2006-06-14 - 11:07 a.m.

So� the weather has been glorious *cue many random badly taken pics of people you don�t know*

We�ve spent a lot of time having BBQ�s and picnicking in the park. Playing games talking and just generally being around the people we love a LOT and who are so good to us that there aren�t even WORDS!

In between that we continued to foster the weeniecats and work many jobs but we�re so lucky to have friends who make SUCH an effort to fit around our busy schedule. Particularly Becca and Craig � I don�t mention them enough and yet over the past few months they have been an absolute MOUNTAIN of strength for Gareth and I. We had become so very bogged down and lost in how busy we were and I mentioned that fact briefly on this diary about 6 months ago and since then they have INJECTED our life with a wonderful interlude of their special brand of fabulousness. No matter how busy either set of us are the little visits we squeeze in make all the difference in our life and make all of the manic business so much easier to cope with. My life feels so much more relaxed and stable and just warmer since they took up residence in it.

Don�t get me wrong it�s not like we only just met Becca and Craig � I lived with Becca for 3 years but she was originally one of Ali�s friends so it�s only really in the past year that we�ve REALLY REALLY clicked into what�s become one of the most IMPORTANT friendships in my life EVER!! Gareth�s friends all live a long long way away and he�s always been great about that because he visits them, they visit him and he has ME the rest of the time.. but his and Craig�s friendship is just�. It�s fabulous. I love that they�ve stopped being � Mandy and Becca�s significant others and have become REAL friends. It seems silly writing this to be so pleased about it but I am so so so so grateful to Craig for the friendship he�s given Gareth because it�s made him so so happy! They�re not mushy with each other AT ALL because they�re MEN but while I can�t speak for Craig I KNOW Gareth really genuinely LOVES Craig he looks forward to time with him and afterwards he�s always so wonderfully �content� I suppose is the word. As much as Gareth is really GREAT in social situations it takes a LOT for him to feel TOTALLY relaxed with someone but Gareth is COMPLETELY Gareth with Craig and I know that means the whole world to him � and of course to me!

WE love all of our friends of course I just realised that I hardly ever talk about how important Craig and Becca are and you NEED to know so� yes now you can sleep safely at night with the knowledge that over in england are a couple called Mandy and Gareth and that couple love another couple (oooh kinkiness) called Becca and Craig!!

What else can I tell you? I�ve been gone for so long that I have about a ZILLION stories I could tell you. We had a WONDERFUL road trip 4 hours down to Milton Keynes to see Nickleback and BonJovi (because Ali has spare tickets WHOOHOO free music) to be honest as much as we thoroughly enjoyed the musical part of it the BEST part was just getting to spend the quality time with my girls. We all lived together for three years but it�s very rare these days that we ALL get together for any decent amount of time!! It was fabulous. There was lots of eating and even more laughing!! I ADORE THEM!!

We�ve also seen quite a lot of Ellie and Jordan recently which has been AMAZING and long may it continue!! I should update my cast list and then you would know who I was talking about (though some of you already do) Ellie was the ONLY real friend I made in my whole time at university because she was the only person who could be bothered to get to know me. We worked together on most of our third year projects and I don�t know what on EARTH I did before I had her in my life!

In sadder news the foster weenies had to be returned to the shelter ready to move on to their permanent homes on Monday. I have always known we weren�t keeping them � because we really CAN�T take on any more cats long term there simply IS NOT space in my tiny one bedroomed flat! We have loved them as hard and as MUCH as we can. I�m really going to miss them � I tried to hard not to get attached but they�re SOOOOO cute and squishy and they trusted and loved us and and and and the little tiny patter of their teeny little paws and the sweet sweet mews when they want to be picked up and fussed over. We did a good job and I feel confident that they will grow to be balanced and loving cats but the thought that we won�t even see Billy or Clicker again just� it shouldn�t make me so sad but I really loved them and I�m bad at letting go. Barry/Fatty/Henry has now gone to live with Becca and Craig and they�re first kitten Maggie � he will be called Henry from now on and he will be LOVED!! Marvie (the mam) and Nina (the runt) are now settled in with Ellie and Jordan who I KNOW will make excellent cat parents! I WISH I could have rehomed the other two but I�m going to have to get over that because there will be pretty much a steady stream of kittens that need fostering (at least for kitten season) and I don�t have enough friends (considering pretty much all of mine mates have been talked into at least One kitten from us at some point or other) left with room for babycats � it�s just hard to accept that they might go somewhere without the love and the care that they need. I HATE the fact that people hurt animals but it�s no good pretending it doesn�t happen. * SIGH *

