Tribute to the Spindle Bush

Although the autumn colour here in the South East of England has been disappointing I couldn't let the autumn go without giving a tribute to the spindle berry bushes. They have been fantastic. I have never seen them so well berried up and what amazing berries they are. Only nature could get away with mixing pink and orange together. One possible reason as to why I have noticed the berries more this year is because Euonymus is one of the shrubs that is supposed to have good autumn leaf colour but this year the leaves fell off before turning thus exposing the berries. Another reason might be that we had a very sunny early spring and a lot of fruiting trees and shrubs produced an abundance of blossom. Often when this happen we get a late frost and it ruins the drop but that didn't happen this year and the subsequent wet summer did no harm at all. I'm sure the birds will eat well this winter.

10,000 flickr visitors

I've only been using flickr for 6 months but incredibly I had my 10,000th viewer to my photo stream today. I find that quite awesome and amazing. If any of you enjoy digital photography and haven't already done so you really ought to check flickr out. My skill as a photographer has expanded enormously since I have been sharing images on it. There are so many creative ideas out there to try. But more than that, it has encouraged me to experiment more with my photographs rather than simply file and forget them. Sharing ideas with other photographers gives me a real buzz too. Be warned, flickr can become addictive.

A Touch of Frost

One thing I really like about late autumn are really frosty mornings and clear, china blue skies. On such days I simply can't wait to get out on the heath with Brac. I've absolutely no idea if he appreciates the cold, he's always more frisky when it's biting cold but whether that is just to keep warm or an expression of happiness I can't say. I'm not sure I would be too keen to be running around with bare feet in freezing conditions but then nor do I enjoy sticking my nose up strange peoples bums! :-)
Frozen puddles certainly prove to be a challenge to him as he hasn't worked out yet that you simply can't stop or turn on ice like you can normally. Many a time he has completely lost his feet but that never seems to deter him or slow him up. Just all part of the fun.
The next few days are supposed to be milder which probably means damp and dreary but the weather does seem to be shaping up well for a decent winter so maybe soon we will get some snow.

Shoulder progress

Well I've now been photographed in places I would never imagine. Inside my shoulder. If someone had said these pictured were of the surface of Mars I would have been none the wiser. Lots of red which apparently shows inflamed tendons and a cloudy one which is or was an a spur of bone. The latter was trimmed off and was apparently causing the inflammation and restriction in movement. It has a fancy name...of course 'sub-acromical decompression'. I think these names are supposed to make you feel like you've achieved something :-) Perhaps you can use them like letters after your name...Sally Jane Turner BA(Hons) SAD. Ummm, maybe not the best initials :-) This was all done yesterday and I'm home again now resting but in a mobile kind of way. I've got to keep it moving but without using any muscles! Back to physio tomorrow, hopefully it will work this time.

Sucess on the Cards

With Christmas fast approaching I have been kept quite busy with producing pet portraits for Christmas presents which is great. My turnover this year has probably doubled on this time last year as word gets round and my web site becomes more popular. This year though, people have started noticing my cards as well as my portraits and orders for cards are now really taking off. I produce the cards to order which means they can be customised in any way customers require. People who have ordered portraits are now returning to order Christmas cards of their pet while other people who have not had or require a pet portrait are simply ordering cards because they like the designs and want a stock of animal cards to cover various occasions. All the cards shown in my gallery are for general sale and can be customised with any greeting or message either inside or out. The more pet portraits I do the more cards I can add to my gallery so if a particular breed is not shown today, just check back later to see what new ones have been added.

Shouldering On

For the last 3 months I have been having regular physiotherapy and hydrotherapy on my frozen shoulder to try and get the mobility back again. I've even had some acupuncture sessions but all to no avail. I still only have about 50% of the movement I should have in my left shoulder and it gets quite uncomfortable at times. Monday I saw the consultant again. He agreed that it wasn't going quite as planned so tomorrow I am booked in for an MRI scan on it. I'm hoping this will show what's wrong but in either case I will be having another op on it on 21st which will involve inserting a camera into my shoulder to see what happens when it is manipulated. What I think this will all add up to in the short term is a lot of pain, more physio and some big bills but hopefully this time it won't be in vain.

On a brighter not, next Saturday, Brac and I get to try out for the Southern Obedience Team for Crufts next year. We will naturally be trying for the Beginners place. There are 5 dogs in each team, a beginner, a novice, an A, a B and a C class dog. Only 2 of the dogs can be border collies the rest of the team can be any breed. Border collies are discriminated against as the kennel club is trying to encourage other breeds into the sport. Hence, even if Brac wins his trial on Saturday he is still unlikely to make the team but the experience will be good for us and I'm looking forward to it. Do wish us luck.