The Hovel Chronicles Part Three.....More Ramblings from Cornwall....

Hello to you from Cornwall this midsummer weekend...Hard to believe that we will be having the longest night and shortest day over the next few days, but more about that later. I thought I would continue with my time while MIA. I apologise about this but a lot did happen to stop me posting and plus the reasons for that put me in a frame of mind where I didn’t want to post. I almost hibernated from life for a while when it let me.......So either get yourself a coffee or something stronger and relax for a while or escape now while you have the chance...lol.........

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Taken this week at 10.25 pm at night from my back garden.

The sky was a lot whiter

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After the shocking news about my dear friend Alma you would think that would be enough. Not to be however....The previous Friday, the 17th, I had taken my cat Mr Darcy to the vets for what we thought was his usually complaint. He had a bladder condition which caused him discomfort and weight loss but antibiotics and steroids usually set him right again. It seemed to work again this time but by the Thursday evening after I had heard about Alma he seemed to have become unwell again and was having difficulty chewing. Another visit to the vets the following day did not reassure me. He had lost even more weight and a large lump had formed in his right gum....both the vet and I knew this was not an abscess, foreign body maybe? The vet suggested an exploratory op for Monday unless I wanted it performed Saturday morning but he would be short staffed!!!! I now know it was his way of saying ‘Have this last weekend with him’ and I thank Luke for that. I knew deep down, you know your animals, but I was hoping he would be ok........

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Monday morning of April 27th soon came around and after lots of cuddles from me Mr Darcy went to the vets with Andy. The news from Luke that lunchtime wasn’t good. This is how kind and thoughtful my vets are, Luke phoned me during their lunch hour knowing there would be no other clients there. I went to the vets immediately and Luke gave up part of his lunchtime to talk to me and let me spend one last time with my furry friend. The lump turned out to be an inoperable tumour and judging by the rapid growth of the lump and weight loss it was felt it may also be elsewhere...I was in shock, I was going to have to say goodbye to this beautiful gentle ginger puss cat Mr Darcy. He was heavily sedated and so chilled lying in my arms and his fur shone. It was so unfair, he was only 7. But I will not let any of my furry family suffer and so I said my goodbyes. I will admit now that I was a coward when it came to staying with Mr Darcy. I have been with all my other animals till the end but I couldn’t with Mr Darcy, I went through a terrible guilt trip but my friends helped me with their support and understanding, helped put things into perspective. I would like to take this time to say a big Thank You to Gina of Cat Nap Inn Primitives, my dear friend Ann in Australia and Rosie, Alan and Hilary here in Cornwall. All of who are animal lovers who understand my love for my furry family. Thank you for being there and listening to my ramblings. I was devastated, I felt like someone had wrenched my heart out. My furry family are part of who I am and when one is gone then a part of me goes to. I was grieving for my human friend Alma when only days later my furry friend died also......a very bad time for me...God Bless you both, take care of Mr Darcy for me Alma..........

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My gentle man Mr Darcy

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That was not all. The boys were due that Monday for their vaccination boosters and kennel cough vaccine so as you can appreciate it I cancelled that appointment but went Wednesday instead. They needed this because they were going into kennels while we went to Nottingham for Alma’s funeral. Although I was dreading going to the vets so soon it did turn out to be a little amusing thanks to Merlin. Now, I wouldn’t like anything being put in my nose so I could understand Merlin’s reluctance not to want it either but even he protested too much...lol...It ended up with Merlin, Andy, the vet and the nurse all being on the floor together, accompanied by Arthur howling outside!!! And Arthur at his turn just sat there and let the vet administer the vaccine, creep...lol.......But this was not the only visit to the vets that week, Millie my tabby cat (who you met previously when I posted about her being ‘wanted’ by the police..hehe..) had an appointment Friday for her anti-biotic jab, didn’t make it did she. Oh she set off alright with Andy but our good old car decided to break down and Andy was due at work by six......

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Our Range Rover the day we purchased it......It was working then...

