Since I last wrote, Booty has continued to be well and quickly recovered from her adventure at the vet's. On Saturday, our friends Anna and Rebecca brought their greyhound Paco over for a sleepover, while they went to a combined engagement/30th birthday party in Swansea. They came over in the afternoon and we had a tray of lemon vanilla cupcakes that I'd baked - these disappeared very quickly! Most amusingly, Andy stole a couple of the discarded paper cases from the garden table where we were all sitting out, as they still had lots of yummy frosting on them. We all expected him to just lick off the frosting, but not Andy. No, he promptly ate the entire case, frosting, crumbs and all. It doesn't appear to have done him any harm but I hope he doesn't make a habit of it.

It was lovely to have Paco around - he's good friends with Booty and Andy as they all go out for walks together regularly and Paco comes over with Anna and Bec when they visit us. He quickly made himself at home, enjoying sniffing all the garden plants, having peeing contests with Andy, drinking from the pond and lying on his back with his legs in the air waiting for tickles. In the evening we all watched the final Bourne film with all three dogs reclining gracefully on their respective cushions.

In the afternoon, I also went over to Busy Bees, my local patchwork/quilting store and where I go for lessons. They were having a weekend remnant sale and also launching their new programme of classes which start in September. As usual, there is a mouth watering selection of stand alone day classes and series of lessons - there are several which look particularly tempting. I will probably write more on this over on my craft blog. While I was there, I also bought a few fat quarters in the sale, and then treated myself to a Moda Scrap bag of lovely blue and buff fabrics and the most adorable Moda Honey Bun - basically a miniature jelly roll. So sweet. So now I have a new stash of strokeable fabric and several ideas buzzing round my head for items to make. The last couple of nights I have gone to sleep picturing quilt blocks and counting squares! My initial thought for the scrap bag fabric is to make a Christmas present for a friend of mine, with nine patch blocks in the centre and flying geese round the edges as an inner border. We shall see.

On Sunday afternoon, Anna and Bec reclaimed their hound - we had walked him and ours in he morning over at Tredegar House. Fortunately we just missed the rain and by the time Paco left us it was a downpour. This summer is not as bad as last year, but I would really like some settled sunshine - it would be so nice.

On another craft related note, I have taken the momentous (for me, anyway) decision to enter some cross stitch into our local show - the St. Mellons Agricultural Show. This is held at Tredegar House every August - we went last year and it was like the Somme with mud everywhere and appalling downpours. This year, fingers crossed for better weather. There are several adult craft classes, including one for cross-stitch, one for a greeting card and one for an item that could be sold at a bazaar or fete. For this latter one, I think I might make something like a cross-stitched coaster or possibly a key-ring. The piece of cross -stitch I will enter will be the baby sampler I am currently working on, not the largest of pieces, but a pretty piece with coloured aida, some fractional stitches, backstitch and some beading. Entry is the princely sum of 50p per class so I think I will go for it.

Paco is coming over again on Thursday for the day - Andy and Booty are looking forward to seeing him again. I attach a couple of snaps from his visit on the weekend.

So it's Thursday and Andrew will soon be off out to running club. I've just finished prepping some home made pizzas and these will go in the oven to be ready when he returns. Watched the ITT this afternoon on the Tour - Lance has scrambled back into third (riding the most awesome customised bike) with Contador holding what looks like an unassailable lead. Going into the last two stages tomorrow and Saturday there will be everything to play for to see who gets the other two podium places. Much depends on how much Brad Wiggins has got left in the tank - I'm not yet convinced he's got the stamina for two more long climbing stages but it would be interesting to be proved wrong.

We took Booty to the vet yesterday for her big day. A general anaesthetic, shoulder Xray, blood work, and a dental. The vet showed us the shoulder plates - there is a little hook of protruding bone which is causing her the pain and a tiny piece of wear on the other part of the joint. However, it was a relief that nothing else was lurking. Her blood test results were great and the dental went very well with no extractions. The level of residual staining means she still doesn't quite have a Hollywood smile a la Tom Cruise but she does look a lot better and this will have a big impact on her general health.

She was quiet but happy yesterday evening and slept peacefully on the bed with us. Today we took her and Andy over to Heath Park. She bounced, sniffed, growled, barked and trotted with every sign of full on joie de vivre - a pleasure to see. The park is full of beautiful rowans that are covered in berries - seems almost autumnal - aaargh!

When we came back from the park I made some puppy soup for her and Andy as a special treat, involving large quantitites of liver. Liver is my food Waterloo - I have hated it since early childhood and even trying the most beautifully cooked morsels in fine restaurants has never convinced me otherwise. However, in this case, all I had to do was cook it and feed it to the adoring hounds and not surprisingly they loved it.

Regular readers will know I am a huge fan of the Tour, so for the last few days I have been glued to the TV, watching highlights and where possible, live stages through the magic of the Sky Red Button. Wonderful. This year, the Tour organisers have not given us a vintage programme, with a lot of the second week being less eventful stages - I'd have preferred a mix of mountain and sprint stages through the programme, rather than the heavy emphasis on the mountains in the last week.

However, the rest of the race has amply compensated for this in terms of drama and events. Sadly, a spectator was killed yesterday in an accident with a police bike (seems the French police are as dangerous on the roads as the British ones). But this apart, we've had riders being shot on the route, riders punching spectators, mechanics punching cameramen, amazing falls and crashes, with awesome remounts to the end of the stage, intra-team rivalries, name calling about the Green Jersey, George Hincapie narrowly losing out on a stage win with an vicious argument over who was to blame (mostly his own team) and of course the return of Lance Armstrong. No drug scandals yet but Lance has been tested forty (yes, forty!) times in the past two months, with three tests in a 48 hr period at the first week of the Tour. All of this has been taking place against the background of the finest scenery in Europe with everything from rural scenes of sunflower fields down to the white horses of the Carmague and the mountains of the Alps.

