Along came Joey

 With so many wonderful responses to Joey going over the zoomie bridge, I wanted to share the book I began writing about him. 

Unfortunately, I can't find the last file I wrote, so my search will continue.

This is where Joey and I began our friendship.

Along Came Joey 

The following story is based on true events and retold with the words of
both owner and dog 

Mid-life crisis?
Maybe, but I was past mid-life.
What I did know was that my life was devoid of love and affection: I had been single too long. After much thought and consideration, I felt the time was right to have a dog in my life again and decided to search for a rescue dog,
but he found me. 

Little did I realise how it would affect my life. 

Chapter 1 

There were people everywhere.
All above me: ignoring me.
They were around Dad’s bed.
He was being taken, not roughly and he wasn’t protesting. But he couldn’t. 

I needed to stop them.
But I was too small.
I was picked up; I kicked and I bit.
I quietened as the other people left.
I looked at the bed. There was a dent where he had been. A warm spot I would sometimes curl into, smell his scent, relax and fall back to sleep until I was called for breakfast. I tried to scramble free to get to that spot, to feel warm and safe. But I was held close and taken from the room.
I cried. 

*** 

I shivered and curled up tighter: it was minus two degrees and I was not in my comfy bed. I wasn’t even in my house.
Or with my family.
I was in a cell. 

Concrete walls and floors that stank of disinfectant and there was a warm breeze from somewhere.
It was dark. I heard others breathing but no one was there with me. I curled up on my bedding; at least this was mine. It smelled of Dad and helped me relax. 

I heard activity. Footsteps came along the passageway and I blinked as the winter sun came through the bars on the windows. The latch was lifted on my cell. I edged back into the corner frightened of what was to come. Two bowls were placed before me. My nose twitched: biscuits and water. The rosy cheeked girl who had brought them in ruffled my fur, smiled and left; onto the next. I edged my way towards the bowls sniffing the air before them. It smelled good and I took a small mouthful. I was not really hungry as I felt sad more than anything. But I ate a little before I curled back into the corner on my bed and tucked my nose under my leg and cried quietly. 

The daily routine was the same. The nice girls came in and fed me; they were always smiling and always gave me a cuddle and spoke to me in comforting tones. I didn’t understand what they were saying but they were kind.
They were nice but I didn’t like being there and I missed my Dad, where was he? The rosy cheeked girl clipped a lead on me and took me down the corridor past other cells and led 

me into the grassy paddock. My nose twitched and my tail gave a slight wag. I could smell other dogs, horses and, I twitched again, cats! I wandered around sniffing here and there and marking the territory. There was an old boy in the corner, an Alsatian. His fur was dull and in clumps, he was very old indeed. When he got up to walk, he limped from stiffness in his back legs. He was almost blind so sensed his way around the paddock but he had been there that long that he rarely bumped into anything. He moved from corner to corner changing the blurred view in front of him from sheep to cars in the car park. This was his home and he would spend his last days there. We sniffed each other with respect and I left him alone. 

‘Rosy Cheeks’ called my name and I glanced at her. She had a lead in her hand but I continued to sniff around. She called me again, leant forward and patted her knees. I only responded to Dad so I ignored her. She walked over and gently lowered the loop over my head and slid up the toggle, ruffled my head and gave a gentle tug on the lead. Walkies. We were out in the countryside; I was not used to all the smells. I came from a town, a busy place of cars and people, here smelled different, I especially liked the horse pooh and the way it clung to my long coat and for some reason I found that quite comforting. We trudged around the muddy field, my little paws picked their way in the ruts whilst Rosy Cheeks squelched in the mud, sometimes giggling as she got stuck and had to tug her welly out. She talked to me all the time and even sang. I pretended not to take any notice; I just sniffed, scratched at the earth and peed.
When we got back to the cells she sprayed some water on my legs, towelled me dry and brushed my coat. I didn’t like being brushed but I let her do it. The less fuss I made, the sooner I went home. 

Chapter 2 

‘Blooming phone when I’m trying to draw!’ I looked at the caller, Jayne my neighbour. ‘Hi Hun, are you still interested in a dog?’
‘Er, yes course. Why?’
‘Think we’ve found you one. Come to the pub and we’ll take you over to see him.’ 

The phone went dead. I did that daft thing and looked at it, then down at myself: PJ bottoms and a sweatshirt. Well it was Sunday, but now I had better get dressed. The drawing of a Jack Russell would wait until later.
On the 10-minute drive I wondered what sort of dog they had found and as I wormed my way through the pub Jayne’s three Border Terriers caught sight of me and yapped excitedly. A glass of wine was thrust into my hand and a stool vacated for me to sit down. 3 wet noses wanted my attention before anything else. I scratched their heads and asked Jayne about the dog. 

‘Oh it’s so sweet. It’s a Cocker Spaniel crossed with a Sheltie, ever so friendly and it’s up at the kennels.’
‘Long haired?’
Jayne put her hand on my arm, ‘I know you didn’t want long haired but wait until you see him, he’s gorgeous.’ I raised an eyebrow, she knew I was a tough nut to crack but also that I was a softie where dogs were concerned. ‘He’s 10 years old and his owner died suddenly. The son had no time for a dog so dropped him into the kennels hoping to find a home rather than take him to a sanctuary.’ 

