THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN KEEPS AN EYE ON PRUDENCE

The Gonzo Daily - Friday

www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/about.html

Regular readers will remember that yesterday Prudence the dog who looks like a pygmy hippo superficially injured herself, and spread trails of gore across the house. Yesterday continued to be very peculiar, especially for Prudence. Being a well brought up young lady all she wanted to do was to have a thorough wash and clean herself, but despite being covered in blood, we were afraid that if she did she would re-open the wound and start it bleeding again. So she had to have a massive plastic cone on her collar, which made her look like a fat Elizabethan lady wearing a ruff. She disapproved of this mightily, and not being the most agile of creatures at the best of times, blundered about the house knocking everything over. In the midst of all of this we had a visit (a very welcome visit, may I stress) from the delightfully nutty Kara Wadham, and the whole day became very surreal. What topped it off was that because of the collar on her neck Pru would not have been able to get onto the bed so in order not to cause her more distress than ever we both slept downstairs in the sitting room with her. It was a surprisingly comfortable night until I was woken by a small black cat trying to push her rectum into my right eye. In the midst of all of this madness, I finished the new Frederick Forsyth novel, which I think is his best since Icon in 1995. And finally, lots of love to Lily Wadham who went back into hospital this morning with tonsillitis related tomfoolery....

Another visit to our old friend Thom the World Poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_4607.html

Today's Track of the Day is by the World Drummers Ensemble
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-gonzo-track-of-day-world-drummers.html

Music Legend Rick Wakeman from "Yes" to Play Israel
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/music-legend-rick-wakeman-from-yes-to.html

Alan White and Peter Noone
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/alan-white-and-peter-noone.html

Sky Architect review
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/sky-architect-review_27.html

German Mick Farren/Andy Colquhoun review
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/german-mick-farrenandy-colquhoun-review.html

*  The Gonzo Daily is a two-way process. If you have any news or want to write for us, please contact me at  jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and want to showcase your work or even just say hello, please write to me at gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it raining. See you tomorrow....

*  The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine (mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link: www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit-to-print.html

* We should probably mention here that some of our posts are links to things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest guv!

*  Jon Downes, the editor of all these ventures (and several others), is an old hippy of 54 who - together with his orange cat (who is currently on sick leave in Staffordshire) and two very small kittens (one of whom is also orange) - puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon, which he shares with various fish, and sometimes a small Indian frog. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus... did we mention the orange cat?

CFZ "PEOPLE": Prudence

My greatest hero; the late, great Gerald Durrell; once wrote (I think in Menagerie Manor) that animals always choose the most inconvenient and expensive times to become ill. Ever since we have had her, Prudence has had a large, completely benign dangling wart on her inner front leg. It is completely harmless, so we have ignored it. However, in bed last night, she managed to scratch it, and when I awoke this morning our bedroom looked as if the Manson Family had been playing Musical Chairs in it. Pru (although apparently in no discomfort whatsoever) had bled copiously and then rolled in it, so the bed and the dog were both covered in blood, which was continuing to drip enthusiastically from the wart.

Luckily my stepdaughter is a vet (and a bloody good one) and she talked Graham through the procedure of tying off the wart with a ligature, which slowed the bleeding down but didn't stop it. So we telephoned the emergency vet, bundled Pru into Graham's car and took her down to  Stratton (outside Bude) to the emergency surgery. The vet complimented Graham on his handiwork, augmented it with a ligature that wasn't using Corinna's embroidery silk, patted Pru on the head and charged me £108. The joys of animal ownership, eh?

Happy Boxing Day.

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN HAS VISITORS

The Gonzo Daily - Boxing Day

www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/about.html

We had a lovely, quiet family Christmas Day. I spoke to Karl Shuker in the afternoon, and he asked me what my plans were for the rest of the day. I answered: "I have the new Frederick Forsyth novel, and three bottles of bourbon as Christmas presents. You guess." But I was being facetious. My days of downing multiple bottles of anything on Christmas Day are thankfully long gone. So we pottered, played with the dogs and watched TV including the rather disappointing Dr Who Christmas special. (So the Time Lords just GAVE him another cycle of regenerations. You cannae change the laws of physics, Captain. Not unless you are a Time Lord or a BBC executive wanting to carry on a lucrative franchise).

