Boggle- USA bound!

[Michen]

I have Pepper!

Bog and pig unlikely to be besties any time soon and he still takes great offense when she waddles past his stable but he sometimes forgets to be worried so I think that’s progress

Big thank you to Caol whose incredibly awesome mother rang me today with a great contact that I’m going to get in touch with (I had an appointment for Thursday with someone random). Thought I was fine tbh and I am when busy but the gruesomeness of it all is just replaying in my mind and just makes me feel pretty sick all day. Also got totally unnecessarily worried about a male hiker coming up behind me on the trail weird, not even remotely related. Guess it’s just general anxiety about life.

There is a WhatsApp group with my fellow divers and seems we are all in a fairly similar frame of mind.

Thanks again everyone for your very kind support. Hopefully life will seem a bit better soon though that sounds ungrateful because I am very lucky to have one.

Hope this Pepper photo makes the post less depressing! My housemates put up a tree.

 

[Michen]

Ps she looks sad because we removed the ball decorations from the lower half of the tree, cos... spaniel.

 

[gallopingby]

Ahhh love Pepper, my first spangle was a black and white. they’re definitely the best. Have just had a liver and white worker bred one to stay for a couple of weeks. There wouldn’t have been any tree left if he’d stayed longer.

 

[meesha]

Glad u r home and have your animal family reunited.

I think after what you've been through even getting up and out the door each day is an achievement so be kind to yourself. Lovely that u have managed to get a recommendation for someone to talk to and the whatsapp group will help too.

Nothing close to what u have been through but 4 of us were in Vegas when the shooting happened at the concert a few years ago. Although we weren't at the concert we had to run and hide (they thought there were gunmen on the strip too) and had semi automatic guns pointed at us as and armed escort back to hotel We talked about it between us a lot ...I mean a lot !! Definitely helped .. if u r ready keep talking about it, say the words and thoughts that are stuck in your head...

 

[JGC]

Great you've got a recommendation, I second, as someone else said EMDR which is just amazing for PTSD

 

[meggymoo]

Glad you are reunited with Pepper. What a sweetie, though I can understand "lower balls being removed"
Good that you have the WhatsApp group, as much as we can sympathise and imagine how awful it must have been, they are probably the only people that can truly understand the horror that you have been/are going through.

 

[Lamehorses]

Good to hear you are going to talk to someone.
I had to deal with a major incident at work (police) and I was always used to be in the counselling is a waste of time camp.
However my work made us talk to someone, you had to prove you didn't need it
It was so surprised how much it helped & had several sessions.
Forget the British stiff upper lip & embrace all the help you can get. Make sure work are fully on board with any support they can give you too.

 

[DabDab]

Glad you've found a starting point to explore for therapy. Feeling generally on edge is completely to be expected, just your brain trying to protect you.

Wow it is beautiful there . The UK is majorly grotty right now - you know that weather where it isn't necessarily raining but the air is just a blanket of cold and wet and everything looks grey? Yeah, that. .

And how fabulous is Boggle looking...with his usual sense of humour intact by the looks.

 

[Kunoichi73]

Oh Michen, so sorry to hear what you've been through in the last few days. Sending hugs.

Boggle looks fantastic though.

 

[mustardsmum]

So glad you are home, with you animals for comfort and some amazing friends for support. Your therapist will know which therapy to use which will be most effective and will help you. Lots of people here have suggested different therapies, all of which are valid. It does sound like you need some help to process all this and I for one am glad you have someone to see. Sadly you won’t every forget this but you can come to terms with what’s happened with support.

It is beautiful where you are, I can understand why you don’t want to rush back to the UK. And as for Bog - he just looks amazing!

Be kind to yourself and take comfort from the fact we are all thinking of you.

 

[Asha]

so sorry to read about what youve been going through. I cant imagine how you would ever start to process all that.

But oh my .. doesnt Bog look splendid. Ive always said horses and dogs are the best therapy.

 

[Michen]

Yeah Bog is firing on all cylinders lol. I’m going to have my work cut out for me keeping him occupied in retirement (he is still ataxic I can see the subtle signs when he backs up etc though who knows- he’s done amazingly to recover thus far). Can’t quite believe how he’s doing after..7 weeks I think since it happened. He really is the most determined little horse!

Monday feels so grim urgh, I was hoping to avoid this but I’m going to have to go to Seattle tomorrow for a meeting. Can fly in and out in less than 24 hours but still. Work is so, so busy it seems every company wants to issue their RFP over the holidays. I think it’ll help though.

I’m going to probably book some flights to Australia later to head there for Christmas/new year or as soon as I can work remote.

I can’t imagine diving ever again, boats seem like the stuff of nightmares. Riding (Bog) and diving are two huge parts of my life and both gone within a few weeks of each other, I need to find some new less intense hobbies!

 

[meleeka]

Yeah Bog is firing on all cylinders lol. I’m going to have my work cut out for me keeping him occupied in retirement (he is still ataxic I can see the subtle signs when he backs up etc though who knows- he’s done amazingly to recover thus far). Can’t quite believe how he’s doing after..7 weeks I think since it happened. He really is the most determined little horse!

Monday feels so grim urgh, I was hoping to avoid this but I’m going to have to go to Seattle tomorrow for a meeting. Can fly in and out in less than 24 hours but still. Work is so, so busy it seems every company wants to issue their RFP over the holidays. I think it’ll help though.

I’m going to probably book some flights to Australia later to head there for Christmas/new year or as soon as I can work remote.