I sipped on my drink and wondered what the heck I was doing. I knew having a dog again would change my life completely. I would be responsible for a living, demanding thing and 

I still wasn’t sure I was ready for that again. But, I’d been single for 8 years and there was a gaping hole in my life. My home was devoid of life and love. No man had as yet, come into my life for more than a blink of an eye and I was sadly, very lonely. With a dog around I would have a purpose to my days but was I too set in my ways, there was only one way to find out. 

We left the pub for the kennels and more Border Terriers ran in and out of my legs. A white cat scowled as it walked past and headed for the warmth of my bonnet. In a paddock of muddy grass, I saw a very old Alsatian with the glazed eyes of the blind; his nose twitched as he scented the air. I put my hand to the fence and he nuzzled it. A girl came from the kennels with what looked like a miniature border collie and headed towards us. ‘This is Joey.’ 

I knelt down to say hello; he seemed disinterested. His coat was very long, almost touching the floor. He sniffed at me and I reached out to fuss him. He looked a little tubby but my hand sank into a very thick coat of fur: he was a very small chap indeed underneath it all, standing about 12” high to his shoulder. She gave me the lead and we headed off for a little walk around the field. We plodded in mutual silence, Joey never looked up once. I cut off the top of the field and headed across the tractor tracks to the opposite side, Joey still carefully placing his feet in the tracks but not bothering if there was a puddle in the way, he just plodded straight through it. He seemed such a sad little chap, could I really not give him a home? 

A week later I returned. Joey was in the paddock sitting in the opposite corner to the Alsatian, I got out of the car and he jumped up the fence, was he pleased to see me? I’m sure I saw a slight wag of the tail. I had a new collar and lead. This little boy was coming home with me. 

Chapter 3 

I heard a car, who was coming today, was it Dad? I looked across from the paddock, it was That Lady again and she was laughing with the big man who locked us up at night. She had something in her hand, I put my paws up the fence for a closer look; it was a new collar and lead. Rosy Cheeks came into the paddock and called me. New Lady had given her the collar and lead: they were for me! It had been a long time since I had a new collar and this one was bright red. Rosy Cheeks led me towards the New Lady and said goodbye with a big hug then New Lady picked me up and fussed me. She was warm and soft and was scratching behind my ears; ooh I liked that. Then she put me on the seat in her car. She shook hands with the big man and got in the car too, we were leaving. I barked. 

I barked at the trees as we passed. I barked at the horses.
I barked and I barked.
Where were we going? 

I was scared and tried to get onto her lap but she pushed me back muttering something about ‘driving’. We stopped but I carried on barking. She opened the door and encouraged me out. Grass, bushes, pee. In through a door. Carpet under my feet. I hadn’t felt carpet for weeks, I sniffed it. She took my lead off and talked to me as I sniffed the couch, then the table. I didn’t know what she was saying but she was smiling. I was rooted to the spot listening: was Dad here? She put a bowl of water down and I drank as she opened another door. The smell of fresh air flooded in and it was the fresh air I was use to of coal smoke, cars and people. Then I smelled something else and edged towards the 

door. My nose rose in the air and my heart beat faster...cats! But I didn’t want to go into a cold cell again and this could be a trap, should I go out? She walked ahead of me and I slowly followed. I sniffed around not far from the door, peed and then ran back inside. She laughed. I waited until the door was shut before I drank again. I didn’t know where I was or what was happening but I felt ok here. Maybe Dad would turn up later. 

I jumped onto the chair and felt the fluffy cushion under my feet and curled up to wait. 

Chapter 4 

I sat and watched him as he slept. He had hardly moved since we came home. I assumed he was unsettled so didn’t worry about it but I was finding it hard to watch TV and relax. He was curled in such a tight ball on the chair that you couldn’t see where he started or ended, just a bundle of long fur, asleep but tense, the poor thing, he had been through a lot the last few weeks and must have been confused. 

I carried on my normal chores around the house like he wasn’t there, he watched every move but stayed curled up tight. I sat down with my dinner on a tray; he raised his head, stretched, sniffed the air then curled back up again. A dog not interested in human food? There was a first. 

He watched as I put on my shoes and picked up his lead; he started to move then stopped. I had no idea what he must be thinking but I knew he needed to stretch his legs. I clipped the lead on and led him round the block allowing him to sniff and pee. Back home I put his dinner down, he ate some then curled up in the same spot on the chair, his eyes peered at me. Before long he was sound asleep, I hope he felt safe now. He started to snore, then stretched and his legs and twitched; was he chasing something? Then quiet for a short while then his paws twitched again and he was crying. Cries like I’d never heard from a dog, like a kitten mewing for its mother. His eyelids flickered, what dream was the poor boy having, I didn’t know whether to wake him or let him be. The crying and twitching continued and I felt tears in my eyes too. I gently called his name. Slowly the cries died and the twitches stopped. He lifted his head as he opened his eyes. He blinked then sat bolt upright looking around. A look of fear from waking from a sleep so deep that he didn’t 

know where he was. I gently called his name again but still allowed him space to settle before going across to him and gathering him up for a cuddle. 