British riders have been playing a large part in the dramas and excitement with Mark Cavendish doing brilliantly in the sprints and Bradley Wiggins in the top 5 of the GC. Other British riders are prominent support riders (domestiques) such as David Millar and Charlie Wegelius. We are now in the final week with a number of very tough mountain stages and a time trial with hardly any time separating the top riders. I will continue to be glued to it, so don't expect any but the most cursory blog posts this week. Normal life will resume next week.

Generally, I loathe most televised sports particularly football - finding it boorish, blokey, boring and banal. The Tour is my exception to this - I am completely addicted to every second of it. One thing I would like to consider is visiting a stage- this is perfectly feasible in future years. It seems likely that we will be going away for our first non-dog accompanied holiday in the winter - if that goes well, we could well consider a trip over to the Tour next summer. Spare a thought for Andrew in all this. Even when we walk the dogs in the morning, I tend to wander along burbling happily about green jerseys, team tactics and Contador's climbs. He is admirably patient, probably thinking that at least he only has to put up with this for three weeks a year - compared to the length of the football season, it's a cinch. As I write, he is enjoying a gin in the bath, after doing a lot of gardening today between showers. Lots of frogs out there which si good.

We went to the Farm shop yesterday morning on our way back from our walk, so got some lovely aged steaks for dinner last night (they were excellent) and a pork loin joint for tonight.

Recovering from a busy and enjoyable weekend. My father is the eldest of seven siblings so as a consequence I have a huge number of cousins - we range in age from 44 down to about 6, with a number of cousins also having their own children, to add to the generational confusion. What makes the mix even more interesting is that my dad's siblings (5 brothers and a sister) are geographically scattered both across the UK and the world, so some of my cousins are only seen on infrequent inter-continental trips. One such took place recently with my cousin Sarah visiting from Canada, doing a fortnight of sightseeing and family visits. Sarah is 35 and I last hosted her when she was 18, and I was living down in Plymouth. Fortunately this time round the house was pretty much straight after the move, and we met her at the station on Friday afternoon.

It was good to catch up with her - we had a fairly quiet night in on Friday, just chatting, enjoying a meal and catching up on family news. On Saturday we took her down to the Bay - to see the Senedd, home of the Welsh Assembly, the Millennium Centre and all the bars/restaurants/shops at Mermaid Quay. We enjoyed wandering about between showers then went over to the Terra Nova for a drink. This pub is named after the ship Captain Scott used on his voyage to the South Pole (the ship set sail from Cardiff) and has a ship-like prow with arrow shaped balcony. Sarah thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Senedd and when we got to the pub set about sampling a variety of Brains beers (the local brewery) which is not available in Canada. On the way home we dropped her off in the city centre to allow her to do a little shopping and I went home to glue myself to the Tour de France time trial prologue.

Saturday evening, we again enjoyed a peaceful dinner with wine then on Sunday we visited Caerphilly Castle, one of the finest castles in South Wales, and fortunately very close to us - about twenty minutes in the car. Again, we had to dodge some showers but it was an impressive and interesting visit. Came home for a sandwich then met up with friends down at the Wharf pub for a drink (again, Sarah enjoying the Brains beer). Home for dinner then bed, before an early start on Monday morning to take her to the station for her train to London and Gatwick airport. The weekend seemed to fly by and I attach a few photos.

Well, it's finally happened. We took Murgatroyd to her new home yesterday morning. Ironically, it was very close to where she was found after she had been dumped. The actual handover was easier than I expected it to be as it was busy with paperwork, collars, tags and so on. It really began to sink in once we were home, and especially last night. The night before (her last night with us) she has spent the night on our bed, her bony little bum and legs poking me and then coming up to me for a morning cuddle as soon we all awoke. Last night, the bed was greyhound free and it seemed odd this morning without that wonky nose and bright eyes greeting me. Still, her new home will look after her - I was particularly impressed that her new owner has designated a very comfy green velvet reclining chair for her. She is also living in an area blessed with fabulous walks.

Photos attached of her last walk with us, down at Rumney playing fields.

When we got back from delivering her, a very pleasant surprise was waiting for us in the post. The landlord and landlady of the property we rented in Powys had sent us a very nice note, wishing us all the best for the future, and thanking us for leaving the property in an "immaculate" condition - with the note, was a Book Token! What a thoughtful and kind gesture, followed up today by an equally nice letter from the estate agent we used returning our deposit in what must be record time. Having lived in a variety of rented establishments during my life I can honestly say this is the first time a landlord has ever done this, although to be fair when I lived in Plymouth my landlord/lady lived upstairs and would often leave little notes or bars of chocolate - as they were an exceptionally nice couple. Something like this goes a long way in boosting my slightly jaded faith in human nature. The irony is that i felt there was more cleaning that could be done, and Andrew was not happy that the garden was up to his standards.

The weather continues to be very hot. Andy bit a hole in the paddling pool when Andrew was trying to inflate it for him and Booty (that dog was definately behind the door when they were handing out the brains). Andrew tried squirting them with the hose pipe today - Booty loved it but Andy ran away and hid in the undergrowth.

So, another scorching day. It has also been very humid which I must admit I dislike intensely. I much prefer a dry heat, which is one of the reasons I love the Canaries - there, the climate is sunny, dry and breezy and absolute bliss. We spent the day up in Powys, doing the final cleaning of the rental property before returning the keys to the estate agent. Andrew mowed the lawn and re-arranged some fencing that we had put in place to safely accommodate the dogs. I indulged in an orgy of mopping, dusting, wiping and polishing - so ensuring the bungalow was left as I would wish to find it. Incredibly hot work - both of us were literally dripping when we finished. The temp was 28 when we were returning to Cardiff - thank goodness for aircon in the car - at least that way the dogs could be travelling safely and in comfort.

Further to some phone calls when we got back, it looks likely that Murgatroyd will be rehomed on Wednesday. Once again, I feel this dreadful tug of emotions; happiness that she could have a loving permanent home and sadness at seeing her go - she is such a character. I will miss her little wonky nose as it gets into all sorts of mischief. Ironically, and this is true of so many physical characteristics, it is her nose that I now love the most about her - it is her special characteristic. I can think of a number of people who have distinctive features (particularly facial) who don't like them - but again,they are often what makes them so wonderfully unique. Heaven forbid we all get into a Botoxed and lifted ubiquity.

