Official Author blog of Pippa.K

My Mum and me as a baby

Tonight I came across a video on Facebook that I would very much like you to watch (you can watch it below). If you didn’t know I was brought up in foster care, the road getting to that point was an extremely hard one. So much so that I really don’t remember much before the age of 8, all I recall is brief flashes of memories and not very much beyond that. My mother had manic depression (or as it is known now Bi Polar). My mother had a mental illness, I don’t blame her for the way she was, I blame the illness moreso, not all that have this illness though are beyond control of it. Unfortunately for my mother she was unable to stay on her medication which in turn meant she was mentally unstable and in turn meant that my safety was in jeopardy. I won’t go into the horrific details of what led to me going into foster care, not because it’s painful for me (I only remember bits and pieces and what has been told to me) but maybe it would be too horrific for others to read.

I don’t remember the full number of foster care homes that I made it to but three of them do stick in my mind although for two the memories are very scant although I do remember one of the foster parent names from those two. My third foster home I went to just before I turned 8 and is the one I remember the most because Peggy (whom I came to call Gran) became my permanent foster home until I moved into independence at age 17 (with Grans help).

For a time there things were very mixed up, Gran tells me I didn’t know day from night and that I would scream for hours on end, these days, months, years I barely remember. With Grans’ patience and perseverance and as well as therapy I slowly came forth from dark hole and out into the light. Gran made me feel like life was normal again and she treated me as a child of her own or as one of her grandchildren (which she had many of).

At the age of 12 there was a court hearing and I decided on my own terms that I would no longer see my mother, the scars of my upbringing went too deep for us to meld our relationship as mother and daughter. I no longer saw her as my mother but has a stranger who I had no connection to, I still feel this way today. Throughout my time in foster care I did see my other biological family (I have lots of family that live interstate and who I still keep in contact with now) but the last time I spoke to my mother was via the phone on my wedding day, she has now passed away.

Things have changed for the better now and my life holds so much meaning, I have my adoring husband and three beautiful children in it. I also keep up regular contact with Gran and we talk on the phone (or via text) often. Just last year I found my father (who hadn’t seen me since I was a baby) and we now see each other regularly and getting to know each other slowly although that’s a story for another time.

Anyway I would love you to watch this video (both Part One and Part Two) – It’s called Removed and they have a Facebook page HERE

Part One

Part Two

In October of last year, I entered a facebook competition to win two nights accommodation for our family plus 2 mornings of provided breakfast. Obviously I wouldn’t be writing here if we hadn’t won but yes we did win and my husband and I took our three children to Breakaway Farmstay Victor Harbor just last month and I can happily say they we would indeed go again! You can find their website at www.breakawayfarmstay.com.au. The host Rob made us feel so welcome and we were greeted on arrival with a bottle of wine and some chocolates (as well as Marley, one of the farm dogs).

That afternoon the kids had the pleasure of meeting and feeding the farm animals which they really enjoyed and really got in there with the animals (although my younger son was a bit tentative at first). They really revelled in the experience of seeing animals such as Lucy the Goose and some baby ducklings as well.

Lucy (center)

Miss 4 feeding one of the little ducklings

Feeding the chickens

The kids also got to have fun on the play equipment there, master 8 especially loved the cubby house.

After a night in front of a log fire and roasting marshmallows, we headed to Granite Island to see some of the penguins there, master 8 is quite fascinated by them as he has studied them at school.

Feeding time for the penguins

I then took the boys for a ride on the horse drawn tram which they loved, I took some photos whilst we awaited for the tram to arrive.

The tram has almost arrived (with JJ the horse)

After we got back the kids got to do another round of the farm with the animals and they did this each day until we left. Here is a few more photos before we left the next day.

Bunny the kid

Thor the kid

And on the morning that we were to leave, I captured this rainbow, seems like the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend. Thanks so much to Rob and Tracey for our wonderful weekend, we will have some very fond memories of our fab weekend! I give 5 out of 5 stars for this farmstay establishment and I am sure I will be back there again very soon!

