It has been a crazy few weeks … well, more like 5 weeks … my 9 month kitten died in a hideous accident at home and that left us shattered beyond belief … then a week later my neighbours who took my kitten’s siblings, found a 10 wk old stripey kitten on the street late one night who we have now adopted ourselves … he needed a home and we had room.  I figure it was meant to be, and our boy Shelby wouldnt deny a little one a home when he himself came from such difficult beginnings himself. It was difficult and painful seeing him where our boy was no longer, but we will love him. It is still difficult actually … but we manage to love him and smile between the sadness and tears. His new big sister likes him more as he is a more gentle boy than our Shelbs was … he was a rough wild man … Cody is a curious and adventurous and gentle spotty stripey boy.

I’ve been hunting like an obsessed mad woman trying to find myself a house to buy which is such a terrifying endeavour when you are doing it on your very own! (will it be a good house? Can I afford it? Is it too far away from work? From my family? From my boyfriend and friends?) … I want a garden and more room for my furry and feathery family because a unit with 33 stairs to my front door is proving to be a bit crowded and annoying! i’ve found a house, and made an offer, but as to where that will go, I don’t know … do what you think is right and then let go of the outcome … it has good foundations and plenty of potential and it is in a growth area with good future possible rental return should I decide to move on to the next house I buy! And if not this one, then another one in a similar area closeby … whatever will be, will be.

We had an incident at work that I had to then deal with, then another complication on top of that … all which I dealt with … but still, it robbed me of time with my kids and time to do all the other things I am either falling behind in, or haven’t done yet!!! …

I found out last week that my manager has resigned … which in and of itself is a good outcome for the service as well as my sanity … but it is still a bit of a shake up for the service… so there is a great deal of the unknown in my life right now from work to my home …

So that is where I’m at … I have some time off and I am going to Melbourne to catch up with some friends and then I’m going to sort through some things at home.

Peace out!

One afternoon the children were acting up ~ and this child is one of them … Let’s call her Hilary for arguments sake … Hilary was running around and being silly ~ she is after all a child … and Hilary broke something that had just been built near our sandpit. It was flimsy and a complete waste of time and I don’t know why it was part of the plans in the first place … regardless, it was broken and this child fell over onto the hard ground.

My manager told Hilary’s mother that she was out of control and that she was really being difficult … and put this child in a really difficult perspective for the mother. The mother was really upset by this. She asked me if I shared the opinion of my manager. My manager actually spends very little to no time with this child, or any of my kids for that matter and for her to pass judgement on the child.

I had already spoken to the mother a few weeks ago about her daughter’s behaviour and we had already discussed some strategies and such … and it was working.

My managers is one of those managers who doesn’t really seem to engage often or very successfully with children and it shows in her interactions … She’s awkward … I have had quite a few managers who have either been awkward straight up, or the children totally didn’t like them at all and you could see it! Why work with children when you don’t know how to engage with them or they don’t like you? But hey, what do I know?

Anyway, I couldn’t believe that my manager passed such harsh judgement on this child upsetting the mother … it was done without much sensitivity either …

I managed to calm the mother down and she felt better about the situation … I told her that I couldn’t comment on my manager’s experience with her child, but while in my care, in my room, the child was =this= way and even when acting difficult, you could reason with her … blah blah blah …

I hate being put into those situations …

Proud Little Boy

Dear Little Kitten,

I look at you and I am struck by so many things … You are a beautiful little stripey wild cat who looks like a cougar and a tiger and a bobcat and a leopard all rolled up into one streak of energy … As I write you this letter, you are sleeping next to me on the lounge. Like a typical cat, you are sleeping on my “very important papers.”