Chapter 5 

A soft bed; warm and cosy. I stayed on the chair until she was asleep then I crept upstairs and quietly jumped up onto the bottom corner of the bed, I doubted she knew I was there. A hand reached down and ruffled my fur, phew; it was ok to be here. I stretched and made my way up the quilt to her end and looked at her. She looked normal enough and she had let me get on her bed. It was better than those cold cells. Her hand reached out,ooh and she was doing that thing with my ears again, it was heavenly. 

OMG, I need to pee! I jumped off the bed. Where do I go, where do I go? Stairs, stairs downstairs and there must be a door, which door, OMG I need to pee! OPEN THE DOOR! Panic, I didn’t know where to go. In the cell there was just the space I was in unless we were in the yard. I heard her come running down the stairs. She saw the panic in my eyes as I stood by the front door then called me to another door. Without thought I dived out, down the steps and sniffed the fresh air and relax. Oh that feeling when... pure ecstasy and I scuffed the grass in delight. She stood there looking at me, I looked back with indifference; I wanted another pee. I explored the garden with some interest. We had one of these at Dad’s but it was much nicer. Dad cut the grass and stuff and there were lots of flowers that smelled really sweet that I got told off if I walked on. Then there were flutterby things that I watched but they were too high to catch. Black and yellow buzzing things zigzagging around from one flower to the next. I didn’t try to catch those, they hurt. I managed to get one once and after it stopped buzzing in my mouth it stuck something into me that made my nose scrunch up and my tongue scrape against my teeth. No, those little beggars could be left alone. 

Here was nowhere near as nice but it was exciting. Brambly hedges and droopy trees that I could swish the branches of as I walk under and some tiny gaps under the fence. I poked my nose in and discovered another nose. Yap, yap! I stepped back in shock; that wasn’t me, who was it? I poked my nose in again and the same little black nose was there, then he moved and another took his place. Yap, yap. I wagged my tail and tried to squeeze my head through to see the wet black noses again but I felt a pair of hands around my middle; it was her. She picked me up and talked to someone the other side of the fence. I looked down to see that the gap was now black. He had blocked it off; bugger. 

Lead on we headed out the door and the lights of the car flashed as she unlocked it. Oh no, was she taking me back to the cells? ‘Please don’t take me back to the cells. I trusted you! I barked, please no, don’t do it!’ I barked and I barked. I tried to put my paw on her shoulder but I couldn’t reach as I was in a harness so I continued to bark. We were in the car a long time until we stopped. It wasn’t the cells but it was another building. Where were we now? She was talking; she said it was somewhere called work? 

She shut the door and unclipped my lead. I went exploring the nooks and crannies whilst she went into the kitchen. Food and water were put down for me and as I went into her office there was a big soft bed on the floor. Was there another dog? I sniffed it warily. No, it was brand new, it must be for me. I nibbled at my food and lay on the bed, scratching it all into place and fell asleep. 

She was calling me again. I struggled to open my eyes, I just wanted to sleep and every time I woke up I feared I was in the cells again. She dangled the lead in front of me. My tail thumped on the bed and I look at it, ‘I didn’t say you could wag tail, behave!’ A new place and a new walk. This outside smelled different too; lots of oil and metal, wood and fumes from chimneys belching smoke. This work place was strange, and then I saw it: fox. 

There was a bloody fox. And it was daylight. ‘This is my walk down here mate, what are you doing? Quit scavenging on my patch. Go on, get lost.’
The little bugger. He was ambling across the yard like he owned it. He hadn’t seen me, he hadn’t even scented me. This Scragg-end of a town fox in its brindle coat wasn’t even taking any notice of the workmen on their cigarette break. I pulled towards him, but she wasn’t having it. Damn. I wanted that fox.

I followed his scent down the track, weaving this way and that. She wasn’t amused. Where had he come from?
Where was he going?
All the way around the block I was thinking of that fox. I’d lost his scent. Damn. 

‘JOEY!’
Yeah, yeah, I can hear you but I needed to see. I’d slipped the lead as we got back to work. 

FOX. FOX. FOX. FOX. Come on foxy, where did you go. Nose down, I was off! 

‘JOEY!’
I took no notice, I was fine, I knew what I was doing. I.
Want.
That. 

Fox.
She was coming. I sidestepped into the gates. Least she wasn’t running.
I heard the gates close. But she couldn’t see me. She was still calling.
The scent was gone. The fox was gone. Damn. Another day I’d get him. I ambled along the units as if it was normal. Knowing I was going to get a roasting. But she wasn’t shouting, why not?
I stood still why she slipped the lead on and we ambled back to work. Not a word spoken but I heard her mumbling; it sounded like ‘you little shit.’
When I got back to my bed I had dreams of that scraggy runt of a fox, I chased it around the yard, in and out of units telling it to get off my land, off my dog walk. What spoils are on that patch are mine Mr Fox so don’t come back. Tomorrow I would see if I could get him again. 

