stylesister

I am an Image Consultant who deals with the dilemas of what letting oneself go means on a day to day basis with clients. Naturally, they would not be paying good money to see me unless they felt that there was something missing in their lives and that understanding the signals we give out through our external appearance (style personality, colour, shape and scale etc) could give them some more power. Clients usually go on to get the life partner they really dream about or the job they've been trying for and failing etc. This isn't because they've all gone off and followed a formula and certainly not because they have all gone off swearing they will wear make up just to empty their dustbins. What a horrible world it would be if we couldn't be self expressed because we were pushing ourselves into horrible clones of Joan Collins. Essentially, I think it is a question of congruence. Is your appearance management appropriate to the situation? If you conform or not, are you taking care of those that have to look at you? Are the messages you are giving out all saying the same thing so that people can understand who you are. The reality is that in a lot of situations in life, we are judged instantly by how we look. We can argue the toss about how fair or unfair that is but it is pointless because we are always "talking" with our clothes and general appearance. There is lots of fun to be had in my opinion in choosing our appearance management and being free to play with signals such that we can empower ourselves with understanding the affect we have on others. I love watching clients up a whole new world of possibilities in experiementing with how they want to create all sorts of possibilities which are more available once you understand what your clothes and general appearance are saying to others. Check outhttp://www.image-analysts.co.uk

I agree about the £5,000 fine. Probably the risk of getting caught without a collar or with an incorrect collar is far higher than getting a load of stalkers! I found a dog last year just roaming in the middle of the road, well, I suppose it found me. It was friendly and came to me but it had no collar and I was very worried about it as it was causing the traffic to back up. It could have easily been run over had I not been in the middle of the road flagging them down. Without the collar and no treats it was difficult to lure it out of the road. Eventually I got it to follow me and we searched the streets asking neighbours. 2 hours later and a few missed appointments later, I found the owner (after interviewing neighbours etc) enjoying the sun it his garden, blissfully ignorant of the chaos being caused in the next street. A collar with address would have saved me, the dog and all the neighbours and car owners involved a great deal of stress and worry that day. Worst of all, he was very nonchalant and didn't really acknowledge the trouble caused! It was then I hoped he would be the one to get the £5,000.00 fine one day!

I've PM'd you terminator re the pool. Hee hee re your baby Gemmima. It seems that there could be a new business for someone wanting to make pools for all sorts of animals!

There are things called "frame pools" and yes, they are made of plastic. So they aren't blow up, they are ridgid. I've not seen them in the flesh which is why I was wondering if anyone else had done it and if it really worked ok.

I was searching on the net about how to make a round raised bed and lots of advice from the States says to use a rigid kiddie swimming pool. Has anyone done this? It seems like a brilliant option because they are so cheap. If you have, can I ask: 1. Did you paint it (the designs are all hiddeous)? 2. Did you drill holes in the bottom for drainage? 3. What diameter did you get so you could reach into the middle? Thanks for advice

Like all labs who are basically water dogs, my little 3 year old loves the water. We have a big garden which has a doggie paddling pool shaped space for him. Does anyone know if an ordinary human ridgid paddling pool would be a good start or would the pool puncture or split? I know there are pet paddling pools that are reinforced but they are very small and expensive for what they are and I want an enormous one so that he can swim every day. I think a high one with steps up would mean he could dive in as he does in the park but this water is very dirty and he sometimes gets infections from this water so I was hoping to replicate the experience in the garden without the bugs. I was thinking something like the bestaway steel frame pro pool advertised here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steel-Frame-Pool-Filter-366cm/dp/B000FLWM50/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=toys&qid=1240824211&sr=8-24 Has anyone made a pool for their water loving doggie or bought one?

If the dog is noise shy, you can try banging a tray when he jumps up. The posher version would be one of those symbol shaped clangy things to make the noise. Alternatively, ask people to raise a knee to the dog as he comes toward them so that his chest touches the less pleasant angular joint (not the soft body he is aiming for). As always, timing is everything. Alternatively, if you are near a wall when he does it, turn sharply toward it so that you are ignoring him and standing tightly up against it, facing away, hands across the chest, tucked in. Stand stock still and don't way a word. That way, he gets nothing from the jumping up at all. If you watch dog wisperer, he usually does a claw like hand thing at the neck to mimic a dog bite which is how this would be dealt with by another dog to stop the jumping up and to put the dog in its place in the pecking order (I woudn't do this unless you've seen it demo'd in the programme).

re the pongy bottom burps: Try feeding a natural diet. I feed both mine (one is a black lab) on raw meat and bones. No pongs. To slow the lab down, I put the raw meat in lots of separate piles so he has to run between them instead of gobbling it all up at once. I make him sit and wait for food so that he is salavating well (evidenced by a long string of drool). He still eats 10 times faster than the greyhound but neither fart unless they have stolen some manure from the garden! Check out:http://www.rawmeatybones.com/