Andrew did one of my all time favourite dishes tonight - tomato salad with mozzarella - incredibly simple, but so delicious. We didn't have any fresh basil, so he made a pesto dressing - yummy. Then we watched the first of the Bourne trilogy - nice to see Matt Damon, especially when he had his kit off and had clearly been working out quite a bit. Now it is time for bed. Hoping to be up early in the morning so we can walk the dogs before it gets too hot.

We are back in Cardiff and the Met Office predictions have finally kicked in - the weather is blazing. We had the official move yesterday - I felt sorry for the moving guys as they must have been cooking. Today has been the usual slow and steady moving and emptying of boxes, and gradually plugging in things - the Ipod dock, the dishwasher and the washing machine. This afternoon the computer was turned on and we had Sky and phones yesterday. So normal service is pretty near resumed.

As it has been so hot today, we took the dogs out early over to Tredegar House. It was Murgatroyd's first visit and she thoroughly enjoyed it, especially as the grounds were swarming with rabbits. The dogs couldn't believe their eyes - even better than squirrels!

In preparation for the move, we had run down our food stocks to the minimum and of course emptied fridge and freezer. So this afternoon we went over to Tesco for a stock-up. I bought a couple of pretty tops while I was there - a nice stripy green T shirt and a floaty, wafty top to wear over trousers, perfect for an evening out.

I also want to say that I am not going to take having access to supermarkets for granted in future. They get so much stick and I have to now say that after seven months of living in an area without a superstore I am heartily grateful for Terry Leahy and his empire. While in Powys, we had a small high street with excellent butchers ( a real bright spot, and one I will miss) but for other stuff, forget it. The fishmonger visited once a week, on a Friday morning. If you were ill, busy or just wanted fish on another day, forget it. Even with his excellent produce, the choice was necessarily limited. Other grocery shopping was provided by a Spar and a Co-operative in the town, both very small, expensive and with limited stock. In Llandrindod Wells there is a Somerfield (even more expensive) and an Aldi. Now, Aldi are fabulous at what they do - no question about it. But part of their model is that they carry a very basic range of groceries - for example, they don't carry packet yeast or strong flour of any sort for breadmaking.

What I found is that instead of being able to do one weekly shop, and be done with it, I had constantly be having to break it down into its constituent parts and wonder what (if any) shop would carry it. We sorted out pet food by using the excellent home delivery service from Pets at Home, but much of the other stuff was spread across several different outlets and with variable guarantees as to availability. Things like fresh herbs (especially things like coriander or lemongrass)simply have not been available. Menu planning was essential - forget spontaneity - and I always had the nagging feeling of never having quite completed the weekly shop. I could go to Aldi and get some basics, but would then have to remember to go to the Co-op for free range chicken, call in the butcher for some meat and brave somewhere else for things like mirin or good coffee or poppadoms. The worst was the variable quality of fresh fruit and veg. There was a small and tired selection in the Co-op, and a fruit/veg stall visited Builth on Mondays and Fridays. This sold basics - great if you wanted parsnips in industrial quantities, but we had several warnings about the quality and these were justified. Too often, we would get stuff home and find that fruit was bruised and rotten. There was a similar stall at Llandrindod on Fridays with a better selection - but again, you had to make sure you caught it on that day, and as for things like big bunches of herbs, ranges of mushrooms, even chillies and garlic were hard to come by.

Anyway, off to Tesco we went this afternoon, and it was a cornuocopia of inviting fruit and veg. Plenty of organic choices, masses of berries, lots of pineapples, melons, masses of different tomatoes, fantastic. Most excitingly, big bunches of herbs. Andrew and I practically leapt in excitement at seeing an enormous bunch of parsley - what a sight. Got home and had pasta with chillies, parsley and scallops - groovy. Our wine stocks are rebuilding, and a bottle of Pimms is chilling in the fridge.

There is a great deal of food snobbery about supermarkets - I am constantly reading about how we should all be shopping at farmers markets and little local shops. Well, the reality is that is this is a completely impossible dream. Even the most chichi of houses still needs to clean their loo, wash their clothes, their dishes, their hair and their windows. And if you are a foodie you want good quality things like tea, coffee, marmalade, mirin, flour, and so on. Little local shops in general simply cannot compete with supermarkets on price or range - so how about quality and service? Well, the butchers in Builth are a fantastic example of how this works positively in practice - both shops have expert staff, who are friendly, polite, remember preferences and carry superb local meat, game and produce - they literally had people queuing out the door and long may they continue to do so. But man does not live by steak alone (unfortunately). My favourite example of how not to do service is the Post Office - on Monday we were packing, and Andrew sent me to get some more parcel tape for the boxes. Now, I think it is reasonable that my first port of call was the PO for this - after all, where else do you go with a parcel? Yes, you've guessed it, no parcel tape. They sent me up the road to the excellent local newsagents, Conti's, where they had copious quantitities, served with a smile. Aaargh. Anyway, rant over. I do really hope that Tesco take over parts of the PO - it would be great if you could post or pick up parcels at supermarkets. At least they would be open reasonable hours, for a start. So, I'll finish here, before I start ranting on anything else.

