Flat Rock

We went camping the afternoon of the funeral service which was good because it took the heat off the death and gave us a break from the dogs... THOSE DOGS! I kept telling The Big Man that they 'are your dogs, not mine', a bit like when the kids are really naughty and they suddenly did not exit my body, but miraculously are his only.

With 8 families in total and 16 kids it was a brilliant way to wash away all the sadness. The Little Men had a ball, in fact, I hardly saw them. Rock pooling, sand dune jumping, kite flying, football, eating, swinging, showering, spotlighting... oh so much to do and so many people to do it with.

We stayed on a few days after everyone left and were lucky enough to find a yellow bellied sea snake on the high tide mark. It was tired and was resting... thank heaven it moved it's head as I bent down to pick it up (I thought it was a rubber snake). It was so beautiful. Brilliantly coloured.

We got a stick and began to drag/flick it down to the water, but he wouldn't go in, too exhausted... it had been storming the night prior and he was just plum tuckered. It filled in an hour and we feel soooo lucky to have seen this amazing thing... The boys are still talking about it and The Little Man even dragged a huge animal book in for Show and Tell (or Public Speaking as they say in the Private Schools! @$#@%#). Imagine the disappointment in the afternoon when he drags the book back again telling me they missed out on Show and Tell this week because of some other extra activity. Poor kid, his bag was soooo heavy. I'd be pee'd off too if I had to cart that thing around for a day for nothing.

Complaints

There have been some complaints about my last post... mostly that I have left you all in the lurch about what is happening in our GP focused world.

We had the burial service the next morning, after spending that night relocating the remaining GP's to the spare bathrooms' shower recess. They are safe there, a barrier of glass provides them with safety and the dogs can look and quiver some more. They are still hiding under their house, but they are getting more comfortable with it all.

We buried the baby in a tyre in the vegetable patch. Our plan is to plant a pretty flower in there soon and remember him/her that way. It was a hard thing to do for the Little Men, but they made me proud and did all they could to help the process along.

Previously on 'The Animal Chronicles', we had another dog attack victim who passed into the next land. It was a mouse baby who stuck it's head out of the wire cage to have a sniff and had it half bitten off by Ruby... so distressing for The Middle Man... that one took me a long time to talk around... We had a memorial service that night. The Little Man forced us to light every candle in the house and we all had to stand in silence and honour the tiny life the mousey baby had had.

One starts to wonder sometimes why it is that we continually give life to other little creatures, to have them die suddenly at the hands (or paws) of our other pets. Shouldn't we be doing a better job of protecting these little beings? Am I a bad person? All these deaths kind of get to me sometimes, but in a few months I will be getting ready to do it all again. There is something wrong with that... do I not value the life of an animal enough, no matter how small?

Hmmm... so the long shot of it all is that we are now going to get rid of the GP's full stop! I cannot live with this stress anymore. It is just too awful to never know when I will walk out and find them cowering under their boxes as they wait for the dogs to dig a big enough hole to get to them... etc etc...

I found a home for two of them, a mother and daughter couple... I cannot yet give away the mother and baby as I don't know yet if baby is a boy or girl. If it is a boy it will no doubt be bonking his mother at the earliest opporunity. That is what has happened to the mother I was going to give away this weekend... her son had squeeeeeezed into her cage the morning I took him to the pet shop and had 'done' his mother. She is now pregnant with her own grandchildren... OMG! I can't give someone 2 GP's, and then have them morph into 4 or 5 in a couple of weeks time... that would be so not cool!

Yesterday...

the dogs got into the GP's cage and killed one of the babies... the one with the white face. We are still in shock and mourning... Cannot speak (or write) about it at the moment, it is too awful.
Say a little prayer for the little darling... they were only playing with it, they didn't know...

The New Family

6.20am... I secretly squint to see who is standing beside my bed breathing rather heavily. It is The Little Man. He has been told just the night before to stop waking people up. Perhaps he is trying a new mind over matter strategy.

6.30am... The Little Man leaves, clomping down the stairs... no doubt in the hope of waking me up that way.

6.50am... Up and at em'. Into the shower, out, dressed, hair, face etc.

7.20am... The Middle Man stumbles from the bedroom all mussy and cute... and warm... oh so warm... and cuddly.

7.30am... "OMG! Mum! Mum! The Guinea Pig has had her babies."

We all rush outside and start lifting lids on the Pig Hotels and find two of the most adorable little creatures... OMG Mother Nature is just so divine... I am in love again... They are sooo beautiful! But we must get to school...


oh dear... we cannot concentrate on anything else now... oh.... did I say 'we'? I meant ME. I cannot concentrate on anything at all... they are beautiful! Last night they were in mum's tummy and today they are out and about, living life and as my sister says "Ready for school!" It's amazing! They have claws so long... her insides must be all scratched. Dear dear little feet. All pink and new and unstained.

Questions...

Today I took the kids to the shops (yes... now I remember why I don't take them to the shops), and the kids were asking so many questions...

"Can I have this jacket? What is this? If he is getting a jacket, then can I have a new shirt? What does this do? How does that work? Why is that lady going before us? We were here first."

I actually felt like at any moment a huge banner was going to burst from the ceiling, music would blast, a brass band would start marching through the store and a lady in a tight dress, with curled hair and red lipstick would shout "Congratulations Maam! You are the winner. Your child has just asked the 1 millionth question in this store today!!! How do you feel?"

"Oh! um... well... I know they ask lots of questions, but really, I did nothing... I just grunted at them a few times... really.... Oh... where is the camera? Hi... yes, aren't they just the most adorable little boys? Uh huh... I love it when they ask questions... it just shows me they have an inquiring mind. I mean, if they were vegetables and didn't ask any questions, I know I would be sad. Here, here... this is my best side..."

But then, I pay, I gather the belongings and we fight out the door as they scramble for their jackets, and in my head I hear a little "Bah Bumb!". I didn't win a thing... it was all in my imagination. I wasn't on the news... I wasn't in the paper. I haven't done anything remarkable today at all...

Oh, except give a 9 year old and a 7 year old a huge hug and told them I loved them more than anything else in the whole wide world. That's enough!

A three dog life

I love this book. I cannot put it down...

It is beautifully written, and for me, it is like she talking to me. I keep on smiling as I read it and I have to look around to see if anyone is looking at me (but then I remember... oh yeah... no-one is bothered about me... I am just living my life and everyone else is living theirs).

It has also made some things OK for me. Certain things in my life that I had thought frivolous or silly, or selfish or whatever, I feel differently about them now... I love it... I love her... I wish I was in the same country and I would go to a reading or something...

Read it everyone... I am sure there is something in it for everyone.