Chapter 6 

‘JOEY!’
The second I had slackened the lead after we had got back to work the little beggar had slipped his head out and turned tail and ran. Fear and panic ran through my bones and I wanted to be sick. I left the door wide open and begun to run after him, would he turn left, or right? Right was the way we had come and left was to the main road. Please Joey turn right, I didn’t want to hear squeals of brakes. Right. He turned right. I stopped running and tried to calm myself. Deep breathes, he was after that fox. I caught sight of his black tail with the white tip as he paused to have a pee. He was barely 20 paces ahead of me. I called him, trying to keep the panic from my voice but he was off again: nose to the ground following the scent of the fox. Don’t panic, he would sense it. Don’t shout, he would think had done wrong and run faster and further. What was I doing putting myself through the possibility of losing him within 24 hours of having him?
‘JOOEEEEEEEEY.’
I had lost sight of him.
‘Come on boy, let’s go home and get some treats.’ I looked left and right and I couldn’t see him. But I saw the fox, it appeared on my right from around the back of a factory. We looked at each other, only separated by a chain link fence. He blinked, turned tail and slunk off with an abandoned piece of Kentucky Fried chicken. I prayed Joey didn’t pick up on his scent as he was heading back through an estate I couldn’t get into.
I called again. The fox was inside a gated area so I assumed Joey had gone in there too. I pulled both gates shut, yes there was enough gap underneath for him to have got under but it would, I hope, have delayed him and slowed him down if he tried to run past me. My 

heart was settling back to normal as I scanned the open space, ‘Joeeey’. I saw a flash of white go past a skip at the bottom of the yard. I had no idea if there was an exit that way but hoped not; I waited. His nose came around the bottom unit and he was nose down to the ground again, then up in the air. He stopped when he saw me and defiantly cocked his leg up a drain pipe. There was a bunch of guys on a fag break watching him too. They hadn’t seen me and thankfully they didn’t try to scare Joey off. He was coming towards me at a leisurely pace. I loosened the loop of the lead and crouched down. He didn’t even try to dodge past me but just stood slightly past arms length waiting for the lead to go on. “You little shit Joey, you scared the life out of me.” We walked back to work, past neighbouring units all busy with their own life, unaware of the drama that had just occurred in mine. It would be me that had nightmares that night, that’s for sure. 

Chapter 7 

It was nearly the end of my second week with She-mom and I suppose it was kind of ok. But oh no, we were in the car again. Where were we going today? I couldn’t help but feel scared every time we got in the car. I wasn’t use to cars and I was still scared of going back to the cells. I hated it there; it was just horrid. Surely after that lovely lie in, we weren’t going to work again? I whined, straight into She-mom’s ear. 

But we had stopped already and we had only gone down the road. Leaving the car, we walked past a place smelling of sausages and bacon cooking, I wanted to go in there. Then there was a place that I could smell lots of dogs and cats, She-mom said it was the V E T S. Then I could hear high pitched squawks from birds. I heard Aunty Laura being mentioned and the noise was getting louder. Aunty Laura has a shop and as She-mom pushed the door a bell clanged. A lot of noise was coming from within; squawks, squeaks, squeals: a tinkle of bells and voices. All sorts of voices. And smells. 

Oh what smells! My nose twitched in delight. I raised my nose and sniffed. I could scent ... I twitched again, straw, that was it; straw. A high-pitched squawk made me wince as a beady eye watched me enter. Nose down I followed the scent of the straw, I ignored She- mom and all the other humans. I bumped noses with a bit of wood, then a mesh and, oh hello a pink twitchy nose and whiskers and fluffy fur. But not a dog, not like me, no. His nose twitched again; oops no, he is a she; she bopped me on the nose through the mesh for being so nosy. Humph, I moon-walked backwards, affronted. I was excited by this, what was that creature? Dogs I knew, cats I knew, I think I grew up with them but I couldn’t remember. Foxes I knew, they smelled awful and they sprayed on my garden. My 

garden, how dared they? But what was this fluffy thing who challenged me? I slid forward paratrooper style on my belly. Low down I was sure she couldn’t see me so I would have the advantage. I reached the wood and raised my nose to the mesh...boff! She got me again. I skittered backwards and I quivered in excitement and barked. Then a little squeak like two balloons rubbing together. My head snapped to the right and the next bit of mesh...a russet and white face with a twitchy nose...who was this little chap? Commando crawl again, I approached the mesh. Boff, it was another boffy thing but it missed me, ha, I was wise to your boffy mate over there, you’re not going to get me again! There was a lot of these boffy things at ground level and I got a look at all of them: long eared fluffy ones, brown ones, white ones with cute long lashes. Baby ones, adult ones and even a pair in a cage that are...oh... I think they were... I turned away. Aunty Laura was talking to She-mom and I could smell something on this bag. I sniff...ooooh straw, I raised my leg and peed. This place was heaven; I wanted a boffy thing to play with. Aunty Laura bent down to cuddle me. She was nice. She was smiley and smelt of dogs. She needed to have kisses and I gave her lots. 

