Pebbles ♥

Thank you everyone for all the love and support for Pebbles, you are so amazing and I love you all and appreciate all the kinds words you have provided me with.

I just wanted to let you all know that Pebbles passed away on the 9th around 9pm. She went peacefully and she had us with her until the very end. My parents and I are coping okay, after all we can't be selfish as we had Pebbles for a great 14 years, but we of course feel a great loss and it's devastating.

She was beautiful even in her last days, her golden-green eyes still bright and purring as best she can even when she had absolutely no strength. With her, my childhood is gone in a way but I'm glad we had her for as long as we did.

In Between: LOTD And Life Update

Just a little filler, just whiling away my days

I've been a little lax with the posts because honestly life these days leaves me unmotivated and exhausted. My cat, Pebbles, is getting weaker daily and has now come to a point where our vets are starting to say, 'She's not doing so good', and that is the hardest thing to hear. I'm dreading the day when they suggest that we put her down as so she's not suffering; it has been over a week since she has eaten and since last Tuesday she has been surviving off saline, glucose and protein drips twice a day.

If I suddenly disappear, it's because I'm focusing on my main priority: family.

Here's my look of the day for today. Darling Girl Cosmetics always cheer me up because they are such feminine and beautiful colors and the owner of DGC, Susan, is an absolute sweetheart.

I know my eyebrows need maintaining and my skin could do with more hydrating and my hair could be cleaner and my facial expressions could be happier but you know what? I'm not going to apologize for any of that and instead I'm just going to point my flaws out to you, shrug and ask so what do you care? (:

I used Frolic and Plunder and loved how they worked well together. Definitely made me happy as it's a subtle daily look and yet purple is involved but not overbearingly so. Before I felt restricted to only mixing purple and black together...well, black and every color really but thanks to the blogging world and learning more about makeup I'm more open to trying different colors together without playing it safe.

Being home in Sri Lanka this time around is surprisingly relaxing and I'm loving being at home for the holidays. I'm grateful for the time with my parents and of course my adorable critters...

I haven't mentioned this before but we actually have a tortoise! When we first moved into our house two years ago our gardener discovered a tortoise outside our gate with a broken shell. We took her to the vets and got her shell fixed up (that yellow, globby patch on her shell) and adopted her. Much to my surprise she has grown quite a bit since I last saw her and is still as frantic and solitary as ever!

Another surprise: I expected to arrive in Sri Lanka and face over a month of sunshine, humid days and blaring heat but instead it rains daily and we are pretty much flooded daily too! Ironically enough, back in Adelaide there has been torrential rains as well resulting in flooding. Could this be Earth giving us a hint?

I had a lot more posts that I had planned but I really have no motivation to do them unfortunately, stressing out about Pebbles' condition and my university career is just taking its toll on me. Hopefully soon I'll get some posts done. Until then I hope everyone is doing okay.

In Between: Pebbles, Books, Life and Giveaway

Just a little filler, just whiling away my days

Today I took a break with the makeup since Mummy woke me up saying we needed to take our 14-year old cat, Pebbles, to the vet. Pebbles hasn't been eating lately nor has she been drinking water so we're naturally worried as she has been really weak. We went to the vet yesterday and Pebbles got a booster that was meant to stimulate her appetite but it did little to motivate her to eat and this morning Mummy was worried as it seemed as though Pebbles was wobbly and unable to move much without collapsing in exhaustion.



So we took her to the vet and she got a saline and then a glucose drip. It was good to see her eyes become less glazed and to see her looking more lively after a while. There were some dogs at the vets and I had to endure a poor puppy howling in pain behind me while he got stitched up ): Apparently his owners had unknowingly overdosed him on antibiotics after a pharmacist had instructed them to give three tablets when it should have only been two. The poor thing had fits and has some brain damage! It was lucky the owners got him to the vet in time.

We have to take Pebbles to the vet tomorrow and probably the day after as well for more saline and glucose. Hopefully it'll give her a little more time. We know that she's rather old and it's rare for cats to make it so long but we're hoping we get a little bit more time with her. She's such a tough old thing, I'm glad I'm home now and get some time with her; I don't know when I'll be home next.