But this morning was something else. My greatest hero; the late, great Gerald Durrell; once wrote (I think in Menagerie Manor) that animals always choose the most inconvenient and expensive times to become ill. Ever since we have had her Prudence has had a large and completely benign dangling wart on her inner front leg. It is completely harmless so we have ignored it. However, in bed last night, she managed to scratch it, and when I awoke this morning our bedroom looked as if the Manson Family had been playing Musical Chairs in it. Pru (although apparently in no discomfort whatsoever) had bled copiously and then rolled in it, so the bed and the dog were both covered in blood, which was continuing to drip enthusiastically from the wart.

Luckily my stepdaughter is a vet (and a bloody good one) and she talked Graham through the procedure of tying off the wart with a ligature, which slowed the bleeding down but didn't stop it. So we telephoned the emergency vet, and bundled Pru into Graham's car and took her down to Stratton (outside Bude) to the emergency surgery. The vet complimented Graham on his handiwork, augmented it with a ligature that wasn't using Corinna's embroidery silk, patted Pru on the head and charged me £108. The joys of animal ownership, eh?

Happy Boxing Day.

Another visit to our old friend Thom the World Poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_26.html

Today's Track of the Day is by Chris Thompson
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-gonzo-holiday-track-of-day-chris.html

REVIEW: YES - THE STUDIO ALBUMS: 1969-1987
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-yes-studio-albums-1969-1987.html

Review: Roy Wood, Symphony Hall, Birmingham
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-roy-wood-symphony-hall-birmingham.html

Grace Slick's art doesn't have to speak for itself
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/grace-slicks-art-doesnt-have-to-speak.html

*  The Gonzo Daily is a two-way process. If you have any news or want to write for us, please contact me at  jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and want to showcase your work or even just say hello, please write to me at gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow and as soon as it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it raining. See you tomorrow...

*  The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine (mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link: www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit-to-print.html

* We should probably mention here that some of our posts are links to things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest guv!

*  Jon Downes, the editor of all these ventures (and several others), is an old hippy of 54 who - together with his orange cat (who is currently on sick leave in Staffordshire) and two very small kittens (one of whom is also orange) - puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon, which he shares with various fish and sometimes a small Indian frog. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus... did we mention the orange cat?

CFZ "PEOPLE": Happy Birthday Pru (8 Today)

LIZ BITAKARAMIRE: Day Two At Weird Weekend 2013

We got off to an amazing start with a vegetarian fry-up for breakfast. Starting with amazing food is always a good plan. Becky at Higher West Town B&B is a great cook. I also had some of the best coffee of my life. The coffee in Devon must be stronger than up north because it just took two small cups and I was as wired as a rock star on acid. 

While Paul rested up I decided to use my artificial energy wisely and set off to the village and Jon's house to see if I could be of assistance. Everything, however, was in hand, so instead I got to catch up with old friends again and make a couple of new ones. I also met Prudence for the first time and she is as adorable in the fur as she is in her pictures. 

We discovered Atlantis in Bideford in the afternoon, of all places next door but one to Asda. This, of course, is notthe Atlantis but a children's nautical theme park, which if I'm honest, I wish I wasn't passed the age restriction to enjoy. Adults can sample the lovely food, though, which was consolation enough. 

Next was Hartland Quay. Words cannot describe the beauty, hence the pictures. 

We're still in shock with the road widths in this part of the world and how it can be justifiable to set the speed limit on such dangerous stretches at 30 and 40! But we are still in one piece.

And lastly, we come to the talks themselves. I made it to all of them and all of them were very interesting. My favourites have to be Ronan Coghlan on the church and evolution (what he said made perfect sense to me and was refreshingly unbiased) and Lars Thomas on the natural history of trolls. 

The volunteers in the canteen are to be applauded. I didn't sample much of the food last night but the crumble was heavenly. 

So for reasons that must be obvious, I'm really rather looking forward to day three. And in about to have my third coffee just because I'm daring....

JON'S JOURNAL: Porriwiggles and pugmarks

This has been a remarkably busy week with all sorts of things happening, both good and bad: Dave B-P has been in hospital, a close friend is getting divorced, I have had various CFZ-related traumas and on top of this, my consultant has changed my medication and I am now floating around on a slightly spacy cloud, which is fun if a little disconcerting.

So I am a little behind on my nature diary.

Back on Sunday after we had all number of mild adventures on Northam Burrows (see HERE, and HERE and HERE) we went back to Huddisford to take Prudence for a walk. One cannot really let her out on the Burrows on a Sunday because there are too many other dogs - many not on leads - and she is a little unpredictable where her fellow canids are concerned.

