Arcticterntalk.org

The blog of a travelling psychiatrist and football lover. Who happens to be a halfway decent photographer. Takes a cynical view of the world

Archive for the tag “hedgehog”

12 Oct 2011

Kimberly!


All this time and you did not know you could upload photos! How did you think mine got there………….

Paris was quite enjoyable just a day away. eurostar was quick. Only 2 hours to Paris. Did not see anything interesting other than in my two taxi rides, but it still had a nice feel. Tomorrow off to Slovenia for 2 days and then monday off to Toronto for the week. Lots of travelling, too much even. Had to check what the currency is in Slovenia, Euros. Other than that some good news today. Elena passed the entrance exam to Nonsuch but no guarantee she will get a place as 1500 took the exam for around 180 places. but she was pleased and so were we. She worked really hard. Hedgepig is being quite friendly now and allows me to put him on lap without that silly huffing and chuffing. The only other news was that the Gaistrel across the road was apparently screaming and shouting this morning and asking Yasmin to lend him her phone to call the police. It turned out that he had some decoraating done on the house but seemingly not to his satisfaction and the workers had left their wheelbarrow in his back garden. Today they turned up in a van, must have gone round the back and hopped over his fence, taken the wheelbarrow. So he calls the police!! The only other piece of news remotely exciting is that I had a haircut monday and now know what number to ask for, number 6!!

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08 Oct 2011

Hedgepig


due to public demand and thousands of plaintive requests, I have given in and taken some photos of the beetle-crunching Hedgepig. Strangely he agreed to come out in the daytime and have his photo taken. His price was a plate of mealworms and beetles. Apparently the mealworms turn into beetles?

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02 Oct 2011
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Elena 11th birthday


seems like yesterday she was born. not sure where 11 years have gone. amazing weather here in UK around 28-30 degrees and felt hotter and this the start of October. she woke us at 7.30 am, not too bad and presents opened, mainly books and lego, at her request and thankfully a request that amazon fulfilled. Greyhound walking for a few hours, followed by curry buffet and then home again with extended family over. Sitting in the garden playing scrabble ( well I took only a little part, never heard of most of the words). altogether a nice day. Shadow is not happy with me ( black cat for those who have not met her). i was throwing out old cold tea in the garden and suddenly saw a black shadow-literally!-  streak by. Seems she was standing where tea landed. Cue one unhappy black cat avoiding me all evening! Nice cake though. Yasmin was baking at 8 am this morning ( not a usual happening) but produced a great Hedgehog cake to Elena’s specifications. It was actually the same cake, not literally, as for her 4th birthday, and she saw a photo of said cake recently. 

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11 Sep 2011

Wycombe 0 Brentford 1


Bees win again. thats five wins from 7 games and we remain 4th. It was a sort of reserve bees side as they have maybe 6 players who are probably first choice who would have been playing. a brief summary of the game might be this: bees were much the better side, they won with a penalty that was ridiculous for wycombe to give away. Lee made some world class saves in the second half and in the end we were hanging on. Charles and I had the pleasure of some dubious dire conversation behind which included gems like ” he knowingly knew” and ” wycombe is almost in wales”. These were also two of the more interesting comments. In fact change conversation above to monologue.
Sunday was walking the greyhounds day. Elena and I had some type of Scooby doo greyhound called ” ariel”, who leapt as high as she walked in front! Sweet dog though.
Looks like the rubbish weather we are promised this week, the tail of the hurricane from east USA is arriving. Windy and rainy. You will certainly notice the difference from Mexico. Animals all remain well and Shadow is a fairly competent catcher of moths and butterflies in case you need those. Would like advice re Hedgepig’s diet. What else can he eat except mealworms and cat food? Garden slugs maybe?
Hope all well.

