Alyssa, Dr David’s vet nurse, phoned early to tell us Chester had passed a good night (sedated with morphine) and had eaten breakfast with what sounded like his usual relish.
He was discharged later in the afternoon with a list of instructions which are going to test our, and Chester’s, patience over the next couple of months. 
Have I told you about Chester’s boundless enthusiasm for life? OK, I have. With the bone in his hip and upper leg necrosing by the hour he must have been in so much pain. Yet there was never a whimper from him over the 10 days leading up to his diagnosis. In fact he seemed to forget from time to time that he was even in pain.
When we arrived at Dr David Lidbetter’s surgery Chester was beside himself with excitement, his big black paws skidding on the vinyl flooring, and looking such a fraud.
“What’s your dog here for?”, another client asked, trying to sound solicitous as she clutched a plastic carrier containing a haughty looking feline I was to discover was suffering with a torn cruciate ligament.
“Oh, he’s having a total hip replacement”. I tried to convey the gravity of the situation, but it wasn’t easy with a squirming puppy on the end of the lead, grinning in his doggy way and wagging his tail at everyone who passed by.
You could just imagine them thinking doubtfully, “Oh, yeah?”
This will give you an idea of the amazing hardware Chester will carry around for the rest of his life.
It’s a Biomedtrix BFX cementless prosthetic hip.
We were warned that there was a possibility that the necrosis might have spread too far, and David would not find enough healthy leg bone into which to fit the new hip. I’ll leave you to imagine what would have been the alternative in that case.
What a relief when we heard, late in the afternoon, that the surgery had gone smoothly!
Chester was soon bouncing around, and we were relieved to have our healthy boy back again.
However over the course of the following week he became more and more reluctant to put his weight on that leg and on re-examination the experts told us the blood supply to Chester’s hip had been cut off by the impact of the accident and his hip bone was dying.
He needed an immediate total hip replacement (THR). At the ripe old age of 7 months!
Fortunately a highly recommended specialist veterinary surgeon, Dr David Lidbetter, was able to fit him in, and by last Wednesday afternoon (6th January) Chester had a brand new hip.
We were somewhat more excited about this than he was.
In doggy years young Chester has become an adventurous teenager, so you won’t be surprised to hear that he’s landed himself in a spot of bother after a Christmas Eve escapade.
Apart from the fact that he was limping on his left hind leg he appeared to have come off lightly. The diagnosis, after an emergency vet examination and x-rays, was severe bruising. and he spent a very quiet Christmas at home rattling with painkillers, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory tablets.
Here’s a rare glimpse of one corner of my sewing room. In case you think it’s all as organised as this … just hold that thought :-))
I keep most of my fabric stash on shelves in these CD storage units.
It’s an easy way for me to keep track of what I have, and I can even store yardage of up to about 2 metres.
A glance at my stash will tell you that while I have nearly enough reproductions to last a lifetime, I need to seriously expand my meagre collection of fresh, modern colours and prints.
Oh dear, an excuse to buy more fabric…
It’s that time of year, isn’t it. When you just want to stop, breathe deeply and smell the roses. I know, I know, we should make time to do this all through the year. But somehow I always seem to reach the end of the year exhausted and feeling like an athlete breasting the string, with my tongue hanging out and ready for a good drink. OK forget the “athlete” thing – but you know what I mean.
January is my cool drink time, the time when I can at least try to get my chaotic life in order, and spend guilt-free time doing what I enjoy best. Quiltmaking.
But sometimes I just like to sit and gaze out the window.
Quite a few of my online friends have been sharing the view from their sewing rooms. Del has an unusual outlook. You'll love Margaret's cool, peaceful little courtyard. And Julie's garden view. And Kali's water view, with some of the Sydney to Hobart yachts in the distance. And you might feel sorry for Linda – until you see her perfectly organised sewing space!
I thought you might like to see my outlook.
From my upstairs window I can see right along the road to the church, and this day I saw guests gathering in the sunshine for a wedding.
A little later I saw something even more exciting… I ran downstairs to the garden to get a closer look.
What a fun way to transport your guests to the reception.
The view from my sewing room window is never dull!
What do you see from yours?
Robbie with her sunshine yellow Noah's Ark quilt.
Lyn with dotty and girly Disappearing Nine Patches.
Marilyn with a boy's quilt that's certain to become a favourite for some little man.
and Pennie with a perfectly pink quilt for a Princess!
Thanks a million, girls!
