ON THE BEACH

"You can wait a lifetime for the hammer to fall.

Some folks get lucky they don't see it at all."

Chris Rea was quite right when he penned these lyrics for `Two Roads` on his `On the Beach` album. My picture shows Henry our much loved Golden Retriever spending a happy time on a beach of his own - this one might have been Porth Kidney sands near Lelant in West Cornwall or Daymer Bay or Loe Beach near Porthleven, Woolacombe in Devon or Crow Point or one of countless others that Henry has visited and enjoyed in his nine years.

But Henry has a problem. He`s not sure what it is....but dogs being knowing creatures he will know something isn`t quite right. Our problem is that we do know. He has a heart condition known in the veterinary trade as dilated cardiomyopathy (I think) which means his heart isn`t working like it should.

On Wednesday, Henry paid yet another visit to ace vet Dave Cocker at the Newnham Court Veterinary Centre, this time for more scans as well as his usual almost weekly check up. The scans showed that his heart condition has not improved at all since it was first diagnosed over two months ago and, despite Dave`s care and medication, fluid was shown to be building up around Henry`s lungs and his liver. The prospects are gloomy, I`m afraid.

Trouble is, we don`t know just how much longer Henry will be with us. It`s a `day-to-day` thing. But all the time he gets some enjoyment from life, which he seems to be at the moment, we`ll keep going. In the meantime, we just wait for the hammer to fall. But it`s not easy. And it hurts.