Welcome to The Good Life!

The chicks have just turned 6 weeks old - not only do they look funny and are already half the size of their mum (she’s a bantum, so it won’t be long before they dwarf her completely…), but they are now free-ranging with the rest of them! A couple of months and they’ll start laying. Or crowing….!

This just happens to be my song of the moment - I dedicate it to all the gorgeous pregnant ladies out there who are having trouble sleeping due to the May heatwave! :-) Barenaked Ladies - Who Needs Sleep?

This just happens to be my song of the moment - I dedicate it to all the gorgeous pregnant ladies out there who are having trouble sleeping due to the May heatwave! :-) Barenaked Ladies - Who Needs Sleep?

I am trying to get this free box of Johnson’s samples for when baby is due but it’s one of those things where you need to sign up for an offer or get referrals! The offers are useless to me, but I only need four people to click on my referral link and sign up for me to be able to claim the box (apparently…). If you are pregnant, just had a baby or know someone that has then please help out. Once you sign up I’ll be happy to forward your link on and help you get your referrals too!

http://babysamples.co.uk/index.php?referral=23810

Dear Sky,

Do you remember when you used to live in the greenhouse at Torrington Road?!
Then one beautiful sunny day I left the back door open and walked into the dining room to find you, sitting like a bowling pin, in the kitchen doorway! I gave you corned beef on a willow pattern plate because you looked hungry (and you gave me those big, cute ‘cat eyes’) - that was your first meal with us. When Paul got in from work and I told him you’d been in the house, he said we couldn’t keep you. He said he didn’t like cats. I didn’t like cats either - until I met you.
That night we left the bathroom window ajar; when Paul went downstairs you were asleep on the sofa. I think Paul loved you from that moment.
You never left.
We tried to find out where you’d come from but no one claimed you. It didn’t take long for you to settle in. You spent many hours sitting on our laps purring away, and many more in the sun trap we called the ‘bus shelter’ in the back garden, soaking up the sun. In between munching on biscuits and hiding in boxes, of course.Then we got a new kitten who we called Molly.
We thought you might eat her.
But you didn’t.
You started a ‘love/hate’ relationship which bought us all together as a family. Molly used to try to drink from your nipples because she saw you as her mum, which made us laugh! Sometimes you’d put her in her place - she copied everything you did but she was always much more naughty than you. Sometimes you’d give each other nose rubs, but even when you were fighting you were gentle with her and never used your claws. Because that’s the kind of cat you were.
We didn’t like letting you out in the evening because the area wasn’t very nice so it was for your own protection. We put the expandable wine rack up by the back door to stop you scratching at it. But you decided to wear it as a tutu and whilst we were relaxing on the sofa, the wine rack came hurtling into the living room - with you inside. You weren’t hurt but you did make a horrible noise. We couldn’t stop laughing - you never did go near that wine rack again. Neither did Molly for that matter.

Then we moved house.
We thought that all the changes would upset you - after all, you’d been a city kitty for as long as we’d known you and we hadn’t long got Molly who was still settling in with us. Rural country life was going to be very different for you and so we walked you and Molly around on leads for a couple of weeks before we let you out on your own.
When we opened the back door without you on a harness for the first time we both worried that we might not see you again - that you would go running off into the wild.
But you didn’t.
You barely left the boundary of the garden, and you seemed so happy with all the space and peace and quiet and trees… And bats. You never did like catching things - you’re so gentle that if anything moved in your mouth you’d sooner spit it out rather than kill it.
One particular eveing we remember well, we wondered why you wanted to come in so late, then when you FINALLY decided to make an appearance you released a large bat into the living room! I screamed and hid in the office - I don’t mind bats, but it’s not particularly nice when one is flying around your head in a small space. Paul spent a good 20 minutes trying to catch it and finally cornered it in the spare bedroom where he managed to get it into a laundry bin and release it outside.
We got wise to your bat-catching and always checked your mouth before you came in after that to make sure there were no goodies in there for us…
It always surprised us how a cat who didn’t like hunting managed to catch bats, and always released them without damaging their delicate wings.You spent many happy Summer days and evenings guarding the garden in the tree fort or sitting thoughtfully on the patio table, observing quietly and occasionally patroling the grounds to make sure everything was in its place.

Then we got chickens.
We thought you would eat them.
But you didn’t.
In fact you couldn’t have cared any less about them, and merely looked on as they clucked around you. Did you even notice them?! You settled in to country life so well - it was like you had always wanted this sort of lifestyle, and we were so happy to be able to give it to you.
I’d even set up a Twitter account for you - you became more popular than me and most of my friends! Your quirky habits and daily-doings touched people’s hearts even though they hadn’t met you. You bought a lot of joy to a lot of people, including my grandparents when they came back from France to stay with us - you hadn’t met them very often but as soon as my nan put her suitcase in the bedroom you would set up camp there! She’d always end up with a suitcase covered in cat hair by the end of the stay :-) You wouldn’t move except for food, which was odd because you’d take yourself off somewhere else whenever anyone else came around, but for some reason you endured my grandparents - even when my nan bought you that nasty French cat food mush with whole PEAS and CARROTS in it! I think it’s because they used to make such a fuss of you that you put up with it all - and because my nan had a particularly comfortable suitcase ;-)Then we rescued Poppy.
We thought you might leave us because we’d got another cat - another YOUNG cat, of all things.
But you didn’t.
The day we bought her home, skinny and sad, we put down some biscuits in the kitchen… You walked in and our hearts were in our mouths. You looked at Molly, looked at Poppy then adopted your usual ‘well, where’s my biscuits’ pose! We gave you lots of strokes and secret ham, which made you even happier :-)
Molly freaked when she saw another cat in the house.
We thought SHE would eat her.
But she didn’t.
In fact, she stopped harassing you and gave you the quiet life you’d always wanted; Molly and Poppy went from arch-enemies to best of friends in just a few days - thanks to the way you’d reacted to Molly initially. She learned a lot from you, and is now passing that on to Poppy who’s also settled in nicely and really seems to be enjoying life here. Poppy really looked up to you - she didn’t know you that well, but she knew you well enough to know that you were older and wiser than she was, and she should give you the space that you deserve, but she certainly enjoyed the odd nose-rub with you!