After the excitement of the weekend, this week has been a bit quieter. On Tuesday we travelled with little Murgatroyd to a potential home for her. The couple had already been homechecked and given an enthusiastic rating but as they had a cat, we needed to see how she would behave. We drove off when Andrew came home from work, leaving Andy and Booty in the house. We travelled over the mountain road, through the Elan Valley. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and hedges were full of foxgloves, roses and first honeysuckle. It was stunningly beautiful and also very quiet - not much traffic about which made the journey even more enjoyable. The couple lived not far from Strata Florida, where we were quite recently but their cottage was miles off the road, down a variety of little lanes past forestry and fields of sheep. Eventually arrived to a warm welcome but it became apparent very quickly indeed that a happy co-existence between Murgatroyd and the cat was extremely unlikely. Such a shame as it was an idyllic spot with people who would have given her a loving home. Still, I remain certain she will find the right home for her. Even though that was potential home No. 3, it is still difficult - I remain cheerfully besotted and was struggling on Tuesday not to even think about her imminent departure. Now she is back with us, and continuing to be a star, albeit with a moth eaten appearance at the moment, as her kennel coat is gradually coming out and a sleeker, darker coat is coming through. There are little tufts and sprouts of her old coat sticking up and out at strange angles and when you stroke her, drifts of the old coat come out. Soon though she will be looking fabulous.

We are continuing with preparations for the move next week. Andrew has said goodbye to the running club - his last session tonight. That is a wrench as they have been very friendly and welcoming to both of us. I have been trying to cook this week out of the freezer and cupboard to run down stocks of food before things are turned off. We have a big American style fridge-freezer which will be fun to move and will probably need to settle for around 24 hours after it has been transported.

Tomorrow is Andrew's last day in his job - he will be coming home with his aspidistra from his desk. The next few days are likely to be a bit chaotic so I may not be blogging for a little while but will return as soon as I can. I have emailed most people with our new (old!) address and new phone number - if you are reading this and haven't yet got it and want it, then do please email.

Lastly, on an unrelated search, I came across the Cardiff Council Unison (trade union) website and noticed that they now have a blog. Well, many congratulations to them for taking the step. i would just say that it does need a few more posts and possibly a bit more visual attractiveness. you can access it here - http://cardiffcountyunison.blogspot.com/

When I used to work for the Council, it seemed Unison was one of my most regular readers so I am happy to return the favour and point the way to their dip into the blogosphere. The most recent posts appear to be in support of Cuban communism and in favour of expelling members of political parties who do not share Unison's aims - hmmm, bit of a sticky one that. I wonder how many ordinary Unison members are actively in favour of Communism as practiced in Cuba? Still, generally speaking, union members get the union they deserve, in that pro-communists are often the only ones who can be arsed to get organised and active - the vast majority of union members are completely apathetic until they need the help of the union, scream loudly for action then return to a state of political torpor. So, hats off to hard working socialists - who can enjoy the splendid intricacies of composite motions.

Well, the big day was yesterday. Andrew slept well the night before, and on Saturday morning went over to Llanwrtyd Wells (the start of the race)early to register for his team of three. Relay teams wore green numbers and you can see that Andrew is wearing a sweatband with a number on it. This had to be handed over at the interchange points. For runners and riders who were doing the whole race, they were given a set of tags which they had to hand in at each interchange point, partly to prove they had done that bit and partly for safety.

We both went back to the start area in time for the official start and I took some vids which I am hoping to upload later. A local brass band was playing, the Mayor made a speech which nobody could hear, and there was a small and very good natured crowd. Runners had come from all over the UK - I could see club vests from Sheffield, Yorkshire, Surrey, London and the Midlands as well as a number of Welsh clubs. The race is notoriously tough - regarded by many as being harder than many marathons due to the severe changes in gradient and rough ground. I was particularly struck by the elite runners in the front of the field - one or two were only wearing their shorts and numbers, with just a hat (Foreign legion style with neck flap). Most runners have fabulous legs but quite slim upper bodies but some of these guys had incredibly well muscled upper bodies as well - I did wonder if they were either triathletes or service guys (as we are smack in the centre of a huge Army training area) and they have to carry weight as well as have strong legs. Anyway it was a most pleasant sight to behold. Eventually, the field went off in a surge at 11 a.m and the horses followed later at 11.15 - there were 47 equine competitors. Some were Arabs, which are often used for endurance riding, and I also saw a couple of TB crosses and some Welsh Cobs.

Once the competitors were safely on their way, I made my way back to the car and drove slowly over to Abergwesyn, the changeover point where Andrew would finish his leg, and hand over to his team mate. Abergwesyn is a tiny and beautiful hamlet off the Beulah road, and to get to it I had to drive along the most wonderful valley, thick with forests on its steep sides and with a scattering of remote farms and abandoned chapels on the valley floor. Stunning views and an awesome run. Getting to the hamlet, I parked in the hedge (quite literally!) and waited by the changeover spot. Runners and riders could also have water, and there were crews present for the horses in case they needed anything. By the first changeover, several horses had to pull out due to cast shoes and apparently one rider did fall off. The runners came streaming down a steep hill at the side of the valley (you can see it above) and it was also possible to see the horses also picking their way along the narrow paths of the hill. Then they dropped down into the valley floor, across the stream and back past us onwards to climb back up and over to the next part of the run. It was exciting to see the beautiful horses coming through and the hot runners, all looking muddy and sweaty. Andrew came in and handed over his sweatband to Jenny, his running mate and off she went, fast and determined. He had worn his Garmin and later when we got back to the house, he downloaded the route and linked it to Google Earth so I could see exactly where he had run via an aeriel view. We cheered on the club runners who came through and when the bulk of competitors had gone past, we fished out the car from the hedge and came back for Andrew to have a shower. He then returned to Llanwrtyd for the finish - apparently a horse won, but there was allegedly some kerfuffle in that the man who was first thought he had beaten the first horse and was not pleased to find he had not, so much so he threw his beer everywhere! Anyway, Andrew, Jenny and Emma collected their medals and were all very happy to have finished safely. Pics attached of the start, the muddy legs at the end of the stage, the monster hill and the tired competitor. The good news is that the resident athlete really enjoyed it and felt that his training and preparation had been sufficient and thorough.

