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Hi, Rusty!
I am glad to hear that all is going well with the roof!
You both seem to have been very quick....
Did you yourself need to go up on the roof?
Or were you labouring below .....passing things to Li?
I am not following about the "flat area beside the roof"?
Is this an already existing area.....part of the roof?....or a newly created section?
Are you done for today...or taking a break?
Any word from your son?
I am plodding on ..I have over a hundred cards to write......
Some of them need to travel far and wide......so I must check the posting dates!
A coffee break right now, though.....

Hello, Elle!
All finished now.
My pal did all the work.
No word from my son, so far.
He has a lot to do, I'm sure.
He will be in touch in his own good time.

Hi, Rusty!
Ah, that is good that the roof is all finished.
Good for Lionel!
I hope he enjoyed the lunch that you had bought for him?!
Did you learn any more about his proposed cycling trip to Russia?
I have kept my nose to the grindstone.....and my pen in my hand!
And have only a couple of dozen cards left to write!
Maybe after dinner?
It would certainly be good to get them all done today.

Hello, Elle!
He brought his own lunch, but ate mine, too!
We did not speak about the Moscow trip, but he told me quite a bit about the Alicante one.
They used "Airb/n/b", or a name like that, and he said it was not up to much.
They spent a lot of time searching for the digs that they had booked, using it.
Not straightforward at all!
He hopes to look in on Monday to finish a little piece that needs time to cure.
So, Monday is fine, timewise.
I have ordered "From our dog to your dog" Christmas cards (2).
To send from our Dundee dogs to the Belfast dogs!
Mad, I know!

Good evening, Rusty!
Well, at last I have finished my marathon write-up!
I still have to buy all the special family cards though, and then write those.
I might try the card shop in the morning.
Then I can go to the Post Office on Monday, and get my stamps, and post all my cards - for home and overseas.
Job then done!
Oh, I think that's sweet, sending a card from the Dundee dogs to their NI friends!
Not mad , at all!
After all, we have made cards for our dog, the cat, and the goldfish (!), which we put up every year!
My cat can't wait for the tree to be decorated!
Then he'll spend his time "undecorating" it, and batting the baubles about the room!

Good evening, Elle!
Well done on the card writing!
I found the "dog" cards on eBay.
I hope they are a success.
Now, dogs!
My daughter-in-law texted to me saying their dog is very unsettled with the new house move.
A shame.
He is getting on in years and finds the change disturbing.
Maybe wondering where the girls are, too.
Hopefully he will settle down in a day or so.
I like your cat's attitude!

Hi, Rusty!
Our dogs and cats have always come away on holiday with us...we have rented a house or cottage for that purpose.
Our own pets do not seem to care where they are, so long as we are with them....
But to be on the safe side and make it extra familiar for them - particularly should we go out and leave them alone , for instance - I always leave familiar things about.
Such as a sweater of mine or my husband's, on which they might lie...perhaps leave it on chair or on a bed....
This gives the animal confidence that you are staying there...or should you go out, that you will return.
We left our cat indoors on his own in the holiday house in Swanage, while we and the dog went out, and the cat was perfectly happy.
Tell your daughter- in -law not to be too " tidy", but to leave familiar items about for her dog to see....and sniff!
And when he's poo'd or pee'd in the garden, don't be in too much of a hurry to clean up after him...leave the poo there for a day or so, so that he becomes used to his own smell in the "new" garden.
Maybe suggest that your daughter-in -law does all this, as soon as possible, if she isn't already doing something like that?
I hope this helps.

I'm sure that would help, Elle. Before we collected our current golden retriever, we sent T-shirts that had been worn by myself, my wife and daughter down to the breeder in Barnard Castle for our chosen puppy to sleep with. (I wore my T-shirt to bed every night for a week - probably particularly ripe). The pup was not fazed at all by being kidnapped by the three of us and driven up to Scotland.

Hello, Elle!
That is very useful advice regarding the dog.
I think they know these things, but I have suggested similar advice, too.
It is just one huge upheaval today, but they are more or less finished for the day now.
But, tomorrow, more upheaval as the joiner is laying flooring Saturday and Sunday.
The dog is missing the girls, too.
We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Hello, Skyewalker,
That's excellent advice and experience, you have shared with us.
Many thanks!

Hi, Rusty!
Well, maybe the girls could drop in tomorrow, and take the dog for a walk?
And perhaps they, too, could leave some of their (already worn) clothing about the new house for the dog to make his bed on?
It would all help.
Don't your son and daughter- in -law also have a cat?
I know that your elder son has Minnie......so perhaps it is she of whom I am thinking......but it had run through my mind that both your sons had a cat and a dog?
Another "friend" about should also help......but I may be misremembering there?



Hello, Skywalker!
Yes, familiar smells, and special toys, and such like, are helpful in these sort of situations.
A sense of continuance is very important to the animal.
I am glad that your puppy settled with you so quickly.