Billy

Don't you just loves this cute photo. Billy is such a photogenic dog.

From the roof tops

This is a photo of Milo the most adventurous of all my cats. He uses the sails that go over our pool to access the roof of our house. House, sails then to the fence and down. He is certainly a real boy.

Fishing at Hastings Point

Here the girls are experiencing fishing for the first time. They are at Hastings Point and they caught absolutely nothing but they had fun trying.

Urunga

This photo was taken of my husband and two daughters at Urunga when we had a trial run in our caravan. I love watching my husband interact with his daughters from a distance it doesn't happen often enough as he's at work alot and that's why I love holidays as you get to spend more quality time with the ones you love and if you get to see some things you don't normally see that even makes it better.

A day at the Beach

This photo of Amy and our dog Billy was taken at a trip to the beach during a sunny day in Winter earlier this year. Billy loves the beach he runs off like a nut at full speed and gets just far enough away and then comes running full speed back. He loves running into the water and playing on the beach. I wanted to end my blogging tonight on a happier note.

Rest in Peace Sam

Because of the problems with Benji unfortunately Sam started to copy Benji and started doing his business on the floor. I made the decision to put Sam down at the same time as Benji mainly because I have 4 other cats still and as they are all younger they were still all using the cat litter trays and had not developed any bad toileting habits. And if I'd kept Sam they might decide to do the same as him and to be honest if I don't have to pick up another poo off the floor before I do the washing I certainly wont mind it.

Sam was a bit of a loner. He did not like any of the other cats and although he was very placid and never caused any fights with the other cats he was not a very affectionate cat and was not very friendly so I had never really built a strong friendship with him. He was a very high maintenance cat and I always had trouble with having to trim his fur to stop messes on the furniture and he always got very notty he would also vomit alot because of the fur balls in his stomach from his long fur. I would also have to bath him when his fur got poo in it around his back legs and he hated every minute and I'd be scratched heaps.

I mainly put him down as I was worried that even after Benji was gone that he would continuing to poo on the floor and I don't want the other cats to start doing it. He was too old now to change his ways and he is afraid of the outside as he has always been an inside cat so I couldn't just put him outside. As he is not very friendly and is very high maintence because of his long fur and most people think he is ugly because of his squashed face, I did not think I would be able to rehome him especially with his bad toileting habits. So I felt I had no choice.

Looking back over the decision now that he and Benji are gone I am much happier and relieved. I am relieved for Benji as he was sick and I am relieved for myself that I can now enjoy my other four cats and one dog and not be a slave to picking up after them when they mess on the floor. I was always so embarrassed to have a visitor in the house incase a poo was on the floor. My other cats are less maintenance and I can just enjoy them. I know I made the right decision although I have never in my life had to put an animal down and I hope I never have to do it again.

Rest in Peace my dear Benji boy

Today I had to make a very difficult decision. About Eight Months ago my gorgeous Persian Benji was diagnosed with a Chronic Kidney desease. The vet told me at the time he would slowly deteriorate. Over the past couple of months he has been drinking gallons of water and weeing a very strong smelling wee in large quantities and his bowel movements had become bloody diarohea. This had been going on for a few months but unfortunately he had also lost the ability to use the cat litter tray so every morning I had to pick up his business off the laundry floor. In the beginning it was ok but when the bloody diarohea started and become two or three times a day it was really becoming hard to cope with then the other day he'd also done a wee on the floor in the kitchen. It had obviously got to the point where it was time. So yesterday after picking up another runny poo and blood off the floor in the laundry so I could do the washing I decided it was time. So I took him to the vet this morning. I loved him very much and have had him for 9 years so it was a very upsetting experience and I couldn't even get the words out to the receptionist at the vet without crying, she told me I didn't have to explain it to her but I needed to. Good bye Benji my dear boy.

Billy Elliott

Whilst in Sydney visiting friends we experienced another thing that we never get to do. The only musical I have ever seen is Grease when it travelled Australia in that big black tent a few years ago. So we took the opportunity to go and see a show. Billy Elliott was showing at the Capitol Theatre and we booked before Christmas and although our seats were three quarters of the way up the back we could still see the stage and it was marvellous. The story line about the miners strike and Margaret Thatcher went over the girls heads a bit as it was a bit political and they didn't follow it, but all the singing and dancing was so spectacular and wonderful that it didn't matter. There is a fair bit a swearing in the show so possibly not for real young kids but mine are 13 and 9 and hear more swearing in the school playground so it was fine. Definately worth seeing if you get the chance.

Time with friends

On the 27th December 2007 the girls and I went down to Sydney by plane to visit my oldest and dearest friend. We had not seen each other for years and we needed some personal in your face contact rather then phone or email so we took the opportunity of some time off from work to get together and go and have some fun together - we went shopping galore - spent heaps in shops that we don't get to shop at and all the sales were on so we got heaps of bargains on clothes, shoes and handbags. We also went to Gold Class cinema which we have never experienced as we don't have one at home. If you have never been then pay the extra and go, we saw the kids movie Enchanted while we layed back in huge comfy recliners and ate from a huge bowl of popcorn and drank diet coke from glass cups not paper. It was wonderful, when you don't get to do it at home. We all had so much fun we've made plans to do it every year at the same time.