Saturday, December 20, 2025

round

 What's round at both ends and high in the middle?

Ohio?

No, you'd be wrong to think that......

A circular walk starting from my house and going up a hill, of course is the correct answer.

So that's what i did.

It's the longest walk i've managed since that fateful day on June the 8th when the dog broke my tibia ..... the swinehund!

I finally made it back to ground zero.... the very spot, in the very field, in which the impact changed the course of my career, year, probably life, to an extent....  i stood there and looked at Dawn at the other end of the field, and as she unclipped Sookie (the dog) from her lead and the dog ran toward me, i grimaced and turned around to protect myself in case she ran into me AGAIN!  (i figured if she ran into the back of my knee then at least it is meant to bend that way?)

I have to admit.... standing there and letting the dog recreate the moment was pretty terrifying, but i've done it now, and the spell is broken.....  i've faced it and can move on.....

My leg's a bit sore now.....

Took six and a half months to get back there but here i am looking my usual surly self at ground zero!

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

knot

 Dog toys... ever noticed them?

A popular dog toy is a twisted rope, with knots at either end..... tough, tog-o-war type toys that dogs love to use to yank your arm out the socket.

One such toy was in Sookie's mouth yesterday..... she practiced her death rattle and shook her head from side to side with abandoned ferocity......

The knot on the rope twatted me squarely on the metal plate running down the shinbone..... no muscle or fat to cushion the blow, just skin, and metal and a ropey knot travelling two parsecs an hour.

One tiny moment.....

The world went dim as my eyeballs steamed up, and for a brief moment i could smell colours that have not yet been discovered.

The end!

Or is it?  Here is a photo of a bad crimp..... these are manual crimps that are fairly unskilled in their application but this is so ugly..... we would never have prepared a pallet like this under my tutelage!