The house is so much quieter without them � quieter, cleaner but infinitely sadder� or that�s how I THOUGHT it would be� now let me tell you the reality of �when Gareth took the weenies back to the shelter�

Once upon a time there was a BEAUTIFUL GARETH and he was married to a small chubby moo who loved him (and everyone else) very much. The couple loved to help out the local cat shelter by fostering teenytinycatbabies and it was the first of their sets of kittens that this story concerns. While Mandy was at work Gareth went to the shelter to take the growning weenies back so they could find proper mammies and daddies to live with for all of their kittycat lives. Mandy was very sad to see them go and even cried so Gareth rang her upon returning home to let her know that they were settled safely back at the shelter�

Mandy and Gareth spent a while reminiscing about the silly things the weenies did and how much fun they would be for their new owners. It was at this point that Mandy noticed Gareth sounded distracted� so she asked him what he was doing only to receive the reply:

�I�m just watching Colin and Dave having a sniff�

to which Mandy was compelled to ask: �Who the hell is Colin� there was a silence for about 6 days and then Gareth finally blurted out:

"he�s a red Persian cross and he�s lovely and soft and he�s 11 and nobody wants him please can we just try him just for a little bit he�s really REALLY big like a lion but he�s so nice"

It was at this point�

that Mandy realised�

�she could not have married a more perfect husband if she had tried!!

We REALLY don�t have room for another adult cat but how can I be annoyed at the fact that he so badly WANTS to take in lost fluffies? I can�t if anything I applaud the fact that he would inconvenience himself in order to give an animal the love it deserves and has not found elsewhere. I ADORE that boy I love how gentle he is and how caring � I love that he encourages that side of me and understands me NEED to love the unloved! I sat at work when he told me and I just laughed and laughed and laughed I can�t BELIEVE we have ANOTHER cat (as well as the fact that another pregnant queen should be arriving at the end of the week) I really AM the crazy cat lady and there is little point in pretending otherwise anymore. My house is going to REEK of cats and I�m going to have CONSTANT litter trays to empty but you know what� I don�t care one bit! Love is what�s important � to ALL of God�s creatures -and I will NEVER turn one away that needs love (I mean I might not be able to house them all permanently but DAMN IT I WILL TRY)

So�. Colin (Who Gareth has renamed Eddie ..as in VanHalen so that he and our ginger tom David Gilmore can be cool old musos together) Is LOVELY he really is EVEN cuddlier than my cats � he asks for cuddles by placing his rather huge paw onto the nearest human and mewing really gently � then as soon as you move your arm he FLOPS onto your knee and purrs and purrs and is just generally lovely!

So yes�.. the Weenies have gone but Eddie has arrived and we�re currently preparing the back part of the house ready for the next litter and it�s mother.

I should open my own cat shelter!! (though I�d want to branch out into other animals too)

Sorry it�s been so long between updates I will try EVEN harder to be a good diarist and I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Come live with me!!!!

Lovelovelove

x x x

ADDED LATER: Just so you know my comments have gone psycho and when I've replied to them they've placed them ABOVE and around and all kinds of craziness.... if you come back here looking for a response to your comment please be aware it may be higher up the comments than your comment.. I'm not explaining this well.. they're not showing in order basically so don't just look UNDER what you said! BLAAAEEEEH stupid haloscan!

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