24th June

Both John and I are feeling a bit low at the moment - everything seems to be a bit flat.  We are glad that Chivers passing did not happen when we had visitors here - although arguably they could have helped to take our minds off of things.

We were, therefore, blown away when Nicky and Mark nipped up to see their house and came in with a gift which Nicky had made.  This is a portrait of Chivs which is folded into a book.  The photograph does not do it justice as I could not get a decent picture without the brown 'stripe' down the middle which was caused by the shadows where the book is located.  He now sits on the bookcase between the photographs of Hadge and my Dad, looking up like he always used to - ever hopeful of a treat and John would always oblige.

We were so impressed, even though Nicky says the technique is easy, not least by her skill but by the fact that she took time out to make it so quickly for us.  I know it may not be everyone's cup of tea but we like it and that is all that matters.

I realised when I was looking through photographs the other evening and making an album up for John of his 'boy' that there were very few pictures of Minnie Mou.  As a small kitten she was rescued by Mum in Emba and at the time we had only had Chivers a couple of months so we didn't really want another cat but really what could we do?  She was tiny and cute and in need of a home.

We had only had her with us a couple of days when we realised she was very very poorly and nearly died from Calicivirus - after a week in the vets she recovered and returned and John spent days and days getting Chivers and Minnie used to one another and they were inseparable for about the first year together.  Some time later something happened to Minnie and she became very nervous and cowered if we went near her.  For a long time she would not come to the house, she was around and we would leave food out for her and it would go but if we tried to coax her in then she would run away.  We never found out what happened but whatever it was changed her personality completely.

She is a strange little thing now because during the day we cannot really go near her save for the fact that she tends to like to sleep on our bed most of the time but if we go to stroke her she will freak out and run off cowering which is upsetting.  At night though before we go to bed and first thing in the morning we can do anything we like with her - she is the most loving cat who snuggles up between us and is happy.  We do wonder why that is and are sorry she isn't like that all the time but at least she is back with us and if that is the best it will be then so be it.   I think because she is so skittish this is why we now have so few photographs of her - certainly if I approach her in daylight she runs off - you can see that she is less than impressed by me snapping her today.

We realise that we need to stop moping about and get back to some sort of normality which is a little easier said than done but we are not putting pressure on ourselves to get any of the outstanding To-Do jobs done.  Whilst we were wandering about the garden this morning we realised that there was one of those huge Elephant's Trunks delivering concrete to Persephone and Savvas's house where they are having an extension built above the kitchen - we refer to it as The Cube because that is what it is at the moment and we are fascinated to see how it turns out in the end.  For some reason John was on the wall between us and next door - I thought he was getting a better look at the Elephant's Trunk but he was making sure that the passion flower is growing up and over the gazebo and not down and into Gregoris and Dora's garden.



I was having a bit of a tidy-up today.  I cannot decide what to do with the mosquito net I bought for the Day Bed which is now surplus to requirement but wasn't a cheap one so I am loathe to gift it away.  Temporarily I have put it in the guest room and got John to hang it from the fan.  He isn't sure and I am not sure about it but shortly after it was erected Boris came in and gave it his seal of approval so I guess for a while it might be staying!