Good morning from a cool but sunny Hastings morning.
Yesterday I didn’t post anything as I went to the dawn parade – that’s right, up at 5 AM for the 5.30 AM service. It was 10 people deep around the cenotaph, plus all the armed service men and women there to lay their wreathes and poppies. It was very moving. I felt a bit guilty at taking photos in such a solemn ceremony. But there were others with their cell phones taking pictures and videos. It was good to see a lot of young people there, wearing their forefathers medals too.
Then after breakfast and dragging my son out of bed we went to my parents to talk about my relatives who fought in WWI and WWII. None of them would ever talk about their experiences. In the parade there was a volley of three shots. Those with hearing aids were told to turn them off beforehand. They were really loud and made us all jump. Our ANZACs had to put up with that constant sound, all day and night. And that was just the sounds, not the sights or smell of trench warfare. No wonder many couldn’t talk about their experiences.
Anyway onto something a lot happier and brighter. This is Puss Puss. Just after my parents poodle Abbey died their cat Socks decided he was too lonely. My father really missed Abbey too, not so much my mother with her Alzheimer’s. So one day Socks came home with Puss Puss. A gorgeous tortoiseshell cat. She was about 6 – 9 months old. And heavily pregnant. I have a feeling that she was dumped at a stream close by, probably because she was with kittens.
My parents took her to the vet to have her spayed etc. I don’t want to say much about the kittens. She has now made herself at home and has brought much joy to both Mum and Dad. She is a lot more gentle than Socks too.
I am a firm believer that pets can really understand our emotions and know what to do when you need that help from them. Socks knew that Dad especially was suffering with the loss and found Puss to bring her home for him. And both cats get on really well.
And thanks to all those who participated last week
Nowathome
Thanks for visiting.
decocraftsdigicrafts 
I feel so bad for Veterans. What they went through, what they lost, what they saw. It sounds like a wonderful memorial. I’m happy the right cat found the home she had been looking for so she could be with your dad. Your photograph is beautiful.
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Thanks Gigi. No vet should NEVER be forgotten, regardless of which war they fought in. We must never forget the sacrifice our womenfolk made too – they had to cope without their husbands for years at a time, and work in factories to build the weapons that the men would use at the front. Not to mention all the knitting etc that they did as well to keep their men warm at the front.
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Puss Puss is a beauty. And I believe pets feel our emotions and do know just what we need. Lovely photo
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Absolutely. I had a cat who adored me. When I had a lot of mouth abscesses he would sit on my jaw and keep it warm. It really helped
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I seems to be a thing with that generation who fought in WW II that they never talked about it. Garry’s father would never talk about it, except for one conversation shortly before he passed. Actually, with very rare exception, people who have really fought in wars don’t seem eager to share those experiences. They must be truly awful and painful to recall.
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Yet war is glorified so much. The only ones who don’t glorify it are those caught up in the action. We should listen to them more.
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You can’t beat a nice tortoiseshell 🙂
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No. She is very beautiful
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