If only..,

On a wet, windy and generally miserable day like today it would be nice to think I could have pushed Arwen's buggy through this gate and ended up in Sorrento Italy for a bit of sunshine.

Personally, apart from the weather, I had a good day. Went on a buggy push round the block after dropping the girls off on the school run. Arwen then slept until midday when I had to wake her for another feed. She's in danger of getting days and nights mixed up if I'm not careful, but I appreciated the time she napped to get some tasks and general tidying done around the house.

This afternoon I went to a friend's house where our group of six mummy friends were all together for I think the first time since last summer. It's getting harder since we have 17 kids between us now and we all work different days. We've worked out that Tuesday afternoons are free for all of us so we are going to make an effort to get together when the biggest kids are at school/preschool.

The sad part of today was that my brother's collie (Ross) was killed in a fight with another dog. The animals see each other almost every day since my brother and the other dog's owner work together stone walling. I think the dogs have scrapped a bit in the past,but today Ross was caught in a bad spot and had an internal injury, so couldn't be saved. It's terrible news for my brother, as a farmer and his working dog are always close. It must be a terrible shock. It's also awfully sad for my Dad as the dog lived with him when it wasn't working. It was a constant and loyal companion , especially at night when it slept in his room. At 85, my Dad is needing company. Since my Mum died three years ago he's also lost his pet cat, budgie and now dog. He feels very alone. He was inconsolable when we spoke earlier. It's very sad.