across this!

Home on Tuesday: Dog Days

Over the past week or so, we've all heard each other telling the dog that getting her was the best thing we did in 2010, or some similar phrase.  She's really improved our lives, so I thought I'd spend a family blog post extolling the virtues of canine companionship.

This is her on the first day we got her, on August 1st.  Look how attentive she already was to hubby (he was recognised by her as Pack Leader straight away, so she's not that smart).

She came to us from the Dogs Trust in Kenilworth, all 'done' and chipped and de-infested.  We were happy to get a dog from them as they don't destroy healthy but difficult-to-house dogs, and we wanted a rescue rather than a particular breed.  She seems to be largely (if not completely) Patterdale Terrier, although we've learned that since she moved in.  Which leads me to the number one benefit:

Having a Dog is a Sociable Thing
People talk to you when you're walking a dog, and if you frequent the same places, you see the same people. There's a whole community of dog people out there, and a lot of them are friendly.  For those of a more masculine persuasion, having a dog with you also makes you instantly less threatening to others, especially the elderly, families and women out alone.

The need to walk the dog is also great family time.  We've always enjoyed walking as a family, but the kids had started to be less than enthusiastic about such outings.  Now, though, it's a very different story.  Who could resist frisbee fun?

Having a Dog is Fun
As well as aforementioned frisbee frolics, who can resist:

• laughing at the dog's ridiculous repertoire of grumbles and assorted strange noises?
• the joy of running for its own sake, chasing with a crazy dog?
• cuddling on the sofa with a furry friend to stroke?

What was the best thing you did as a family last year?