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Hi, Rusty!
I am home again......I left a very reluctant dog in the hands of the vet.
Oh dear, it seems there may be complications.
The vet thought she heard a heart murmur this morning.... this is the first sign of it.
So the dog is also having a chest Xray, as well as her teeth cleaned and any necessary extractions done.
Mitral valve malfunction is very common in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels...and her mother was a CKC crossbreed.
My dog is bigger than a CKC......but the other side of her parentage is unknown.
Mitral valve problems apparently present themselves when the dog is about the age of 10........so my dog is spot on!
Well, fingers crossed the XRay shows nothing abnormal...or at least, nothing too serious.
I wait for a phone call now......

Hello, Elle!
Fingers crossed everything will turn out well for your dog.
Seems to be in very good hands, anyway!
Try not to worry!
Finished the puzzle.
I found it tricky.
1a, 17a, 20a, 26a, 4d, and 15d, are new to me, but I got there!
It was a very good puzzle, I think, and I learned new stuff!
Turned cloudy now.
My grandson is coming to see me after work.
So, that will be fine!

Hi, Rusty!
The vet has just phoned........the news on the whole is thankfully very good!
The dog's chest Xray shows no enlargement of the heart, and no potential problems.
Another listen with the stethoscope now shows no abnormal beat.....
So the likelihood is that previously it was just a physiological murmur due to stress.
I am glad that it was checked out though....
It is much better to be safe than sorry!
And an eye will now be kept on her with regard to this, in future.
Now the downside..... the poor dog had had to have six teeth removed, because they were all loose......
She has to go on a course of antibiotics and painkillers...and go back in a few days for a post -op check.
But on the whole......a huge relief!
It could have all been so much worse, couldn't it?

That is good that your grandson is coming to see you!
You will both enjoy a good natter.

I have very nearly finished my puzzle.....I will report back on it later.

Hello, Elle!
Good news regarding your dog's health!
But, six extractions! That's a lot!
Do you have to collect her later?
I am looking forward to seeing my grandson!
4d is new to me, too!
I think that's a record for me.
About six answers that are new to me!

Hi, Rusty!
Adult dogs have a lot more teeth than we do....they have 42 , so to lose six is probably not all that many.
The vet phoned a while back, and said the dog would be ready to go home at 3 o'clock.
So we have already been to collect her!
She has meds to take .....but does not start them until tomorrow.

I have now finished my puzzle, all bar 4d.
For this, I have L?T?T?A
I have absolutely no ideas here?
I cannot even think what I might be looking for?
I found the crossword an odd mix...
I like the "classical" type clues.....the ones with Latin and Greek "bits"......such as 20a: atavistic and 15d: thalassic.....
I could do those.
But I struggled for ages over some of the others.......especially 26a: "shadow play", which was my LOI.

My elder daughter phoned from the airport...they were shortly going to board their plane for Turkey!

hello, Elle!
Oh, you have the dog home!
That is good!

4d, was one of my new words.
An anagram of "a title" and "u" for uni.
"Lutetia" is the original name for Paris, I discovered.
It was quite gettable with the anagram and a good clue.
I thought it a tricky puzzle, Elle, but all the better for that.
Turkey? A popular destination these days.
My NI friends are off to Majorca tomorrow.
Or, some of them are, anyway.
My grandson will be here presently!

There is a lanthanide ("rare earth") element called Lutetium, named after Lutetia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutetium#targetText=Lutetium%20is%20a%20chemical%20element,counted%20among%20the%20rare%20earths.
(thought this article suggests the first spelling was Lutecium).

Good evening, Rusty!
I hope you and your grandson have had a good time, catching up on all the news?
It is good that he now lives so much nearer to you.
Thank you for explaining 4d to me........I did not see that it was an anagram!
"Lutetia" is new to me.
Reporting on the "invalid"......
The dog has asked to eat - only "soft" food, though, is allowed for the next 48 hours - and she wolfed it down.
So she is perhaps not feeling much pain at the moment .....
Probably she will feel worse tomorrow....but she will start her painkillers and antibiotics in the morning, so they will help.
I hope your friends enjoy their holiday in Majorca!



Hello, Chris!
I know "lutetium "......but that didn't help me get "Lutetia"!

Good evening, Elle!
Had a good natter with my grandson, then he went home for his tea!
I had never heard of Lutetia before, but being an anagram helped.
Never heard of "perihelion" before, or "pharaoh's serpent", or knew a rowan was part of the rose family!
I liked today's puzzle.
Your dog seems to be doing fine, anyway!
My pals will have a good time in Majorca, but she said it will be too hot to go running!
So, "Couch to 5k" will go out the window until they return!
Don't think my son will visit tomorrow.
His family are taking him out for his birthday tea.
It's his birthday today, but my daughter-in-law does not finish work until 8, so they are going out tomorrow.

Hi, Rusty!
I didn't know "perihelion" either...but it was quite gettable from the parsing.....which I enjoyed!
Sometimes, I think I am really getting there with my solving and parsing.....but then at other times, I feel "as thick as two short planks"!
Do you think it depends on whether one is on a particular wavelength?
One of my friends has just come back from Majorca - she has a property out there - and it turns out that we had it hotter here (in London) than in Majorca, during that last heatwave!
Tell your friend she deserves a "rest" from the running!
Btw, she might enjoy Jo Pavey's book "This Mum Runs"...….
Tell her about it?
Happy Birthday to your son!