Do you mind? Private bath time!

No blip yesterday, because I exhausted my slender stock of energy with another upgrade on my controversial translation. I have to confess I found some errors – but was delighted to find that the author had made several errors of the type she rebuked me so severely for.
 
I had to leave the dogs tied up while I did this, and for much of the day, as Duke managed to scare the sparrows and, I think, destroy their nest. He’s also extremely excited by the smell of cat, so we have to make sure said animal is securely shut in the kitchen when the dogs are loose. I was doubtful about taking them for a walk, as there’s a fierce dog on the loose, but eventually went, armed with a broomstick (well, it’s nearly Halloween) and pepper spray. Luckily, neither was needed. By the time I considered photos, it was dusk and there was precious little going on. The shots of lichen simply weren’t worth blipping.
 
Today was beautifully sunny, but I spent four hours of it taking the cat to the veterinary college, and from there to the other end of town for her to have an Xray and an ultrasound. At least it confirms what I thought was wrong with her, and it’s treatable. Her claws and teeth may finish me off when I try to inject the antibiotics, but it sounds safer than trying to push pills down her throat.
 
The college is located in what used to be a beautiful farm, and there is a line of mature jabuticaba trees, which were laden with fruit. I posted a photo last year of men climbing the trees to collect the berries, which grow all the way up the trunk and along the branches (as in the extra photos). Today, there were two girls and an older lady, armed with tins on the end of sticks. The lady insisted on collecting some fruit for me – it was ripe and delicious, and I wished afterwards that I had accepted her offers of more, but at the time felt I had to get on with sorting the cat out.
 
HH and I eventually had lunch on the veranda at 4 p.m., and witnessed a Trogon visiting the tree he tried, unsuccessfully, to build a nest in last year. He also checked out more suitable trees nearby, before moving further away. I do hope he’ll be back. When I get a moment, I’ll find the link to the blip about him from last year.
 
A late run down to Rio, but quicker than usual as there was hardly any traffic. And now to face sorting through every room in the house, chucking stuff away and putting the rest back into cupboards, after the termite treatment. It’ll be a long, hard week (with the workmen now taking up the attic floor and working on the wiring).