I can’t imagine diving ever again, boats seem like the stuff of nightmares. Riding (Bog) and diving are two huge parts of my life and both gone within a few weeks of each other, I need to find some new less intense hobbies!

I don’t think riding Bog is gone forever. I really can’t see why you can’t at least enjoy gentle hacking on Bog in the future. He’s not broken, just not quite right, although seeing how far he’s come, I wouldn’t totally discount that either.

 

[Michen]

I don’t think riding Bog is gone forever. I really can’t see why you can’t at least enjoy gentle hacking on Bog in the future. He’s not broken, just not quite right, although seeing how far he’s come, I wouldn’t totally discount that either.

Yeah but he’s such a little toad, gentle hacking isn’t really a thing with him. He needs to be in full proper hard work to sensibly hack. Over the years there’s been times he’s been porky and unfit and it’s made no difference haha.

Anyhow, not really a worry at the moment. Maybe I’ll take up pickleball, every American seems to play it!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Yeah but he’s such a little toad, gentle hacking isn’t really a thing with him. He needs to be in full proper hard work to sensibly hack. Over the years there’s been times he’s been porky and unfit and it’s made no difference haha.

Anyhow, not really a worry at the moment. Maybe I’ll take up pickleball, every American seems to play it!

Funny thing about the pickleball...OH's sister (also in the US) asked if we wanted a Pickleball set for Christmas. I don't think we'd have much time to play, so we politely declined

Being in CO, there are lots of outdoor activities though. I don't ride at the moment, and even living in my neck or the woods I find plenty of things to pass the time. It's kind of nice because I have time for things or to try things that I previously wasn't able to set aside time for.

 

[Pinkvboots]

What is pickleball?

 

[sportsmansB]

What is pickleball?

I was about to ask the same question!?

 

[Michen]

Some racket with ball game that everyone here is obsessed with!

 

[Northern]

Yeah Bog is firing on all cylinders lol. I’m going to have my work cut out for me keeping him occupied in retirement (he is still ataxic I can see the subtle signs when he backs up etc though who knows- he’s done amazingly to recover thus far). Can’t quite believe how he’s doing after..7 weeks I think since it happened. He really is the most determined little horse!

Monday feels so grim urgh, I was hoping to avoid this but I’m going to have to go to Seattle tomorrow for a meeting. Can fly in and out in less than 24 hours but still. Work is so, so busy it seems every company wants to issue their RFP over the holidays. I think it’ll help though.

I’m going to probably book some flights to Australia later to head there for Christmas/new year or as soon as I can work remote.

I can’t imagine diving ever again, boats seem like the stuff of nightmares. Riding (Bog) and diving are two huge parts of my life and both gone within a few weeks of each other, I need to find some new less intense hobbies!

If you’re anywhere near the ACT (doubt it, boring ) in early January and fancy a ride out along the Bicentennial National Trail, message me. Kangaroo dodging on horses is great for distracting the mind!

 

[ROMANY 1959]

Please.. no one suggest skydiving. Did it once for charity for spaniel Aid in UK. I pissed myself on way down !!!
Maybe take up 10 pin bowling

 

[Michen]

Haha, always wanted to. One thing I don’t think I’ll be doing is skiing until 2024.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I've skydived before and OH is really into it. He'd go almost every weekend when we lived close to some drop zones in Germany. It's far less expensive than horses, and it is dangerous...but so are horses.

 

[meggymoo]

Stamp collecting?

 

[Jenko109]

Agility with your spaniel.

 

[I'm Dun]

What is pickleball?

pickleball

 

[Pinkvboots]

It looks like table tennis but with no table

 

[BMA2]

Hamster keeping?

 

[NinjaPony]

What a nightmare ordeal Michen. Quite unbelievable. Glad you’ve got a good support system around you and you’re getting professional help. You’ve really been through it this year, here’s hoping the wheel of fortune turns for you and soon.

I’ve taken up tennis to fill the riding void while I can only ride every other week or so. It’s quite addictive and really makes you use your brain and concentrate. Personally prefer it to pickleball but that’s probably because I’ve grown up on Wimbledon!

 

[Michen]

I was having a pretty miserable monday when an email of actual joy dropped in to my inbox, a gift voucher for my local saddlery. I hadn't actually cried today until that point Guys, thank you so, so much. Unbelievably fricking kind, and if you let me know who you are I will be able to thank you properly (I know CC organised!).

Really, thank you. I will let you know what I spend it on, I love that tack shop and will go and mooch in person.

I cannot thank all of you on here enough for everything, all the posts and words, advice, this, all of it. That's three (in Boggle's opinion there's four because of the pig) horrible, horrible situations lived out on this thread now in the last few months, and you'd have been well within your rights to never want to open the worlds most depressing thread again!!! Instead you've all done nothing but read and listen to every turn of events as they've happened. The constant support and positivity has kept me going with the whole Boggle situation and now this and it really reflects the very best of humanity. The ability to just post my ever changing thoughts as they occur and receive such kind advice and patience has made a huge difference to everything. I kind of smiled when one of my friends here said to me yesterday "you never really let anyone help you" and I thought yes, maybe not in person! By the time you've "seen" someone the moment is often gone or worked through in some way, so the real stuff seems to come out on here.

Thank you xxxx

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I mostly just received the monies and did the buying

Others that can come forward if they'd like to organized it all by starting the fundraiser, getting a list of participants together, etc.

Shout out to @TPO
Also @Pinkvboots and
@FlyingCircus

Those 3 were in on a convo with me.