It has been months since my last blog but not because nothing has been going on in my life – quite the opposite. There were significant birthdays in November for Glenn and me, fun with family and friends over Christmas, our first SA visitors Lindie and Lije, a quiet but happy New Year, another significant birthday in February when Daniel turned 40 and we spent the day together at the Natural Science Museum in London, a visit from our Austrian friend Regina,  Daniel’s official birthday party, and now here we are, in March, with an early spring making a stop-start appearance. And there has been a big change in our lives.
My sister Louise, her husband Faure, and their two dogs, Jack Russell terriers Peanut and his daughter Honey, have come to stay with Glenn and me, our dog Sindi and two cats Sharma and Cleo. They have been here since Friday and today, Wednesday March 2nd, I am looking back over a few hectic days of settling in and giving thanks for how smoothly it is all going.
The biggest surprise is that Sharma has not been stressed by a change in her routine.
When we lived in Durbanville, every time my darling friend Lindie came to visit with Lije and their dog Billie, Sharma would run away from Billie, which he thought was a fine game. She would hide up a tree until he left, then do a wee on our bed.
Is there anything more pungent than the smell of cat urine soaked into your bedding? I doubt it! We discovered that to get rid of the smell, vinegar needs to saturate the area that has been marked, then use a biological washing powder or liquid to remove all traces of it.
Once we moved to Swindon, we bought a slow-release cat pheromone that seemed to keep her calm. Until we had an overnight visitor that Sharma didn’t know. And a kinder animal lover than Regina you couldn’t find but nevertheless Sharma marked her displeasure at a disruption to the routine in her usual way. (Sorry, Regina, absolutely not your fault, no criticism implied!)
Next, I went through to London on a couple of occasions to help Joanne as she was battling a deadline to complete her dissertation for her Executive Masters Degree. I loved being able to help her editing and proofreading – and the reward was knowing it made a small contribution to her passing her MBA with merit. But as far as Sharma was concerned, bad human, going away overnight needed to be punished.
So when the two Jack Russells arrived, I was concerned.
Lou and Faure had been staying with mutual friends in Cornwall but one of their dogs, a young Dachshund, attacked Peanut, leaving him with a torn ear and Faure with a bitten hand.
We arranged for Sindi, a mixed breed about the size of a German Shepherd, to meet Peanut and Honey on neutral ground – a nearby park, in the dark. But it paid handsome dividends because Sindi enjoys having new friends to go for walks with and to share treats with.
Cleo, the little cat who has survived so much, and has “houding” (attitude) to spare, just looked at the newcomers as if to say, “Hello, who or what are you, hmmm?” When Honey barked at her from outside, Cleo walked closer to the glass of the French doors and stared until Honey stopped.
We kept Sharma in our bedroom and gave her lots of love and attention. We were considering buying a child gate to make that her safe zone but by gradually introducing them, we now find Peanut is too nervous of Sharma to walk past her on the stairs! And Honey is not barking at her so, phew! What a relief.
Having Lou and Faure stay with us until they are able to sort out the red tape involved in their move to England is a joy for me because my Mom always used to urge me to “look after Louise when I’m gone” and I now have the opportunity to do so.
Lou and I are so different in so many ways but she has always been the kindest and most generous sister.
And I’ve been amazed to hear my normally introvert husband chatting away to our brother-in-law.
On Saturday, we left the cats at home while four humans and three dogs drove to Reading to watch Pud rowing in a race. Jo and Mary met us there too and after cheering Pud as she and the team pulled strongly up the Thames, we all departed to a pub with Daniel’s friend Sam.

A pub lunch with good friends and family, fabulous! The Packsaddle just outside Reading is well worth a visit for top quality food at reasonable prices and efficient, friendly service.
Today we went to Ikea in Birmingham to buy things to make our top floor rooms more comfortable. We have a few days of admin to deal with then on Sunday, Jo & Mary, Dan & Pud will come through to Swindon so we can all go to The Tawney Owl for lunch because it is “Mothering Sunday”.
I am thinking about my own mother, Granny Sue, and hoping she is looking down on the latest developments and knows how glad I am to be able to do what she wanted.