Two approaches, based on finances: Cheap and cheerful list: 1. Post it notes on the pillow saying what you appreciate 2. Walking in the country, not even speaking 3. Listening. No advice whatsoever. Just questions, especially "how does it make you feel"; "how are you feeling now" 4. Distraction (see other message re choc, crisps and pop). Also, cinema. 5. Soft kind gestures of love: head / foot massage (not leading to sex) 6. Sex (outside, upside down, tender, rampant) if appropriate to her mood Lots of money : treat her to one or all of the following 1. Weekend spa break 2. Image analysis make over (see image-analysts.co.uk) 3. Pay for psychotherapy or at least book the first appointment 4. pay for NLP training 5. Find a support group for her particular problem. 6. Buy her a car / motorbike / camper van and travel together etc etc It might help to remind yourself that the issue isn't personal to her. It is just how things are and as they say "this too will pass". You sound sweet. Good luck Deborah

Forward the mail to [email protected] and you will get an automated response from ebay (who own paypal) saying they are investigaing it. This email was designed to get you to put your password in so that you would then be giving it to scammers. Don't believe a word of any email that isn't personally addressed to you and directly from ebay with no extra things in the address. Please report it. It frightened me the first time it happened. We must be part of stamping this out. I now get about 1 of these every week so it is on the increase. I wonder how many get reported...

I always put my MOBILE phone number on because I almost always have it with me and I would want to know my little one (s) had been captures whilst I was frantically calling them. I probably wouldn't go home and sit by the phone. When I walk other people's dogs it is the same. I don't want an owner startled with a phone message when in fact I have recovered the dog quickly since the finder was able to contact me by mobile. The purpose of a dog tag is to make the OWNER not the dog identifyable so that you can be easily traced so put your name address and phone details on it to stop your little one being automatically put in the pound. Most councils REQUIRE THE ADDRESS to go on the tag. Remember, the fine for not having on a collar and tag is £5,000 so while you are deciding what to write, put a temporary thing on anyway or you could be rather poor. Incidentally the not picking up poo fine is up to £1,000 so imagine if you did the two crimes on one day! One of mine has a tatoo in his ear (Ben). I much prefer this to microchip as it doesn't move around the dog's body. The other is extremely strange looking and only has 3 legs (Clover, as in three leafed) so if she went missing, she is know to everyone far and wide so I guess the thief wouldn't get away with it for long... Best wises, Deborah (Ben and Clover's Mummy)

At the risk of causing further heated discussion, I would like to gently offer some ideas about vaccination in general. Before I do, I too would like to wish the little doggie well and hope she is better now and say we are all here for the owner, Diamon123 if needs us for further help on advice. On to the more general matter of vaccination which is highly relevant to this discussion since some here are condisering it right now. If that is you. PLEASE DON'T! At least not before you consider the side effects extremely seriously. I have been involved with Canine Health Concern (CHC) - a charity that speaks out against vaccination since it is widely used to endager health and the lives of our pets. Please look it up on the net here http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk. I have supported this charity with a passion since my sister is a kindly and well informed vet, practicing both conventional medicine and accupuncture and there is a huge movement in the vet world to stop the widespread use of vaccines since they have so many dangerous, sometimes fatal side effects. Further to this, for many years I was a children's nurse and saw at first hand the terrible damage that vaccines do to our kids. At the risk of sounding too political, I suggest as others in CHC do, that vaccines are used to line the pockets of the vaccine manufacturers and put our British vets in the horrific position of having to vaccinate simply just to keep their practices afloat because they are dependent upon the revenue from vaccinations. Dont forget that the vets schools are funded by two main sources: Pet Food Manufacturers and Vaccine Manufacturers and only the loving, quiet and wise few question the authority of these organisations. Many of us are fighting against not just vaccination but the mass use of pet food too. I feed my dogs an entirely natural diet as do other owners in CHC and can talk extensively on this subject too if anyone wants to know how to avoid most of the canine illnesses through diet. If anyone is interested, I may be able to arrange for the author of "Who Killed the Darling Buds of May" and "What Vets Don't Tell You About Vaccines" and "Shock to the System" - Catherine O Driscoll - to come and give us an informed seminar about it. She has spent her life spreading the word and founded the charity. Any other supporters out there? For a quick piece of research if you are considering vaccination, please look at the other side, laid out clearly on the CHC website. Thanks for listening to me, Deborah.

Thank you so much for your help mc. Especially the bit about bolting it to the ground and not doing it in the wind. We are currently cleaning it all up. A few bits of glass got broken and I'm trying to source 18 x 24 and 24 x 24 inch pieces. Any ideas? BTW I cannot believe we actually have a brilliant lovely greenhouse. I am imagining all the things we can do in it already and I can't wait to see it up and running tomorrow.

Does anyone know of the best make and system to electronically water your garden?

This is where I keep a log of how I made stuff with paper, including photos of it At least now I won't forget how I turned a blank piece of card into something that sometimes resembles art!