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03 Sep 2011

Walsall 0 Brentford 1


A very happy start to the weekend. Bees were quite injury depleted and yet gained a great away win. I woke up this morning and considered going but still feeling rather sleep deprived decided to go to a non-league game locally. Met Police v AFC Hornchurch. The curious thing is that I made the game decision based on the fact that there were a few games to choose from locally but a large Met police van with at least 7 officers inside drew up outside the house about 1 pm. As usual they went to the house opposite where they have paid many visits, would love to know why, looked at the front of the car and knocked on the door. Anyway, reports suggest Brentford played well. Donaldson, who is nicknamed Donalddinho, scored and it seems we defended well afterwards and are now 4th. Did I tell you that Bees sold Charlie Macdonald to MK dons?
But Met Police was a great game, they lost 2-0 to a fairly physical side. Photos below. You can see one where clearly they should have had a penalty with the shirt being pulled. The ballboys on the stand roof are a novel one for me. The spitting out of lucozade was interesting. I was talking to that players father at half-time. He was telling me that he played for Southend and Woking but came to Hornchurch to play first team football.
Hedgepig was having a friendly day and actually came out on Elena’s lap. A positive manic episode.
We had a look on the map to see where Honduras is. Real central America. Are you sure it will be safe there? How long will you be there for?
Yasmin took Charles back yesterday as having landed and got to sleep around 4 am,I had to be in work by 9 am. Her reward from your mother was a massive marrow and a massive portion of apple crumble. An exceptionally nice crumble that lasted only a few hours before being eaten.
Bolt seems a little out of sorts. not sure why (Bolt is our tabby cat for any readers) and may be heading for a vet visit. The only other news of note is that the window in the car will not close and needs Gary’s attention. A real pain as I cannot open it and if it slips open I have to physically pull it up to shut. This as you can imagine got me strange looks in the Met Police car park! The whole place stacked full of police officers. Enjoy the photos below!

Close tackle

Lucozade clearly not liked

Interesting football attire

Rees Noel tackles

A definite penalty. not given. Score was 0-0

Interesting place to have a ballboy

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08 Aug 2011

Riots


The news here falls into two headings both equally depressing. The value of shares is plummeting for reasons that I dont understand. And there are riots breaking out all over UK. Mainly London area, like Brixton, Lewisham, Hackney and tottenham. Tonight Lavender hill in Clapham is being looted. Birmingham also. Reasons? Again no idea other than mindless psychopathic violence.
My contribution to Twitterland today was to inform that if you drive down the M3 and A33 to southampton, on the outskirts there is a Total garage, very exciting, but it does hot southern fried chicken burgers! And they do these with a bottle of Pepsi for 3£……….so in these times of financial paucity this is a fact to be relished.
My next book chapter on Prolactin is due out soon, not exactly JK Rowling, but better than nothing.
Hedgepig is fine and has stopped that silly chuffing and reverses far less. He lets us handle him and even feed him those lovely mealworms. Houdini now lives in his cage on top of Hedgepig. Like a high rise Animal apartment block.
Charles has had grief with his car. The clutch cable went on friday and we persuaded Gary to go over to Paley Street to fix it today. All done. One happy Charles……….
Elena has discovered the David Lloyd Gym. They have a kids exercise session and she came back muttering mutterances about cross-trainers, whatever they are……….but likes it. Bizarre.
Cannot wait to go to Spain in two weeks and our challenge is finding Hedgepig sitters while we are away, he may have to have a temporary holiday back at Paley street if thats permitted. And the lost tortoise has been found uneaten!

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12 Jul 2011

Her Majestrys Theatre London


Made up with make up

Usually it is home to Phantom of the opera. A real old fashioned theatre. Last sunday it was home to the Childrens Variety Show and packed. Elena- the 10 yr old – was in two acts with her Stagecoach group. One dancing and the other singing. It was magical to see a little one on stage, loving it, looking as calm as anything. Amazing night. In fact there were in total 20 acts and they ranged from good to utterly brilliant. Mostly they were groups of around 20 children but one act from Birmingham, had 91 on stage………..That lot did songs from Wicked first. Now I saw wicked and was underwhelemd but these children brought it to life. They then did Firework, the song, that everyone knows.
One of the best evenings for a long time.
Monday and tuesday, back to reality………….6 am work………….no more to be said.
Hedgepig is trying to be a little more sociable. Less reversing, less prickling and far less chuffing. He also is storing his food in his new bed, a blue slipper. Neighbours came round tonight to collect daughter who had been playing with Elena. Cue, whole family upstairs to the Zoo!!
The news here is all about the News of the World and their awful phone hacking. Stories emerge daily about something repulsive they are alleged to have done. It is not an impossible scenario that the Times,Sun and Sunday times, will all close if this gets much worse.

