Incisors

While walking through the cemetery with Olga on Sunday, I found another discarded owl in the rubbish bin. I found that green one several years ago and hung him on our garden fence, and now he has a companion. I'm not sure why rusty metal owls are a thing at our cemetery. (The rubbish bins are huge metal cages and easy to see into -- I'm not digging through a narrow trash can. Allow me to preserve a modicum of dignity by making that clear.)

It's looking like this is going to be a very expensive autumn and winter. Not only am I flying back and forth to Florida twice (and Dave once), and not only are we preparing to have tree work done in the garden, and not only are fuel prices skyrocketing, but we've also just learned that Olga needs dental surgery! We took her to the vet last night for her swollen nose, even though it has subsided once again, and the vet determined that she probably has a dental abscess, as I suspected. She has two fistulas -- and this is a little gross so if you want to skip this part, please do. Fistulas are openings that form when an internal infection needs to drain, and they both formed where her cheek meets her gum on one side of her mouth. They look like little sores, but they actually go deep into the tissue.

The vet cleaned them out and she's on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories (Metacam, once again) but the vet recommended surgery to remove the affected tooth, a large incisor.

You may remember that several years ago, a vet suggested a root canal for one of Olga's incisors, because it was discolored. Well, ironically, that's not the one that's infected, but this vet said the darkened tooth should probably come out too. So it looks like she'll have both incisors removed, which is going to cost in the neighborhood of £2,200. They will do x-rays beforehand to make sure the teeth are really the problem.

Also ironically, when we've taken Olga to the vet for past checkups, the attending doctors usually exclaim about how good her teeth look! So it's interesting that while they've looked superficially healthy, and she's been gnawing Dentastix like there's no tomorrow, there was rot going on deep down that we never knew about. (Probably damage from all that Kong-chewing.)

Anyway, we don't yet have a timetable for all this. I think we're waiting for the antibiotics to kick in and her infection to clear a bit first.

The tree service guy, meanwhile, came yesterday morning to take a look at the garden for an estimate. He hasn't given us one yet, but I explained what needed to be done and he took lots of photos. He said because we live in a tree conservation area they'll have to get special permits for work on the walnut tree, and that will take some extra time, but they're booked up until January anyway. So this isn't going to happen imminently.

When it rains, it pours!

Speaking of pouring, we're finally getting rain! It rained heavily last night and the night before, and briefly yesterday afternoon. The plants are looking happy and green.

The Ascension of Liz

 
I did a bit more research on the bird I saw killing a pigeon Sunday morning. I've decided it was probably either a peregrine falcon or a sparrowhawk. The RSPB has a list of similar raptors here and explains why those two are the most likely, given the urban environment where I saw it. Unfortunately I didn't pay attention to the color of its eyes, which would have helped clarify things, but my impression was that it had a piercing stare -- which would suggest the yellow eyes of a peregrine or sparrowhawk.

Now that we have that ironed out (sort of), let's talk about Liz Truss. Yes, we finally have a new prime minister, after weeks of lethargic campaigning and wrangling among the political classes. Boris Johnson has been dragging himself around like a bird with a broken wing for months now, so it's good to have someone new on deck, even if it's someone untested and not universally liked.

The weird thing about this selection process is how divorced it seemed from the British people. The selection of the prime minister is never done by popular vote -- rather it's done by party members, who tend to be older, whiter, male and wealthier than the vast majority of British society. British voters select the ruling party, and official party members (something like one percent of the population) then choose their leader. This time around, the campaigning seemed especially like inside baseball, at least to me. I never heard anyone on the street talk much about it or express a strong opinion. It seemed like the beating of a distant drum, taking place in, well, a foreign country.

I also don't have much of an opinion about Liz. She seems like a typical Tory, hating taxes and loving profit and shareholders. It makes me tired.

Jonathan Pie has some quite strong opinions about her, though. He's a fictional political correspondent played by comedian Tom Walker, and the New York Times has a video of him ranting about Truss and the state of Britain today. It would be funny if it also weren't true.

Yesterday I was walking to work and this guy was walking in front of me. Apologies for the crappy photo, because we were both in motion, but isn't that an ankle monitor on his left leg? I thought the whole point of those is that the wearer isn't supposed to leave the house. Maybe they can go to the store or out for essentials, or can be within a certain radius of home. I did not ask. Anyway, it's not something you see every day.

