We packed up and left Lucey Blue on Australia Day. Lucey Blue is still in Sydney, and is currently in the midst of having new saloon windows installed, and various things like the trampolines, window covers, cockpit cover and main sail fixed or replaced. Eventually we will move her closer to home, but for now it is easier to get all of this stuff done in Sydney.
One of the reasons we had to high tail it home was that it was time for Emily to start school (where did those five years go?????):
She has really been enjoying school, and has slipped easily into the routine. I, on the other hand, am still getting my head around having to provide healthy snack, little lunch and big lunch on a daily basis, remembering library day, attending piano lessons and keeping the pile of uniforms washed and ready to go. How many years did you say this went on for ;-)?
We also have some very sad news. Oscar Post passed away on the 13th of February 2010, he was 15 years and 3 months old. This photo of him was taken in April 2001 - doesn't he look beautiful?:
Oscar came from Charjan Felines in Sydney, and his mum was Charjan Miss Jana. He was sold to me as 'spot' because of the little patch of white fur on his belly between his front legs. Because of this spot, which we fondly referred to as his 'dud' spot, he was sold without papers (as a 'pet' only) and cost me $150.
In his lifetime he moved between several houses in Sydney, and then to Canberra. He was looked after by our flatmate George for almost a year while we went overseas, and he had also done time on several boats (I say 'done time' because I'm pretty sure that's what he would have thought about it...boats not being his most favourite place in the world). Oscar had patiently seen in the arrival of our two children, who were serious competitors in the 'attention' department, but who eventually were able to provide him with plenty of attention themselves.
He had his fair share of trauma too. He broke his leg when he was just a kitten, after running up an ironing board that was leaning against a wall (crazy cat ;-). The ironing board promptly fell on top of him and smashed his hind leg. He had to have a pin in that leg, and then wire around the bone...for the rest of his life. He spent 6 weeks in a cage, with a huge Elizabethan collar around his neck, to stop him from fretting at the stitches. He had only started limping because of that injury recently.
When we lived in Sydney, we lived in a free-standing terrace house in the Inner West. Oscar would sit on the pavement outside this house and look adorable....enticing passing strangers to bend down and give him a pat. When he was done with the pats, which never took long, he'd give them a nip and send them on their way.
Oscar got the nick out of the top of his left ear while we lived in that same Sydney terrace. We were never sure whether he had gotten it from fighting with one of the neighbourhood cats, or whether he had gotten himself caught in the thorny Bougainvillea that we had growing in the courtyard. We found one of his collars hanging up there one year, caught tightly in the thorns...but obviously he managed to wiggle himself free!
Oscar also knew all the good places to sleep. One day, when I came home I found my flatmate George lying flat out on the couch. Oscar was comfortably curled up...right on George's face. I was terrified he'd managed to smother George in his sleep...but he hadn't. It must have been like having his own fan-forced, heated sleeping pad (for Oscar) maybe not so nice for George though!
Another of Oscar's little quirks was the way he used to leave his little pink tongue hanging out, looking like a bit of a loon. When he was younger, he used to do this all the time. He'd forget to bring his tongue all the way back into his mouth and you'd find him sitting there with it hanging out....I'd try and give it a little pull, but he got too quick for me.
Rest in Peace little boy...we love you and we miss you!
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