Problems and sorrows

December 21      2017

The Xmas cakes did not turn out well.  They tasted OK but crumbled to bits when I tried to cut them.   Worse than this, the oven door shattered when I opened it to get the cakes out.    Apparently it was mostly glass and some how the handle came loose and then broke the rest when I used it!    This was a great worry because although Edd found a replacement oven door it was in Sydney and they could not send it down here until next year.   I had visions of having to light the wood stove to cook the Xmas meal and everyone partying outside to get away from the heat whilst I slaved over the cooking!

Luckily my family is not defeated easily, and no one wanted to forgo Xmas food.   Edd and my son-in-law arranged a private currier who got the door down south in record time.   Edd was able to pick up the door from the brewery yesterday and battle it into position.   I am now very wary of oven doors; I definitely prefer the caste iron variety over the glass ones.  The door though has not been my greatest worry because the cat had disappeared.

Officially we do not own a cat, having both agreed that they did too much damage to the local wild life.   After the fires some cats survived when their owners were burnt out, and they had to fend for themselves.   One cat visited our shed at intervals and we found kittens one year that my grand kids found homes for.  Then one evening a cat (possibly the kitten producer) turns up at the dairy with a large wound on its neck.  I gave it a dish of milk and from then on the cat stayed.

It was actually a very useful cat.    It dealt with the rat and mouse population in the shed and then started to work on young rabbits, bringing them to the dairy to show us before eating them.   All that the cat asked for was a bit of milk morning and evening and it worked tirelessly to protect the shed and vegetables from vermin.   Sometimes it attempted pet behaviour but it was a grizzled old thing and was difficult to even stroke. It would rub against my legs mewing when it wanted me to hurry with the milk often almost tripping me up.

Where ever I went the cat was there.   It was there whilst I did the milking, it followed me to the vegetable garden when I worked there and we just sort of did everything together.   The cat did not like school camps and would be off to better hunting grounds when the school groups were here.     At first when it was missing I did not worry but it got to the time when we were pretty sure something had happened.   Today when I was mowing I found a dried up body by the big water tank.   It was the cat, its grey and black striped coat all dull and lifeless.   I feel as if I have lost a best friend with out the chance to say goodbye.

This cat chose us and did enough to help us that we were glad it was around.   It looked after itself and mostly led a very independent life.   A cat like this cannot be replaced. I feel we need a notice on the gate declaring a vacancy for the farm cat position so that any passing homeless cat knows there is a job going but I will still miss this particular little animal.