I haven't blogged for quite some time. I could say it was down to the pressures of gardening, or it was my hectic social life, my troubled (sometimes) personal life, or I could tell you it was sheer laziness. I could tell you and I will - it was all of these. Blogging just seems like hard work right now, another thing to commit to, even though I've proved it's good for this brain to let it all out. And let's face it - just what is so interesting?

Well, for those of you who are interested, let me regale you with the trials and tribulations of this week. Tom arrived on Friday accompanied by new GF, Sarah, of whom we thoroughly approve. We all went to Seb & Danni's wedding blessing then a bit of a do back at the farm. We got a Wii (thanks P & C!), now populated by our family of Miis so we golfed, bowled, served and boxed until the aches were unbearable. We went to Ikea (they've missed us) and M & S which was mobbed and then Tom & Sarah took the dogs for a walk which is when it all began.

Passing the Pooh bridge they put the dogs back on their leads because, although they were still miles from the road and on a public footpath, they knew that the next house they came to had big barking dogs. To be on the even safer side they picked the dogs up. But that didn't stop four heavy, snarling, gnashing hounds from dragging Holly out of Sarah's arms and try to tear her limb from limb. Tom waded in and managed to kick the marauding dogs out of the way as Holly turned tail and legged it home where we discovered a gaping wound on her back and a very deep puncture on her side. She's now on various drugs to alleviate the infection and bring down the swelling so they can investigate further whether her stomach has been punctured. It's a long, slow process made even slower as she was spayed last week and her wounds are too close to the scar and stitches to be investigated by surgery which would be the normal procedure. The episode has freaked her out massively; she is with one or other of us constantly, not letting us out of sight, and if we're out she hides under the bed, but each day she gets happier. And all the trips to the vet seem to have curbed the car sickness!

Bertie has gone missing. He was with us all Tuesday evening until very late; he must have gone out as we slept and hasn't been home since. There seems to be a Bermuda Triangle for cats hanging over Whitegate - or should it be the Whitegate Triangle? We've never lost so many cats in as quick succession as we have this last couple of years. I'm still hopeful that he'll come back. He has to, we all miss him and Ari is pining for him.

Babeski has been to the vets today. She's so skinny now, her coat is losing condition, she's incontinent, can hardly walk and is sick every time she eats so we really thought it was the end, that, at 18 years old, she'd reached the end of her 9th life. But not yet! We're putting her on steroids (they are allowed, she's not up for the olympics) which will hopefully perk her up so she can reign for even longer. She's always been known as Queen Babeski. Long Live the Queen.

On the tribulation side Hannah has started a new job in Marketing and PR, a career for which she's perfecly suited, and Tom has moved into a much nicer house than the last ****hole he was living in (although it didn't bother him half as much as it did me!).

I haven't been as active in the garden this year as last, but the head gardener does seem to have taken over a bit. I've been busy doing the other house up for letting as the downside of Hannah's new job is that she has to move away and have discovered I'm quite handy with a paintbrush. No doubt I'll be trying my hand at other DIY skills in time.

We've had a crap couple of years - depending on your viewpoint it all started to go down hill either when my mum died or when my brain exploded. Whatever, it just doesn't seem to be getting any better. I wish I could know when it will.