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Eventually they got back home and Millie went to the vets Saturday morning after the boys went to the Kennels. That Saturday night was awful, I had no Mr Darcy sat on my computer desk, no dogs lying at my feet and Andy was at work. It was a very quite lonely house!!!!

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Come Sunday lunchtime we were still without a car after the RAC had towed it to a local garage. Turns out it was the water pump and with it being a bank holiday weekend it would not be able to be repaired until the following week. Fine under normal circumstances but we still had a funeral to get to by Tuesday May 5th, some 325 miles away!!!! Train or plane was out of the question, hitchhiking was not an option and my broomsticks were resting until October........What to do, can’t hire a car as it’s Sunday but Andy phoned anyway and left a message. How were we going to get to Nottingham without a car? But in the words of Scarlet O’Hara ‘I’ll think about that tomorrow’.....But as luck would have it the car hire firm did contact us that day and was able to let us have a car Monday.....

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The car we hired

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So off to Nottingham we went a day later than planned and sadly we missed Hannah and Dave’s wedding anniversary. Yes, May 3rd was their first anniversary and their wedding day was the last time I saw Alma as we had not been up to Nottingham since that day. It was also Lee’s birthday Sunday, my friend Cheryl’s son.....The day we set off was my son’s 25th birthday so I was not able to see him, which was the first time ever. His wife Jane did do a party for him however so he probably didn’t miss me...lol.......

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After a long journey with heavy traffic we finally arrived at Hannah’s cottage in Brinsley, Nottinghamshire. I did manage to see my Tor in Somerset though, as seen in above photograph...it was great to see Hannah and she had a lovely meal waiting for us, she is a star.....

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Hannah's Cottage

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As you can imagine we were not looking forward to the next day but it came around soon enough. On the way to Mike and Alma’s house we picked up Kristina and talked about Alma. I knew I would crumble on seeing Mike, Alma’s husband, and sure enough it hit me. I realised that I had never seen Mike without Alma and seeing this man with such sadness in his eyes hit me with the fact that I would never see her again. Tears welled in my eyes and when I hugged Mike I said ‘I knew I would cry as soon as I saw you’. He replied ‘I always have that effect on ladies’....his SOH was still intact, thank goodness, and Alma would have approved.......It was good to see that they had a person walking at the front of the funeral car and Alma would have approved of the fact that it was a woman. But it shows what a dill I can be sometimes. We're going along the duel carriageway just after we left the road leading from Almas and I said 'The woman isn't still walking in front is she'......Andy's reply 'Shouldn't think so as we are gong 40 miles along the duel carriageway'.....huh, what am I like...hehe....

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Bluebells were Alma's Favourite Flowers

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The funeral went well and as we listened about the life of our friend we smiled. Alma loved autumn and so it was only fitting that Forever Autumn by Justin Hayward was played and as we left the chapel I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher , Alma and Mike’s song.........


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Flowers for Alma. Like me her favourite colour was purple

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Now some people think I’m weird but to me it’s perfectly normal, I take photographs of the funeral flowers and my friends who attend the service. We take photos of weddings and christenings, the other big events in our life, and most people only ever see each other at these events. So I like photos, especially if the person has been cremated with no grave to visit. My friend Andrew also thought it was strange at first but later admitted that he was glad I did. I only have a photograph of Kristina, Hannah, Andrew and Andy but I wanted to have a memento of that day to remind me how precious my friends are to me. Who knows when I will see these guys again (obviously Andy as I live with him...hehe...). I will see them individually but when all together.......


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Special friends indeed. LtoR: Kristina, Hannah, Andrew and Andy

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Refreshments afterwards were at The West Bridgeford Masonic Hall and it was pleasant despite the reason for it. We said goodbye to Alma in style........

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This date has another sad place in my heart. My nephew was born May 5 1992 but only lived 56 minutes. He would have been 17 if he had lived, God Bless him... So you see May 3rd, 4th and 5th of May each year has some happy and sad anniversaries for me....

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If you are still with me, thank you for staying the distance and listening to my ramblings. I will be back later so you have been warned....Take care until then...lol...