Things That Made Me Think of Barry

Barry was one of my first blogging friends and one of the first blogs I ever followed. I loved his superb quality of writing, I loved his view on life, he was perceptive, imaginative and funny. He introduced me to Friday Shoot Out and through him, gave me the confidence to take part. We were fighting cancer at the same time. I am still undergoing treatment but my prognosis is good. I decided to change my blog from www.canceraintgonnabeatme.blogspot.com because I didn't want to be defined by the disease and now my blog can be found www.sarasfightback.blogspot.com

So, what makes me think of Barry.....

Firstly, you see the picture above in black and white...... He is my heroe, the best ambassedor for Wales, a true heroe among my culture. So why does Owain Glyndwr remind me of Barry? Well..... yes, Barry lived in Canada but we share our celtic heritage, his coming from Scotland and mine from Wales. Different countries yes..... but the same tribe, the same culture and we suffered the same victimisation.

Follow the link at the bottom of my page to find out more about Owain Glyndwr and why he is so revered by my poeple. Barry was the same... a fighter.... passionate.... kind..... a heroe. By coincidence as I sit here writing this my son is wearing his Owain Glyndwr t-shirt and by chance when he starts High School in September he will be in Glyndwr house. No chance of ever forgetting Barry...... (as if anyone could!)

This is a book (picture courtesy of Amazon UK) and one of my favourites. It tells the tale of a dog called Copper and it is written through his eyes. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it is a true story which is cleverly written. I bought a copy of this book and sent it to Barry in the hope that he would be inspired to write a similar story through they eyes of Lindsey. I will read this book again and my thoughts will always be of Barry and Lindsey.

One of Barry's posts was about finding some strange encampments in the woods. I remember it as though it was yesterday and I loved it. Whenever I see a "den" no matter what it looks like I will remember that post and Barry. This particular den is at Chirk Castle in Wales.

Barry loved Lindsey so much and I loved the photos and videos he shared. Do you remember Barry's attempt at creating a vegetable patch in a box..... do you remember the fact that the boxes were raided and for a time Lindsey was under suspician? Even thinking back to that particular adventure brings a smile to my face. So, when I see a dog who looks like Lindsey I will think of Barry. When I go on my own adventures with my dogs (Wilbur pictured above), I will think of Barry.

Most of my blogging has been done in the evening in front of our chiminea. The burning embers creating a perfect backdrop for dramatic and interesting reading. So, on those warm summer evenings, when my fire is burning charismatically away, I will think of Barry.

This is a weird one. For some reason whenever I think of Barry, I think of trees, I am drawn into visions of woodlands. Perhaps it is because Barry was a bit like a tree to me.... Tall, Strong, Brave, Beautiful, FREE, Inspirational, Comforting, Safe, Escaping, Adventurous.

Barry, my fellow fighter in this devastating silent war... I continue the fight in your honour and one day we will find an ultimate cure.

Barry, words are insufficient.... How can I explain what an amazing impact you have had on my life.

You will live on in the hearts and minds of many people and so my Celtic Heroe.... I salute you.


http://www.castlewales.com/glyndwr.html

Trip to the Zoo

Penny, my sons Russian Dwarf Hamster RIP

This weeks topic is a tough one for me because I havent been to the zoo in years! However, many people joke about my home and call it a mini zoo so I thought I would share a couple of my snaps with you.

Penny died aged just over two a few months ago and he was the sweetest dwarf hamster you could have wished for. He taught my son so many things, the most important being empathy. I owed that hamster alot.

We now have two Russian Dwarf Hamsters called Mini and Cooper and my eldest son has a Syrian hamster called Blossom.

Poppy

We have two miniature schnauzer dogs called Pickles and Wilbur but I also look after my friends Cairn terrier during the week while she is at work.

Cola

We have a Fell pony called Coca Cola or Cola for short. He is 19 years old and a native to this country. He is a stocky fellow and totally adorable.

Cola being brought in

Apart from the hamsters, the dogs and Cola we also have 8 guineapigs: Arthur, Patch, Elsa, Jules, Snowdrop, Sparky Petal, Polly and Jessica and 5 rabbits: Snuggles, Albert, Ralph, Bramble and Duffy.

So there you are, hope you enjoyed your brief visit to Rossett Zoo!

Things We Like to Touch

There are so many things I like to touch so I can't include everthing! I loved to touch my children when they were babies and toddlers. I loved to hold their little chubby hands and feet and their soft, soft skin.

I like to touch my guineapigs. They come in all shapes and sizes and different coat types. Elsa, pictured above is thin because she is elderly but she has a big soft tummy and lovely, long silky hair. The others have shorter, courser hair.

I love to touch my dog Wilbur because he is such a softy. He loves being touched and cuddled and can never get close enough to me.

I like to touch my other dog Pickles, her coat is totally different to Wilburs. I especially like to touch her ears which are so soft and silky.

When my hair was growing back, I loved to touch it. I would feel each hair follicle as it was bursting through and be amazed at the downy softness of my growing hair.

I like to touch leaves on plants and trees, marvelling at their coolness and texture.

I like to touch flannellette sheets, sand in the sunshine, water on a hot day and so many other things....

Sports in and Around Wrexham/Rossett

This is a tricky one for me. There are lots of photos I could have taken but sadly, haven't had the time to do so. Wrexham has its own football club and grounds which is called "The Racecourse" (soccer to any americans reading this). We have a race course 6 miles from us in the city of Chester which is quite well known and another in Bangor-on-Dee. We also have a triathelon club.

My sport is running and the picture of Darland Woods (above) is where I run. You can see Pickles one of my dogs in this photo.

We enjoy horse riding and this year we are looking forward to competing in some shows locally.

We love swimming and so do the dogs!

Anniversary my favourite theme - Domestic Animals

Sorry for my late participation but Ghost Hunts and horses have gotten in the way somehow.

For the 1st anniversary I have chosen my topic as Domesticated Animals because animals are my life.

I have started off with a picture of Penny aged 2 1/2 a Russion Dwarf Hamster belonging to my son Harry. Sadly, Penny died on Friday. He has left a big gap in our lives.

This is Elsa one of my 8 guineapigs. She lives inside the house now because she lost quite alot of weight half way through winter.

Pickles, my miniature schnauzer bitch who is 6 years old with her clip.

Wilbur my 2 year old miniature schnauzer.

Snowdrop one of the older guineas.

Polly one of my rescue guineas.

The latest addition to our family - Cola!

Look Up ... Look Down

This weeks Friday My Town Shoot Out was chosen by Sarah Lulu and is "Look Up..Look Down" - Sarah is no longer part of the group but it was considered such a good topic, it was adopted!

If you look down to the stones before my front door, you will see a selection of stones which I have painted and varnished. I have put uplifting words and phrases on there along with a clump of stones of people who have/are fighting cancer. The idea behind this is so that when I cross my threshold each day, my thoughts are focused on positive words and my thoughts are also directed at those special people.

Looking up at the trees in the orchard of Erddig Hall and you can see clumps of mistletoe growing in them - it is so pretty! I look forward to each winter just so that I can indulge myself.

If I look down when I am at mums house there is usually a dog to be seen! In this case it is Al, a 15 year old border terrier. Bless him, he is deaf and blind and spends alot of his time looking down too.

Great shoot out - have a great weekend everyone! I am off to Prestatyn to the Gathering 2010!