I found you and your sister and little brother. Your sister was the smart one, your little brother was the smallest most timid and you, you were the brave one. You and your little sister were under the dumpster scared and starving and your brother was back in your nest in the  cactus …

I didn’t know who you were … I met your mother just over a year ago … she turned up at our complex as a young female … she was black and white and the type of cat that I usually go for … The kitten I rescued 15 years ago was black and white, and still is living at home with my parents … and my cat is black and white, rescued from the RSPCA partly because she’s, yeah, you guessed it, black and white (plus she purred and looked so pitiful and purred the second I held her in my arms). Your mother was the most timid little thing but she was a fighter and a survivor. It wasn’t long before she had a litter of kittens. She was a strong mother. Not all of her bubs survived, as I noticed that a couple disappeared … but she fulfilled her role ~ to survive, pass on her genes … that’s what her instinct was telling her to do. And she did it.

When I found you … I didn’t know that you were her baby. I didn’t know she’d had another litter … Your two big sisters still wander around every now and then, a beautiful black and white and a calico.

When I think about your mum, I get sad. I am deeply saddened that a cat had to survive on the street and do it alone. I am sad that someone dumped her … that she only had her instincts and while they made her a strong survivor, they also told her to breed and add to the problem … more kittens. I often looked down upon her from my balcony and felt so sad … I know that it was probably all she knew, but nonetheless, I felt such sadness.

When I came back downstairs after seeing you and your sister, I didn’t know there were three of you. It was my goal to rescue you. I used to catch kittens when I was a child as I grew up with a neighbor who horded cats he rescued … I knew what I was doing.

First I caught you, and your sister almost in one handful. You hissed and you bit me and then you growled a slow rumble-growl, then you relaxed. When I got you upstairs, I saw that you had a weeping eye, and I knew that you had cat-flu. So straight into quarantine in my bathroom you went. Not long after, you were joined with your brother. He was trickier to catch as he was so much more timid. But luckily for all of us, he didn’t like being alone and came looking for you.

I was going to just surrender you to my vet. They do rescue work and are an ethical vet. I knew that you would be in good hands despite your low weight. (The RSPCA usually puts down kittens who weigh less than half a kilogram). But my beautiful partner said no, we have to bring them home. He loves little creatures, and while not a cat person before we started going out, he’s definitely a cat person now. So we brought you home.

I fell in love with you. I also had a soft spot for your black and white brother, but there was something about you. My partner fell in love with you too. He saw that something I saw too.

So our neighbour took your brother and sister and gave them a home. And we kept you.

Your mother was hit by a car one weekend. We saw her on the nature strip late one night, but we thought, no, not a cat, just rubbish. I feel guilty that I didn’t go and look and pay her the respect that I feel she deserved. She could have been moving you and your litter to your new location … I would like to think that there were only three of you.

You were alone for 5 days … you were alone, and starving and scared. I snatched you and brought you home and it only took one night before you were tame. I read that kittens need to be socialised by 6 weeks or you have difficulty taming them in future. We were lucky.

If your mother hadn’t have died, you, the strongest and bravest, would have probably died from illness. So, in a way, your mother not only gave you life, she died to give you life again.

So little kitten, as you lie next to me sleeping, and I write this, I am struck by how life is. I have watched you grow and develop and you have taught me so much about how life develops. So thank you little one, for the lessons you’ve given me, and the many more I know will come!

I look at you, and I think of your mother, I am both sad, and happy.

So that little kitten, is the beginning of your story.

 P.S. Please stop biting me! It’s really hurting! And play nice with your sister … She’s 9 years old after all.

I was so proud of my work !! I did an awesome job. Yay me!

