Bitter Sweet

August is always a bitter sweet month for us as it's the month we lost the original star of this blog Badger Boo

Who'd have imagined all those years ago that people would be remotely interested in what Badger got up too when I started writing an online diary for myself on Blogger

Being new to social media I had no idea how it all worked, I didn't even have a facebook account, I just started writing and people started to find my original blog

Image Description - A Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel laying on his back on the floor with his mouth open, clasped between his front paws is a mans hand caressing the side of his face

It wasn't long before I realised Badger needed

Sunday Funday

Eko's excited it's training day today, it's been a few weeks since we were last able to attend, if there's one thing Eko loves above all else it's learning new things

This past year or so has seen a massive change from what this account originally started out as, to log Badger Boo's daft adventures and then Boris's life as my assistance dog

Image Description - Eko the Golden Cocker Spaniel looking up at the camera as I look down on him as he stands on a woodland path, his face looks very cheeky as he's in the mood to play as I recall

I hadn't realised just how much stress I'd

Silent Sunday

Boris the Black Cocker Spaniel laying amongst a field of daisies with just his head visible as he looks slightly to the left. The daisies are small white flowers with multiple petals and a gorgeous yellow centre and are a native plant of the UK 

Back home at last

Dad is finally home at last **does a happy dance** 

In total dad spent 10 very long and unpredictable weeks in hospital after he fell and broke his hip back in April

The outpouring of love from people all over the world asking after dad and wishing him well has been absolutely staggering, I read every message, email and comment to dad whilst he was in hospital and I'm sure it's this outpouring of love that helped my dad to fight and make it through some very dark times

Image Description - The day Andy Awford ex player and manager of Portsmouth FC came to visit dad in hospital and really made his day, it was also the day I discovered just how much trivia dad knows about football. Dad is sitting in a hospital ward on a blue chair beside his bed, Andy is sitting on the right hand side of the frame and both are looking at the camera smiling

Not knowing that many of my dad's friends and acquaintances anymore I joined the local facebook group in my old home town, I shared what had happened and why dad hadn't been seen out and about for a while on his regular morning walk to Tesco's for the daily papers

All my life people have joked that everybody knows

Where does the time go?

I can't believe we're halfway through May already, things have been so hectic since my dad fell and broke his hip last month, yet I seem to have achieved the square route of nothing at all

Dad's currently still in hospital, there are plans to move him to a smaller more local cottage hospital at some point, but soon after his admission to the Royal Surrey it was noticed that dad was having some difficulties swallowing liquids which would set off a massive coughing fit and he was at risk of getting food and/or liquid in his lungs

I reminded the consultant of dad's esophageal cancer diagnosis as we were told this may happen in the future, that if it did we were to contact the oncology unit to see about the possibility of a stent being fitted to enable dad to eat and drink more comfortably, at this point dad was put onto a zero oral liquid and small bite diet

Image Description - My dad sitting on a wooden park bench between Boris the Black Cocker Spaniel on the left and Eko the Golden Cocker Spaniel on the right, it's a rare photo of my dad smiling as he has masked face symptoms these days and isn't aware when he's not smiling 

Dad went downhill really fast that first week