And then you got sick.You’d been poorly for a couple of weeks before we took you to the vet - you were always coughing up hair balls so we assumed your sickness was due to eating too much grass and whatever else it was you nibbled outside!
But it wasn’t.
It was due to a tumour on your kidney. There was nothing the vet could do.
We were devastated when he told us. The only things that helped were the vet informing us that you were probably older than was first thought and therefore had enjoyed a long, happy life, and the fact that we had 3 weeks to say goodbye - a luxury that a lot of pet owners don’t have.

It was a sad 3 weeks. You seemed to get so sick in such a short amount of time, it was awful to see you suffering and struggling every day. You didn’t want to do anything except sleep in your box, (you’ve always had a thing for boxes!), and eat. We gave you lots of cuddles but made sure you had the space that you wanted and needed, too.The end of the three weeks came too quickly. The morning we had to take you to the vet we knew the only option was to let you sleep. I think you knew that, too. It’s so hard to make that decision on your behalf. It’s strange that humans aren’t even allowed to make that decision for themselves yet we are allowed to choose for our beloved pets. I think - we both think - that the decision we made was the one you wanted. When we stood in the surgery, tears streaming down our faces, you never once stopped purring. You were so calm - I feel like I let you down by making such a fuss. When the vet injected you we stroked you and told you how much we loved you. You didn’t flinch once and you looked at me with relieved, happy eyes as your body started to relax, and I felt a huge weight lift - you had been so uncomfortable, to see that one moment of happiness on your face before you left us made me realise that we had given you the painless, dignified send off which you longed-for and deserved. It didn’t make it any easier.

The journey home with you was a cruel one. Paul and I didn’t say much to each other but we both cried a lot. When we got home we took you inside so Molly and Poppy could say goodbye to you - we didn’t want them thinking we’d taken you away. Molly stepped on you gently and sniffed your face - she knew what had happened. We put you in the box Paul made for you and we made sure you were wrapped up all cosy. I hope you don’t mind that we took your collar off - I wanted something to remember you by and it symbolises that once again you have your freedom. We put your bowl in with you - Paul remembered to fill it with some biscuits too! We know you love biscuits :-) We buried you in the middle of the garden - as we put you into the ground Molly came and sat next to you to pay her respects - it made me cry again! We wanted to put you in the garden because you loved it here - I hope that’s ok. You’re free to travel wherever you want now. We’ve planted one of the Ash trees we bought from Torrington Road with us next to you, too. It was always the Ash trees you sat under, so now you can have one of your very own.

There will never be another cat like you - you were our furry friend, a member of the family, my familiar… And you touched so many lives, from our family, to friends to total strangers - you received some beautiful messages on your Twitter account!
To a lot of people you’re just a cat. But to us you’re a very special friend and always will be. Some people have since said that sad moments like this are the reason they don’t have pets, but to be able to have the honour and pleasure of living with such a unique companion who’s bought us so much happiness, we’d do it all over again at the drop of a hat! The past few days since you’ve gone have been strange - little moments like getting in from work or coming down in the morning without you to greet us makes me think of you and how much I’ll miss you - it’s those little moments that make it hard to adjust. Sometimes I still think I can hear you - I know, that sounds weird! - but in a way it’s comforting and lets me know that in whatever form a part of you is still here with us. And always will be - even if it is just in my head! I do have the excuse that I’m pregnant, after all ;-)

We’re really sad that you didn’t get to meet Baby Rawlings, we were looking forward to introducing you to her, but we will share all our memories, photos and videos of you with her and I’m sure the stories will bring her as much happiness as actually living them has for us!
I’m pretty sure you’ve got some lives left and I’m hoping that you’ll come and find us again one day - we’ll always be on the lookout for the next stray kitty! In the meantime enjoy your well deserved rest. THANK YOU so much for choosing us to be your guardians - it’s been an absolute honour - and for being such a wonderful companion and role model to Molly and Poppy.

We love you, SkyPie. We will never forget you. Or that mole on the end of your nose. Sleep well, travel far and we hope one day we will see you again.

Lots of love and face rubs,
HuMum, HuMan, MollySocks and Poopy Bum
XXX

We had our first hen loss today - Louise, one of our bantum Wyandottes (and partner to Thelma, of course), died after a struggle with the damp weather and some sort of illness. Not a good day on the farm, but something we should probably get used to :-(

I did it! A gruelling 9 hour climb in 50mph wind and driving rain - the worst weather they’ve had up the Ben all year, but a truly unforgettable experience. Managed to raise just over my £500 target including gift aid. Right, 97 mile West Highland Way next?!