Busy day

Jorja woke the hoose up at about 5am, panting like she'd just finished a marathon. Now, she's not that keen on the hot weather I know, but it sounded more like a "help me " pant than an "I'm too warm" one.

So, down to the vet at half nine. They say it could actually just be that she's not good in the heat & that we've just never realised it before 'cos she's young (and it's never too hot in Scotland!), or it's maybe an infection. Could be summat to do with her being in season - that can make them more liable to womb infections etc. They took the opportunity to do the blood tests which had been outstanding since the ibuprofen OD, and the surgery just phoned to say those tests are "beautifully normal". Bottom line is that she's got a course of antibiotics, and we've to let the vet know one way or the other as to whether that does the trick.

Only £100 spent before breakfast, then. ;0)

I decided to take them down to the park this afternoon for a wee runabout. Jorja seemed OK by that stage. I'd been there about 5 minutes or so when there was a commotion down at the car park. A guy was coming in on his bike, with a young blonde girl a few yards behind him on another bike. I heard a bit of shouting from the car park, obviously directed at the girl, and then the bloke got off the bike and strode purposefully back down the track, towards two guys who had,by then, emerged from a wee blue hatch back. He told them, effectively and plainly, to shut their faces. Transpired the blonde girl was his 15 year old daughter. The two muppets from the car wanted a fight. That was what they were interested in. Their right to get pished and shout abuse at children in the middle of a public park on a summer's afternoon was being infringed.

Ned (a) was a relatively wee ginger skinny guy, in a white t shirt. Claimed at one point to be Alex Morrison, the boxer. When he swung a punch at the other fella & collapsed in a heap with the momentum, he amended that claim to one of being Alex Morrison's nephew. Ned (b), who we'll call Lurch, was even more pished and considerably more foul-mouthed. It all became pretty surreal, as the original guy - who looked well at himself, and who I suspect could easily have handled two drunken muppets - was sort of walking backwards across the grass at the front of the castle while these two took it in turns to take point, swing punches at him and generally pursue him at walking pace. This was of course attracting attention from the Great Bothwell Castle Dugwalking Public, so there was a wee crowd of about 8 folk and assorted dogs walking along beside the guy who was the subject of the neds' attentions. I'd phoned the polis just after it started, when two or three other guys had got out the same blue car, and it looked like there was going to be something nasty kicking off. In fairness those other boys stayed well out the road. Notable incidents were ned (a) seeming to come to his senses and almost going home, on receipt of advice from the rest of us but then changing his mind and going back to get reinvolved, only to swing another punch which ended up with him on his erse again. Lurch - taller, stockier, blue T-shirt, was significantly more unpleasant. He'd picked up a hefty stick at one point and was - as they say - brandishing it at the guy & then threw it at him. He was also the one that seemed intent on making matters last as long as possible, and indeed the one who was using language that was singularly impure on masel' and others when it was suggested he might like to make himself scarce before everybody got bored with his pish.

Oh, they come from Carmyle. And if anyone's interested there's an open invitation to go & fight them at the S road, wherever that might be.

Slightly amusing highlight was when ned (a) sobered up enough to try & apologise to the intended victim and indeed ended up shaking the guy's hand - after a collective nervous pause from those of us circled round him. This caused Lurch to nearly have apoplexy, at such a betrayal from his homey. He was shouting something about it being a "ginger convention" which was a bit confusing 'cos (a) was the only one there with red hair iirc. Anyway it ended up with Lurch wanting to fight (a) and telling him inter alia that he should "bolt" and that he wisny "riding with them again". After which they all eventually went away in their wee blue motor.

Luckily, although they were away by the time the polis arrived they had actually been stopped by other cops already - whether as a result of another call or not, I don't know. So, complaints duly made & statements taken. Ooh, I even got to sign the evidence label for the stick!

Hope nothing else happens the day. :o/