Those Niggly Jobs - Bertie's new bed

Well, Bertie’s coaster has been rolling a little more than normal lately - and that boy sure knows how to roll a coaster at pretty much any time.  But this has been a weird couple of months, even for him.  Let’s keep it simple.  He’s going to be 20 in a month or two and for a cat that’s pretty old.  For a Persian cat thats even older.  And for a cat who’s been plagued with health problems that’s older still. 

So at the beginning of November things weren’t looking good for him and the vet and I put together  a plan to manage his remaining days.  It included special diet food to which we needed to add five different medications daily.  He detested the food and detected the medication and stopped eating, so lost weight and the vet and I agreed to stop both the diet and the meds and get him eating again.

Family members popped in to say their goodbyes.

 I was treasuring my every day with him. 

I bought him a new support bed to ease the pressure on his old arthritic bones.  I’d meant to get him one for simply ages.  He’d had a furry cushion some years ago but on reflection it was quite thin and didn’t look like it was up to any job at all.  I knew that I should get him a better replacement but I just hadn’t got round to it.  So wanting to make his remaining days as comfortable as possible I finally got round to gerting him a new cushion. And what a beaut it is!

And if any designers are reading this, I’d like one for me too because I find myself looking at it and longing to sink my own arthritic bones into something this furry and supportive!

Pampering my patient meant “breakfast in bed”, pushing little bowls under his nose wherever he was lounging.  The things we do for our pets eh?!

I pimped up his new cushion with a cat throw.

But my pink throw became what I called his “day bed” for it’s the place where he spends most of his days.

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He was looking like he felt.  Old and ragged.  Pretty much how I feel most days, come to think of it 

This pic was taken shortly before the vet came up with the idea of giving him his first steroid shot mid November. 

Then it all changed.  He became lively. He strutted around the place instead of having his legs give way. . He started talking to us once more.  He started managing the stairs again, sleeping with us and demanding breakfast ... at 5 am!

And he regained his appetite and put back all the weight he’d lost.

So now he’s on a monthly steroid shot and is allowed to eat whatever he fancies.  Our focus is on his quality of life for the time he has left with us. 

So my Christmas present this year is to have spent it with my boy, Bertie. I really didn’t think he’d make it this far.  He’s had a bit of a relapse immediately after Christmas, so we’ll see how that works out.  But he’s got his snuggly pink day bed and a lux fur night bed to keep as cosy as can be.

A la perchoine,

Mary x. 

Turning Norwegian

When I go on holiday, this little boy needs sitting.

So for my recent trip to Sussex I welcomed Norway 🇳🇴 into my home. 

This lovely couple took good amazing care of Bertie, despite the challenges he threw at them!

They sent me reassuring daily pictures and videos of my boy whilst I was away.

But it wasn't plain sailing.  Bertie had plans of his own and his reoccurring cystitis flared up on the day of my departure.  So I didn’t depart.  I waited until vet, TLC and time had done their jobs. 

Meantime, I soon slipped easily into Norwegian life.   Scandinavian style breakfasts with my guests. 

Beautiful home-baked bread each morning.

Watching my guests quickly settle in, here spying a cat climb up the olive tree.

Conversation slipped seamlessly between Norwegian/Danish and English, sometimes mid-sentence.  It was a fantastic opportunity for me to indulge in my passion for Scandinavian languages and a great refresher.

And so the breakfasts continued.  Cheeses, smoked trout, fruit.

Each day the breakfast plates were decorated with whatever freshness was to hand ... basil, chives, a little fruit, tomatoes.

 

J's bread really was something else and I’ll post on that shortly.  You WILL want to read that post!

R 's  Breakfast included a Gammel Dansk (Old Danish) each day.  It's a sort of fortified spirit.  I remembered it being a traditional tipple to start the day off when I lived in Denmark and the Danes swore a daily shot kept them fit and healthy.  It's nice to see the tradition lives on.  

Skaal!

My guest tells me he always packs a bottle or two when travelling and he's never suffered from any tummy upsets, despite sometimes travelling to pretty dodgy areas of the globe that are known to be tummy-challenging.  Maybe there is something in this Old Danish tradition, after all ...

So I took my trip three days later than planned, and returned back home three days earlier than planned.  There's a certain symmetry in that eh?

Yes, Bertie had further episodes whilst I was away and after the second episode I decided I'd better get back to my boy, despite Son and catsitters handling each event perfectly.  It felt unfair to impose on "the crisis team" any longer

So I decided to turn this pig's ear into a silk purse.

Turn a crisis into a pleasant experience.

I drove the Norwegians to various spots around my pretty island, some being places they wouldn't have otherwise visited.

I had more Scandi breakfasts.

I took them out for fish and chips.

We took time out to watch a slug crawl up a wall on a rainy day.

And I learned how to make tasty bread in a totally revolutionary way!  You REALLY DO need to pop back to read that post!

But mostly I decided to view these unexpected home days as a gift, an opportunity to get to know these special people that little bit better.  And we had a blast!

My Norwegian guests friends have had an impact on me during my unexpected time spent with them.  It's like I've been reminded of my "roots" - yup, more on that in another post too!

 I think I may be giving my life a few welcoming tweaks ...

Life, you're welcome!

Do you find yourself turning a crisis into something pleasant?

Turning a negative experience into something positive?  

Finding that silver lining in the grey cloud hovering overhead?

A la perchoine,

Mary x.

Coming up: bread baking that will blow your mind!

Storm Survivors ... Well, Mostly

Back home again.

Bertie The Cat was my first port of call, I snuggled on the sofa with him for the prerequisite amount of time. 

When I could contain myself no longer, I checked out the garden for storm damage, followed by my omnipresent shadow Bertie. 

 Storm Katie has been the latest of so many storms that have hit us this year.  We were in Southampton when it hit on Sunday.  It seems it hit Sussex more badly than the rest of the south of England and the Channel Islands, so we got off lightly.

I don't know how the island fared, so I wanted to check first hand out in the garden. 

It seems to have survived ... mostly.

The hyacinths are still standing proud

A late-flowering variety of daffodils have come through

Tulips have sprung up in the two weeks we've been away and have survived Katie

Arum Lilies have come through too

But, oh dear, my poor Banana plant has been burned by the wind :-[

That will need some serious cutting back PDQ in order to survive through to summer

No garden fence panels succumbed to Katie's wrath and my decrepit Leaning Sheds of Guernsey are still standing.  So, most of the garden has survived.  Just that poor Banana plant has taken one for the team, brave little soldier that it is.  Fret not, matie, Mummy' s here ...

A La perchoine