We left Aunty Laura’s loaded with goodies, lots of chewy treats, squeaky toys and a fluffy bunny that looks just like the boffy things in the cages. I liked it there She-mom. 

We got back to the house and She-mom wrinkled her nose and proclaimed ‘what’s that smell?’ It was, I admit a very unpleasant smell and I knew what it was but I was keeping quiet. I had the feeling I might just be in the dog house or worse still, be sent back to the cell. 

She had been sitting with her feet up and trying to identify the smell for days but couldn’t work out what it was or where it was coming from. She’d checked the fridge and wiped it out with disinfectant. It wasn’t that. She’d emptied the outside bin and disinfected that too. Shut the back windows in case it was drifting in from somewhere, but every time we came into the house she could smell it. Then, just as we were off to bed she dropped to the floor sniffing like a blood hound. Uh oh, my number was up as she neared the far end of the couch. ‘Joey!’ I cowered, she’d found it. I couldn’t look and hid behind the chair. She was wiping her hand on the edge of the couch and the carpet her hand was wet. She sniffed it and her nose wrinkled. I didn’t think puppy eyes would work at this point. Copious amounts of kitchen towel flowed from her hands like a white bouquet as she dropped it on the spot where I had peed. She mumbled something again but I kept well away.

All she did was look at me with those eyes. Not the lovey-dovey ‘you are my best boy’ eyes, but the slightly kooky ‘Hellraiser’ ones. 

 

Going to the big smoke

I love to travel and wherever I go I like to see life pass by so a window seat on the train to London was a given. Relaxed and aimlessly watching countryside and townscapes whiz by, my stomach somersaulted when the outside seemed to be coming towards me and lurching like a crazed animal. Welcome to my first experience of tilting trains.

Less stressful than taking the car, we alighted at Euston to head for the tube to get across to Earls Court area. Tubes are another thing that I’m a novice with and I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it as I hate crowds and have a tinge of claustrophobia: usually corrected with a mental slap across the face and logical thinking; I cope. The amount of people around on a weekday afternoon surprised me, all surging forward and downstairs with Oyster cards and tickets thrust out to scan them through barriers; another surge towards escalators that were moving at a rapid pace. Deep breath and I was on, then realised I was standing the wrong side: no concession for being a lefty! Swiftly moved over and off, we trundled cases towards the platform and the seemingly incessant stream of trains/trams or whatever you want to call them! A gust of warm air tumbles along the platform as one pulls up, doors screech open and people splurge out, eager to be on their way as we became the new sardines to cram into the tin before the doors shut and we were whizzed off again to the next station. [I'm not dwelling on the suicide doors]. No personal space here, cheek by jowl with who knows who as we all swayed along with the rattles and grunts of the train. Spat out at another station to join another line, we repeated the procedure before finally getting to Earls Court. It was in truth a matter of minutes but my nerves were jangling and I needed to stop to get my breath.

But the long weekend adventure had begun!

The main reason for going was to see Les Mis as the Garrick, so once changed we were off to conquer the tube again. I was much more relaxed this time and it was great to get to Chinatown with plenty of light so we could wander around and have an early evening meal before the show. But what was it going to be? 

English, Chinese, Thai, Korean..whoa, Korean? With noses pressed to the window, there were tabletop BBQs and cuts of meat presented on a platter. Appreciative noises coming from the other half, myself not so much: there appeared too much fat but I was assured it melted away much like Iberico ham. Should I try something new or should we go for something within my comfort zone? 

Ah to hell with it, there were king prawns on the platter if nothing else!

Always a sign of a good restaurant is when there is a mix of ethnicity eating there so we ploughed in for what we hoped was a traditional style meal.
The lid was taken off the BBQ and once we chose our meal, it was delivered to us along with side salad and dips.

 The first delicately sliced and rolled meat [Chadol Bagi] was placed on the BBQ and gave a gentle nose twitching sizzle. It began to uncurl before our eyes. A waitress came over and flipped it over and added onion and mushroom to the fire. The fat was rendering away and as it cooked gently I began to look forward to tasting the feast that was opening up before me .

Before we started nibbling on that we added the rib eye which, once it had started cooking, the waiter came along and snipped into bite sized sections

Then the marinated and un-marinated belly pork went on.

 All were dipped into delicately flavoured oil and beautiful bean paste.

We did relegate the steel chopsticks for easier to use bamboo though!

 Lastly the prawns went on which i did take full advantage of as the pork belly was not my thing [well that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it!]

Olle was certainly a place i wish was closer to home as I'd love to go again.

This set us up great for the theatre.

The theatre was packed and we were over an hour early so we could have a drink before the show. There was an excited buzz in the air as we took our seats, the only photos we could take were of the stage prior to the performance but then i'd rather watch and enjoy anyway.
What did I think? Amazing. The whole cast were brilliant and Michael Ball just a part of a very large team. I would certainly go to see it again. The underground trip home was even enjoyable as I hummed along to the songs.