Anyway, I'm exited because later today after an appointment at the dentist (yay for not having to take my wisdom teeth out until later!) we went to a bookstore to find the sequel to Lauren Kate's book Falling, Torment only to find two L.J. Smith books that I never thought I'd get to read in this lifetime! I'll probably finish them both in the next few days so I'll do a review then!

Life otherwise?
Tiring. My birthday is in two days (on the 3rd) and I'm really starting to feel my age (which I won't discuss: it's unladylike to talk numbers!). My whole body is sore and aching and I'm starting to worry now, I think I'm going to do more exercise like Pilates and just general cardio. I really don't want health complications...

That's all for now dear Readers, thank you to my 10 followers! I was thinking the other day that if I reached 10 followers I'd do a giveaway and I honestly thought that it would only be when the moon turns to cheese that I'd get a 10th follower (Thank you!) sooo...watch this space? It'll only happen when I return to Adelaide so that'll be in January 2011 but still, it'll happen! (:

In Between: Back Home For The Rest Of The Year

Just a little filler, just whiling away my days

 

Being back home in Sri Lanka is great thus far but I have to admit I'm glad I'm only here for a little over a month - there honestly isn't much to do over here! So far all I've been doing is eating, talking with Mummy and sleeping. Not exactly the greatest way to stimulate my braincells that I need so desperately to keep me from flunking university nor is it great for my waistline...

Anyway, one nice thing about being home is being back with not only my parents but my three cats - Pebbles, Sydney and Prince as well. I've missed having pets in my daily life back in Adelaide (before Scott and I got Jackson and Trent) and there is nothing like cuddling a furry creature.

Got to love how Blogger refuses to upload photos the way they are. Anyway, another critter back home is our tortoise who is seemingly afraid of water. As it has been nothing but rainy since I've returned, it's amusing to see our tortoise scurry around the garden trying to get out of puddles.

Another great part about being home is proper food! Australian food is literally junk food to me and I miss the rice in my diet. Also the fruits, there is nothing like proper bananas and pineapples of a tropical country. I think I'm just going to stuff myself sick with fruit before I have to return back to the fruit of Adelaide!

Unfortunately during the 10 hours and extra hours of in between traveling, my Fyrinnae eye shadows leaked out and I have a feeling it's the way I packed them up - loosely and without padding to keep them secure. The jar lids unscrewed and I spent quite a while cleaning up the mess. It was tragic but I'm glad I didn't lose too much product otherwise I would've been crying! Especially since one of the main casualties was 'Herbivore' and 'Meerkat' which are my favorites at the moment.

 

 (I have no idea why Blogger uploaded this upside down...)

Just a warning then readers, don't pack your eye shadows as I have done (in my iPhone box). Be smart and pack them up tightly or risk a big mess!

Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master by Ingrid King

Note: This is a re-run of a previous post, but this book is so good, I thought it desired a second round!

There are cat people and there are dog people. I happen to be a “cat person.” There is something satisfying about the warm purr of affection that a cat can offer her person. Of course, it’s has been said that cats don’t have owners, they have staff – they can be a tad bit superior at times, but in the end they are usually – usually- very affectionate and friendly.

Author Ingrid King writes about her love of cats in her warm and moving memoir, “Buckley’s Story: Lessons from a Feline Master.” Anyone who loves pets, and cats in general, will find this fascinating story to be heartwarming, as well as heartfelt as King tells the story of how one tiny tortoise-colored cat made such an impact in her life.

The charming book would make an ideal gift for any pet lover on your Christmas list this year!

About the Book:

“Buckley’s Story” is the story of how one small cat changed the author’s life in ways she never could have imagined. In this warm-hearted memoir, Ingrid King shares the story of Buckley, a joyful, enthusiastic and affectionate tortoiseshell cat she meets while managing a veterinary hospital.

When Ingrid leaves her job at the veterinary hospital to start her own business, Buckley comes home to live with her and Amber, another tortoiseshell cat who had adopted the author several years earlier.

Buckley is diagnosed with heart disease after only two years of living with Ingrid, and caring for Buckley through her illness only deepens the bond between cat and human. Interspersed with well-researched information about cat health in general, and heart disease in particular, the author describes the challenges and rewards of managing illness in a feline companion, and ultimately helping her through the final transition. Ingrid shares both the day-to-day joys of living with a special cat as well as the profound grief that comes with losing a beloved animal companion.

