Living the Dream

I always wanted to have animals. I never wanted to live in Scotland! Fate plays the ace card sometimes.

The Animals

When I was a little girl, way back in the dark ages, we lived in rented accomodation in London, and having animals in the home was strictly forbidden by the landlords. I did have a goldfish once, but it disappeared one day - I was told it had jumped down the toilet. What a mystery!

Anyway, after what seemed millions of years, my dream came true and I now have around 80 cats to look after. That must be what is known as baptism by fire.

Wnat to know more about the cats and other animals? And the Birds in my garden?

Scotland

My geography is pretty ropey, though I knew where Scotland was. It was that place far up north, wasn't it, where it snowed all year round? My biggest nightmare, I hate the snow.

Then my brother, a journalist who wrote the car and boat pages in a regional magazine, was given a free holiday on a boat up in Scotland. How sad, I thought, he's going to come back with hypothermia, I hope he takes his thermals.

I saw his photos when he came back. Funny, I thought, where's the snow? No snow, and the scenery was beautiful. Within a week we had booked our own holiday on a boat, we went, we saw, we were conquered, and moved to Scotland 4 years later. We've been here for 25 years now! Yes, we do get snow, not much though as we live on an island which has the Gulf Stream running past its shores.

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