FOSTER CARE

A profound respect goes out to foster parents, be they for humans or baby animals.
The reason we have 22 cats is because up to now any orphaned and abandoned kittens taken into our care have stayed, even after all the promises of not keeping even one of them!
To be honest, I didn’t think I could do it. To put all that effort into caring for a tiny being and then handing it over? So much time, money, energy, worry and love and then it’s gone and gone where? Whoever they were, they could never love it like I did.
Then just a few weeks ago we agreed to foster. Five tiny kittens arrived, wide-eyed like deer caught in car headlights and absolutely terrified. Taken away from a feral mother too soon, we had to get them used to us.
Smokey, a grey tabby spat and hissed, obviously prepared to do whatever it took to stay alive. Then there was her sister Caramello Bear, also a tabby with peach colour in-between and she was far more friendly and outgoing.
Also three gingers from another litter and about ten days younger than the tabbies. So out came the little milk bottles, syringes and kitten formula. There was milk everywhere! Up their noses, in their eyes, all over themselves and us (talk about feeding time at the zoo)!It’s a good thing we know how to use a syringe as you can drown a kitten if you aren’t careful. They didn’t care if the milk was warm or cold, thick or thin, it seemed they would drink anything!! The only male named Fergus turned out to be a bit of a drama queen, while his sister Lily could have been called Bubba, she was such a bully and then there was Quinn – a dark female ginger and we fell in love with her. She has exceptionally large round eyes and very short legs and is so cute it’s criminal.
There is nothing quite like a tiny kitten and day by day you watch as their personalities come through and you observe their ways and strange little quirks. They have provided hours of entertainment as they chase a ball, toss around crumpled pieces of paper, curly ribbon and totally ignore all the store bought toys – special balls, mice and Catnip fabric triangles!
All of them look picture perfect and how photographers manage those incredible pictures I will never know.
So the weeks have passed and we have found extra special good homes for all of them.
Would i do it again? Absolutely, in a heartbeat.

THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS FAMILY LETTER

2016: An Old Folks Tale.
In 1989, Les, (Chucky) & Marilyn, (Tiger) moved into 11 Richards Circle & they haven’t left. There’s so much history in the house! Fortunately there is more laughter than discord for these two old oxygen pirates. Communication at its best!?! Marilyn: Pass me a pot. Les: Yes, it’s very hot. Marilyn: take the mince off the stove. Les: what must I do with the chicken? Always one for a good cause Marilyn took note of #BLACKLIVESMATTER & AVAAZ. Google is her best friend. There have been over 100 postcards sent & received as part of the fascinating Postcrossing Project. She continues her fascination with sound and wants to go for singing lessons (on Mars maybe) according to her family; enthralled by the desert rebel Tuaregs (there’s something so exotic & exciting about men in flowing robes with covered faces & pulling along a good looking camel), Tinariwen & their music & loves to Mars & back these rock groups – Mumford and Sons, Mi Kasa, Baaba Maal, Beatenberg, OF MONSTERS AND MEN & Kings of Leon amongst many others. Marilyn has put her name on the list to go to Mars. If the g-force on take-off didn’t kill her, the long trip probably would, but if she got there she thinks she could offer her body to science – how no gravity affects bones & joints & wouldn’t it be grand to be the first old lady to be buried on the Red Planet? Just imagine all those sexy Martians strolling about – she’d die a very happy old lady. Les, on the other hand isn’t interested in travel of any kind, not on a plane or in a train, not on a boat or in a car, not to go as far as London or even as near as Cape Town. He is quite content to sit on the stoep with his mug of coffee and a rusk & count the sacred goats that frolic about in the valley & the herds of rustic cattle that send his 4 annoying dogs into a frenzy! He is so easy to please. At 65, he still cycles up the hill to work having had more than 25 years of experience! Ragertha, the Viking cat loves him unconditionally (he shares his chicken with her). He is the bed that Tommy Lee Jones sleeps on the whole night & he spends hours playing with a laser pointer & the Yorkie that is Bugsy Malone. He managed, all by himself, well not physically but he orchestrated a HUGE Project – the installation of a screen to separate the rabble from the rest. (We need one for the people in this town me thinks) – was complimented & praised by all the top brass but nothing mentioned about a new contract for next year. Sometimes he’s the only person who actually knows what’s going on in the mill.  And you thought he’s just a pretty face with big ears. Les prefers Michael Buble & will throw in a few Rolling Stones hits. Like his TV viewing preferences, his music choices suck. Marilyn reckons football should be banned because of Liverpool’s poor form and the fact that Les is a sore loser. Sappi & Elan have commenced the building of an electric fence & plan to turn half of the town into the Jackalberry (gated) Estate, advertised as having magnificent views of the Tugela River, gorgeous parks & a spectacular golf course, club house & sturdy 50-year-old houses that would turn into mansions with the flick of the fairy godmother’s magic wand. There are still people who believe in Santa & the Tooth Fairy. The country-wide drought has certainly made us all aware of water usage. Watching the news on TV, local & international, (oh the horror, the horror) is too depressing to talk about & we want to at least try & stay up-beat. There is an ad on TV that claims the end of the world is near & if by chance you’ve stumbled upon the reality shows about the ‘doomsday preppers,’ you would be inclined to believe the ad. These folks are ser-i-ous, hey?! It’s all got to do with the fear of a launch of a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP). Its success depends on many things like altitude detonation & gamma rays & shields. Remember the dire predictions here for the first real general election & how many cans of beans were bought which leads one to imagine being confined to the underground with the consumption of all those beans. How long could you hold out? What? One day you will poke your head out of a secret pothole & find that life goes on ……. HEMP has a completely different meaning in this town. Then there was the Shade House that Stacey & our friend Khulekani built. Plants that were nearly dead are now reaching for the sun. We will eventually become the suppliers of the afore mentioned hemp to all surrounding bunker dwellers. Stacey has so much fun at Sagewood Prep, you can’t call it work! Tracey and Stacey enjoyed the great Grade R sleep-over, proudly displaying their onesies! The Grade 7 Farewell had “Alice in Wonderland” as the theme last year – this year it’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” complete with chocolate fountain. A BSc degree & a PGCE make her a well-qualified taxi driver and ice cream treats at the end of each term ensure her popularity. The most spectacular son &d-i-l, Allister and Bianca welcomed another little swimmer into the world in July. Ezra Allister swam into the world at home with Sienna helping out. Tye declined the offer. He was a small baby but oh boy has he made up for it – loves biltong & beer. He speaks 3 languages fluently & is teaching Tiger how to speak Martian. Grandchildren are the greatest gift, especially if they take after their grandparents. Tye, now 9, enjoys sport – school, not so much & adores his baby brother. Siena is beautiful & bright & asks questions all the time, some too profound for her age. The Harris family went to the circus with Princess & family who had never been before & they were spellbound! Marilyn spent a lot of time heckling the clown so in the finale with the Ghostbbusters theme song, he drenched the poor women with his awfully large water pistol. They also discovered TAPANGA, cane sugar rum distilled in Gingindlovu that is to die for! The family was entertained by Cat Simoni and Nozuko Teto, were entranced by their piano playing (Chopin) cardiologist, saw family and friends from Cape Town, watched polo matches, went to a prestigious breakfast seminar at the Oyster Box Hotel where Marilyn tried to get the guest speaker to do a Magic Mike segment – doubled over with laughter he declined. – there were big birthday parties, like friend Dahl’s 45th pj party – too much of fun, so many good movies, a delightful Grandparents Day, too-many-to-count sports matches, a baby shower, a school play, a delicious potjie, unforgettable Chinese, sushi, curry & cake. Be mindful of every magical moment & tell people you love them & laugh often. We wish you and yours a Delightful Merry Christmas & a Happy, Healthy and Wealthy New Year.
Chucky, Tiger, Stacey & the hairy bunch. XOX

MISS YOU MADLY

I am literally distraught that I have not blogged for ten months. I want to cry. How has this happened?I am so grateful and appreciative and pleased that wordpress has not unblogged me. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I seem to be easily distracted and when on the computer doing something I always think I must post a blog but of course I never do.
This was going to be the year of writing and i have 3 chapters of a junior fiction written and the rest planned and the entire romance novel written in my head with about two chapters on paper.
So if I promise next year will be the year of writing, will my millions of followers worldwide hound me down and remind me of what I said. Send pigeons, smoke signals, snail mail, email, dirty comments on Facebook – anything – just get me back into my writing.
Here’s hoping that I will be able to fulfill this tentative promise.

THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS FAMILY LETTER

2016: An Old Folks Tale.
In 1989, Les, (Chucky) & Marilyn, (Tiger) moved into 11 Richards Circle & they haven’t left. There’s so much history in the house! Fortunately there is more laughter than discord for these two old oxygen pirates. Communication at its best!?! Marilyn: Pass me a pot. Les: Yes, it’s very hot. Marilyn: take the mince off the stove. Les: what must I do with the chicken? Always one for a good cause Marilyn took note of #BLACKLIVESMATTER & AVAAZ. Google is her best friend. There have been over 100 postcards sent & received as part of the fascinating Postcrossing Project. She continues her fascination with sound and wants to go for singing lessons (on Mars maybe) according to her family; enthralled by the desert rebel Tuaregs (there’s something so exotic & exciting about men in flowing robes with covered faces & pulling along a good looking camel), Tinariwen & their music & loves to Mars & back these rock groups – Mumford and Sons, Mi Kasa, Baaba Maal, Beatenberg, OF MONSTERS AND MEN & Kings of Leon amongst many others. Marilyn has put her name on the list to go to Mars. If the g-force on take-off didn’t kill her, the long trip probably would, but if she got there she thinks she could offer her body to science – how no gravity affects bones & joints & wouldn’t it be grand to be the first old lady to be buried on the Red Planet? Just imagine all those sexy Martians strolling about – she’d die a very happy old lady. Les, on the other hand isn’t interested in travel of any kind, not on a plane or in a train, not on a boat or in a car, not to go as far as London or even as near as Cape Town. He is quite content to sit on the stoep with his mug of coffee and a rusk & count the sacred goats that frolic about in the valley & the herds of rustic cattle that send his 4 annoying dogs into a frenzy! He is so easy to please. At 65, he still cycles up the hill to work having had more than 25 years of experience! Ragertha, the Viking cat loves him unconditionally (he shares his chicken with her). He is the bed that Tommy Lee Jones sleeps on the whole night & he spends hours playing with a laser pointer & the Yorkie that is Bugsy Malone. He managed, all by himself, well not physically but he orchestrated a HUGE Project – the installation of a screen to separate the rabble from the rest. (We need one for the people in this town me thinks) – was complimented & praised by all the top brass but nothing mentioned about a new contract for next year. Sometimes he’s the only person who actually knows what’s going on in the mill.  And you thought he’s just a pretty face with big ears. Les prefers Michael Buble & will throw in a few Rolling Stones hits. Like his TV viewing preferences, his music choices suck. Marilyn reckons football should be banned because of Liverpool’s poor form and the fact that Les is a sore loser. Sappi & Elan have commenced the building of an electric fence & plan to turn half of the town into the Jackalberry (gated) Estate, advertised as having magnificent views of the Tugela River, gorgeous parks & a spectacular golf course, club house & sturdy 50-year-old houses that would turn into mansions with the flick of the fairy godmother’s magic wand. There are still people who believe in Santa & the Tooth Fairy. The country-wide drought has certainly made us all aware of water usage. Watching the news on TV, local & international, (oh the horror, the horror) is too depressing to talk about & we want to at least try & stay up-beat. There is an ad on TV that claims the end of the world is near & if by chance you’ve stumbled upon the reality shows about the ‘doomsday preppers,’ you would be inclined to believe the ad. These folks are ser-i-ous, hey?! It’s all got to do with the fear of a launch of a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP). Its success depends on many things like altitude detonation & gamma rays & shields. Remember the dire predictions here for the first real general election & how many cans of beans were bought which leads one to imagine being confined to the underground with the consumption of all those beans. How long could you hold out? What? One day you will poke your head out of a secret pothole & find that life goes on ……. HEMP has a completely different meaning in this town. Then there was the Shade House that Stacey & our friend Khulekani built. Plants that were nearly dead are now reaching for the sun. We will eventually become the suppliers of the afore mentioned hemp to all surrounding bunker dwellers. Stacey has so much fun at Sagewood Prep, you can’t call it work! Tracey and Stacey enjoyed the great Grade R sleep-over, proudly displaying their onesies! The Grade 7 Farewell had “Alice in Wonderland” as the theme last year – this year it’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” complete with chocolate fountain. A BSc degree & a PGCE make her a well-qualified taxi driver and ice cream treats at the end of each term ensure her popularity. The most spectacular son &d-i-l, Allister and Bianca welcomed another little swimmer into the world in July. Ezra Allister swam into the world at home with Sienna helping out. Tye declined the offer. He was a small baby but oh boy has he made up for it – loves biltong & beer. He speaks 3 languages fluently & is teaching Tiger how to speak Martian. Grandchildren are the greatest gift, especially if they take after their grandparents. Tye, now 9, enjoys sport – school, not so much & adores his baby brother. Siena is beautiful & bright & asks questions all the time, some too profound for her age. The Harris family went to the circus with Princess & family who had never been before & they were spellbound! Marilyn spent a lot of time heckling the clown so in the finale with the Ghostbbusters theme song, he drenched the poor women with his awfully large water pistol. They also discovered TAPANGA, cane sugar rum distilled in Gingindlovu that is to die for! The family was entertained by Cat Simoni and Nozuko Teto, were entranced by their piano playing (Chopin) cardiologist, saw family and friends from Cape Town, watched polo matches, went to a prestigious breakfast seminar at the Oyster Box Hotel where Marilyn tried to get the guest speaker to do a Magic Mike segment – doubled over with laughter he declined. – there were big birthday parties, like friend Dahl’s 45th pj party – too much of fun, so many good movies, a delightful Grandparents Day, too-many-to-count sports matches, a baby shower, a school play, a delicious potjie, unforgettable Chinese, sushi, curry & cake. Be mindful of every magical moment & tell people you love them & laugh often. We wish you and yours a Delightful Merry Christmas & a Happy, Healthy and Wealthy New Year.
Chucky, Tiger, Stacey & the hairy bunch. XOX