The underground. 
i was getting used to the bustle and also understanding the routes and change overs...I even began to understand 'Mornington Crescent; for those of you who have listed to Radio 4 and 'I'm sorry i haven't a clue.' But when I started to think how deep we were on some of the lines, I dragged my thoughts away before claustrophobia set in. 
What I was enjoying about the tube was the people. Such a variety and very few making eye contact, everyone in their own little world. Although I did end up chatting to a few people, the majority were self absorbed, or phone absorbed. One young lady did make me smile though as she was applying her make up with precision in the rocking carriage and looked model perfect...except for the runs in her tights!

After a second day zipping around London, I began to understand the usefulness and speed of the underground system but i still wouldn't fancy it on a permanent basis.

Borough Market
                                        It was on my must see list. 

 It was much bigger than I thought and from looking around the Artisan stalls were making a good living from the prices they were selling things at, £4 for a loaf of sourdough? 

            Beautiful displays of fruit and veg 

 An amazing array of spices and herbs, some of which I had never heard of

            Cheese Gromit?

          and more cheese

      Artisan breads were flying off the display











There were places to eat, to drink, including Chocolate wine??? Now what is that all about? I didn't try it!

 A quick shot of the Shard and we were back off to Earls Court. Unfortunately I had picked up some sort of lurgy and needed a lie down before going out in the evening. We could see the Shard from our penthouse room so I could visualise how far we had travelled that day.

The Troubadour.
Never heard of the place, sounded interesting, so we gave it a whirl and we were glad we did. Happened to be 2 for 1 on cocktails which was a bonus. Had a bunch of inebriated hooray Henry's next to us but they were OK. All sorts of stuff hanging on walls and from the ceiling. Staff were pleasant and food was pretty good. We had a few small dishes and shared rather than a full meal. 


Then we headed downstairs for the jazz......we were
 about three times older than the clientele down
 there and the musicians but no one batted an eyelid. The music was good: OK the second set was a singer who loved herself more than the music, There was also a photographer who could only take photos of the musicians whilst blocking everyone's view and standing upright. No creative angles and she insisted on checking shots whilst still blocking the view!




We stuck around for a couple of bands before heading
back to the hotel for a nightcap. 





The National Gallery
Is huge!
We were lost in the whole place meandering here and there. I'm sure you need to plan your route to maximise your visit. Well actually I'm going to say visits as it's far too vast to take in all at once. Tea and cake were nice though!

The Science Museum
Set across many levels this was also a great place to visit and was popular with half term families. Although negotiating the levels was a bit of a pain when some of the lifts were saying they weren't working but actually were!

Phantom of the Opera
Due to the fact the weather was due to
 be 100% wet stuff on our heads we added in another theatre visit for the matinee of Phantom. Very stringent photo opportunities due to the technology involved with the chandelier [having been on a backstage trip at Birmingham Hippodrome I knew it was highly protected]. We were as eager to see this as Les Mis. The props and effects were amazing and the performance good but unfortunately it didn't hit the spot for either of us. But at least we have seen it now.

Thankfully not raining on leaving the theatre we wandered up the road to spot a Lebanese Restaurant.

 Feeling a tad hungry, the mezza was ordered along with pomegranate and orange lemonade. It was delightful, mini cheese pastries, falafels and three different types of humus along with fresh flat breads. It hit the spot!

The restaurant had a very traditional character to it and the staff were very friendly

Another one to recommend




It was a frantic few days in the capital city that was a mixture of first and fear at times. It is a great memory and I'm sure I'll be back again and be a bit better prepared next time.

it ain't what you do but the way that you do it

15th September 

Four weeks in and I'm knackered, mentally drained, aching shoulders and tired eyes.

Not because the job is tough, but because I'm using all my skill every day...and I wake up in the night with ideas!

The last week has been a lot of work on the pc. All the planning notes on paper and in my head needed to be united in spread sheets. As anyone in the care profession knows, documentation is necessary and with dementia more so to monitor the progression. Fluid intake, bowel movements, sleep patterns, activities to name a few, all combine to give an overview of the residents.  With 40 of them, it takes up considerable time for the carers, support workers, one to ones and nurses. I knew me adding more detailed reviews would not go down well with my colleagues so I had to devise the whole activity process to be as simple as possible. ( I won't bore you with it!) Out went my elaborate plans and in came a more simplified smiley system 😊🙄☹️that came into play to report back on each event. In came clear instructions for activities. Out went complex activities that wouldn't suit the capabilities. In came KISS... keep it simple, stupid! In came spreadsheets and out went my many scribbles as the plan fell into place.

A colour coded weekly activity chart that focuses on covering the residents needs from emotion to physical. Those doing qualifications ( including me) have the evidence in front of them to support their workbook. ( I wonder if they will realise it? ) Everyone has something attractive to look at,  visitors included. Spreadsheets rock. At the end of the day, my shoulders ached but next weeks activities are ready to roll and I'm justifiably satisfied. Let's see if I think so at the end of next week!

