Well, another school break is over with and once again the relative calm of term-time reigns here. It wasn't a bad week - the usual ups and downs associated with life with Toby, a few more downs than ups, but there you go. I even learnt something new - though I'd rather not have learnt it in the way that I did...
Up until last week I was blissfully aware of the potential poisonousness of peonies. They've always been one of my favourite flowers both in their fragrance and the abundance of those velvety soft petals and so when I saw bunches of them at the checkout I popped one on the conveyor belt.
Back home I did my standard flower arranging technique of bunging them haphazardly in a vase and plonked them on the table to enjoy when I swept past. Later in the day I noticed Toby taking an interest in them and thought he must like the texture but as I looked on he plucked a handful of petals and stuffed them in his mouth! It was one of those slow-motion moments when you can't seem to move quickly enough and before I could hook them out they'd been swallowed - obviously Toby likes peonies too! After dumping the flowers outside I flew to the computer in a panic but was relieved to read that they're only poisonous in excessive quantities and as 5 or 6 petals seems less than excessive, I settled for observing him for the rest of the day while poised to dash off to casualty if he showed any signs of illness. Luckily he stayed well and we got through the rest of the week without any more heart-stopping incidents, I have however resolved to stick to fabric flowers from now on!
