A byootaful Life

It’s been pretty quiet on this blog lately and it’s not because I’ve been lazy, or because I haven’t had anything to say – it’s actually been a pretty intense couple of weeks, filled with stress and worry and concern and lots of emails and phone calls… and tears. Lots of tears.

Two weeks ago, I received an urgent email from K, our friend who is looking after Puddy while we’re overseas. She told me that she could no longer look after Puddy because it’s been confirmed that one of her sons is allergic to her. She said she was sorry, but could we please find her a new home as soon as possible. I was shattered. We had known that there was the possibility that her son was allergic, but she’d had her for so long (about 8 months) that I’d assumed everything was fine. I definitely wasn’t prepared for this at all.

Immediately, Phill and I started calling and emailing everyone we knew who lived close enough to take her. We don’t have a lot of family in the area, so there were no Aunties or cousins we could give her to. I asked some girls from my work here in Canada, and they asked their friends in Australia. I knew that Puddy was okay for the moment, but I was aware that we needed to move her out as soon as we could. We didn’t want her son to suffer, but at the same time, we needed to make sure Puddy was safe and happy. We weren’t sure whether we’d find someone to look after her temporarily or permanently – we just needed to find someone who could help us. We figured we’d sort that out later.

A week went by with no progress. People offered to put out the word, gave us their well wishes and hoped that she’d be okay, but nobody could actually take her. I considered going home, but we just aren’t in the position to. I knew that there’d be a chance we’d have to give her away to a new forever home, because it was unlikely that a stranger would agree to look after our cat for us for another year and a half, then happily hand her back when we got home. I didn’t want that to happen but I was aware that we were very quickly getting into a difficult situation and we might be left with no choice.

After a week and a half had passed, I did something I really did not want to do. I started looking into animal shelters.

It was very difficult to do, but I felt I didn’t have a choice. I realised that we weren’t finding anyone and this couldn’t go on forever. Even though the shelters were 100% no kill (this was non-negotiable), I still felt terrible even considering them as an option – not because they were shelters, but because I felt that I had completely and utterly failed as a pet owner and animal lover. I found two in her area and sent off emails. They were long and passionate and explained the situation. It was probably longer than it needed to be, but I felt like I needed to really make them understand that this isn’t about an unwanted cat. I told her about her quirks and her character and how wonderful she is. I told them how upset I was that I was having to do this. I told them that I realised they probably got ten, twenty, thirty emails like mine everyday. I practically begged them to help us, as I was stuck and didn’t know what else to do.

I received responses almost immediately. Both shelters replied with encouraging words, promising to help in any way they could. They started looking for foster carers straight away. I kept K updated during this process, but it was mostly “we’re trying as hard as we can, thank you for being patient” emails. Not much reassurance for her or for us either.

Within a few days, both shelters had found someone who could take Puddy, but only one could take her straight away. They said their foster carer would go and pick Puddy up and look after her until they could find her a new forever home. I read their email and burst into tears.

A big part of me was very, very sad that I wouldn’t have Puddy anymore, but another part of me, a more realistic part, knew that this was what was best for Puddy. She couldn’t stay where she was anymore and this was a solution where I knew she was going to be safe and looked after and loved, and her new home would be screened, which is something I couldn’t do from over here. I wrote back with K’s details.

The next day, Puddy’s foster carer, M, picked her up from K’s house. K gave her food and all of Puddy’s belongings. M sent me a message saying that Puddy is settling in well. M also has a kitten and she said that Puddy didn’t like her initially but I’m hoping she will warm to her (or at least tolerate her!). I did give them a heads up that she hasn’t lived with another animal before, so it might take a while for her to get comfortable. She said that Puddy has been coming out of her “safe room” for head bumps and snuggles, so that is a good sign. They are going to let me know once she goes to her forever home. They’ve told me not to worry, that she is safe and happy.

I still feel awful. I’ve talked this whole process over with Phill and my friends and even though everyone tells me I did the right thing, what was best for Puddy and everyone involved, I still feel like I’ve let her down. I only agreed to come to Canada once I knew she was being looked after. We’d had a hard time finding someone to take her, so that’s why we were so relived when K offered to. She was with K for about 8 months, one month of which was while we were still in Australia so she could settle in, and I figured everything was fine. I forget that things happen, and things change.

So that’s why I’ve been pretty quiet. There’s not much to say when you’re trying to find your cat a new home from another country. It’s stressful, horrible and worrying. I’m relieved it’s all over but there’s still a part of me that is very upset and that won’t just go away quickly. I’m going to miss her like crazy, but I also realise that she is going to be just as funny and quirky with her new family.

This was hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and this decision is going to stay with me for a long time.