There we noted that 'our' tadpoles had hatched and were developing nicely.


Actually, that is not quite true. We noted that they had hatched about ten days before, as you can see in this brace of pictures, which not only show the newly hatched porriwiggles, but also show a middle-aged Hawkwind fan filming them for next month's OTT:



The trackways, which provide entrance and egress to the woodland, were well used, especially this one, which shows deer tracks as well as the tracks of a sizeable carnivore. We were quite excited at first, but Richard F. says that they are a dog.

JON'S JOURNAL: Identify these waders

Corinna, Prudence and I went to Northam Burrows again yesterday, and we saw three species of bird for the first time this year.

One was a lapwing (V. vanellus), which have always been favourite birds of mine.

The other two were waders, and before you watch this short film that I put together this evening, please note that I am not claiming that these are spectacularly rare or of any cryptozoological importance whatsoever, but merely that I would like some help in identifying them. I am terribly rusty on my British birds, and although when I was a boy (and my grandmother, who was a keen bird watcher was alive) I knew them all, I am far less certain on my identifications nowadays.

PRUDENCE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

Can there REALLY be a film called Sweet Prudence and the Erotic Adventures of Bigfoot?

Sadly, apparently there can...

Erika Lust, William Burke, Richard Buonagurio win big at CineKink NYC Film Fest

Examiner.com... won Best Documentary Feature for his film Stage Brother, and the Best Narrative Feature award was a tie between Spanish filmmaker Erika Lust's Cabaret Desire and Canadian filmmaker William Burke's Sweet Prudence & The Erotic Adventures of Bigfoot.

JON'S JOURNAL: On golden frogs and matching moles (A visit to Kennerland)

Kennerland is another of those places where I used to go as a boy because the range of natural history was particularly pleasing.

It would probably be called a suburb of Woolsery if it wasn't for the fact that nobody actually lives there. I always used to go there every spring because of the tadpoles.

It is a particularly soggy neighbourhood (if I may steal a phrase from one of my favourite children's authors) and once was all marshes. As you can see, much of it has now been drained to make it more suitable for agricultural purposes, but the rushes remain (and so does quite a lot of the water).

Prudence made a New Year's Resolution to get more excercise, so each afternoon now she takes Corinna and me for a walk. I cannot walk very fast, and even slow ambling is painful, so I take my mind off it all by wielding a camera, and going in search of the natural world.

For some reason Kennerland - or to be more specific, the ditches along the road at Kennerland Cross - has always been a desirable residence for the local frog population. Each spring I used to visit the area and go tadpole spotting.

I was always amazed at the vast divergence of sizes, colours and shapes of the tadpoles there, and when, years later, I started becoming interested in the golden frogs of the West Country I often wondered whether these fantastically multicoloured tadpoles (some were certainly yellow, although I never saw any golden ones) could provide a clue to the aetiology of the fabulous golden ones.

I am still wondering, and it was one of the things not too far from the front of my mind as we drove up to Kennerland on Sunday afternoon.


As you can see, there was no shortage of frog spawn and although the nuclei of each egg seems to be black, it always did, and the tadpoles seemed not to change colour until they got considerably bigger. We are going to monitor these ditches (which have survived the passage of the years far better than those at Huddisford) and see what happens.

Frogs seem to be creatures of habit: they come back here to breed year after year, and I am always reminded of a sad little story my father told me. We used to have a pond at the bottom of the garden and every spring the garden frogs spawned there.

When my brother and his wife had children my parents had the pond filled in lest the little ones would fall in and do themself a mischief. But the frogs didn't seem to realise and every spring for the next few years they would lay their eggs on the lawn where the pond used to be, even though there was no water.

My mother used to collect the spawn in a bucket and take it up to a friend's pond to release it, so all ended well. That was in 1997/8 and that particular generation of frogs must have lived out their alloted span (or learned their lesson) because by the time we came here in 2005 it didn't happen anymore.

We also saw large numbers of molehills, proving (as if any proof were needed) that the local population of Talpa europea is doing fine and dandy....

And why Matching Mole in the title? Cop a load of this (particularly you, Max)....

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

The January 2012 episode of On the Track will be out in a couple of days but because I have a houseful of family here and after many years of being a bachelor, even after seven years I still haven't got used to having a family at this time of year, so please allow my self-indulgence.

However, I hope that this brief round-up of the year's events at the CFZ sung by me and Prudence might entertain and amuse you until OTT itself is ready....