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06 Jul 2011

Hedgepig is not being kind


Despite a full cage clean last weekend, deodarant and the lot- it needed it…………he still makes every attempt to both prickle me and huf and puff. We gave him the last of his mealworms today with one beetle tucked away as his snack. He also has a new home, a new, well old, blue slipper well past its use by date……..

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02 Jul 2011
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Potatoes


Today we officially became the Farmer Bushe family and ate the 6 potatoes we have grown. Looks like there may be some more coming but the thousand promised when we bought the seedlings do not seem to have materialised. Tasted lovely though.
Hedgepig had a full clean today and whole cage renovated. He is a pain always spilling his water. Smells a little less though.
Not much other news really. Brentford have signed league one,s top scorer last season, so looks like they mean business this year.
Elena was dissapointed this morning. Postman delivered envelope addressed to her looking like an inteesting little package. Sadly for her, happily for me, when opened it contained the 4 season tickets!! In their inimitable manner of always getting things wrong, Brentford have decided that the 2 adult season tickets are Alice Haynes and Elena Bushe…………HMMM.
Sorry missed your call, try again and let me know if a number materialises that I can call

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24 Jun 2011

The whole week. Where has it gone?


Seems to have just dissapeared this week. Drove to Newcastle last sunday night, not what I want to do every sunday night, a mere 350 miles. Monday turned out well as my meeting finished early and I made a quick dash up to Seahouses to get a boat over to the Farne Islands. I had this vision that on a weekday in june the place would be deserted. Wrong. Thousands of people there. There seemed also to be an age limit. No one under 70 was alllowed. Anyway lots and lots of Puffins, being chased by Kittiwakes as they headed back down into their burrows with sand eels. Lots of good photographs. The arctic terns though were being specially evil. I have never seen them so angry and peckety. Heads were being attacked all the time. A fair few seals too, most;y grey atlantic seals. I stayed in a small hotel in Beadnell which overlooked the dea. After an early dinner I had a walk through some fields, where the cows and bull took a too healthy interest in my presence, down to the harbour.
Thursday night Elena and her school choir were singing on the stage in Kingston at the Rose theatre. They all sang a special musical composed for the festival called the Soulbird, named after a book. It was lovely. The musicians all gave their time for free and one of them in turns out is the musical director of Billy Elliot in the West end.
Weather here has continued to be rubbish with rain most or even all days. We got 2 lots of olympic tickets for hockey and equestrian. So not brilliant but not awful either.
Animals are all fine, although we had a comedy moment yesterday. A wicked nasty hateful cat called Monty ( an eveil looking tabby garfield type) has always chased our little black cat shadow ( shadow is the runt if you dont know this already). Today Monty chased Shadow to the edge of the house, then turned around and Shadow chased her to the top and then Monty chased her back to the house. Like a tom and Jerry cartoon!! mind you we came down this morning to find the cat flap torn off the patio window and wrecked, so maybe Monty got revenge in the night………
Brentford have now signed two new players. A German defender and a guy from Man city.
Hedgepig has a new wheel. He continues to be a reversing sort of hedgehog but all the children that come to the house love him.
Elena had made a new friend in her class, a girl called Caitlin, who is one of seven children……….can you imagine………………seven……
Not got plans really for my birthday next weekend but Charles is coming over on the sunday. We might go cricket.
so nothing as exciting as Mexico……..but no hurricanes nor crocs either.

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