Heavenly Beverley : One of those days...

There are some days that I realise, (usually in hindsight) that I should not have left our bed. No, I should have pulled the covers over my head and closed my eyes and put my fingers in my ears and sung "lalalalalala" very loudly to stop any attempts to raise me from my sanctuary.

Yesterday was one of those days.The awfulness of the situation had actually started the previous evening. Ruby the Beagle went down like a sack of potatoes, flat, miserable, panting, shivering, slobbering and off her food. Unheard of for our Beagle to refuse her dinner. After consulting the after hours vet, we gave her a couple of tablespoons of yoghurt and half an antibiotic. Which she threw up on our bedroom floor sometime in the early hours of the morning.

Ruby was no better later after sunrise. Then I discovered her with a mouthful of dirt. Alarm bells, alarm bells. My previous Weimaraner had developed pancreaticitis on several occasions and an initial sign was her grazing on dirt. Don't know why, she just did.

With that reality, we decided. She needed to be taken to our vet in Midvale, 100 kilometres away. My other tasks that day were to collect Michael's computer from rehab after its alcoholic episode and obtain a refund for a wood saw that had seized in the warranty period.

After a lightening shower and a quick cup of tea, I was off with Ruby. She sat, pale, drooling and shaking on a towel on the front passenger seat. Halfway to Perth, I stopped and offered her the opportunity to relieve herself. There was nothing to relieve, so she sat, looking at me with sad, sunken and weary eyes. I jumped back in to the driver's seat and roared onward to our destination.

Once at the vet, she had no energy to walk. So I carried her in, with my right wrist in my splint that wasn't supposed to carry more than one kilogram. One of her fellow patient's parents opened the door for me. I registered her, whilst I balanced her on the front counter.

We waited for our turn. Once Vic, the vet, called Ruby's name, I struggled up with her in my arms again. Vic took her from me. I accepted gratefully. Twenty minutes later, Ruby was admitted. Vic started her on antibiotics, anti nauseants and pain relief before she left the consulting room. I left her in good hands, knowing I'd hear from the vet after they'd taken bloods and started her on fluids.

While Ruby and I were waiting to be seen, another task was added to my already packed day. Alex had fallen over and twisted his ankle on Saturday. Callum had taken him to the GP that morning (Monday). The verdict was a sprain, crutches to assist him, no exercise and physio. I knew Alex didn't have a physio, for starters. Not to mention, this was above and beyond the call of duty for Callum. There was no way Cal could look after Alex, even if he wanted to, as he worked three jobs. That was definitely in my job description.

Stopping in Dan Murphy's carpark to walk across to Hitech Computers, I was not going to waste such an opportunity. I swiftly procured 6 bottles of white. I should have left right then. At Hitech, the startlingly tall, lean, blonde computer technician, Daniel and his sidekicks Shane and Aaron all searched in vain for the computer battery that had supposedly been dispatched along with Michael's replacement keyboard. After a fruitless twenty minutes or so, I left minus the battery, promising that I would dispatch the supplier with a large garden gnome if the battery wasn't forthcoming shortly.

The lads at Hitech did provide me with the name and number of a glass cutter. Whilst I had been gathering my wits for the next onslaught, Michael had asked me to order and pick up a piece of glass for the door he and Gary were installing into the workshop area behind the shops. He gave me specific measurements and I phoned up the local glass business. Several awkward questions about different types of glass later, I crumbled and bailed out. I rang Michael to ask him to complete the glass order. He rang me back shortly later to confirm he'd sorted the order and I'd pick the piece up as I left Midvale to head home.

I arrived at the flat, used the facilities, helped Alex finish packing and loaded him and his gear into Ziggy the Volvo. We successfully picked up some Tandoori chicken pieces for dinner and stopped at Bunnings for a few little seedlings and soil conditioner for the garden. I was starting to feel cocky....

Big mistake. Having ascertained that Ruby would be staying at the vet hospital overnight, I only had to fill Ziggy with petrol, pick up the glass piece and get the refund for the wood saw. My favourite petrol station was surrounded by emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Strike one. I drove on to Just Glass. The piece of glass was duly exchanged for money. I breathed again. Last stop, Mitre 10 hardware. No refund because no receipt. Michael hadn't thought to give me the receipt as he'd given all the details to the store earlier in the day over the phone. Strike two.

Fortunately there wasn't a Strike three. I don't think I would have coped with any more hassles. I filled up with petrol at Sawyer's Valley and bought an icecream for Alex and me. The petrol cost more but I didn't care by that point.

Having left home just after nine, I arrived home in the early evening at six (ish). I'd driven over 300 kilometres in that time. And then I put on a load of wash, shook out our bed and cooked dinner. Alex made us a salad. I knew I couldn't have coordinated my hands to cut up veggies!

Bed never felt so good as it did last night. Thank God for the House that Rocks in Heavenly Beverley.