Not surprisingly the rest of the day was quiet. Today, we went for a walk this morning with the dogs along the Wye valley - one of our favourites. Most of the wild flowers have finished now as the tree canopy was in full leaf, creating a beautiful dappled effect as we walked, hearing only the river and birdsong around us. However, the hedges were full of sprays of wild roses and spiky foxgloves, and there was still a bit of stitchwort, campion and buttercup at the edge of tree line. After walking along the bank in the shade, we then came onto an open meadow, used as an access point for the river Wye by canoeists, and full of wild flowers. We felt like we were wading through a coloured sea of blossom - it was lovely. Things only improved when we saw dragonflies, bright jewelled turquoise with wings marked with black discs, fluttering over the bank. We took the dogs down to the river for a drink and a paddle then slowly meandered back - a fabulous morning. Have had a quiet rest of the day but we do potentially have a home for Murgy - third time lucky? I will report on this later in the week.

Andrew had running club tonight but instead of their usual Thursday suffer-fest, they did a fairly moderate run - this is because many including Andrew are running in the Man vs horse race on Saturday. I should stress this is man in the generic sense - Andrew is running in a team with two women, and in fact the majority of runners in the club are female, many of whom tackle mountain marathons, cross country and similar with great aplomb. He recently received all the info with pages of safety warnings and disclaimers - quite impressive to see. What made us both smile is that equine competitors are very well served with vets and water stations at all sorts of points along the way, but considerably less fuss made of the humans. Andrew is taking this one quite seriously and has even given up alcohol this week; I realise this makes him sound like an alcoholic putting it like that, but he does occasionally enjoy a glass of gin, or a bottle of cider in the week and of course we both enjoy wine drinking at the weekend. Our main concern now is the weather. It'll be tough if it's blazing hot, but hard going if it's pouring with rain. The ideal would be a cool, cloudy day - fingers and toes crossed! Link to the official website for the race here:- http://www.green-events.co.uk/index.php

Today I travelled down to Margam Park for a meeting to look at an event to be held next year that GRW might be getting involved in. This initial meeting was with the park authorities to discuss the broad outlines, such as dates, availability, parking etc.. My role was pretty minor, basically to listen and learn, but I always find these interesting. The journey down and back was lovely - via the Heads of the Valleys Road which was looking spectacularly beautiful. Because we've had so much rain, everything is so green. Shaggy hedges, lovely pastures and rolling moors covered in whin berries - should be a good crop this year. At the park, we were inside part of the Gothic Victorian buildings where the park staff have their offices - what a lovely place to come to work. The estate was lived in by the Fox-Talbot family - one of their members was one of the earliest pioneers of photography. Nearby is Margam Abbey, interestingly a daughter abbey of Strata Florida where we were last week. Regular readers will also recall the park as a venue for one of Andrew's 10K races. This was the longest time I have left the dogs alone for some time and they were squeaking with excitement when I came back home. Dear little Murgy kept coming up to me and putting her head on my chest as if to say "Is it really you? I'm so glad you're back" - yes, I know I am probably anthropomorphosing hopelessly but sometimes you just need to feel the love.

After we had eaten our couscous earlier, Murgy hopped up on the sofa and snuggled up with me under my quilt - all very cosy. Unfortunately, the second home offer is looking less likely but they may be coming back to the charity if their work circumstances change. So, for the moment, she remains with us, very happily for all concerned. She often now likes to come on the bed during the night and this morning I woke up with a familiar cosy shape nestling against my legs. She and Booty seem to have established some sort of rota for this - if I wake up in the night and want to check which hound is lying on my feet or has stolen my duvet, the quickest way is to feel their collars, as Booty's is textured fabric, while Murgy still wears leather. This morning, we had the excitement at 5.30 of Andy (most unusually) suddenly launching into a tirade of barking - you'd swear a boatload of marauding Vikings were swimming up the Irfon. Andrew launched into an equally exciting tirade of swear words, when after a thorough inspection, no Vikings could be found and the guilty party was lying on the rug, rolling his eyes and looking sheepish. Don't believe anyone who tells you greyhounds are quiet dogs.

Quite a bit to write about since my last post. After a beautiful start to the week, the weather got progressively worse and by the weekend we were having torrential monsoon style downpours. On Saturday, we travelled down to Cardiff for a night at the opera. The appalling weather which was also quite chilly put paid to my idea of wearing my new summer frock and open toed sandals, in spite of a lovely pedicure with coral coloured varnish. I ended up wearing a tiered skirt with some green shoes and a little shrug, which managed to look quite summery but also kept me warm!

We saw La Boheme and it was gorgeous -actually the very last night of this particular production. Beautiful seats in the stalls and everything came together. The principal singers were all lovely, although Musetta was a bit stiff to begin with and the production was fabulous. No messing about, just a nice straightforward take without any attempt to be modern. As usual, I loved the building too - I adore it with a passion, as it is so gorgeously fit for purpose. Even with a full house, there are never queues for loos ( the only theatre I have ever been in where that is the case for ladies) and so many wonderful nooks and crannies where you can relax and enjoy an interval drink - not just bars either, plenty of cafes and lots of space for promenading, or just people watching. Wonderful.

Spent the night in the Cardiff house afterwards with all three greyhounds in the room with us. Murgatroyd is now getting the hang of the stairs, and is confident going up but still a bit nervous going down. With a bit more practice she'll be flying up and down them. It was great to see the garden - masses of roses and all looking very green. Very pleased to see a fantastic crop of berries on my blueberry plants.

We've decided that we'll be coming back to the Cardiff house to live permanently in about two weeks. Andrew is returning to his previous role as a consultant, and as we've had no credible offers on the house, it is obviously not the right time to sell. I will be very sorry to leave Powys as I love living in the country, but on the other hand I like our Cardiff house, and it makes much more sense for Andrew's work, given Cardiff's quick rail links to London, access to motorway network and airport. Unfortunately, Powys would be completely impractical given the amount of travelling involved. We are now in the process of booking moving men, and sorting out Sky and phone connections. Watch this space for further updates. It will be great to be back out the garden and we've decided to paint the C and C - the bedroom which doubles as study and craft room. We'll be doing this just before we move back in as it will be so much easier to do this while the room is empty. We will also be having my cousin from Canada to stay almost immediately as she is over in the country for a three week trip and it will be fab to see her.

