Tricia's Musings

Random Thoughts about life in general, living in the big city of Toronto



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Finding the Best Holiday Accommodation for you and your Dog

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When you have a dog and you’re planning to go on holidays you can’t even consider leaving your loved pet behind with family or friends, in fact you want him to be by your sides at all times. This is why it’s a sensible idea to plan your holidays in advance in order to have enough time to look for the perfect holiday accommodation for you and your four footed friend. Here are some tips on finding the best holiday accommodation not only for you but also for him.

Your Holiday Destination

When you plan to go on holidays it is really important to have a clear idea of your destination, in fact knowing your holiday destination will help you plan the rest. You’ll be able to book your ticket in advance and enjoy potential offers and you’ll also be able to book your holiday accommodation in that very location. Some people plan to go on holiday with their dog, they book an accommodation such as a hotel room without asking if dogs are allowed, this is exactly the kind of things that can ruin your holidays. So make sure that the accommodation you choose is dog friendly before making your bookings.

The Kind of Accommodation you’d Like

Do some searches on the Internet and write down the kind of holiday accommodation you’d like. During this selection phase make sure that you have your needs in mind but also your dog’s. In an ideal world finding an accommodation that is next to a park will be perfect for him, as you’ll be able to take him to the park for a walk any time you feel that he may need some fresh air. You can also choose an accommodation by the sea as dogs enjoy running on the beach, and if you’ve never brought him to the beach it will be the best occasion to make him discover new sensations. Once you’ve selected your favourite accommodations, make sure you don’t take your decision too quickly. In fact, take the time to compare the different accommodations you selected.

Comparison Phase

This phase helps you to eliminate any accommodation that you think would be a bit problematic for you or for your four footed friend. For instance if you’ve selected a hotel room you can forget about this as most hotels don’t allow pets, for various reasons. Then, if you choose a sharing accommodation, the presence of a dog might cause problem for some of your flatmates, therefore this is definitely not the holiday accommodation you should go for.

The Best Dog Friendly Accommodation

Most people who have a dog or any other pet prefer spending their holidays in self-catering holiday cottages as they will not only have all the comfort they need but also enough space for them and their dog. In addition, most holiday cottages are located by the countryside so you can take your dog for a walk any time you want. Some of the best holiday cottages in the country are in Devon, more precisely in the city of Dartmouth, so if you need a nice dog friendly cottage you can book a Dartmouth accommodation for your next holidays.

Cassandra has been a dog lover all of her life, and would never even think of going away without her canine companion. She is currently studying in travel and tourism.





Lilies Flower Guide

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Lilies are a work of art from nature. This flower is everything a flower should be; it has strong colour and an elegant shape. The slightest variation in tone and you are already sending an entirely different message to the world.

Give white lilies to someone you feel is serene and pure, as this is what this flower symbolises, and is sure to fit their personality well. For someone with a strong and proud nature a bouquet of orange lilies will suit the strength of their personality.

Start using orange lilies in your fall décor; this is the flower you should be looking at first, as it has the warm shades needed to suit the season. This flower will make a great impression as part of an arrangement for an autumn party. Yellow and red lilies are also suitable, either in a single colour arrangement or in a combination of all three colours. These can also be combined with roses or gerberas to suit

The petals of this flower may appear to be delicate, but it is actually among the more long-lasting of blooms. So you can use it for events that stretch over a longer period. Conference tables, reading lecterns and side tables can all be decorated with lilies. The lily is large enough to make an impression in a bigger space, such as on stage, or around a gateway, where a smaller bloom would appear insignificant.

For the bride-to-be planning an autumn wedding this bloom really has the endurance and beauty to outlast the ceremony. A particular favourite for a bridal bouquet is the simplest possible posy of pure white lilies tied together with string or raffia.

Though the calla lily is a floral favourite, what many people do not know is that it is not actually a lily at all, but belongs to a different family. But it does not matter, as they are equal in their beauty.

One favourite idea of mine is to give this flower as an accessory to a gift, for example, floral bouquets for birthdays do not need to be extravagant. A single lily arranged in wrapping paper and tied with ribbon, will not go unappreciated. Send this flower accompanied by a small box of chocolates for total delight.

This flower is also appropriate as a special surprise for you partner or spouse, as it conveys the meaning of ‘Gentle Love’. Send lilies as a quick reminder of your love.