But what about the residents? I've not spent much time on the units this week. A daily wander to say hi to both staff and residents but not so long spent chatting and learning about the characters. The activities cupboard ( read bomb site) is no longer a dumping ground...it has a padlock. The paperwork done. Birthday banners rescued from one unit and dropped at another ( note to self, give every unit their own banners and balloons), cakes organised for birthdays and talk like a pirate day, ( yes I really get paid for making over 40 cocktail stick sized pirate flags). Reflexology details printed ( national reflexology week) with the addition of the lion massage to the back (puzzled? I'll explain next time) and a new poem written for a leg massage ( Hedgehogs and butterflies made an appearance here) white board and pens ready for national doodle day ( did I say this was working?) then a few hours cutting leaf shapes for a dignity tree for Alzheimer's day....and everything neatly placed in folders for each unit. 

Satisfying.

A shout out for offcuts of material brought a lovely surprise of some lavender bags from Pat. Given out today, they have already helped one restless resident have a calm day. Staff were naming who would benefit as they admired the handiwork; half of them quickly disappeared into rooms. More offcuts but of a different sort appeared on my doorstep. I asked a printer for a few sheets of card and paper: I came home to three reams! I'd forgotten how heavy print media was but this will give us so much scope with projects. Thanks Lee, I just need to lump it into the motor to lug into work. It stayed in my tiny porch until I'd taken the dog out, he wasn't impressed at the mountaineering!

And so the residents, and this is just today.

I smiled at the pleasure the lavender bags gave.

I shed a tear as friends said goodbye to their friend as they wouldn't be seeing her till next spring. I wondered what changes would have occurred by then. Hugs were given with ease. 

Larks and laughter singing along with fellow staff.

Shoulder dancing with David as he whistled a tune: his hands on my shoulders moving me in time to his tune.

Lump in my throats when family thanked me for what I did, I passed those thanks to the carers for I had done nothing.

Learning that Bob at 93 got his OBE for rescuing people in Coventry after being a POW in Singapore for 5 years. Another lump when he told someone that things were better since I'd been there.

Sky the Pat dog. A lovely golden retriever who shows unconditional love. I've never seen such a reaction. Sky appeared and unresponsive residents glowed. Any challenging behaviour went out the window. Gnarled fingers curled into soft golden curls. Smiles, giggles and cuddles. It was amazing to see how something so simple can change a person. 

And then ...

The sparky has been in to sort the leccy for the magic table to be fitted ( so excited).

Stay tuned!

week two GETTING THE HANG OF THINGS

For a Bank Holiday Monday it was unusual to be heading off to work but hey, what else would I be doing on a beautiful hot day? It was to be the start of a mixed week of revelation and determination. I was determined this week to spend more time with the residents and get to know some characteristics and start to understand capabilities. Plus there was the Bingo effect: more about that shortly.

I was developing the routine of starting the day with writing some ideas down, the 30 minute drive into work with its beautiful country views was inspiring for some reason. A chat with cook as I made a cuppa was always enlightening. She was happy to support me in whatever ideas I had that would benefit the residents. After working pretty much solo all my life, this team work was proving to be fruitful. I was talking to anyone who asked what ideas I'd had so far and was judging their reaction. This in turn was teaching me a lot as the conversations developed into them sharing their knowledge with me and me getting to know them as people and them me.


Where is Home?
I was seated in a lounge reading some notes about a resident when one of the guys was getting more and more distressed. 'I wanna go home' was all he could say. No amount of support was making him realise that this was home. I sat quietly and watched as the staff tried to sooth him, taking him back to his room to get him into familiar surroundings, but he didn't settle for a few hours. It was then that I had a chat with a nurse. Where is home? was it here, his last house, his family home as a child? Maybe if he visited any of those, he wouldn't feel at home. Home is a feeling. A feeling of safety and love where you felt comfortable she explained. These words stayed with me and had a profound effect on my understanding of dementia as a whole. 
I also got to see the pride the staff got from doing their job well. A support worker took from his pocket a crumpled card and offered it me. A lovely thank you from a family of a man he cared for thanking him for all the work he did with their relative. It made that young man proud that he had an effect on someone's life for the better.

And along came Bingo
No, not the game but a fluffy orange ball I had bought in.

Bingo was duly named after one of the Banana Splits [you can tell my age remembering them!] everyone who saw him immediately smiled. A good sign I figured but it was about to be tested. One of the gentlemen who sat in the window was feeling very low and I went in to see him for a chat. A local man who was a POW and had an OBE, he was usually chatty but today he wasn't. I took in Bingo, what effect would it have? 'What the heck is that?' he asked. 'This is Bingo my boyfriend' I said as I offered it to him. He chuckled as I offered Bingo to him, 'You daft bugger' he said, but he was happily feeling his fur and bouncing him slightly on his knee. Bingo was a success!
It was agreed that Bingo needed his relatives to visit each unit...so off I went in search of them. They were to make an appearance later in the week.

Meanwhile I chatted to residents and staff, spending some quality time with a male nurse discussing the ideas I had and learning from him as he had done my role for a time. His enthusiasm was infectious and he gave me some great information. We were on the same wavelength: it was seeming like I was going in the right direction. Anyone with any length of time in the care roles made no bones about telling me that my job was difficult. I'm glad they are all so honest. I'm also glad of my organisational skills, they will certainly be coming into play in a big way. I was relishing the challenge.

