Farewell my feline friend

 March 30th Tuesday

A fine Autumn afternoon.  I went over to the Croquet Club but found only the top lawn was available or play during the pennant matches.  Rather than try and find a spot with the games that had already started, I found a comfortable chair and read a detective story on the Kindle App on  my phone.  Fitted in one game later in the afternoon sun.

Five of us at the quiz night.  We got off to a flying start, scoring 10/10 for the first round, and answering the puzzle question from the first clue.  Great work Caroline and Suze..
I won't say we kept up that standard of play for the whole evening, but we finished in second place with 79 points, so we were happy.  So were our friendly rivals Minerva's Disciples who came in fifth out of the ten teams this week.

This month's old-time radio listening:
BLACK MUSEUM, MR & MRS BLANDINGS,  THE SAINT, MR KEEN TRACER OF LOST PERSONS, DRAGNET, GRAND CENTRAL STATION, HOPALONG CASSIDY, FRONTIER TOWN, SUSPENSE, THINK, JOHNNY DOLLAR, THE WHISTLER, X MINUS ONE etc etc.

Saturday April 3rd  💓
Sad news on Easter Saturday.  I had just been talking with my neighbors yesterday about our cats, and I had mentioned that I didn't know if I would get another one after Nelson.  Little could I have imagined that Saturday morning he would suddenly be taken ill and have to be rushed to the Vet.  She said it was a blood clot caused by heart disease, and cats seldom survived it.  There was no option but to put him to sleep on the spot.
He wasn't a young cat, but he never seemed old  --  he was always like a very large kitten.  Julie had three cats when she died and he was the last of them to cross the Rainbow Bridge .  Everyone who knew him will miss him.  Many thanks to the After Hours Emergency Vet Centre.

Sunday April 4th
Losing my cat didn’t seem to affect me as much as I thought it might after the first day, maybe I have been subconsciously preparing for this day  --  look at the way I casually mentioned it while I was discussing cats on Friday.
However I do feel a bit overwhelmed tonight because I had two calls from friends about my health and that damn cough of mine.  One warned me I should do something, because a girlfriend of hers was in serious condition in hospital with something similar.  The other phoned to alert me to a newspaper story about a virus called RSV, which he said I should get checked for.  They also advised me not to visit any of my elderly friends until I saw a doctor.
And of course since it is Easter that puts it back to Tuesday, sigh.
And it isn’t even Friday the 13th.

Monday April 5th
After hitting a low point Sunday night.  I stayed home resting all day Monday.  Did not go out and had no visitors, sort of a one=man lockdown.  Tuesday I felt a little better and my cough was notably reduced.  Spent the morning consuming Vitamin C washed down with draughts of green tea and lemon.  Decided not to phone the Respiratory Clinic for help, waiting to see if I can shake it off with another day at home.   So far, so good.

Thursday April 5th
Beginning fourth day of solitary confinement.  Supplies are starting to get low,  I am hoping to replenish when I go out to the clinic this afternoon.  Friends were insistent that I needed medical advice and I had to agree.  The cough is much better than last week, but still there.
I had not seen another human being since Sunday, then this morning one of the women from down the street turned up at my door with a trolley;  she said that she knew I had chickens, and she had brought me a spare sack of chick crumble that her hens weren't interested in.   We had a bit of a chat and I showed her the goats.  The inevitable question:  "Do you still have your cat."  Sigh.

Got out to the clinic this afternoon and was taken inside by staff swathed in ultra-hygiene outfits.  "Put this mask on, then we'll sanitise your hands and take you to see the doctor.  Don't cross the red line in the middle of the room."  She listened to my chest and suggested it sounded a bit bronchial.  She gave me some antibiotics and steroids.  (I was amused when I looked at them  --  they're the same sort we used to give our cats and dogs years ago!)

My biggest problem with finding the Respiratory Clinic was that they'd moved into the building previously used by the After Hours Doctor Service.  Most of the signage was still there from the previous tenant, and the new signs were small and inconspicuous.  Well, they certainly were for me.

 Sat down for a cup of coffee when I got home,  but had to rush outside  -  retrieving my goats who had worked out how to get through the gate into the driveway. They were happily bleating away as they ran down to the footpath and back again, hooves clattering rat-a-tat rat-a-tat.  The billy goats not-so-gruff?