*I know – posting in June about Christmas but I’m on catch up here!!

(Originally written 23/01/23)

 I realised today its been a while since I posted anything (this might be why I was no good at keeping a diary as a child).

Well, what a lot has happened since my last posting – let me take you back……

While taking our dog for an evening stroll on 23rd December – his birthday – we came across a cat which had clearly been hit by a vehicle.  Poor thing was in a bad way and just clinging onto life.  We couldn’t get a hold of her owner so came back to the house to put the dog back in and get the mobile phone. Back to the cat we went.

I called the SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), thinking they could help but it was 8.30pm on a Friday night during the festive period so they were closed.  On their recorded message they said to call the police, so I did.

The police said to phone the emergency vet number which they game me.  I dialled that number, ran out of credit, ran back to the house to top up my credit then returned to the cat and made the call.

The only vet was in the next town (about 16 miles away) and she only had one nurse with her: they had received a high number of emergencies so couldn’t come to us.  She asked if we could take the cat to her but there was no way we could move her – the injuries were that bad.  So the vet said to go back to the police and ask them to help transport the wee thing to her.  I was doubtful but phoned anyway.  The girl on the switchboard wasn’t sure if they could help but thought it might be possible given the circumstances – she would get someone to call me back.

They did call back but it was about 5 minutes after the cat had died.  We’d been with her just over one and a half hours trying to keep her warm and comfort her while trying unsuccessfully to get help.

Even if we had managed to lift her, carry her to our car and take her through to the vet and waited there to be seen the outcome would have been the same.  It was a difficult evening all round.

The next day a neighbour who we’d talked to the night before, came round to see if we wanted him to take the cat and deliver the news.  We’d wrapped her in a blanket and put her in a box.  However…….

Now, please bear in mind this is now Christmas Eve.

I had put an advert on a website to sell a computer monitor about a week previous.  An older gentleman had come to look at it but said it was no good and left.  Friday afternoon (the 23rd), I’d received a new message from the guy saying he’d be round tomorrow (Christmas Eve) for the monitor.  Well I’d replied it would need to wait till after Christmas, had the cat situation and thought no more of the computer screen.

So, imagine my surprise when on Christmas Eve, I’m in the shower and hubby appears to tell me “the guys here for the screen”.

What? Eh? Who?  You can imagine.

Imagine also, my hubby heard the knock on the door, went to answer, looked through the spy hole and saw the old gentleman outside.  He opens the door – and sees no gentleman, until he looks down and finds said gentleman on the ground like an overturned turtle trying to get up.

“I fell off your step”, he says.

Hubby helps him up.

I have now thrown clothing on, ran downstairs, grabbed the monitor and am talking to the gentleman who is now upright.

THIS is when the neighbour turns up to discuss what to do with the deceased cat.

I was there and I still picture this scenario like something from an old Chevy Chase movie.

So, Christmas Day arrived. A great day here and we all enjoyed ourselves. Then I remembered – and I’m not joking – the recycling bin was to get put out for collection the next day. Out goes the bin.

The next day however, I look out the window and see no bin.  Now to give you a picture of the scene outside, it wasn’t a ‘White Christmas’ but we’d had a bit of snow here and there with nothing but ice for the last few days. Don’t think it got above freezing much that whole week.

So after looking all around from the window we decide to go and look for the bin – taking Scooby, our lurcher, for a stroll too.

We decided to go ‘around the block’ to begin with.  Got halfway round and dearest son slips on aforementioned ice and drops like the proverbial sack of spuds: screaming I might add.  Not a quick shout of ‘oh no’ like you or I might. This boy gave his lungs a right good workout.  A car even stopped to help while I’m trying to get him off the ground and hold onto the dog at the same time.

We get hop-a-long upright and support him as he hops back home.

Just as we approach our house, what do we see?

The bloody bin.

It was just behind a neighbour’s hedge so obsured from sight as their visitor’s car was parked in front of it.  Now, if we’d turned left when we came out of the garden instead of right, we’d have seen it in 3 seconds.  You live and learn, right?

On a more positive note, our grill decided to keep switching off the electric – bear with me here.  The grill element had ‘gone’ – technical term. I asked a local company for a quote and was told it would cost over £90……..so I fixed it myself.  Some YouTube videos and an internet search for the part – £23 and about ten minutes!!

Heres to a Happy New Year!!