The Bingo Effect take 2
So, it was time to unleash the Bingo family to the residents. What would they think? Infact, what do you think? What would happen when I left them to it, would they create havoc?

I wandered the units, dishing out the balls, leaving the kids: the small Pukey and Chilly in Reception in the care of Admin. [I won't go into the bizarre conversations we had about these guys, you would think I was bonkers.....] I wondered if the staff or residents would take to them, only time would tell.

There are therapy balls I've now found that you can buy that are textured I've now discovered, so I hoped these would be similar in their effect. I found out much sooner than I thought. On my morning meet and greet on Thursday I could hear laughter [for once not mine, the staff always knew where I was], it was coming from the lounge upstairs. I stood watching through the window. Yoric was in action! [Yellow furball]. The support worker was deep into a one to one session with a male resident. Back and forth, back and forth, bouncing in the middle, throwing high high then low. I asked if I could join in and before long the resident was doing dummy shots and spinning Yoric so he was hard to catch! He then decided to put him on the floor, lifting him with his toe and also spinning him on the spot with his hand. The resident was happy and smiling, chatting and enjoying the interaction. These furballs were proving great therapy!

I left eventually with a big smile on my face. I felt proud and happy that I had helped bring smiles to people. Lets hope it continues!

Bingo, Smiler, Pukey, Chilly, Yoric, George and Zippy #dementiaactivities

A new Voyage of Discovery

What a week it’s been for me and those around me.

Whilst I relaxed in a field last weekend a friend was spending precious hours with her husband who was off sailing a Clipper around the world for nearly 12 months. An epic voyage for him, and an unchartered journey for her. The week also included what would have been my late father’s birthday and the anniversary of my mother’s passing.

I have to say that my relaxed camping break had an undercurrent of nerves due to me starting my new career. Yes, after 12 months kicking back after selling my business I was finally going back to working, but now for only the second time in my life, I would be employed. The first time was last October on a temporary contract with Barclays: a complete change from being a designer and printer all my life! The new career that began on the 22^nd August was an even bigger change and far more of a challenge; I am now the Activities Coordinator for a dementia care centre.

I think I have absorbed so much information this week that will all take a while to compute. The last activities coordinator still works at the centre, she’s now a carer and is enjoying it much more. I admit it was daunting on the first day, I’ve never worked with old people before, know very little about dementia and, as there is a brain injury unit too, I am included in that also. Thankfully I had e-learning to complete and at least that gave me a focus each morning. It gave me chance to speak to staff and mingle with some of the residents as I went up and down stairs to each unit.

Thankfully I am very self motivated and I was able to mix my time with learning and chatting; an important part of the job. I need to familiarise myself with daily routines for eating and medication and get used to each residents personalities. Most are in the latter stages of dementia and they will need activities that they can be involved in from their bed. So there will be a mix of 1-1 activities to organise as well as group activities. I came across a sensory room on my wandering around which I’m sure is loved by some. Dog patting is a much loved activity so I will be booking the lady with her dog to come in as well as, in time taking my own dog in to visit. He loves being fussed so I think will make a good pat dog, it will be interesting to see his reaction though at first. He may even be scared so it will be a gentle approach with that idea. Just a short visit so he can get used to the place.

The staff are friendly and informative and the kitchen is the place to retreat to for a break as well as snatch a cuppa. The grounds are vastly underused if this week is anything to go by but I discovered a raised circular bed that I want to make into a sensory garden. Hopefully some of the residents can also help me with the tasks in hand. We will see, but even if I end up doing it myself, I hope it will bring pleasure to residents, staff and families.

Another idea is to have a Hawaiian tikki bar with mocktails on a lovely sunny balcony complete with music and lays. The management love both ideas so far. They have yet to hear some of my other thoughts but as I’ve just bought some maracas and bell shakers along with making some batons with ribbons dangling, I hope they will like the musical afternoon ideas too! As for the light fluffy ball to ‘throw a smile’....I’m not even sure on that one myself yet! So many ideas and a lot of planning to do to sort stimulating activities to cover all elements of dementia.

I was lucky to speak with one lady’s family when they were visiting on Friday. Sadly her husband is also a resident as he has dementia too. Although not in the same room, they do spend time together. Dementia is a sad illness but the home is full of smiling faces. I found it valuable to me to speak with them as much as they seemed to value an independent ear. It was a rewarding chat with the whole family.

 The home is full of characters. On my first day I was walking the units with the deputy manager when I felt a hand take mine. I turned to see a lady smiling at me. I smiled and said hello. She then led me off along the corridor, chatting as she went and led me into a room I knew wasn’t hers. She wanted to show me the flowers.

I’m sure I will blog more in a week or two and I’ll let you into some of the characters when I know them a little more.

Oh, one important thing, Cook makes cake for birthdays! Those stairs are going to take a hammering from me, I want to lose weight not add more on!

Alison