While we were at the Millennium Centre we checked out the forthcoming programme and have managed to get tickets for WNO doing La Traviata in September (the first opera I ever saw, aged about 12) and excitingly an opera gala night of Bryn Terfel singing Wagner - bliss!! I would love to have seen him sing the Ring that he did in London but tickets were like gold dust. Apparently he will be doing a lot of Die Valkure which will practically guarantee me in raptures.

Finally, more news on Murgatroyd's adoption. It looks possible that a home has been found for her where she will be living with another dog, a whippet. I am expecting a call on this later tonight or tomorrow but it is fingers crossed.

Today was due to be the day that Murgatroyd went off to her new forever home. I've had incredibly ambivalent feelings about it - on the one hand I am so delighted for her, but I cannot deny it will be a wrench saying goodbye to this adorable creature. After the couple made contact last night, we arranged for them to visit us today at 5, for a quick look-see and then hopefully to take her home with them. The day has been awful - as I was doing the housework, a little face would come up by mine, nudging me for a tickle, or I'd walk into the room and find her roaching on the sofa, wagging her tail at me with a big grin on her face. In short, she was being particularly herself - loving, playful and mischievous. I prepared all her paperwork and had already made up a mini scrapbook of photos and notes for her new owners. There was even a little coat that some kind friends had given her.

Anyway, at 5, the very nice couple turned up, came in and had a chat and were introduced. I went out to the kitchen to make everyone a cup of tea and found that on my return she was enjoying being tickled and all seemed to be going well. Just as I was about to pull out the paperwork for signing, the husband announced that she had the wrong sort of fur and that he could feel he was allergic to her (chest tightening, typical allergic reaction, similar to that Andrew has with cats). I couldn't believe it. They were extremely apologetic - no need - I am only glad we found out before she had been settled with them. It would have been extremely disruptive for her and upsetting for them to have started the bonding process only to abandon it later. Now we go back to putting her on the website and I expect we will have a lot of interest in her. But I really don't want to go through a day like that again in a hurry. Am now feeling quite drained. Ho hum.

The young master has been off all this week and it's been lovely to enjoy him being around, with relaxing days although the weather hasn't been particularly good. Booty's ear continues to recover, although it still looks gungy. I received a parcel yesterday - I ordered a really pretty summer dress via the internet - black and white and sleeveless, showing remarkable optimism about sunshine to come. Of course, since then it's mainly poured down but we've got a night at WNO coming up for La Boheme so I'll be able to wear it for that.

Today we had a day out, going over to Strata Florida Abbey, in Ceredigion between Aberystwyth and Tregaron. We were delighted to find they allow dogs, so were able to take the pack, which was nice as we didn't then have to clock watch. Showery all the way there although the rain held off while we were visiting. The abbey was the first Cistercian foundation in Wales, founded around 1200, and was an important focal point in Welsh politics as the monks often acted as brokers between warring factions. Many Welsh princes are buried there, leading it to be known as the Westminster Abbey of Wales, although I must admit I think this is stretching it a bit. It is a truly beautiful spot, with a peaceful atmosphere and a fascinating history, and I recommend it wholeheartedly as a place to visit. I last visited it on a summer holiday day out aged about ten I think - I remember wearing my red Pacamac. Coming back we took the mountain road south of Tregaron, back to Beulah - an astoundingly gorgeous route, full of wild mountains, waterfalls, hillsides covered with bluebells, red kites, fresh green trees and hardly anyone else around. Amazing. On the way home, we stopped off at the New Inn at Newbridge on Wye - the pub has a butchers shop attached where they sell meat from their own animals. We popped in earlier in the week, but there was a scrawled note up saying "Closed - gone fishing" which made me smile. This time they were open, and we bought some home cured bacon, home made sausages and one of their home made pies.

I attach some pictures taken at the Abbey and will put some also up on Facebook.

After a peaceful day yesterday, today we went to an event organised by Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, who were having an open day at Gilfach Nature Reserve, not far from Rhayader. We decided not to take the dogs - Andy has sprained his rear paw, Booty's ear is still poorly and dogs are not always welcome at nature reserves anyway, due to the risk of disturbing ground nesting birds and so on. So we left three sad little faces when we went, but had a wonderful time.

The reserve is an unimproved hill farm, now run organically with sheep and a few beef cattle in the base of the valley. The reserve has a centre with an old Welsh longhouse, now lived in by the wardens plus an old oak cruck framed barn turned into a visitor and education centre. A variety of habitats exist, with upland pasture, woodland and rivers, all supporting an excellent range of wildlife, including some impressive badger setts, otters in the river and a wide variety of bird life. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering round, exploring the trails, spotting nest boxes and admiring the stunning views. Red kites circled overhead and we could hear cuckoos calling in the woods. After our walk, we enjoyed a pot of tea and some home made cake from the wardens, which we ate at a picnic table looking out over the valley.

Came home and watched a little bit of craft on QVC while cross-stitching, although Andrew swears he heard a few snores from my sofa - shocking! Just had one of Andrew's cheese scones, made yesterday and delicious and will be doing some pasta for us later. Pics attached of the nature reserve.

Well, I think we ought to have season tickets for the vets. No sooner had we got Murgatroyd all sorted, then Booty is in the wars. She and Andy had a most uncharacteristic food fight on Thursday and the net result is a damaged ear, with visible cartilage (not nice!). The vet has prescribed antibiotics and four daily salt baths - unfortunately, these are sore, and as soon as she sees Andrew with the basin of salt water, she runs away. We are also dealing with quite a bit of spatter from when she shakes her head - blood stains are appearing in remarkable places. We are hoping she will soon recover - I hate seeing her in any sort of pain.

Fortunately, it has not stopped her from enjoying her walks and she is being remarkably perky. We had a nice walk today along the river Wye, parallel with the showground and I took some pics which are shown above. I'll also upload these and more into my Facebook page. It's been a beautiful afternoon which I've enjoyed cross-stitching and Andrew is now preparing Jamie's Chicken Caesar salad. However, as with all Andrew's cooking, the recipe is always a starting point - Andrew always enjoys going off-piste. Last night, we had the first strawberries of the summer - wonderful. Later, we are going to watch the film "Twilight"; I'm aware the books have been very successful with the teen market but have not read any myself. Working on the basis that we always enjoyed watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it was on, we thought it would be harmless fun for a Saturday night.

