Temu. It seems fairly robust, although not as good quality as my other small (lidless) tin I got for $3.50 from and op shop years ago. I know exactly how much that one cost because they wrote the price directly onto the tin with a permanent marker that lived up to its name and never came off 🤣

I had never been so, now I know.

Following conversation with Dad, I have some thinking to do. I have...much more money stashed away than I realised I did

I've got a calendar for upcoming stuff and birthdays and a small whiteboard I write the business of the day on. I just can't do digital/phone calendars, they don't work for me visually the same way. Also the whole family can use it, so it's better in that way as well.

This has to be one of the nicest surprises available to anyone, I reckon.

Robot vac surgery success!

Good things happen to good people sometimes!

Ok got some cooking to do and tomorrow I have floors and washing (hanging it inside!) but other than that I am ready for a cosy day at home. Bring on the storms!!!

Which would you pick: mountain or oceanside escape? Both have equal access to all of the comforts you require.

Mountain

Mountain

I have lived both, the mountain is always the choice for a true escape.

Mountain for me. Views, trees, birds, and I love the smell.

Mountain.

I love the ocean too .

That is a wonderful gift.🫂You are so lucky.

Use it to be brave in your choices ( I don't mean reckless money choices, I mean in regard to education, career, interests, travel )

and work hard

gees, you are all such great bakers

i'm good, not great like youse guys

Okay okay loving this Mountain preference there seems to be!

How about.... lake vs river?

I would love to hear about your experiences with both!! What made the mountain a true escape? What size mountain are we talking? What were you ocean experiences like?

Ooh this is hard. I’d say mountain. Probably because a mountain escape feels like a more rare experience compared to ocean.

Just watching railway workers across the road finish replacing the wiring on the line.

Trains have been stopped most of the day. 😡

seems to happen every two months

River.

I've lived on a big river and loved it.

Fairhaven looks nice, as does the Queensland coast.

I've stayed in the Swiss Alps for a week and it was nice, you do have to be fit and the air is good.

River. It's just better

I'm a big fan of flowing river!

How big of a river? Vs, say the Murray? (only river I can think of right now that I have an understanding of the size 😆 ) What did you love about it?

Confluence where river flows into lake.

Fuck you rain. In going to go for a walk in shorts and a singlet. All by my lonesome.

No jacket or umbrella.

Sure would be a shame if it rained...

have you put the washing out? Jeans because they take ages to dry.

I don't think I could choose between them.

I’m really not doing well.

I’m still in shock and haven’t accepted what happened but now stressing about what to do about the black cat.

I feel so guilty focusing on him when I should be only thinking of Melbcat. When it hits me she will be all I can think of. He could never come close to the bond we had and the cat she was. I just don’t want to stop looking out for him if he’s got nobody and that means a lot of physical labour and stress and a complicated situation until some solution is found. Just ignoring him is not an option because of guilt and genuine care for him. It’s not his fault I’m not coping.

I’m just so sad and tired and beginning to fall apart before everything has even sunk in. Absolutely beaten and worn down and spiraling. I just want to rest and grieve but am stressing without an easy solution in sight.

when Allie died I was very grieved

but I am a loving person so looked for another cat that needed someone

and I got a cat that was not like Allie at all in look and character, I got Bill

And that has worked out well

it's not betrayal to be caring and if it is your nature to care then care. And really, cats shouldn't be that hard to look after. Do what you can to help the little guy. I think he will be very appreciative.

Everything is so fucked :(

I’ll just do what I can because I do care but there’s strong context for why I can’t just relax with him as an outside cat.

(The constant labour of cleaning and my brain spiraling around repeated reinfection yes, but there is a cooked person who may harm him if they notice him with me and can get to him. Yes there is a precedent and reason to fear this.)

maybe keep the cat indoors

do the neighbours know about this cooked person?

they are still working on it

Detroit River. It reminded me of the Rhine, a powerful fast deep yet narrow river.

It changed with seasons, it was very active shipping route.

Grief is not linear, you will continue to travel its squiggly lines for a long time.

No one here is doubting your love for her, and Black Cat is never going to replace Melbcat, because she is irreplaceable. But it is okay to share what is left of your heart while it heals with another creature who sounds like he does need some help.
It took me a week to decide to bring another cat into our home after I lost my old boy Scooter. 10 days after I lost him we brought home a pair of kittens from a rescue, and that 3 day delay was only because we had covid at the time and had to wait for clearance. The kittens were very young and unwell with cat flu. They required a lot of care, which helped heal my heart and kept me busy. I still miss my giant black boy, but after nearly 4 years I can remember him softly and I hope he forgives me for leaving the decision a day late, and for bringing now 3 other cats into his home. Love is not pie and there is plenty to go around as your heart grows with each addition, not separated by pieces.
There is no wrong decision here, just follow your kind and giving heart. If you don't have the capacity, you will help him as much as you can, and thats enough.

Old crew did, new ones may not have seen the real face yet. I avoid pretty much everyone here now tbh.

All legal measures were used to contain the situation and it’s now “contained” but they do remain slightly unpredictable and do concerning things. And even if I could prove wrongdoing, which I can’t, that doesn’t help little man if he got targeted.

I know. I’m sorry, I’m spiraling.

I’m just in a complicated situation with this emotionally and practically and so not ready for any of this.

And yes, with her it escalated quickly but I missed some signs, so I do believe I left it that bit too long.

you don't know he has ringworm,

Its okay, you have just had your world rocked.

No decisions need to be made today.

Tomorrow is another day and your options will reshuffle. You're doing okay ♥️

I can’t confirm, but he had a bit of patchy hair loss that looks similar and I developed the textbook ringworm lesion on my knee where he touched.

It’s responding to the appropriate treatments on me so that’s very likely what it is and he’s the most likely source.

I just want to sort everything out so I can rest.

I’ve been doing intense (and often palliative) unpaid caregiving back to back for like 8 years and now my soul cat is dead while I’m presented with another difficult situation. I am crumbling.

Maybe this could be your 'rebound cat' to help you work through the grief of losing melbcat. One thing I've noticed with pets just like people is they're all different. You won't have the same connection with this cat, it's a different cat. Just like how it will never replace melbcat in your heart or your memories, you'll have a different bond between you

I don’t know if I want to rebound. I don’t know if he’d accept being confined and quarantined and if I could manage the ordeal of ringworm eradication.

I care about this little guy but have had no chance to grieve and I want my own cat. 😭

I'd say lake because whenever I think of rivers it's shitty tiny little streams of water like I got out in the country or Rusty Bucket Bay pollution like the Yarra in the CBD. Narrandera in NSW has the Lake Talbot water park so that's probably what i think of for lakes

The fellas on the job site call me the Australian Darter but no birds notice me

good night everyone

sweet dreams 😘

and special hugs for melbs and taleya