So I was at work minding my own during lunch and this bird landed on someone’s head … I used my sleeved arm to tentatively remove him and my life has NOT been the same since … His name is Evil Bird … then he became Chucky, but he has since graduated to Satan. We are in love … I must admit I’m not a fan of him when he bites me, but I have to admit he does “nice” bites to me … he tries to KILL and MAIM my beloved partner who we shall now call Pounce (long story) …

So I have been distracted by that bird … I could sell him ~ he’s been lovingly hand raised and he was someone’s loved pet, but no one put notices up so I have just kept him … Pounce hates him … in theory …

Then, I found a baby pigeon … as you do … it was a fledgling and technically would have been ok, but it was in a high traffic alley way and it just was not safe and it was wet and cold and I couldnt see a good outcome for it … so off to the Korean grocery store to ask for a box with gestures and such … and Pounce was a good man and helped me set up for motherhood … a hotwater bottle, failing with parrot raising mix coupled with some internet research, my life was full of warm peas and corn at odd hours of the day and night … My baby pidge is now doing really well and can fly and feed itself and still acts like a baby of course with squeaks and squeals of “feed me” … I still don’t know what I’m going to do with this pigeon …

Then … yeah, there’s more … then I found 3 orphaned kittens about 6 weeks old at my complex … Their mother was the black and white stray who had a litter last year … She was a tough street smart cat who had her first litter very young … she was small and feisty and a survivor and I admired her strength … She was hit by a car … luckily her smart little ones were under my dumpsters … I had to catch them (that is a post in itself) … and well, short version is that two of them have gone to a new home with my neighbor who also saw them, and Pounce has kept the stripey boy who we still have yet to name decisively … His name has not yet come!

So that … THAT is what I have been doing …

Seriously.

I’m insane.

OVER

IT

LIKE

A

TEAPOTCOZY

I’m also burned out and over it at work =again= which doesnt help …

I’m going to hang out til maybe February and then I’m jumping into casual work ~ no commitment ~ minimal paperwork ~ less B/S ~ sure less or none of the good-stuff … but I’m just tired and bored and don’t want to go to the next step at this company … and then the step after that is gonna be family day care … the more I think of it, the more I’m in love with the idea …

Just putting it out there …

Health would be good though

*cough-cough*

But you know what? Their behaviour and choices  say everything about them … It has nothing to do with me, its not personal … they don’t know me, or who I am or what I’m about, or my relationships that I am so proud of …

I went to an amazing seminar today (that I will write about over time as all the bits and pieces sink in) and I thought … here are some amazing educators who are doing amazing things, and the key speaker is talking about the relationships that we have with children … And that if at the very least, we have good relationships then we have made a difference in the children’s lives …

If I do nothing else, I have awesome relationships with my kids … some stronger and longer than others, but 44 relationships based upon humour, love, respect and awe.  I’m proud of that.

So yeah, I have so much to reflect upon and write … I will have to continue this conversation later.

(c) Friday Tuesday

I started my day by having coffee with my friend and her partner and her gorgeous bub … then I had a coffee on my own and did some work while at my favourite cafe. Its like hanging out with friends, but you’ve got space at the same time … I like that!

This evening, as the sun sets, I’ve got Boston Legal playing, rainbow lorikeets chirping outside, the gorgeous girl cat sleeping on her chair and the golden sun kissing my feature wall … I should take a picture of it …

My Feature Wall @ Sunset

Sunday Sunset @ My Place

I am going to be working on my project this evening … with a clean house surrounding me … I’ll have a facial and wash my hair as well later … Might as well since I’m not going out   … Oh and drawing … I’m going to practice drawing again … I did a course on drawing with children which was awesome I might add … I should write about it in a post … and I have been inspired to pick up a pencil again! I still have some skill!

Anyway … time to get some work done!

XoXoXo

(c) Friday Tuesday

“I believe that everyone else my age is an adult whereas I’m merely in disguise”

- Margaret Atwood

Anyway, this child used to invite me to his home all the time ~ he’d give me directions to “Number Four” … I was so deeply touched by this as he had only been at our service for a matter of 3 months or less … He was an old soul … I could see it in his eyes.

I found his name today in our box of words and names for practice writing … I wrapped it up in a letter and I am going to deliver it to his Mum … He apparently talks about me alot, so I should acknowledge the importance of my role in his life and give him some attention from a distance.

(c) Friday Tuesday