This weekend, Phill and I have major plans to do the tourist thing, but there’s one thing holding us back… the car rental place. This is the second time we’ve booked a car through them and the second time we’ve turned up only to be told that our car isn’t back yet and they’re sorry, but well, there’s nothing they can do. The first time, they tried to offer us a van for more money (of course). We said no, thankyou. That was the day I was going up Cypress mountain (the day I ended up on the bus by myself). This time around we wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, so we made our online reservation, got our confirmation email and turned up fifteen minutes early to collect the car. Same guy, same story: no car.

He promised to call us if it turned up, which I am sure he won’t do since we never heard from him last time, and we headed home, frustrated. We’re hoping he’ll call tomorrow (since our reservation is for 24 hours). In the meantime, we’re stuck with no car and now we’re not sure what to do tomorrow.

We had planned to drive up to Lynn Canyon and have a look around. I’ve heard it’s just as good as the Capilano Suspension Bridge – and doesn’t cost $30 to visit. There’s also some hiking trails up there, which sound like fun. We’re not huge nature people but we have enjoyed a hike or two and it would be nice to get out into the fresh air and do some exercise together. There’s also a swimming area but as Phill pointed out, it’s winter – we’ll have to save the swimming for warmer weather.

Speaking of which – it’s Spring tomorrow! I didn’t realise until my work sent out a bulletin telling everyone that this year, our spring flowers would be daffodils to support cancer research. Apparently every spring, we get flowers in the office to celebrate the end of winter. This is pretty much unheard of in Australia, since winter doesn’t feel that much different to spring.  But I guess when winter’s as cold as it is over here, you look forward to the warmer seasons. I am excited about warmer weather – the sun was out today and it was nice to feel it on our faces as we walked. It’s still cold but not unbearable – I wore my hoodie, 3/4 jeans and a pair of thongs (flip-flops). I did notice a couple of locals staring at my bare toes. They probably thought I was crazy!

Anyway, we’re at home now waiting for my parents to come online so we can Skype them. We’re also waiting for the car rental guy to phone us. I wonder which will happen first? I know we can take public transport to Lynn Canyon tomorrow but we were really keen on driving. I guess we’ll have to see what happens. Needless to say, if we don’t hear from rental guy tomorrow, we won’t be using this rental place again.

Think positive car-returning thoughts!

Last Sunday we turned our clocks forward one hour, beginning our very first daylight savings experience. I didn’t think it would make any difference to our day but it absolutely does! We get an extra hour of sunlight (well, maybe not actual sunlight but let’s just say it’s not dark for another hour) but that means we’ve been going to bed much later. I’ve found I don’t even look at the time until about 8pm now, which is bad when I haven’t started even thinking about dinner, let alone cooked it!

Getting up in the morning is a little harder too, since it’s darker and colder. One hour in the morning makes a big difference and when my alarm goes off saying it’s 7:15am, my body screams internally that it’s not fooled and that it is in fact 6:15am – ie. an Ungodly Hour. This morning I hit snooze about three times and then continued to lie in bed until I couldn’t possibly put off getting up any more. Unfortunately, Phill had the same idea at the same time and it ended up with a traffic jam in the bathroom. There’s nothing less romantic than sharing a bathroom in the morning when you’re tired, grumpy and running late. Ugh.

Hopefully we’ll get into the swing of it by the end of this week!

Last weekend the weather was beautiful – warm(ish), sunny, blue skies – so Phill and I went with a bunch of our friends for a walk along the sea wall and into Stanley Park to feed the large variety of animals living there. I was promised, amongst the usual ducks and birds and squirrels, that we’d see raccoons so I was very excited, since I haven’t seen one of those yet. I also haven’t seen a skunk but I was told that if we did see a skunk, they were all going to run away and I was on my own.

It sounds silly, but I didn’t realise just how much wildlife is in Stanley Park! We started out feeding some of the ducks in the Lost Lagoon. It seemed like a popular Sunday afternoon activity, as there were quite a few people out there with bags of bread. Our friend showed us how she makes the ducks jump for bread – since they don’t have knees, they are so cute when they bounce into the air to grab the bread out of her hand.

The ducks over here are so pretty with their green heads. There were so many different breeds, each with their own distinguishing colours and patterns and shapes and sizes. It kind of shocked me to realise how excited I was to see animals. It’s been a while since I stopped and appreciated nature and animals, even if it was only in a park in a busy city.

A couple beautiful white swans swam over to get some food. They were stunning, but also a little scary. I have a major fear of geese due to an unfortunate incident when I was at university – that’s a story for another day – and swans are even bigger than geese, so I was wary of them as they swam closer. I had already sussed out where the geese were and was ready to flee the second they approached the bank.

The ducks scattered a little when the swans approached. I guess size matters and the swans must have looked a little intimidating. When our friends turned and started talking to each us, the swans swam right up to the edge of the water and then started honking loudly, sticking their tongues out. I guess they didn’t like being ignored!