I took a second batch of the rescued slides to be scanned yesterday. So I'll probably have one more post of someone else's intriguing pictures. I know you can't wait! I uploaded all the scans I've had done so far to Flickr, so in the meantime you can check them out there. I'll add the new ones when I get them.

Dave and I watched a rather dreadful disaster movie called "Flood" on Amazon over the past two nights -- about London being inundated by storm surge during a hurricane-like tempest in the North Sea. The movie is about 15 years old, I think, and there was so much wrong with it that we found ourselves playing a sort of Statler and Waldorf role, mocking and grumbling from the sidelines. We had fun, but I'm not necessarily recommending it.

The Bird Report

This little robin came to our birdbath yesterday morning and made quite a commotion -- at least, as much commotion as a bird that size can make.

But that's not even the most interesting avian news from yesterday. While walking Olga through the housing estate, I saw a falcon killing a pigeon! The falcon was sitting on the pigeon's back, pressing it to the ground, and that pigeon was flapping and flailing and the falcon was riding it like a cowboy rides a bronco. It was quite a sight, and of course I had neither camera nor phone. The falcon wasn't much bigger than the pigeon, so I'm thinking it must have been a juvenile. I didn't stick around to see whether the pigeon managed to escape.

Wild Kingdom!

Those of you who read my post yesterday and are interested in the history of Pantechnicon should take a look at the comment left by Rachel Phillips. She clarified its purpose -- calling it a "department store," as Wikipedia does, doesn't really give credit to its interesting past. Thanks, Rachel!

Dave and I did manage to sort out our Christmas plans, at least in terms of buying airplane tickets. Once again, it's good to know what we're doing. I haven't yet heard back from Olga's potential dog-sitter so that's the next phase of planning, but we do have almost four months to iron that out.

Speaking of Olga, her nose swelling has improved. I looked more closely at that sore in her mouth yesterday, and found that it's an opening that goes into her gum above her top teeth. My guess is she had some kind of dental abscess, even though neither I nor the vet could see anything wrong with her teeth and she's still chewing on that side. It's astonishing how impervious to pain she can be. I'll call the vet today.

We went to the cemetery yesterday afternoon and had a good walk. She seemed as energetic as usual and gnawed her tennis ball with abandon. We had Fortune Green all to ourselves, which was surprising for a summery Sunday.

We did not see the turaco -- in fact, it's been a couple of months since I've heard any evidence of that bird. I've heard it call only twice this year, and I haven't actually seen it since August 2021. Maybe it's lying low because of the drought.

Speaking of which, we're supposed to get rain almost every day for the next two weeks, according to the weather forecast. That would be amazing but I hope it's real rain and not just mist or scattered droplets. We're still pretty parched overall!

Wave to the Nice Man

Lots of domestic chores yesterday -- plant watering, vacuuming, laundry. I guess that's what Saturday is for, right? Tidying up from the previous week. I also deadheaded our dahlias, which although fading still look pretty darn good.

We did NOT get our tickets bought for Christmas in Florida. Dave was plugged into his laptop watching reruns of "The West Wing" and then he took a long nap, so he was basically unavailable for much of the day, and I'd like us to buy them together so we can be sure we're both happy with the travel dates and that kind of thing. We'll do it today.

Olga's mysterious nose swelling came back again. We first noticed it in December and then it recurred in February, when we treated it with antibiotics. On Friday night we saw that it had returned -- she looked like she was turning into a bull terrier -- but today, once again, it appears back to normal. Whatever's going on, she doesn't seem bothered by it at all. She's eating and chewing normally and her energy levels seem fine. This time we did notice a visible sore of some kind, like a canker, right where her cheek meets her gum. I tried to call the vet but our vet's office is now closed on Saturdays (grrrr) so I'll have to wait until Monday. I suppose we really ought to get her x-rayed -- we put it off when the swelling seemed to go down the last time, but enough is enough.

I came across this  the other day while reading blogs. You know those Google security tests that want you to click all the bridges or mountains or crosswalks? This one popped up on someone's blog and I got a kick out of it. Wave to the nice man!

Last night Dave and I went out to a fancy sushi restaurant in Belgravia, called Sachi at Pantechnicon. A mouthful of a name, right? It's one of several businesses in a multistory building with a columned facade called Pantechnicon, which turns out to be the location of a former department store. Apparently it reopened in its current guise about five years ago, and it's quite swank. I'd like to go back and look around more. I rarely get to Belgravia, a very posh area between Buckingham Palace and Knightsbridge.

