Meet Rusty. My first dog.

I am 40 years old and on Friday afternoon I drove proudly from Jo'burg to Parys with my first dog in my car.

Meet Rusty. My first dog.

Rusty's first few hours with us - Friday, 24 March 2017

She had a home, outside of Pretoria. Her previous people have been overseas for 18 months. She had a home and food and shelter and was on the property with a ridgeback and the domestic worker.

When I received the note about Rusty needing a home a few weeks ago, I passed it on to a friend. She was interested but I then found out Rusty had a home. A week ago I received a note from the woman that I know, Sonja (she is friends with Rusty's previous people). She said the people that were going to take Rusty couldn't no longer as they are away very often. I contacted my friend again but with one of her two older border collies not doing very well, she didn't want to take on a new dog right now.

On Wednesday Sonja said she would be collecting the dogs on Friday (last week). She had a home for the ridgeback but no home yet for Rusty. There was just something about Rusty in the fuzzy picture that I had of her. I began negotiations with Celliers. When Rusty's original people agreed to cover her costs, the deal was sealed and Rusty would be coming to live with us.

On Thursday I hit the pet hyper in Vanderbijl to get her things like a collar and tag and running harness and lead and food bowl and brush. And some food samples.

On Friday, Rusty's day started with being collected by Sonja, from Pretoria. Sonja drove her through to Sunninghill, where I collected her. Thankfully she came with her kennel and a basket. Thank goodness that I had a big trailer with me as I was in Jo'burg to collect things. I then drove back with Rusty to Parys. She travels really well and lies peacefully on the back seat.

We had a short stop at home. Ruben and Kyla were totally surprised and absolutely delighted.

I then took Rusty to the vet for her vaccinations, deworming and tick-and-flea treatment. She had ticks and fleas. I caught the doggie parlour lady as she was leaving and got Rusty booked in for Monday morning - plus I could stay with her during the grooming process. She was very dusty and quite matted in places and definitely needed a good scrub. I also booked her in to be sterilised. This will happen on Wednesday.

All in all she is in good health. The vet think she is about four years old. I'd been told seven years - so she is in this range. She is a bit overweight and is very unfit. The vet has guided me on what and how much to feed her and after her op, once she has recovered, we'll start with walks and then slowly work on her fitness.

On Saturday I didn't take her to parkrun. It would have been too overwhelming. We'll do parkrun together later. We did have neighbours come to visit for tea and cake on Saturday afternoon. Ruben and Kyla are helping to teach her how to play - she doesn't seem to know how to catch or fetch or chase but she is definitely getting more keen.

On Sunday we had friends over in the afternoon for tea and cake and so Rusty got lots of attention and some balls, treats and doggie shampoo as presents.

This morning we did doggy parlour and although it was new and scary for her, she did so very well. She even got ribbons in her fur, near her ears. She is now soft and furry and clean and fresh. I can't get enough of touching her.

Rusty is incredibly gentle and sweet and chilled. She is affectionate and loving. She can sit, she knows her name and she doesn't run out of the gate.

I am totally smitten with her and look forward to many years of companionship and adventures together.

50th parkrun milestone

Yay! I finally got to 50 parkruns. Although I'm at parkrun almost every weekend, I don't always get to log a run on those weekends so it has felt like forever to get to 50 parkruns. I have run 41 of my 50 parkruns here in Parys.

I've put in for my 50th tee and look forward to running in it. I've also put in for the new Volunteer 25 Club tee (purple) as I've volunteered well over 25 times now (somewhere in the 30s).

It is nice to hit milestones. Onward to 100!

Orange River adventures

What do paddling friends do when they return to SA after working abroad for a few years? They organise a group of friends to head to the Orange River for the weekend. And so it was that I spent the long weekend on the Orange River at a delightful spot - Egerton River Camp - just upstream of Hopetown in the Northern Cape.

Celliers used to go here often many years ago. Back then it was a fairly rustic spot. New owners took over a few years ago and they upgraded the facilities to create the most charming place. The property is a game farm so in addition to having the river with a great stretch of rapids to paddle, there are beautiful antelope to view.

