I'm Walking in Sunshine

Now I'm walking on sunshine, whoa
I'm walking on sunshine, whoa
I'm walking on sunshine, whoa
And don't it feel good
(Katrina & the Waves)

Oh how happy blue skies and sunshine make me.  Don't you find that it raises your spirits - even if they are already pretty high?  I do love blue skies, not sure if this is down the sunshine or the fact that my favourite colour is blue!!!

My Mum & Dad took Anni and I up to Shipley Glen again yesterday for a walk.  It's been the first time this year that it has been nice enough to go!!!  Can you believe that?  We have to wait until a warm day as Anni can not resist going for a swim at the river at the bottom of the glen....  It pulls her in, not her fault at all, pointless resisting it really :-)

I have a video but it won't upload and I didn't get any photos of her swimming, this is her with the stick she decided would be perfect to chase in and out of the river.

My parents love spending time with Anni, and giving her back at the end of the walk!!!!  In return Anni LOVES my Dad, in fact yesterday is the first time she ignored my Dad to walk quicker to the river with me - I still can't quite believe she'd prefer me to my Dad (though to be fair, she preferred the river to my Dad!).

 See the spaniel in the photo below?  He was so friendly, Anni did the whole oh a scary dog thing that she sometimes does.  But he was so friendly - in fact he flung himself down at my feet, rolled onto his back and lay there until I tickled his belly.

Do you see the moody sky in the distance?  It looked like that for pretty much most of the journey.

and yet everywhere else looked like this;

and we've reached the river again

I wonder if she can resist this time?  And She's off.  It is so nice to see her in the distance, when we first got her she wouldn't leave your side.

and then at the end of the walk, a great little cafe - they even sell dog biscuits.

C'mon share.  I'll just shove my head up to convince you that you need to share with me.

 I win!

 

Hello, who else can I hit?

 ooh dog biscuits

 don't mind if I do.

OOh, I've had a good day.  I love it.

 Me too, Anni, me too - especially when I get lemon cake with my hot chocolate.

New Beginnings

Well the time has come.  Hubby has FINALLY got a delivery date for his new meds.  We have waited a long time to get approved for these meds, and it's taken over a month for the paperwork to be done so we should get a delivery on Friday.  Now, there are a lot of potential side effects for H but we hope, we so hope that the benefits will far outweigh them.  These meds have a 50% chance of modifying the lesions in his brain and spine, shrinking them which is turn improves his general health and makes the chances of a relapse so much smaller.

When you live with MS, you have a constant worry that something will go wrong.  A leg will grow wobbly and he'll fall over, his fatigue will mean he's not capable of driving to work, he'll grow wobbly at the top of the stairs, that he is so tired he is incapable of making a simple decision.  I find it exhausting to always be on the go to make the choices to keep things safe for him.  So I am so hopeful that it will take away some of my worry so that I can focus on myself a little - that'd be so good!!

On another note, I walked Anni in the woods today and it was actually sunny and not so cold (well when I was hiding in a hollow!)  She does love to chase sticks - where do dogs get that from?  We never gave her sticks as a puppy, yet when she grew up a little she started to search them out.

C'mon throw me more sticks, I need sticks.

I love the old trees, all those odd limbs, reaching for the skies.

Walkies at Oakwell Hall

Note to self - if I type quickly I can post this before my weekly happy posts.

Mum and Dad suggested that we take Anni for a walk on Tuesday to Oakwell Hall, between Bradford and Leeds.  I haven't been to Oakwell Hall since I was 15 so it was about time we returned.  The last time I was there I was doing work for a G.C.S.E. project!!!  My friend N has a great photo of me - no N you don't have to post it!!!

Although it was half term and so full of children, Anni had a great time wandering around the grounds.  C'mon you can walk faster, we have all these paths to explore.

My Dad in charge of Anni below - can you tell he has a secret supply of Gravy Bones in his pocket?

 Part way along one path they have created a fence/hedge? by part cutting the trees and lying them down on there sides and all intertwined with each other.  I do love the natural look of this type of fencing.

