Sometimes there are happy endings.

They say a picture can tell a thousand words, well this one heals a splintered heart.

Last night, after another day of sorrow for our grieving Mum, she settled in under the bed, on her own. A few minutes later, there were distinct slurping sounds coming from under the bed. An inspection revealed three bundles of fur who had decided, "Hey, if no-one else is gonna use this Milkbar, then we sure as heck should!" Puddin had two of the older 8 week old bubs and the 7 week old polar bear snuggled in and she was purring her head off with a smile from ear to ear. The other mums are happy to have a break and she is beside herself now that she has some babies.

All is right in her little world and it makes me glad.

Cin

Grief is Universal

One of our beautiful Queens was expecting this week. After a visit to the vet on Friday, Puddin proved to be in first stage labour and we settled in to wait. By Saturday afternoon she had started contracting and we were anxious to see the new arrival.

Around 5pm, Pudd gave birth to a stillborn black tortie female. The little one didn't take a breath at all and appeared to have been in some distress. Watching her clean her daughter and try to get her to breathe was heartbreaking and I sat there with the baby in my hands and wept. I allowed Pudd time to cuddle her baby and then quietly took care of the body.

Pudd is such a fantastic Mum that the loss has hit her hard. She has been calling for her baby and mothering the other kittens. Her cries break my heart and the anxious way she checks on the other babies and paces the floor have proven beyond any doubt that my baby girl is grieving and grieving deeply. This evening she curled up half on and half off my lap and just looked at me. Her ever present smile was gone and their is a look of puzzled hurt in her beautiful green eyes.

Animals feel pain and joy, sorrow and grief, they share our triumphs as well as our tragedies and no scientist with a clipboard will tell me any different. Her baby is in good hands, sleeping with our Arthur Bean at Rainbow Bridge.

Pudd will recover. She is going to be desexed and enjoy retirement with a loving family. Cuddles will be forthcoming as long as she needs them.

In happier times with an earlier litter.

Cin.

Bananas and Oranges

The lovely weather continues though the heat has come back..sigh. I want to bring out the doonas'!

For the first time in a very long time, we had a full weekend with the children, rather than having to work on Saturday and then do the market run on a Sunday. I decided it was the perfect oppotunity to whip out an Orange Poppyseed cake and for Caitie to make a banana bread. We had a ball with Conor helping as well. The results were edible and we have enjoyed them immensely, with enough over to bolster school lunches this week.

Cheers,

Cin

We woke up this morning and the air was crisp and clean. It smelt like snow...or as much like snow as Australia can smell like! The wind was whispering through the Silky Oaks and I felt myself settle and become calm. I had an overwhelming urge to break out the stockpot and make Potato, Leak and Bacon Soup and put flannelette sheets on the bed. I just stopped myself from spontaneously singing Kumbaya!

For the first time in a long while, we had breakfast on the back deck and I treated everyone to homemade Double choc, berry and coconut muffins with lashings of hot tea and juice. I know, chocolate for breakfast buy hey, the kids are only young for a little while and soon they will be too "cool" to even eat breakfast! It was glorious with the wind whispering through the Silk Oaks and the native birds calling out.

I love this time of year. While most gardens are becoming bare and barren, mine is gearing up for a floral burst, with the Grevilleas and Banksias in full flower to feed the hungry hoardes of native birds that come down to indulge in the sweet nectar. I remember a neighbour commenting how her garden was sad in winter and I smiled because mine is bursting with life and colour. Did I mention I love Autumn??

Silky Oak, a favourite of mine. We have just planted one. Ok it will be taller than the house but I don't care!!!

Banksia Integrifolia with its unusual green flowers that turn yellow and then become evil Banksia Men. For years I hated Banksia trees as they were the most awful characters in May Gibbs famous "Snugglepot and Cuddlepie". Now I see the beauty in them and the fantastical shapes they become once they go to seed.
You can see where May got her inspiration from!

And here is my absolute favourite. Grevillea Honey Gem, a medium sized shrub with gorgeous bracts of huge flowers. Absolutely stunning, the contrast of the dark green pinned foliage to the eye popping gold is just awesome!!!

So happy Autumn everyone! I'll be thinking of all the American readers who are going into summer.

