Living & Learning...Day One…

Now, I know that I told you the ‘Learn Something New Every Day’ kicked off on September 1st…& so it did! But I was perhaps a little premature in sharing my album cover with you on August 31st, because what I had forgotten is that we actually work one day in arrears for this class!  As Shimelle succinctly puts it, you have to live the day before deciding what you’ve learned!

So, what did I learn on September 1st?  Well, it was something rather pleasing actually, & to explain why, I will start the story at the beginning!

Up until Alex was 3 years old we had three feline members in our family. We are cat lovers & had always felt that a home should have at least one cat. Our three moggies adjusted well to the arrival of the boys & we have plenty of photographic evidence to prove it. Then, Lee’s job took us overseas for a few months & the trio were given a temporary home with relatives in Cambridge. As it turned out, on return to the UK Alex was diagnosed with Asthma, his major trigger being cat dander! So the house was meticulously cleaned, nay almost sterilised, & our furry pals were permanently adopted by said relatives.

I have always missed having a cat in the house, but Alex’s health comes first. Over the years we haven’t been able to stay with family because everyone has cats & just being in a cat occupied home for more than half an hour had Alex wheezing & feeling nauseous…on three occasions he had overnight stays in hospital on nebulisers, the effects of his allergy were that bad.  Of course, his also being an insulin dependant diabetic meant that we also had to cope with the knock-on effects on his blood sugar control.

So, where is all this leading? Well earlier this year new neighbours moved in next door, bringing with them no less than FOUR cats!  The only male, Pikachu, took an immediate shine to Alex & I was pleased to see that, out-of-doors, Alex showed no ill effects from the close proximity.  Over the past weeks, Pikachu has ventured inside when windows & doors have been open in warm weather & although concerned for Alex, I must admit to enjoying his visits!  He has taken to tapping on the French windows at night, asking to be let in & curling up on my lap while I’m watching TV!!

Yesterday, while we were eating our evening meal, he came in through the open kitchen door, sauntered across the room with a little trill of a meaow, then promptly trotted down the hall, up the stairs & into our bedroom, where he jumped up onto our bed & settled down for all the world like it was his rightful place to be!!  If that doesn’t scream “Hi Honey I’m home” I don’t know what does!!

….& the best news?…Alex hasn’t wheezed once!!

So it looks as if our house is now an extension of his territory & the upside is that we get to enjoy his company without any of the vets bills!! (BTW… Our neighbours are fully aware & quite happy about his wanderings!!)

So here is how I documented this discovery!   After consulting the ‘Print & Cut Challenges’ set by Shimelle I picked the ‘Find a Stamp you Haven’t Used Enough & Put It To Use Today’ option…those paw prints are a stamp I have owned for literally years & it had NEVER been used, so that was an obvious choice!!  The rest of the slips are in a basket, so from here on it it will be a daily lucky dip…a nice added challenge, thanks Shimelle!!

And what did I learn today?…do I hear you ask? Well you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out!!

Thanks for dropping by : )