While we were feeding the ducks, Phill went to the little stone bridge that crossed the lagoon and became friends with the cutest little squirrel that had decided it wanted in on the food action. We’d brought some unsalted peanuts so Phill offered it one, which it took quite happily and munched away, enjoying its moment in the spotlight.

He was really hamming it up for the cameras and pretty soon attracted a little crowd of papparazzi. I was pretty impressed with some of the photography equipment some of them were carrying – there were a few full-blown tripods and cameras with massive lenses. I guess animals photograph well!

We all regrouped and headed over the bridge to follow the trail in the hopes of finding a raccoon. We didn’t have to go far before we reached a small group of people all staring into the bushes, pointing excitedly. We followed their gaze and I saw my first ever raccoon. My first thought? Omigosh, he’s sooooo cute!

Look at his cute black stripy face – it’s like he’s wearing a mask. He was hiding under a twiggy bush but would eagerly come out and take food from people. We’d brought some cheese but were obviously not professional raccoon feeders because there was a little old lady there who had brought some hard-boiled eggs she’d prepared earlier. The raccoon seemed to love them!

I’m pretty sure that raccoons might have rabies (something that we don’t have in Australia) so I wasn’t willing to get too close, even though the raccoons in Stanley Park are meant to be pretty tame. I still didn’t want to risk getting bitten!

We found another raccoon a little further up the path, a little smaller than the last. He cautiously came out for some cheese and then disappeared back into the thick brush. He was missing his tail and I wondered if he might have been attacked by a dog, since he seemed very skittish. Some kids came screaming along the path on their tricycles and scared him away once and for all.

It was now about three hours into our walk and we decided to head home. The cold breeze had become more of a freezing gale, so the comfort of our warm apartments and couches was very enticing. We still had a good walk home so we thought it’d be a good idea to start now. On the way out of Stanley Park, I noticed a sign that said “Caution – Herons Nesting Above”. In Australia, you’d see signs like this, often referring to koalas, but you’d look up and be hard pressed to spot one. When I glanced up I was surprised to see numerous nests littering the trees. There were so many and a few had herons sitting in them or on the branches around them. According to the “breeding timeline” sign, they were just starting to arrive and prepare their nests. Next up – courting!

They were beautiful birds – so big! One flew into a neighbouring tree and the herons already there started flapping madly and screeching at it to go away. I guess they’re getting protective over their territory?

It was a really nice walk and we were keen to do it again today but since the weather is rainy, cold, windy and miserable, we postponed it to another day when it’s sunny again. Maybe next time we’ll see a skunk!

I was going through my iPhone photos recently and discovered I’ve taken a lot of photos of food, but never actually done anything with them, so I decided to pull them all off my phone today and share them. It’s going to be random but hey, that’s what I do best! So, without further ado, I present food photos from my phone!

This chicken katsu curry was from the food court near my work. We’ve found it hard to find katsu curry in Vancouver (obviously we must be looking in the wrong places!) but this one is really good. If I’m having a tough day at work, I just head over and grab one of these. I’m not a huge fan of the salad that comes with it, but the portion of rice, chicken and curry is more than enough, so I’m always too full for salad anyway!

We love katsu curry so much I’ve tried making it at home. It’s incredibly easy, with the help of Japanese curry blocks. All you do is add them to water and heat until thickened, just like gravy. I usually buy the ready-crumbed chicken schnitzels from the deli department but you could easily make your own. Serve with rice, easy peasy! Here’s my home attempt:

Delicious (and very filling!). You can add chopped carrots or potato to the curry and I normally throw a chopped onion in there too. Now I’m craving katsu curry…

I can’t for the life of me remember where I had this burger but oh my goodness, I know why I took a photo of it – how absolutely delicious does it look?! And the chips are so crispy and golden – YUM! The burger looks like grilled chicken and bacon with salad and of course that sunny side up egg. I’ll also bet you that, straight after taking this photo, I picked up a chip and prodded the egg yolk until it burst – mmmmmmmmm.

Now this was an amazing meal I had when we visited a winery with a couple of our friends. This was my first ever taste of pork belly and oh wow, why did I wait so long? It was deliciously sinful on a bed of sweet potato puree. The generous topping of crackling was the icing on the cake and the meltingly delicate slices of apple added a whole new dimension. And if this wasn’t good enough, it was finished off with a to-die-for dessert…

… of creme brulee with roasted marshmallows and vanilla bean ice-cream. This dessert might not look like much but it was amazing! The creme brulee was perfect, with a hard layer of caramelised sugar that shattered when struck with the spoon. The marshmallows worked well with the custard and the ice-cream was home-made and ultra creamy. The portion was perfect too – not too big, not too small, especially after my pork belly main.

Ahhh, memories! It’s been nice looking back at some of my favourite meals and remembering where I was and who I was with when I experienced them. Do you photograph your food? I think it’s becoming more and more popular, even if you don’t run a food blog, it’s a nice reminder of great dining experiences!