Cheers,

Cin

Pirates and Soap Bubbles

I know I've been slack, I know I haven't popped in but it has taken us two weeks to pack up the shop and move the whole shebang home. Add to that the customers are still coming thick and fast and you could say I've been slightly busy.

Conor had a Pirate Day at Prep on Friday and we used some cardboard, paper, tape and a whole heap of imagination and came up with...

Yes, he has tattoos, yes he is wearing an earring (an idea he had on his own) and no his front teeth are still there, just blacked out! Far too cute, thats for sure!

Caitie is working very hard at school, in fact I don't think I've seen her work so hard before. Her writing is alot neater and she is even attempting maths! Its fantastic to see her struggling yet overcoming what, to her, is goobledygook. She is attending tutoring twice a week which will be scaled back to once a week soon.

And Aiden? Well, Sunday night found us settling if for a night of tv. The boys were in the bath when Aiden came out, dripping wet and soapy saying, "I don't know what happened?" I'm scanning him trying to figure out what was going on when I saw the blood running thickly down his throat. Oh, snap! Tony grabbed a wad of tissues and we mopped up the blood, took one look at his chin and I said, "I think its my turn for the hospital run?" I went into the bathroom for a quickfix bandaid only to discover the floor had been liberally painted with soap! Yes, SOAP!! No wonder the silly bugger fell over. Luckily it was only a small gash, about a centimeter so all it required was some glue. The biggest punishment has been that he can't go swimming this week. Some life lessons are learnt the hard way.

Have a great week!

Cin

Little Beginnings

Firstly, I want to say thankyou to those who contacted me about my last post. The aftermath of the fires have left alot of people raw but there are the little things that make you smile. A family found their pet peacock after it was featured on the news. Devestating footage of a man walking through his yard, filming the carnage only to turn the camera between two water tanks, their taps on full, and his wife and two children sheltering from the fire. All were safe, their house was gone but they were safe.

Together, the country has pledged $100 million to fire relief. It is overwhelming.

***

We started to clear out the shop after a massive sale on the weekend. My husband has come to the realisation that working from home means working with ME! I think he had to go have a rest to get over the shock. Our first conversation went something like this-

C- Why is it you never listen to any of my suggestions?

T- I do...

C- Then why aren't you seperating the glass and china into seperate boxes like I suggested?

T- You didn't suggest that...

C- (sigh)

I heart him, I really do!

A Year of Endings

My throat is raw, my eyes are dry, everything aches...and I am not one of those who have suffered in the worst fires in Australia's history.


Over 180 people are dead, entire towns destroyed. The loss of property, life and love is an enormous burden. Words fail me.

180+ people are dead. Entire families are gone. Now stop and think about that for a second. Words on a page cannot express the horror of those two sentences. Look at your family, look at your loved ones, at your friends and imagine that in less than 5 minutes they are gone. Imagine that they are not simply gone but die amongst immense heat and fire. It is too tragic to comprehend.

My heart bleeds for the families left to mourn. My heart bleeds for the Triple 0 operators who had to listen to people begging for help as they were dying. My heart bleeds for the people who said that the night after the fire, all they could hear were the native animals screaming in pain. It conjures images I don't want to face. And yet, this is my country and I will face it.

Nothing will stop this fire except for rain. It burns on, threatening to converge into a massive fire storm again. And yet, left behind, there is a different shower for the victims. An outpouring of love, compassion and empathy has rained down on the survivors. We are Australian, this is what we do...and I am bloody proud. To date, the country has rallied and raised over $40 million dollars. Trucks full of clothes, food, toiletries, shoes, toys and general household goods have been donated.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thankyou. Thankyou to the little girl who donated $55 out of her moneybox and from her Confirmation money. Thankyou to the woman who donated $20 000 from money left to her by a relative. Thankyou....

***

And our own personal "little death". After five years of fun, laughter, giddy highs and devastating lows our family business is closing down. I thought we had it made. I thought we had passed that magic milestone and it was hard work but not hard slog from hereon in. I was wrong. The economy crashed and took our business with it. We will be trading but from home. Ebay will become a family friend.

I'm sad, very sad. I just haven't shared it yet.

Cin