It seems Helga has given birth to a young Witch, can't tell you how proud I am, she has been practising conjuring her patronus.  

On 3rd January Helga gave birth to 5 babies, 2 boys and 3 girls.  Sadly one of the boys died the next morning.  The babies are doing so well, they are trotting and hopping round the kitten room, the little boy was tucking into some Royal Canin babycat last night, clever boy.

With such happiness in the house it's not easy to also share with you that Simba has been diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of cancer.  We don't know how long she will be with us, lots of love, cuddles, special food and steroids will help her to live the rest of her life as happy and content as we can make her.

With many DIY jobs to complete over the coming months due to the burst water pipe in the bathroom I am exhausted just thinking about it but am looking forward to the challenge.   

Job 1, change the archway to a doorway, this means the dining room & kitchen will be made into one room.
Meanwhile ............

I also have kittens due in 3 weeks and the lower floor of the kitten pen is being completed in between other jobs not least of which is rexy cuddles

After Helga lost her last litter I am apprehensively looking forward to Luna's babies it's been over a year since Luna's last litter so I am asking the Goddess Bastet who resides in my lounge after her long journey from Egypt - bought to me by my old boss whom I admired very much and enjoyed helping him with his projects and university work - a very driven man with an attention to detail - I digress.  I ask Goddess Bastet everyday to make sure my cats are well and the babies are healthy.  I also ask that she encourages Luna to wash her babies, her being a Princess does not think this is her job!!!

I apologise for my lack of updates on my kittens, they are all reserved now and doing very well, today they go for their first vaccination and Health check, their Grandma Kimba is going to see the Vet too as her tummy doesn't seem right, she dislikes us touching it, either something is wrong or she is just being a Madam.
Last Friday I experience a burst hot water pipe in the bathroom, I was outside and totally unaware that it was happening, by the time I got in the Kitchen it was raining, yes raining in the kitchen, I ran upstairs after nearly landing on my backside, to see what I can only describe as a high pressure water hydrant exploding in my bathroom, do you think I could find the stopcock, I searched in the bathroom the boiler cupboard where I turned the boiler off as the water was quite hot, I searched the kitchen cupboards - no luck.  So I ran next door, I was so out of breath, dripping wet too my slippers were squelching, my neighbour came running round straight to where the stopcock was, thankfully.  After about an hour the water had almost stopped dripping through the ceiling - what an adventure!!!

All Done

Not being able to afford a purpose made kittening pen or indeed wanting to part with hundreds of pounds that I can spend on the babies, I decided to buy a double decker hutch.
Pictures show 2 of the Amazon stock photos and the rest are my alterations to it.  I have had loads of fun stenciling, stamping, painting, buffing and varnishing.  Being my first furniture project I went a bit mad trying out all the techniques,  I have many hours working on it.  It has turned out really well and most importantly the cats love it.

Much heartache has been endured here with my beautiful Mia going to Rainbow bridge just minutes after my brave little boy Walta.  There absence withing the house has been missed by all of us, no words are enough to describe how I felt about them both.

Quite a day today, more money spent on taxi's than I care to remember.  Elsa had a check up at the vets this morning, her progress is slow but she continues to be bright eyed, loving and always eager to eat her meals, she may not get back to 100% fitness.  She is a special little girl whose spirit never diminishes.  
Nowa and his final litter went to be neutered / spayed today, all are doing well but the little ones are a bit miffed at being back in the pen, but it's for their own good.  Nowa was so fussy when I got him home, wanting lots of cuddles and when Sam got home she went out to see him and he was so happy to see her.  Nowa has given me some lovely babies, at 4½ years old it's his time now to be a pampered pet, lets hope he stops spraying soon.

I won't mention a certain person who let me down the night before and couldn't give me a lift to the show - good job I love him.  So I am all prepared for the show.  We get up at mental o'clock, I am so not a morning person.  I under estimated how long it would take to feed the cats and of course had to make sure Elsa had her special breakfast to keep her strength up.  We missed the first train so planned to get the one at 7:08am which would get us to Stratford upon Avon station at 9:09am, all good still..........called taxi and waited outside and waited and waited, Taxi arrived at 07:10, okay take me to Birmingham Int station instead of Marston Green, we arrive and sort the tickets, we will now arrive at 09:21, be a little bit past 09:30am but not too bad.  We get the train to New Street, have time for a Costa coffee and walk a short way to Moor street Station, what a lovely little railway station, very well kept and just a lovely station, we sat and drank our coffee while waiting for the train.  Time for a quick visit to the toilet and then find a lift to platform 1, the train has arrived and as we descended in the lift we heard the train leaving the station, at this point a mental breakdown seemed the only answer, you know when you just feel like sitting the middle of the floor and sob.  Luna was chatting to everyone who would listen and Bella was telling her to stop as was drawing attention.  I sent a text message to the lovely Mr Ian Macro explaining I had missed the train and wouldn't arrive until just after 10am, he promptly replied saying that would be okay, I did a little happy dance in my head of course - we got the train and then a taxi which by the way cost me £18 to travel just 6 miles - unbelievable.  Got through vetting in and went to settle the babies in their pens, well some people cannot read numbers as Luna was in pen 30 and Bella next to her in 29,  but 28 was next to 30 and 29 next to 28, 29 was already occupied by a cat that should have been in 26, was this somebodies idea of a joke, lets see how much stress she can take before finally sitting on the floor in a heap.  So the numbers were swapped and I went in search of caffeine.............
Usually at a show you leave the hall for a couple of hours while the main judging takes place, there was a flower arranging class in a separate room organised by Sandra Humphries.  Sam and I really enjoyed it (thanks to my Son Alex for phoning me to ask where the baking powder was lol!!!) at the end of the day the flower arrangements were judged by Elsie Hummersten, I was awarded a commended which was like 5th or 6th I think. 

Whimzeerex Crookshanks 'Baggins at his first show in the neuter section.  He behaved so well and it was great to see him all grown up and looking so handsome.  Well done Charlotte xx

Grand Champion Dixylan Luna Lovegood did me proud and gained her 2nd Imperial certificate, she needs 3 more to become an Imperial Grand Champion.  Princess Luna was chatting to everyone at the show.

My Izabella 'Champion Whimzeerex Time Turner' was awarded 2 Grand Challenge Certificates, just one more to go to be a Grand Champion.  She was so well behaved all day, sleeping for most of it. 

We had a lovely day, enjoyed the food that was there, so nice to be able to sit down and eat a meal.  Was great to see friends there too, Karen Kindell visited the show, it was lovely to see a friendly face.  There were some stunning cats there, a very lovely chocolate tortie Cornish Rex, of course the black Selkirk Rex that did exceptionally well at the show.   Sandie Aroha was the photographer for the day, her beautiful Devons were there too, so we are looking forward to pictures of Luna and Izabella.  The free food samples in the pen were much appreciated and so much better than all other shows, a beautiful rosette to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Rex Cat Association was on every pen too, these were made by Chris Hazel of the Wyrewood house.
My Son managed to collect us from the show so we were home in under an hour.