Yes Mum, I remembered...

I have to write this so my Mum won't worry about me.

Everyday I eat special candies with my dinner that Laura gives me. Not the bad kind of candies that some humans eat that rot your teeth, but good candies that help to keep my fur all nice and shiny and soft (so that everyone will want to pet me!).



In the summer, I get to eat an extra special candy - only one per month - that my Mum got for me. It tastes really yummy and it stops nasty, gross parasite things from living on my body and making me sick. Today was the day to eat my special monthly candy -- so, yes Mum, I remembered!



Thank you!

Home!

Yesterday morning my Mum took the van to see the doctors. They fixed it all up and the van came back with no more leaky fuel line. Then Laura packed all of our gear back into the van.

I wasn't sure what to think. The day before she had promised me we were going home. I was all excited and I waited in the van while Laura loaded it up. Finally, we set off down the street - only to drive around the block and go straight back to our parents' house.

*SIGH*

Laura unloaded the van again and we went back in the house and ate treats to make us feel better.

Then, yesterday, the van went to see the doctors and then Laura started loading it up all over again. Were we really going this time?

Finally, everything was loaded up again and we all piled into the van (I sat up front with Laura) and we set off down the road.

No bad smells this time.
No trail of fuel in our wake.
We were really going!

Home!
Home, home, home!
We are really home again!

When we first got back to London, I didn't want to get out of the van. It's been so long since I've been here and I've been left behind so many times... Was this a trick?

Laura said no, no trick and to get out of the van, so I did. We went into our house and Laura unloaded all of our gear into our house. Then our Mum drove away in the van. Laura and I were home!

The house looks kind of funny. Stuff has been moved all around. Even the furniture has been moved. I wasn't sure which of the beds was Laura's and mine, so I made sure to spend some time on all of them!

Laura says that moving things around was part of what we had to do to sell the house. Now the house is sold, so we can put things back how we like them -- but only for a little while. At the end of the summer, we will need to move house again. But for now, we are home!

Laura is going to write to all of our friends to invite them to come around and visit us, because I know everyone will have been missing me while I was away!

False Start

Today was going home day.

When we woke up this morning, Laura took my special travelling blankets off the bed and washed them. Then she took the big blanket off our bed and washed it. Then she stripped the sheets from our bed and washed them. Then she rolled up the whole bed!

All day I couldn't lie in our bed because it wasn't there anymore! I was a bit worried about that, but Laura said it was okay. She said today we were going home.

After the laundry, Laura started packing up all of her stuff. She packed up all of her clothes. She packed up all of her papers. She even packed up her computer!

I tried really hard not to be worried because Laura said everything was okay -- but Laura packed up her computer! That means for sure she was leaving and everytime Laura leaves I have to stay behind because we are selling our house.

Laura said this time was different though. She said the house is sold so we can move back into it now. (I'm not quite sure how that works, but Laura is really smart so I'm sure she has everything all figured out.) Laura said we were going home -- Laura and me both together. She packed up my food and my blankets and all of my toys. Then she started to load everything into the van.

I ran and jumped into the van and took my spot by the front seats. Laura said I was going with her -- but I wanted to make sure. No mistakes. No forgetting me. No leaving me behind. I was going to be in that van with Laura today when it left. We were going home.

Finally, everything was packed. Laura got in the van and our Mum got in the van and I was already in the van (of course!) and nobody said I had to get out. We closed up all of the doors and started the van's engine. And there was a nasty, horrible, smell.

Gasoline, said Laura. The van smelled of gasoline.

We drove down the driveway and onto the street, but the smell didn't go away.
Mum was worried because she didn't know what was wrong and it was too late to go to the garage and London is far away. We didn't want to be stranded on the highway!

Laura said we should drive around the block and go back to the house. If the van was leaking fuel, we would be able to see marks on the driveway where it fell. So that's what we did. No one had to inspect the driveway for gasoline stains when we got home, however. As soon as we started backing the van onto the driveway, Laura saw the trail of gasoline we had been leaving on the road.

:-(

Laura unpacked the van and brought everything back inside.

In our home in London, it is nice and quiet and peaceful -- and our bed is there! -- but we are not. Laura and I are still stuck in Blenheim.

So much for going home day.

Laura Came Back!

Yesterday, Laura went away in the car.
And she didn't take me with her.

I am always sad when Laura goes away, but especially when she goes away in a car because Laura wouldn't drive anyplace unless it was really far. Laura says we should walk everywhere we can because burning fossil fuels in our cars is bad for the planet and it's bad for people too. Me, I like to go for car rides because I am a princess -- but Laura says that princesses have to try extra hard to set a good example for the common people.

I guess Laura must be correct because she is really smart. (Laura even recognized that I am a princess, even when no one else could see the truth!) So I try to be brave and strong and walk with Laura wherever I can. One day, we even walked to Shrewsbury (and back!)! But I digress...

Yesterday Laura went away in the car and didn't take me, so I knew she would be gone a long time.... but she came back late last night! She was really tired and dirty, so I washed the mud off her legs for her.

Laura had been to London to work in our garden. She says it has less green in it now.

That makes me sad.
It makes Laura sad too.
Our home is in an environmentally significant area so Laura has worked hard to maintain the property in accordance with ecologically friendly stewardship practices. Since we don't have a car, these efforts included allowing native plants such as wild red raspberries, violets, enchanter's nightshade and goldenrod to live in our driveway. Now we need to sell the house, however, and Laura says the house will probably sell to someone who owns a car, and those people get upset by the amount of wonderful life in our driveway -- so Laura had to take it all out.

Today our realtor is hosting an open house in our home. Hopefully someone really nice will see our house and our garden and love them as much as we do and buy the propterty. Then Laura and I can find a new place to live! (Right now, I have to stay with my Mum & Dad while we are trying to sell the house, which means that Laura and I cannot be together all the time, which makes me sad.)

Maybe you would like a nice home in London? It is a two bedroom bungalow in Wortley Village with a bright, spacious interior. Laura and I have hosted lots of wonderful feasts in this big room:



so the house has wonderful energy because of all of the good people who have been in it:



and it's in a good neighbourhood. I am sad that we have to leave it. (But maybe it could be a good home for you!)