Quick Catch Up

Well, it has been a little while since I have updated, so here is a quick little post!

I have been busy working on a new dress for Nessa.  It is now finished, and she has worn it, I just haven't taken a photo of it yet.  I have to say that I am really proud of it!! I think it is the best one I have made so far.  This one is lined and has a zip!  Both are firsts for me!!  Nessa loves spinning around in it - which is what I used to love when I was little too!

I have quit my job!!  I have been unhappy at my current job for a while now, and as of last Tuesday I quit my job!  I gave the full 4 weeks notice which was great as I didn't have another job lined up (I just hit that point where I just had to get out of here!!), but funnily enough, I had a job offer on Wednesday night - I am now going to be a Spotlight employee!!!  How about that!!  Some of my friends have asked if I will be paid in money or fabric/yarn! haha!!  I will be going to work there part-time/casual as I have made the decision to go back to uni to study nutrition (so going from full time work/part time study to full time study/part time work).  I am really looking forward to the change in my lifestyle and I can't wait!  Now all I need to do is wait and see if I get accepted to a local uni or if I will just continue to study by distance for the time being.

I have also managed to sign myself up for 3 Christmas swaps!!  This coming from a person who swore off swaps from being burned in the past! (Mostly from the person I have made for - why don't they post photos?!  I worked so hard on those projects/packages!!)  So I have been getting those all ready.  I have already basically completed 2 of the 3, and now I am working on the big one!  I am so excited! It's for the Selfish Knitters Group - and the people over there are just wonderful!!  They make me laugh and our chatter thread is already  37 pages long!  It is also my first international swap (I don't think NZ counts lol), so while the postage is gonna be expensive, I think it's going to be totally worth it!!

A quick note on the cats.  They are settling in really well in their new home.  I have been lucky enough to be getting "reports" on how they are doing.  They have been acting the way I expected they would; Nanashi is a bit of a whore when it comes to being pet, so he was out there for one and all for cuddles and pats; Bala was a lot more reserved and cautious and took to hiding under beds until all was quiet before she would venture out, but has now started coming out a lot more.  It's a relief to know that they are in a loving environment and I am so glad I was able to home them there, but I miss them a lot and try not to think that I have let them down as their owner... For the options I had at the time, this was the best course of action that I could take and the best outcome I could have hoped for.

The last day...

Today is the last day I will have my beautiful cats, as tonight we will be taking them to their new home.
I am so appreciative of the wonderful family who has offered to take them in and add them to their home, but I cannot help feeling like the worst owner in the world.

As I have talked about before, to me if you take on a pet, you are responsible for them for life.  I feel like I have let them down in the worst way possible.  Yesterday, I went to the flat to sit with them for a while to say goodbye with a big snuggle.  As most of my furniture has been moved out over the last few weeks, I popped the stereo on, and sat on the lounge with my knitting, as I always do.
As expected, Nanashi was straight into my lap and Bala was at my side.  It was strange to realise how much I had missed the weight of their little bodies as I sit and knit and having their company in general.  We have been constant companions for 7-8 years now, and through all the years, we have all been there for each other.

These thoughts were rolling around in my head as I sat there and cried a little over my knitting.  While I actually held my emotions in check before I went to the gym, it was after I got home that I had a massive meltdown.  I was fine until I started talking to my aunt about borrowing her cat carrier so that I could move both cats at once.  From here it just kind of snowballed into the kind of crying that could get hysterical pretty quick.  I have to say, I am happy that I had B there to calm me down. I hate crying and it took me a little while to rein in all of those emotions... they are now safely back in their little box, and I will just have to deal with them later.

Without the Bad, there cannot be Good

This post is a bit of a mixed bag really.

Let's start with the happy stuff :D  Last night I finished all 33 repeats of the edging of my Maluka and then knit up all 200 sts and started on the short rows.  I am now 'half way' where the rows are getting longer, and while I don't usually like stocking stitch, I am really enjoying this part!  It is knitting up so well and the Fibrewebs MCN that I used is just so OMG soft!!!  It's so soft that I can't even imagine what it will be like once I have blocked it out.  It would make gorgeous baby items!  I don't have a picture of it at this stage, but I might grab one at lunch because... *drumroll* I have bought my knitting to work with me for the first time since I have started working here.  I always took my knitting to my last job, but this is a much different environment where I am the only girl with a bunch of mechanic blokes! lol However, I know them all pretty well now, so it will be interesting to see their reactions if they pop their heads into the tea room at lunch time lol!

Now, the sad news, is that I have found out that we got the big no from the landlord in regards to bringing my 2 cats in.  I have had these cats for so long, that they are just a part of me.  I have discovered that rather than deal with this kind of pain, I just try to block it out, and try not to talk about it because then I have to deal with it. 

I have had Bala since I very first moved out of home (starting to get teary already - sorry for the outpouring guys) when I was 18.  I am now 27 and she has been my constant companion through all of my ups and downs.  She is your typical "I am a cat and I am aloof".  She is as independent as I am, which made us for a great pair.  She is also the typical 'scardy cat' who is very cautious and graceful in everything that she does.

If Bala is chalk, then Nanashi is cheese!  This cat is cuddly! He wants the attention, and he wants it now!  

He loves everyone and when he was a kitten was a complete nutter, doing laps of my flat and chasing Bala around.  I got Nanashi 7 years ago when my bestie Tory moved over from NZ.  He was to be her cat and he was our little baby (he used to sleep in our arms - still does actually!) until she had to move back home. This cat, I swear, thinks it's a dog!  He comes when he is called, he growls if he has chicken in his mouth and if I don't put toilet blue into the toilet, he tried to drink out of the toilet bowl... yup, he is a nutter!!

So, these are my fur-babies that I have had since they were kittens.  I am going to try and talk to one of my aunts about taking them on board, probably for a couple of years until B and I get our own place. But, how can I forgive myself for letting them down?? They are innocent and have done nothing wrong.  If my aunt is unable to take them, to be perfectly honest, I don't think I have any other options really and I don't know what I will do.

Those of you who know me and see me regularly, know that this has been going on.  But, I would ask that you don't ask me about the cats as to be honest, right now I really don't want to talk about it and will end up as a blubbering mess if I do. 

Before I go though, I would like to share these couple of photos of Nanashi, as he truely is a nutter and I love him for it.