“Buckley’s Story” is a celebration of the soul connection between animals and humans, a connection that is eternal and transcends the physical dimension.

An Excerpt from “Buckley’s Story”:

I met Buckley that spring of 2005. I had been managing the Middleburg Animal Hospital for seven years at that point. For the first four of those seven years, I had shared my office with Virginia, a beautiful tortoiseshell cat who had adopted me as her person and loved me utterly and completely. After she died in 2002, the office felt empty, but the right cat to take over this important position had not come along—until that spring day, when I walked into the kennel area of the hospital. Liz, our groomer, was brushing out a scruffy looking mixed breed dog, and we chatted for a while.“Have you seen the cute little tortie in the back?” Liz asked. Everybody at the animal hospital knew I was partial to tortoiseshell cats. There was something about the beautiful coloring and the distinct personality that is typical for these cats that appealed to me.
“No, I haven’t,” I responded. “Where is she?”

Liz pointed to the bank of cages at the very back of the kennel, and I went to see Buckley for the first time. And I fell in love. Hard. And fast.

About The Author:

Ingrid King is a former veterinary hospital manager turned writer. She publishes the E-zine News for You and Your Pet, covering topics ranging from conscious living to holistic and alternative health. She shares her experiences with consciously creating a joyful, happy and healthy life for pets and people on her popular blog, The Conscious Cat. Ingrid lives in Northern Virginia with her tortoiseshell cat Amber. Visit http://www.ingridking.com/ for more information.

I love my kitties!!!!

Cleo: The Cat Who Mended A Family - Book Blog Tour Stop!

The kitten was meant to be a late birthday present for her oldest son Sam, but when the rag-tag black kitten arrived only days after Sam’s funeral, Helen Brown wasn’t sure she was ready to take care of the tiny little feline. But all it took was one look from her youngest son, Rob, to know that the kitty that would become known as Cleo was here to stay, and as it turns out, to rule the Brown family’s house and hearts.

Australian author Helen Brown tells the story of how one tiny little black Abyssinian kitten saved her family in her book, “Cleo: The Cat Who Mended A Family.”

Helen, a journalist and columnist, tells the story of how her family coped with immense grief and sorrow after her 9-year old son was hit by a car and killed in Wellington, New Zealand. Having forgotten the impending arrival of a kitten picked out a couple of months before-hand, the comfort, love and pure entertainment that the small cat provided to the family literally pulled them all back from the brink of devastation.

Cleo would go on to become an important member of the Brown family. With an intense personality of her own, she lived to an amazing ripe old age of 23, surviving divorce, remarriage, the arrival of new children and the family’s upheaval to London, Switzerland, and finally Australia.

While heartbreakingly sad, there are also plenty of laugh-out loud funny stories of the loveable kitten sprinkled through this fascinating memoir. Being a cat-lover myself, I found “Cleo” to be endearing and down-to-the-soul heartwarming in its message of love and comfort. This book would be a blessing to anyone suffering from the loss of a child.

New Zealand author Helen Brown is an award-winning journalist and former writer of a syndicated weekly newspaper column. She is the author of nine books in addition to Cleo, including Confessions of a Bride Doll and From the Heart: Laughter, Loss and Living in Australia. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia. Brown reports that plans are underway to turn "Cleo" into a movie, and I, for one, will be among the first in line to see it!  For more information on Helen Brown, her book, and her writing, check out her website at http://www.helenbrown.com.au/

I would like to thank Rose Marie Morse with Inkwell Management for inviting me to be a part of the "Cleo" blog tour! I received no compensation for my opinions.

In Between: Babies! But Not The Human Kind (:

Just a little filler, just whiling away my days

(From top to bottom: Pebbles, Sydney and Prince)

When Susan did her post on her fur babies I thought I'd do one on mine seeing as I'm missing them the most this week.

Being away and living in a pet-free college it really takes a toll on those of us who have critters back at home. I know most of the time I miss that companionship and the "movement". Especially Prince, who is an adorable ball of fluff (literally) and I left him when he was a kitten only to see him a few weeks ago as a full grown cat.

It's probably the reason why I feel like getting a hermit crab (one of the pets we're allowed to have in college along with turtles and fish). Just to have that "movement" in my life and a little critter to love and nurture. Not that a hermit crab would be as furry as a cat but hopefully still a great companion nonetheless.