The path we followed wound round from the car park, past fields and play areas and up hills until you find this amazing view from the highest part of the park.

Anni can sniff out water from 50 paces.  When I think back to our first walk in the woods, my Dad had to clamber down a slope into a small stream as she wouldn't even consider paddling in the scary water.  Now, if she disappears you just have to find the nearest water and you are sure to find her - usually with the biggest stick she can find.

It was such a a warm day we sat outside for lunch.  Anni, as usual cuddles up to my Dad (whilst she waits for titbits!).

I love the photo below, Anni had tried licking my Dad to get him to share his sandwich, hence my Dad's expression and Anni's innocent one!

The photo below took about 10 shots to get them ALL looking forward.  You'd think Anni was the hard one, but almost every time she looked at me, my Mum (or usually my Dad) was looking at her trying to get her to look forward!!!!  Parents........

I keep trying to get my Mum to do selfies and they usually look okay.  Now, if only she'd remember her camera from time to time - MUM.

My Dad and I and Anni actually looking at the camera and no silly faces from Dad - makes a nice change!!!!

What a difference 24 hours make

Yesterday we had a glorious day.  We took Anni on our favourite walk to Shipley Glen.  No photos as I think you have probably seen enough of them to last a lifetime.  Video below.

Then today, glorious when I woke up, washing out.  Then it got darker and darker and darker.  It's now been raining, virtually non stop for 4 hours.  4 hours!!!!!!!  Why????  I had plans to knit in the garden this afternoon - Grrrrrr........

So instead I've made an Orange cake.  C'mon H I really want my tea tonight!!!!!!

At least we had glorious weather for the Tour de France at the weekend.  I wonder how much rain we need to have to make up for all the excitement ?????????



PS Ok I lied, I have one photo to show you from the walk.

Shipley Glen Walkies

It was a glorious day yesterday.  One of those you don't expect to be anything special but then turns out to be blue skies and sunshine.  My parents and I decided to talk Anni for a walk at Shipley Glen.  We used to go up there when we were kids, and it's lovely to have another reason to visit now.  I don't remember ever walking down to the river, when we were children - did we Mum?

We park up, let an excited Anni out of the back and off we go.  Thankfully, unlike Patch (our first dog) Anni does not get car sick.  Down one side of a valley, the trees are lovely, to a river at the bottom.

Going down,

and down (don't you love that Dad waits for us - and Anni has already disappeared into the river!!).

I even managed to get tape of Anni swimming.  She tries to avoid it if she can, she prefers to run round, or try and jump through the water, but every now and again she will swim and seems to like it.  I hope you can see the video (you may want to turn off your speakers so you can't hear us all!).

Then starting up the other side and it is pretty steep.  Half way up you come to these fabulous, massive gates which lead to nothing.  Dad tells me that it once led to the mansion of Sir Titus Salt but it burnt down in the early 1900's (I think).  It does feel weird that the gates are still there.

Looking further up the hill from the gates- hope we don't have to go up there!

Looking right, whoops Dad can't wait to get going

Anni is off.  See her in the distance.  When she was smaller she wouldn't let us out of her sight.  She'd go a couple of feet then come running back to us for safety.  This went on for a long time.  She'll now go round a corner for a nano second before barrelling back to us at 90 miles an hour (no love, I haven't verified the speed).

There were a lot of bluebells out in the woods.  My Mum complains that she can never get a good photo of them.  It helps if you bring your camera Mum............  (wonder when she'll see this)?

 Looking back down the hill from the gates.  I love the old cobbles leading down the hill.  I can imagine someone with a big old fashioned bike pushing his bike up the hill in days gone by.

I love the splash of blue through the trees.

Our first "Selfie".  Not sure we'll be doing many, but I did get to wear my new sunglasses.

I must have put my phone away here as I don't have any more photos.  We walked along the top of a ridge, back to the river, Anni had another paddle then back up the other side and back to the car.  There is a lovely little cafe, with a real sun trap of a patio to have lunch.  It almost makes the walk worth it,  almost.......