A passing influence for the good

One of the things we brought when we moved house was a to get a cat.

It was one of those decisions that worked out really well.

The kids adored that cat, and they all settled down nicely together in our new home.

We had picked out the most lively and responsive cat out of a litter of them, which meant she was very adventurous and out going.

Perhaps, though, maybe we had got a cat that was too adventurous.

She had that ‘I’m indestructible’ attitude about her, which didn’t help when she tried to cross the road.

A rushed trip to the vet with the kids was the best we could do, but she was in a lot of pain with internal injuries, so my wife made the difficult decision to have her put to sleep.

We had a funeral for her at home, which gave us a chance to say goodbye. Our daughter played a sad song on a recorder as we lay her to rest.

I would of liked to have treated that funeral as a celebration of her life, but words just failed me at the time.

She brought so much joy to us in her short life, it’s a shame it came to an abrupt end.

I do wonder though, if that overly adventurous attitude she had, meant she wasn’t meant to be with us for long.

However, there is some good news…

Fortunately, we had a second cat, which is a lot quieter, and somewhat reserved. It’s made it easier for the kids to move on.

May she be with us for a long time.

P.S. I hope so, because having to bury kids pets isn’t fun.

A house for chickens

While I’ve been painting all the difficult parts of our house, my wife and daughters have been assembling a chicken area.

It was quite a process to put the frame together, put wire netting all over it, and tie it on.

Next up was a chicken coop which I quickly made out of old pallets.

Once we brought some nesting boxes and all the other bits and piece’s, we were ready..

Several days later, my wife managed to track down a few chickens.

There are some breeds of chickens out there which are ideal for laying eggs, like ‘brown shavers’ for example. Other breeds are good for eating. Getting the ‘right’ breed requires patience and good timing.

We didn’t have time for that sort of thing, so we got some ‘Coronation Sussex’ chickens which is an older ‘heritage’ breed.

At this point, we are getting an egg a day.