We arrived a day ahead of our friends - both Celliers and I had it in our heads that we would leave to drive there after school got out on Friday. We were actually only booked in from the next day. We only realised this shortly before getting into our car but as it was packed and we were so totally ready to head off, we phoned the owner Amie and he said we were more than welcome to come early.

This turned out to be so in our favour. We got there just before dark on Friday night and woke to a quiet and peaceful Saturday. They had spotted a roan antelope cow with an injured leg and had called in the vet to assist. We went out with them to find her. They darted the antelope and the vet took a look at her leg, which had a massive cyst on her 'heel' joint. The vet drained it, cleaned it, added treatment and gave the animal the tranquiliser antidote. Where the poor thing was hardly able to stand on her leg, she could get up and walk on it. We saw her again the next day, walking with the herd and feeding; and again before we left. It was very special to be up so close to this large and beautiful animal. And to touch her.

On the drive in, I'd spotted a trig beacon. As a number of buffalo bulls had been moved into this camp a few days before, Amie wasn't keen to let me free range in that section of the property. He took Celliers and I out there with the plan that he'd drop me near the hill - in the open grass where no naughty buffalo were hiding - and I could run up the hill while they drove around in search of the animals.

It was excellent fun heading up and the view from the top was superb. I waved to them on the other side from where I'd started. Apparently Amie sends workers up there with a radio occasionally; they look for game down below and radio through the location. Amie says he drives around and waits to see them at the top. This is the first time for him that anyone (me) has gotten to the top faster than it takes him to drive around. Very funny. 

While waiting for them at the bottom I made a great find - a cluster of tortoise eggs that had been dug up and raided by some kind of critter. This egg was still whole. We expected the egg to be a stinky one when cracked but it was actually quite fine but clearly unfertilised. 

The whole weekend we had incredible game sightings with an assortment of springbok colour variations, roan, sable, blesbok, giraffe (two on the property), red hartebees, buffalo, gemsbok... and a pair of white rhino that had been dehorned the week before. What a treat to see them close up!

Of course, we were there for the river too. On Sunday morning I was in the raft taking the children down the river. It was a nice way to check out the river and to paddle with friends. The next morning I went down on the sit on top whitewater kayak. On the rapid that I was most likely to flip on, I thought that I had made a clean run - through the more challenging section - when a wave zapped me and sent me swimming. I really have a lot of work to do on staying in/on a kayak. 

A really great few days with special people. Egerton is a place I look forward to going back to. 

Back to my blood donation schedule

In early December I went to donate blood at our regular mobile clinic here in Parys. I was deferred (not allowed to donate) when a drop of my blood failed the haematocrit test, which is done every time before you donate.

The test is nothing more than taking a drop of blood from a finger prick and dropping it into a container of copper sulfate. The drop of blood is required to sink to the bottom - if it floats or hovers to descends too slowly, you fail. I've failed the test a number of times over the years but when this happens, the clinic takes another drop and runs it through their testing machine (much like the glucose-testing machine that diabetics use - just bigger). My iron levels have proved good each time. The test isn't absolute; just a general screening process and it is quick and inexpensive.

In December, neither of their machines were working and thus I got deferred. Of course, SANBS always has the health of the donor as a priority and so they completely did the right thing in deferring me; my health would have been at risk if I really did have low iron.

I was only expecting the mobile clinic to be in town next Tuesday as they come through on the second Tuesday of every month. On the way to paddling I saw their banners and popped in on the way home from the river.

Ruben came through with me - he likes the cookies and juice and is quite fascinated by the process. While my bag filled, one of the SANBS staff explained to Ruben about the testing of blood and the need for donors. His eyes were glued to her as she spoke (I couldn't hear properly from where I sat; but I did watch his face). When she was done she finished with, "Now you see why blood donors are so important". He nodded and added, "Really interesting!".

I'm starting him young - Ruben is only 8 now but by the time he is 16 I hope to have cultivated a committed donor.

Through our Parys parkrun I have been able to meet many people in town and most times I bump into people I know at the clinic. This evening I saw Yolande and Hein, a lovely couple who are regular parkrunners. They also ran my Forest Run last year. They were there to donate too.

I asked my nurse if their turnout had been good today. "Parys - this town never lets us down," she replied.

I'm pleased to have added to our numbers today.