While I was cross-stitching this afternoon, I was listening to Radio 4. They are starting a year long series of dramatisations of the Smiley books by John le Carre, with Simon Russell Beale in the title role. I absolutely adore Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People and was also a huge fan of Alec Guiness's magisterial performance in the TV versions some years back. SRB is a very good actor and on the basis of this afternoon, this will be a real treat all year.

As I write this, I have just received news about my cousin Robyn - I know other family members read this blog and uncle Dave has emailed round most people. If you haven't received the email from Dave, please email me and I will forward what I know. Let's hope Dave can be with her soon and she makes a full recovery.

Updates mainly on Murgatroyd tonight. Since I last wrote, the patient has had her staples removed and has gone up on the GRW website. Yesterday, it was confirmed that a permanent home offer is in progress for her, in a rural location in Monmouthshire where she will have ten acres and lots of cows to play with. It's likely we'll be handing her over the weekend after next. It is going to be the most incredible wrench since she is a beautiful and loving girl who has already claimed a place in our hearts. But I know it is the right thing to do, as it will allow us to foster other hounds who may need our help. I'm currently making up a small scrapbook for her new owners full of pictures of her and pieces of text to tell them all about her little ways. I attach some pictures. We had a photoshoot of her over the weekend in the garden and we also shot some video footage. I was going to edit it and put it up on the website but the home offers came in so quickly there is now no need.

I don't usually make many political comments on this blog. But the news has been so extraordinary over the past couple of weeks, it would seem odd not to. As the revelations keep coming out of Parliament, I keep thinking that I've heard the lot, then the next day something else turns up that takes your breath away. We are Telegraph readers anyway, but I must admit that each morning when I read it, I am now almost braced for some new low. What I find particularly interesting is that there are a small number of MPs who have emerged from this debacle with some shreds of honour and dignity intact, on both sides of the House. I wasn't especially surprised to find Frank Field and Ann Widdecombe in this group, as they both strike me as people who are in their different ways, conviction politicians - but I would love to know more about the others in this group. How did they resist what was clearly the overwhelming culture? What helped them to see it was wrong? How did they find the courage and the integrity to remain true to a bigger moral code? Especially in an area like this - they were faced with an environment where virtually all their colleagues were part of a conspiracy of silence to dive in and fill their boots. Answers and suggestions most welcome.

The other question of course is how long can this wretched Government thrash about in its death throes? It seems utterly extraordinary to think we may have to wait until next year for an election - I simply cannot see the current administration passing any new legislation with public confidence and heaven only knows what would happen if we needed to authorise the use of force. Can the Prime Minister really be so isolated from public opinion as to honestly believe he has the authority to do his job? The sad thing is that this has done terrible damage to the idea of parliamentary democracy - I take no pleasure in that, when so many people around the world have and continue to fight for the freedom to vote and politically organise. I am still sufficiently idealistic to regard that as an important hallmark of a just and fair society.

A good morning to all. First, to update on the patient. I took her back to the vet on Friday morning for her post-op checkup. While there, she also had her final vaccination (oh my, the howling!). Had a chat to both vets as one had done the spaying and the other had stepped in to do the dental as there had been a farm emergency to call the first vet away. Both vets are lovely and very happy to discuss/explain their work, which is such a good thing. Her staples will need to stay in for approximately another week. Since then, she has been doing very well. Eating and drinking has been normal (i.e. voracious) and she has been able to hop on to the sofa and even the bed, although she squeaks a bit when she gets down sometimes. Fortunately, she is showing very little interest in her wound, with minimal licking/nibbling, although I'm guessing it will start to itch as the healing process goes on. I just hope she doesn't try to take the staples out herself!

We had an early start on Saturday morning as I had a long awaited day down in Barry for an ATC meet. We piled the dogs into the car along with lots of stuff, and made sufficiently good time to get back to the Cardiff house via Marks and Spencer, where I wanted to buy a raffle prize and a packed lunch. Being in the country, we don't get sushi, so I was delighted to treat myself to a packet of sushi for lunch and a few other things for the weekend and the freezer. Getting to the house, I then made a quick sort out of what was to go with me and what to stay and then shot upstairs before we left. Had a wonderful time at the ATC meet - more on this over at Silver Nutmeg with pics too. Spoke to Andrew during the lunch break and he said "You haven't got your sushi, have you?" I just thought I had left it at the house in the rush. He had found the empty box upstairs in one of the bedrooms, being cuddled by a guilty greyhound. My only consolation is that itis very healthy and might be good for his brain.

The day finished around 5.30 and Andrew collected me. Back to the house, Andrew had a relaxing bath and our friends Anna, Rebecca and greyhound Paco came round for a pizza-fest. With FOUR greyhounds in the house and garden, it was delightfully chaotic. As the weather was so nice we were able to sit outside for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles. The garden is looking particularly lovely at the moment. Anna and Bec loved Murgatroyd - well, who wouldn't? Also hugely impressed as Anna is now a week into giving up smoking - massive kudos to her. Finished the evening with coffee and brownies and then upstairs to our bunk beds. All three greys decided to come in and lie on the floor near us, with M making a little nest for herself with some cushions and Andrew's running kit. Went out like a light as I was absolutely shattered.