This post is written by London flower delivery company – Flowers24hours.co.uk

Everything You Need to Know about Dogs and Heartworms

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No matter what type of breed you have, or where you live, heartworms are a threat to your dog. Heartworms are exactly what they sound like: worms that live in your dog’s heart. As you might expect, this condition is very costly, and extremely dangerous for your furry friend. Fortunately, it is also relatively easy to prevent. Here is everything you need to know about dogs and heartworms:

How do dogs get heartworms? There are many myths surrounding the spread of heartworms, but the truth is that they can only be spread in one way – by mosquito. This means that your dog cannot give it to other dogs, or to you. If a mosquito infected with heartworm larva bites your dog – and one bite is all it takes – then your dog can become infected. Unfortunately, mosquitoes are everywhere, and there is no way to tell which mosquitoes are infected and which aren’t. That is why prevention is so important.

What are the symptoms of heartworm infection? The worst thing about heartworm infection is that it often takes a long time for symptoms to present, which means you won’t know your dog has heartworms until the condition has progressed enough to cause health problems. The earliest symptoms are shortness of breath and coughing. Eventually, your dog could lose energy and not be able to exercise, and may even pass out from lack of blood flow. If left untreated heartworms can lead to death.

How do you treat heartworms? The best way to treat heartworms is with a drug called Immiticide. This drug is delivered in a series of three injections; however, there are two ways to proceed with treatment. The most preferable (and safest) way is to run a course of pre-treatment prep work, including x-rays and blood work, in order to determine the seriousness of the case before giving the drug. This method is rather expensive (around $1000), so it is not unusual for dog owners to forego this step and proceed straight to the injections, which cost around $300.

How do you prevent heartworms? Of course, the best approach to heartworms is prevention. You have a few options when it comes to prevention: monthly topical treatments, monthly pills, or twice-yearly injections. The great news is that these treatments are extremely inexpensive (less than $100 for an entire year’s treatment) and easy to administer.

If your dog has heartworms, then you should know that the condition can be successfully treated, as long as you catch it in time. Therefore, you should pay close attention to signs that your furry friend may have contracted this troublesome infection.

About the Author: Bok Leikam just adopted a new puppy and the vet put him on heartworm meds right away. He orders his petmeds online to keep costs low and spends a great deal of time caring for his new family member.

Taking advantage of the great weather

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It looks like this is going to be a beautiful week in Toronto. It’s supposed to be sunny and warm all week. Lovely.

I took advantage of the great weather yesterday. I had to go to my new college campus to buy one of my college text books for my online course and since my campus is on the waterfront I took the time to take several pictures while I was there. I love Toronto’s waterfront area. It’s beautiful. There’s so much to do and it’s so pretty!
Sugar Beach Toronto's Waterfront
As it turns out George Brown college moved the nursing division from St. James campus to the Waterfront campus. The Waterfront campus happens to be right beside Sugar beach which is this kind of cool looking fake beach with white sand that over looks the lake. It’s right beside the Redpath sugar plant and I’m sure that’s likely why it’s called Sugar Beach. It’s very pretty with it’s pink umbrellas. Of course, while I enjoyed the sunny day and warm weather, beautiful sites and lovely beach it only served to remind me that in a few short months I’ll be putting up the christmas ornaments. Now isn’t that a scary thought!

Once we were done picking up my text book at the college book store and walking around on the water front my husband suggested we check out something that was pretty much across the street from the college campus. The Sherbourne Common. I really hadn’t heard of this area or seen the cool water features or other green items that were there prior to my visit yesterday, but I was blown away once we got there.

The Sherbourne common has three huge water falls that are composed of water streaming down mesh screens. It’s extremely cool to look at. The water is recycled back into the lake I believe if I read the information correctly. Actually the playground equipment and other materials at the common are all recycle and green materials. I’ll write another post and add more photos but for now, here’s one photo to show you one of the water features in the sunset with the CN Tower in the background.

Sherbourne Common Water Feature at Sunset

Have you been enjoying beautiful weather this September?

What’s for dinner?

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I’m trying to decide what to make for dinner. It’s getting later and later and I still can’t decide. There’s a beautiful fillet of rainbow trout in the fridge that I should eat, but I just don’t feel like eating fish tonight. I should though because the fish will probably go bad soon if I don’t eat it.

I hate having to eat something just because it’s there .. but sometimes that’s what you have to do isn’t it! Oh well, if I don’t end up loving it my dog will get a little bit and she’ll love it.

My Lab is back to not eating very well again so anything I can do to encourage her to eat is worth doing! She’s been like this most of the summer. First it was a yeast infection in her bowel and now she’s gone into heat and I think that’s causing her to be a finicky eater again. Sigh … it seems whenever she gets sick she goes into heat. This will be her last heat let me tell ya!

Ok .. I’d better go gaze into the refrigerator and decide what we’re going to eat.

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