2020

"So" said Mrs S, Mr S squirming and screaming "don't start a sentence with so." I continue, So 2020 was it all a crock of shit? 

Someone has commented on Facebook "look at them mountains covered in snow," and the beautiful little voice inside my head is screaming "those" its feckings those mountain. But I don't know the person well enough to say anything so best if I don't, but they're not even Welsh, so they haven't got an excuse. We do have an excuse, a brain working in Welsh sometimes malfunctions before the translation is complete, and following 2015 mine malfunctions anyway! I remember lying in ICU in Walton hospital telling them "Please tell me that in Welsh!" Lol No one could or did!  Anyway I've digressed. 

2020 - A year we will never forget.  I came into it heartbroken at the loss of something that was never really there. I even had a name for the puppy in my dream, my sable bitch puppy would be called Vixen. But I had to replan and move on. Sammi was mated to Fransisco and 9 beautiful babies joined our world, the best distraction ever to covid though I was concerned about their future. There was of course heartache along the way and the loss of 3-week-old Winnie was unbearable, she knew love kindness, warmth and plenty but the last few hours of her life will always haunt me. 

Choosing a name for the boy to stay was not easy, though I like the name Orin, it would not have been my choice of name, though of course he was my choice of puppy! So next time it's my turn and I already know what I'm calling my next little girl, and no I'm not saying before she gets here safely! 

The heartbreak of the year for us was the unexpected disappearance of Isla in May. Having lived here 25 years I've never lost a cat before. It has been heartbreaking beyond words. The not knowing in the killer, there can never be closure without knowledge. I have to try to accept that she is probably dead, accept that we will never see her again, but still some days I find myself searching as I'm walking. Sensibly what would make a happy well-fed, middle-aged cat leave home? There is no answer that will ever give me comfort.

As Steve always says we really didn't need another cat .. but early Autumn when the rescue centres are full to busting and your heart is still breaking then nothing can help it heal as well as offering a home to another special little chap. No, we may not have needed another cat, but lots of little guys need what we can offer. This place is as safe as anywhere can be for a cat, so we welcomed Archie To Blanik! 

When we came into 2020 I thought Brexit would cripple the country, little did we know what was to come!  Living here and having the litter really took us through the first lockdown without too much difference in our lives, but of course socialising the puppies became extremely difficult. When Orin really needed to be going and doing it just wasn't possible to go about as normal. Luckily for us though we were able to adjust and visit friends in their gardens and fields, Orin even going into the houses on his own. Pets At Home and garden centres were a huge asset but still I feel Orin has missed out on so much. By now he should have been to the NEC, to a champ show at Malvern, to an agricultural show and to a leisure centre, the list of experiences that he's missed out on are endless, and when you look at the big picture of what's going on in the world, well Orin's lack of experiences are really insignificant.  

So now we are at the foot of 2021, ready to take the first step in. I'm nervously excited about the next couple of weeks, lot going on and not just the imminent birth of the "L" litter to worry me. Here's hoping it will be a healthier year for the world and that soon, very soon normality will prevail!