Sunday morning, Andrew got up very early and left around 7.15 for Bristol, where he was running in the 10K. This is the only race he's done where I haven't gone with him - it was very odd for both of us. We waved him off and Ihad a coffee and a leisurely potter. The race began at 9.30 and his time was probably a PB but we are waiting for the final chip time to be posted on the race website. To my surprise, he was back very quickly as the post race distribution of medals, goody bag, bag retrieval and so on were apparently working like clockwork and he was able to get back to the car very quickly. It was a big race with over 5000 people running. Meanwhile I was sitting out in the garden,catching up on the paper, surrounded by basking hounds. Later in the day, I found I had actually caught the sun. After he returned, he had a shower and we loaded up the car and tidied the house. Set off back up here and passed a quiet afternoon. Enjoyed a pork loin from the farm shop and distributed crackling to the eager hounds - much appreciated. After catching up with some TV from Sky+, went to bed and was out like a light. Woke up this morning to find Booty on the bed snuggled up against my legs. As I write this there is a squirrel enjoying the sunflower seeds on the bird table and the heron has been busy fishing in the river this morning. Now for a busy day of domestic duties.

I attach some pics. One of me at the ATC day, a couple of Anna and Bec at the house - Bec is the one waving the plate! M sunbathing - you can clearly see the shaved area of her belly for the operation and Andy and Booty also relaxing - Andy is wearing his master's race medal proudly. Finally the title picture is of the clematis and roses in the Cardiff garden.

Mainly greyhound related news this post. On Monday was the annual Greyhound Fun Day held in conjunction with Arena Pontardawe. We decided it would be best if Andrew stayed at home, since Murgatroyd hasn't yet had her final injection. So off I toddled in sunshine, but as I headed south and west the weather became steadily worse. Around Craig-y-nos castle it started raining, and continued drizzling as I arrived on site. People were clamouring to enter pretty much from the moment I arrived. My job was to take the entries and payments for each class, liaise with the judge and ensure the correct rosettes were provided for each class. Unfortunately, the gazebo we used last year died at the end of the summer and hadn't yet been replaced so taking entries became a nightmare as ink ran and the paper slowly disintegrated. Fortunately it didn't prevent a good turn out and remarkably cheerful atmosphere, enjoyed by all. Got home cold, wet, muddy and tired but pleased it had been a good day. Also had some very good news about the greyhound I transported a few weeks back who was in a terrible state. She has gained 4 kg and is settled wonderfully into her new home - such a happy ending makes everything worthwhile. Pic attached of the show, and also of Murgatroyd's birthday pavlova.

Andrew went back to work on Tuesday and I had as quiet a day as humanly possible. Wednesday was Murgatroyd's big day - her operation (spaying) and while she was under general anaesthetic, a dental for her teeth which are in pretty poor shape. I think I was more nervous than she was - when we walked round to the vet, she wagged her tail at everyone and looked quite happy which just made me feel worse. Off she went with the nurse and then it was home for the long wait. The spaying went well and the dental did too, although that took a long time. We picked up the patient at around 5.45 and she was walking, but completely glazed over and very wobbly. Fortunately she slept most of the evening and passed a quiet night. Today she has steadily improved through the day. She is clearly still stiff and sore but has been eating and drinking normally and going out the garden regularly. She seems to have the twinkle back in her eye and I am pleased with the progress she has made. Tomorrow I am taking her back for a post-op check-up - she has ten staples in her wound - so far, they look OK. I will try to take some pics of her tomorrow.

A beautiful day today and apparently forecast to stay this way over the weekend. We slept in and then popped over to Llandrindod for me to buy a beading needle and some Vilene Bondaweb. The beading needles are for some cross-stitched birthday cards I am making which are having seed beads added to them. The Bondaweb is for more of the project I am working on at the moment - more will be on this on my craft blog over at Silver Nutmeg.

Then took the dogs for a nice walk. Parked on the outskirts of Builth and walked along the side of the river Wye, past Llanelwedd, the RWAS showground and down to the bridge before walking back. The path, which is also part of the national cycle path network was peaceful and full of flowers, especially wild strawberries and stitchwort so it looked gorgeous. The dogs enjoyed it and showed great interest in the sheep, but were kept firmly on their leads. There were a couple of anglers fly-fishing in the Wye, and as we walked parallel with the showground, we could hear a stallion show going on with the disembodied voice of the announcer occasionally floating over, asking for the 3 year old Section C colts to be in the ring and so on.

Home to a late brunch and a peaceful afternoon of cross-stitching, reading the paper and relaxing. Andrew cooked a nice meal tonight; to celebrate Murgatroyd's birthday which was yesterday, he made a pavlova with raspberries and we all had a piece. Yum. Watched some TV and now it is time for bed.

Yesterday was not the best of days. Both by natural inclination, training and experience, I generally try to be positive and seek the best in situations, but yesterday was one of those days when a number of individually minor (but collectively not so) issues seemed to be batting me round the head. I won't go into too much detail, as this will then rapidly become a whinge; but be reassured, dear readers, nothing terribly serious and I'm sure normal service will soon be resumed. It's also nice to be able occasionally to have the luxury of a bad day. As a cancer survivor, the narrative drive is for each day to be a blessing gratefully received and on the whole I'd tend to agree. This can easily become a tyranny of positivity though; because of that terrible awareness of the fragility and preciousness of life it is too easy to feel guilty at time not gainfully spent or lived in a purposeful and conscious way. Actually, the great gift is to spend time without counting it in miserly handfuls and sometimes that will include days where not very much happens, objectives aren't met, moods don't lift and shit just happens.

Today was different. I had a busy domestic morning, enlivened by the delivery of the post. Andy was determined to kill it - one of the items was a package of photographs I had printed out for some scrapbooking. Definately a case of testing to destruction. I am happy and relieved to report that Photobox send out pictures in an excellent greyhound-proof package. Again, praise, the photos were uploaded and ordered on Monday and arrived today. Very impressive. To facilitate my scrapbooking, I ordered a big bundle of photo credits at the start of the year so now all I have to do is upload and order my prints without having to worry about paying for them.

Got my sewing machine out this afternoon and finally finished my sofa snuggle quilt. I don't normally post much about craft stuff on this blog, and will do a more detailed post about it on my craft blog over at Silver Nutmeg. However, especially after yesterday, this was just what I needed. The colours are lovely - a Moda range called "At Waters Edge", full of soft browns, blues, dusty pinks and old golds. I attach a couple of pics.