Anyway, we had a variety of sushi and grilled bits of skewered meat, pork and quail, and we even had a sake sommelier, who chose three different sake varieties for our various courses. One of them was a "red" sake, made with red rice, which I didn't know was a thing. I also had a martini made with Japanese gin. It was definitely an unusual dining experience.

I feel like I need to write something here so I have a line of text between the image above and the image below, but I have nothing more to say, so here you go -- a line of text.

Motcomb Street, with the columned Pantechnicon on the left

Stickerland

As I'm walking around town, I try to notice all the little stickers and messages that have been plastered to various signposts, street lamps and other street furniture. Stickers are an interesting barometer of public opinion, reflecting a mix of the political and cultural, the artistic and commercial. Some are joyful, some are absurd, some blatantly promotional, some laden with toxic or conspiratorial thinking.

Here are ten stickers I've found in recent weeks.

OK, fine, you're an anti-masker. But do you have to call me names?

This is an Extinction Rebellion sticker protesting climate crisis inaction.

Here's another one with a focus on climate, from a green anticapitalist group.

Speaking of greens, here's a woman who appears to be sitting at a bar telling us to eat them. I'm not sure what this is about, unless it's an ad for this beer.

I tend to like the BBC, but some people -- could be on the left or the right -- clearly disagree with me.

Of course the football clubs have stickers -- in this case touting "indestructible" Walthamstow. Looks like it's been there for a while.

I'd say this is rather reductive.

This appears to be a promotion for someone's Tumblr. They seem quite focused on pigeon photography and urban subjects in general. The sticker design is pretty cool.

And finally, this cat has been popping up on signposts lately. Apparently this is a band. The music is a little intense. Cute cat, though.

Having a Plan

I now have definite plans to go back to Florida in October. I bought a ticket last night. It's for just a few days, over our school's October break, but I'm eager to check in on my 85-year-old mom and see how she's doing since her flu in June. Apparently it weakened her quite a bit so she needs more continual care now.

I feel better with the decision made. Having this vague idea hanging out there -- should I go or shouldn't I -- was causing more stress than simply making a plan.

Dave and I still intend to go back in Christmas as well, for a longer visit. We haven't ironed out the specifics of that trip yet but we probably should this weekend, especially given that we need to reserve dog care. I'm sure it will cost an arm and a leg at peak travel times but my October ticket proved to be one of the least expensive I've ever bought to Florida, I think -- about £500.

I also made progress on booking a tree surgeon for the garden. They've said they won't be able to do the work until January -- apparently they're quite backed up -- but I suppose that's OK. They're supposed to come and give us some cost estimates at some point.

Otherwise, it's life as usual around here. The photo above is another one from my walk with Olga along the canal on Saturday.

Ribbons and Lemons

Some neighbors down the hill, one house across the street from the other, have little concrete animals decorating their garden walls. The other day I noticed that they've given some of the animals bright pink ribbons. There's a cat (above), and...

...a pig, next to a hedgehog that I suppose couldn't easily be decorated given that it has no neck!

I had a strange dream last night in which I bought a house in Jacksonville, Florida, sight unseen. I bought it on the phone with a Realtor and paid cash. Apparently I knew my stepsister had stayed there when it was an Air BnB, so I thought, "How bad could it be?" But then she started talking about what a dump it was, and I was filled with dread. I never actually saw the house in the dream but I began to realize it really could be a hellhole. I was so happy to wake up and realize I didn't own anything.

Obviously this is related to my desire to get back to Jacksonville to see my mom. I still haven't bought that ticket but I'm about to pull the trigger, I think. Fortunately I can visit without buying a house.

Dave made potato-and-leek soup for dinner last night, and it turned out very strange. It had a super-strong lemony taste, and we can't figure out why. He used chicken stock from the supermarket that didn't smell lemony (and was well within its expiration date, October 2023), and the cream, leeks and potatoes seemed perfectly normal too. He put thyme in it -- not lemon thyme, but normal thyme -- and butter. But it tastes like he squeezed about two whole lemons into it. We're mystified. I ate a bowl of it and didn't die, so whatever happened, it doesn't seem to have had any ill effects, but I'm not sure we're going to finish the rest.