Happy New Year from Corinna

BYE BYE FOR A WEEK

Corinna and I are off to The Unconvention, and after that we shall be visiting Corinna's mother in Rutland. We shall therefore be away, and out of contact, until next Wednesday at the earliest. This is old-school out of contact meaning the bliss of having no computer, so if you email me don't be offended when I don't reply for a week or so.

Graham and Prudence are in charge of the CFZ, and Graham and Lizzy (with contributions from Oll Lewis and Andrew May) are in charge of the blog. I am sure both teams will do a superlative job.

Until next week. Over and Out!

PS: In case of emergency email graham@cfz.org.uk

CFZ "PEOPLE": Its Prudence's birthday

...Well, no it's not. But it is the anniversary of her coming to live with us, which is still a jolly good anniversary to celebrate!


No doubt there will be cake later....

PRUDENCE AT THE VET

Much to my surprise it is all good news. I had managed to convince myself that even with our best efforts, Prudence's lolloping about would have broken the new ligament in her back leg, but I am very pleased to say that it was all my paranoia.

She is actually doing very well and her leg is healing nicely. She has to have physiotherapy (done by Corinna and Graham) several times each day, but she looks likely to make a full recovery.

The next checkup is in two weeks time.

PRUDENCE UPDATE: Taking the pee

I think that Prudence is worried that if she lets us put a lead on her she will be taken back to the vet for another painful operation. Poor dear.

So she is being recalitrant and when we do get her outside she does her best to go back inside as quickly as possible, and grumpily refuses to perform her bodily functions.

However, all this changed yesterday when we had a noisy thunderstorm. Prudence is scared of thunder and in a panic she urinated copiously across the kitchen floor!

PRUDENCE UPDATE: Getting Better all the Time...

Prudence has been confined to the kitchen for much of the past 48 hours. However, the anaesthetic and post-op opiates have worn off now and she wants to go further afield. Normally she spends much of the day lying on the sofa in the sitting room but until her bones heal she mustn't jump on and off things, so we have placed boxes of Weird Weekend impendemata on all the chairs and the sofa, much to the poor little doggy-girl's dismay and disgruntlement.

However, Davey C and family turned up last night, and despite being obviously in pain, Pru had a lovely time being fussed by everyone. This evening Lee Walker and family are scheduled to turn up....

(Note her shaved leg and scar)

PRUDENCE UPDATE

Corinna and Graham collected Prudence from the vet late yesterday afternoon.

The operation seems to have gone quite well but the poor little girl is feeling very sorry for herself as you can see from this photograph.

She will be confined to the kitchenand the sitting room (under supervision) for the next month or so and Corinna and I will probably spend much of that time sleeping downstairs to keep her company. She has to be kept as immobile as possible to give the bone time to heal and to make sure she doesn't break her new artificial ligament, because that would be a disaster.

We would like to thank North Devon Animal Ambulance in their kindness in covering the cost of the operation. We made a donation to them out of CFZ funds.

Keep her in your prayers and thoughts, and if you feel like lighting a candle to St Francis on her behalf it can do no possible harm. Others of you might feel like having a quick few words with Pan or whichever other goat-legged fellow of the woods seems appropriate.

CFZ "PEOPLE": Pru (Update)

We spoke to the vet last night and again this morning. The operation went well and there seems no reason at all why she won't be back here by this evening.

PRAYERS FOR PRU

Prudence went into the veterinary hospital today for her operation. It should be straightforward, but in the light of what happened to Biggles a year ago, Corinna and I are both very worried.

Remember her in your thoughts, prayers and intercessions to Saint Francis.

BAD NEWS

Prudence (pictured here with Jessica trying to put a Victorian bonnet on her head) is unwell. Some weeks ago we told you that she had become lame and that the vet was hoping that her cruciate ligament would repair itself.

Well, it hasn't.

She is now very lame and will have to have an operation soon after the Weird Weekend.


Remember her in your thoughts and prayers.

CFZ 'PEOPLE': Good news

Prudence went back to the vet yesterday. After having made it impossible for her to steal catfood, and cutting down on her treats, she has lost 3kg. The vet thinks that her intermittent limp is probably a cruciate ligament tear, but says that if we continue to give her anti-inflammatories and do not allow her to rush about the garden too much (she only gets over the top when there are children or John Hanson to play with) then she will hopefully recover without surgery.

She goes back in a month.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2