Unexpected gift

Unbeknown to anyone save a few is the rather simple fact that I do not talk to my father if I can avoid it. Lets just say excessive alcohol and anger, from a young age I apparently used to tell my teachers that I didn't have a dad when we were talking about family trees or parent's job. 

I avoided any contact for over 6 years before my mum dragged me to meet up for a coffee with him. Anyway a month or so ago he called me up... Drunk as usually saying he had something for me. I took it with a pinch of salt. When I met up with him it turns out for once he wasn't lying. He had brought this tiny Staffordshire bull terrier pup. Not great timing I must admit and that will be made clear in a few weeks time.

We decided to call this little terror Gaia after the earth goddess and Mother Nature. 

She was apparently 8 weeks but I am guessing she was more on the 6 week mark. 

This is how big she is now at 13 weeks

Loss

It has taken me a while to get to a point where I can actually write about this subject. What started off as a good year has already turned sour. In short I am feeling somewhat morose.

Anyone who knows me will also know that I have grown up around horses, actually owning some for a good part of my life. The most we had at one point was five, in recent years this was taken down to two (this was mentioned in a previous post).
Poppy, my welsh cob whom I have owned for almost 11 years now and Thyme my white-born appaloosa whom as of this march I will of owned for 10 years.

Saturday 26th January, we had to get the vet out to Thyme as she has somehow received a nasty injury. Turns out it was only an infected blood blister and it was easily cured. Antibiotics and Bute. Thyme has a history of strange antics, she has a rather expensive hock injury from fighting with Poppy not long after we brought her. Went for X-rays and everything, thankfully nothing was wrong.
Then she foot her foot stuck in her haynet one night and somehow, to this day I have no idea how, kicked out the window and then went over the stable door. We thankfully got there in time to cut her lose. She was hanging upside down, hoof in haynet outside the stable door. Once again, got the vet down and no injuries what so ever.

For those that don't know a whiteborn horse is, its a horse that has a genetic mutation, which produces a pure white coat and unpigmented (pink skin) so the horse is not grey. Leopard spotted appaloosa like thyme are supposed to have leopard like spots all over the skin, however she did not.
so she should of been like this

but actually she was like this -


I don't think she had the lethal white foal gene.... but she may of had it. They usually die at an early age so it isn't likely.

Anyway... enough idol chatter I shall continue with the story.
Thyme's injury healed up nicely, Cai was even up helping me with her on Tuesday night. when we let her out she was running around the fields with Poppy happily.

Wednesday morning I received a phonecall... My little appaloosa has developed colic over night. Now, there had been no change in her diet or anything like that so it really was very unexpected an random. The vet gave me three options, Surgery (which would cost between £4000 and £10000 which we just didn't have), check on her and keep her health monitored or euthanasia. She had improved very quickly so we all agreed that to keep an eye on her was the best option.

I stayed with her until super late at night, she was perfectly fine by this point, happy, bright, alert and whinnying like normal. It really looked like she was better. Yet we kept her in the stable with some water and no food just to be safe.
On Wednesday morning, I got another phone call (I was already up and off to see her... it was 8:15am). Thyme had died. To say the least I was distraught, the vet had given her the all clear the night before....  she was my baby. I loved her to pieces. Poppy knows I think, she looks very depressed. No signs of any thrashing so she most likely wasn't in pain thankfully and she was still warm when they called so sadly it hadn't been long before.

It may seam sad or pathetic but I really miss her; its strange not hearing her high pitched whinny when I come on the yard to see them.
She inspired my unicorn act. This was because she was pure white and at times reminded me of a de-horned unicorn, some nights she would shine and you could see her across the fields. So to honour her memory I am saving up for a custom oil painting this is also coupled with me changing out one of my acts from a show this Saturday. I was supposed to perform my Succubus act but instead I decided to perform Unicornis, in memory of my beautiful little unicorn.  It was hard not to cry on stage.

At least she has Owen and Quest with her now. (They were two of my other horses. We found out on Friday that Quest had died last year... we had given him to a friend a few years before)

R.I.P Thyme - Poppy, Cai and I love you and miss you very much. there will never be another like you. You will always be in our hearts. <3

New member of the family

When it comes to humans I am a bit of a misanthrope, however I do adore other animals. Those who know me also know that I am living with my other half and I'm really happy, have been for over a year now. Between the two of us we have such a menagerie and now I can happily say we have a new member of our family.

It's a personal preference of mine to rescue animals, my black and white cat Idrial was a stray. Since our oldest cat passed away last Christmas and Cai and I have our own house now we decided to take on another.

This is when I heard about Destiny. She was at the RSPCA and due to be put down the day a friend of mine fostered her. Feeling so sorry for her, I picked her up and brought her home. At first she was a shy little thing and extremely temperamental, this turned out to be only because she was frightened. All truth be told she is a soft friendly thing and has settled very well. Getting along with Idrial and the rest of the critters.

She is a black cat with white marking like Idrial and our late cat Dusty.... Infact she is a spitting image of Dusty.

A very welcome member of the family.

The beasts in the family

No I'm not talking about people but rather actual beasties, I have only really spoken about my horses in the past, I still have the two mares and love them to bits. But I do have other animals. The reason for writing this is that a month ago one of our cats past away, he was fairly old, 14 years. We had first received him as a kitten so clearly it was an upsetting time and we do really miss him His name was Dusty (don't ask it was my little sister's cat) Here is a pretty photo of him below and another of him waking from sleep... he was a bit... strange

We do have another cat with similar markings though she is a lot younger. She was found sleeping in our hay barn at the stables and just stayed, no collar so must of wandered off and was thus a stray. We did not bring her home for two years in case she decided to wander back to her original home or a report of missing animal was posted but nothing happened so she slept with the horses. Her name is Idrial

Along with the cats and horses we are currently housing my older sister's dog Bindi, she's an 8 year old English Bull Terrier and a bit mad.... not much else to say about her haha

Next in the Menagerie of beasts is Merlin, I'm not too sure on his age as he was given to me about a month ago now by a very close friend whom I have known for about 10 or so years. Merlin being a Black Albino Corn snake, such a cutie to and likes to sit on my little sister's head.

The last one, belongs to Cai, he brought him when we were started seeing each other to quote 'Our baby dragon' this was around October time and we are happily still together and officially. Calenmirae is a young Chinese water dragon.

I guess we are very much an animal family