Looking up

A break from politics. We drove up from Rio this morning, straight to the golf club, and joined some friends for a few holes. I stopped after five and went wandering with the camera, while the others carried on for another four.
 
I had a lot of fun watching the parent bird(s) feeding two plump little fledglings, down by the water’s edge. Disappointingly, I didn’t get any clear shots of the food passing from beak to open maw, but I’ve put one in as an extra photo.
 
Bad news when I got home (HH had to stay on at the club for a meeting). Dookie just stood, half in and half out of his kennel in the run, looking up at me without making a sound, while Kayla barked like a mad thing. It seems he’s been under the weather since yesterday and was certainly far from his usual self when he came up to the house. I consulted a friend and also rifled through the drawers till I found a prescription to cover the suspicion of Lyme disease – we’re pretty sure that’s what it is. Then searched round for an affordable vet, as our usual one is closed at the weekend. Luckily, I think I’ve hit on a good one, who seemed very efficient and caring and stayed open late to see Dookie. Only a blood test would confirm the diagnosis, but he’s pretty sure it is Lyme disease and has started D on an intensive course of medicine. I daren’t tell HH what it has cost so far, and if I decide to do the blood test tomorrow, or Dookie needs further treatment, the price will soar even higher.
 
It was after 8 pm when D and I got home – luckily, a friend had given HH a lift and the two of them were happily drinking beer and discussing the sex of angels (or rather, golf club politics – something HH abhors, and our friend suffers deeply from, as he’s currently the President). All the injections and TLC seem to have done Dookie good – he wolfed down his food almost as fast as usual, so fingers tightly crossed that he’ll get through this. My poor baby.