Abi & Izzy - the next 5 years

My little girl, looking so grown up And so we are there, Abi is 13 and so we officially have a teenager in the house! Of course, it's no different than the day before, albeit she has had her moments over the past few days - nothing like picking a fight with a relative when you are feeling a bit feisty - and then leaving your mother to clear up the aftermath... On the day itself she had a lovely day. Pressies in the morning before school which she was very pleased with. A jumper she'd admired the week before, the picture which I'd ordered months ago, carefully hidden and then after 2 weeks of searching finally found, some new PJs and cash towards the phone she keeps saying she's going to buy but hasn't quite saved up enough for yet. It was then off to school where she was spoilt by her friends with some lovely gifts before finding out at assembly she shares a birthday with the headmaster - result (not!). I picked her and three friends up from school and the...

Boris & Bean, the fat boys! Last week before Abi turns 13 - eek, teenage daughter alert! This may be a major milestone, however I can't see that it's going to change much. Yesterday she and her friends were planning a get together in town for today and all we were asked to do was drop them off at the same time and then be back 2 hours later to pick them up. In between times no parents were required to hang around and so I went home and ran my normal 10 mile Sunday run - perfect time management! It does make for an easier weekend when this happens. I am conscious that we have our own things we want to do and I do feel very relieved that we haven't ended up with kids that do a host of clubs and practices from Friday evening through to Sunday afternoon. Izzy is trying to sort out a sleep over with her friend and between Stagecoach and a play rehearsal she's hardly free to do anything non-scripted. There's probably a happy balance between this and lazing around ...

So after an emotional week of getting used to there being only one set of paws following us around and greeting us at the door, we are now able to appreciate the calm that has descended on the house. Much as we miss Freya with her ways, we have come to appreciate just how much less stressful it is when we don't have to worry about how she will react to whatever new threat she has got hung up on. Bertie has taken to the change incredibly well. I'm not sure whether he is missing her and is just is very good at hiding it, but he has been working his hardest to be the best dog in the world. He has been loving having lots of long walks (in the daylight!), meeting new people and being allowed to do things that have previously been out of bounds. On Thursday we went to a friend's house and walked with their 2 dogs which, apart from a few tussles at one point when they were being washed off, went without a hitch. He had a ball charging around with them, and once they realised F...

So I write this with tears pouring down my face as I get ready to take Freya to the vets for the last time. We've just had a long cuddle and she's looking at me with those big trusting eyes - as far as she is concerned it's a normal day and I'm the person who keeps her safe, protects her from the world and makes sure there is a steady supply of porridge every morning. My darling Freya - so sweet in the house but so anxious and volatile when out of it. We've known this day has been coming for a while. We've had various run ins, all near misses because I've managed to hold her when we've met other dogs and she's gone nuts, but there are all the other things which I have tried to block out... The most recent of which was her snapping at Izzy when she bent down to give her a cuddle. Freya was asleep admittedly, but even so. I made the excuse to myself that her legs had been a bit sore that day and so it's because she might have been in pain rat...