Baby Steps!

It's been a funny old week all told, one step forward and three back, two forward and one back, but I think, taking all the forwards and backwards, we may be slightly forward!!

On Tuesday we dropped Kindle off at the vet at eight (in the morning!! A usually unheard of time for us pensioners!) and then we headed towards Riebeek-Kasteel, a village about 100 kms from us. Why? Read on. About 10 kms out of Vredenburg, we heard a bang from under the car, it sounded as though a stone had been flung up into the wheel arch by the tyre, but as we couldn't see anything and the car didn't wobble at all, we carried on to Hopefield, a little town that has a cafe that sells the most delicious toasted sarmies (sandwiches). As it was breakfast time, we decided to pop in, buy some bird food in large sacks like farmers do, and grab a sarmie to keep our strength up. It was 3 degrees!!! That's cold!! But with snow on the mountain tops, we understood why!

Snow dusting the mountain tops!

And we saw that we had a puncture!


We ate our sarmies to give us strength. And then while I ferreted about looking for rocks to place under the wheels, Rob removed all the carpeting etc from the back of the Nissan and found the spare wheel........brand new and never used! As Rob started to undo the nuts, two knights on white horses in the shape of a driver and his assistant in a SASKO bread delivery van, drove in! They leapt out and after saying things about 'helping old people', they took over! In minutes it was done! After buying coffee all round, we set off again.

Now, the reason we were going to Riebeek-Kasteel in the first place was to collect a small porcelain figure called 'Cassim'. This little figure was made at the turn of last century and had withstood years of dusting, two World Wars, travelling from England to Africa, and several moves after that. And then a few months ago, it met the cleaning team and that was that.

Say no more!

So, my friend Pam gave me the number of a man who restores porcelain (among other things) and who lives in Riebeek-Kasteel! See? Makes sense now!!

Restored to his former glory.

Beautifully restored, we collected him and were about to turn for home. Then Rob said that as we were very close to our favourite restaurant called 'du Vlei' we could pop in for a cup of coffee and a slice of chocolate cake. For strength to face the journey home of course.

Kindle was fine, little shaved tummy and wobbly legs! Into her room, heater on, food and water. And I slept there with her Tuesday night in case she needed me. Never again. She fidgeted, she was on the bed, off the bed, eating with gusto, scratching in her litter tray, on the bed, biting my nose, purring loudly all the time! And when she was quiet I was worried that she was chewing her stitches, so I had to check! The boys were quite interested but not a problem.

Man at work with Alfie looking on!

On Wednesday Rob had a brilliant idea. He made a wooden frame that fits in the doorway and covered it with plastic covered wire. It works wonderfully well as they can see and smell and touch noses but cannot do anything more rowdy!

Basil and Dopey saying 'hello there!'

Basil actually came into the room and they touched noses but all was fine. So, on Thursday I decided to let them mingle a bit. All was well until Dopey decided to chase her and she ran up the stairs with him in hot pursuit. Then I heard a scrabble and she howled, and the next thing both of them in a clump of feet and fur, rolled under the wooden beam and fell from the top floor onto the floor next to the dining table. I was beside myself, I imagined burst stitches, blood and guts (literally) all over the floor and a rush to the vet with two injured cats. But they were fine, they untangled themselves, and she went back to the safety of her room and Dopey went out into the garden! Sadly I think she got a huge fright and she is reluctant to come out of her room without lots of encouragement, so that was a step or six backwards!

Feeding time! With Dilly, our big black and white boy, looking confused!

I feed them in the kitchen together every morning, and that seems to be fine, and as I thought, Dilly hasn't really noticed that she is here, but she growls at him and I can see that he is confused by that! Alfie is fine, he has accepted her and is happy to have her around and she is gradually realising that he is not going to hurt her.

So, see what I mean by two steps forward and three steps backwards?

Baby steps...........but we'll get there in the end!