This week I had to make the hard decision of having my 19 year old cat put to sleep, he was in a lot of pain and I couldn’t bear to see him in pain. He has had a long and beautiful life, he was my best friend and my confidant. He has been with me since I was a teenager and I am now 35 so he was everything to me. I guess no one person deals with grief in the same way and I find that writing has helped me with that loss and grief that I feel.

Jasper had been a rescue cat from another home where he had been abused, he had been infested with fleas and I took him in with open arms. Instantly I felt that bond with him and knew that I could set up a new life for him where he could be loved.

I find the hardest thing about missing Jasper is that he was a cat that would put up with anything, well from me anyway as he wasn’t that enthused with strangers or even other family members (although he did tolerate them). I could roll him onto his back and he would just go limp while I rubbed his belly with no qualms as to what I was doing to him and he would purr at a single touch from me. I remember when he used to hook gently with his claws (he always had a gentle touch) and grab at our feet (whilst hiding under the bed) as we walked past. Or he would hang out a paw as the kids walked past to grab onto their clothing (making them jump and us giggle). Even as he has gotten older he has still been able to rough and tumble with Katsuma (one of our other cats) and even the other day the kids had him playing with a piece of string (at 19 mind you!), it was almost like he knew and had to have a play with them one last time. When he played with me (when I roughed him up) he would retract his claws so that he wouldn’t hurt me too much and he loved to play with string or balled up tin foil

When I used to catch the bus regularly he would follow me a few footsteps behind and would then be there on my return to walk with me home. Even in his old age if I was to walk to the shops with the kids he would run after ask mewing as if to ask where were we going.

I would go to the loo and when I would go to the bathroom after he would be waiting in the bathroom basin for me to turn on the tap so he could play with the water or to drink (he much preferred fresh water compared to the water that I placed daily in his bowl) and he would again wait in the basin if I happened to use the shower.

When expecting the kids he would know I was pregnant way before I even did and would rest on my chest, his chin laying against mine which he never did unless I was pregnant.
I have never met another cat like him and I’m sure people hear that a lot but he was special. Jasper was my sleeping buddy and would always sleep on my pillow, I will miss that so very much. My pillow now feels very bare without him there purring in my ear.

I have never met another cat like him and I’m sure people hear that a lot but he was special. I love the other cats I do but I miss that interaction I had with him. I can’t roll the other cats so I can rub their bellies nor play with them as I did him (I would lose a hand if I did!), they certainly have their very own personalities, I think that will be the one thing that I will miss the most.

We have spent this week looking at albums of when Jasper was young and remembering him as he was, a lover of water – the amount of times I had found him in the basin awaiting my presence to turn on the tap for him. I remember when he was still fairly young and he would stand with his two front paws in a tub of water and would purr like no tomorrow.

May Jasper find his favourite spot for a dirt bath in cat heaven just like you had here. We will bury your ashes in your favourite dirt spot in the garden as I knew you would have wanted.

Love you buddy, may you rest in peace xx

Have you lost a much loved pet? How did you deal with the grief? Please feel free to share a story in the comments below about your beautiful loved one.

Excitedly I ripped open the packaging to find my glorious copy of The Labyrinth inside (can you tell I’m a big Labyrinth fan?). Jim Henson’s Labyrinth is written by A.C.H. Smith and illustrations by Brian Froud.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened the first page of Labyrinth – The Novelization. Whilst most books are written first and foremost and the movies are made afterwards, it was the opposite in this instance. Most movies don’t live up to the book it was made from but would this book live up to the movie?

I have to say I was happily surprised when I started reading, not often do I read a book and hear the voices of the characters come forth, I could picture each landscape as the were in the film and the book did not venture at all from the story, keeping to the narrative as it was told. The description of each scene was smoothly told, really drawing you into the landscape that is The Labyrinth.

Once I had completed the book, towards the end were copies of Jim Henson’s handwritten words that were a part of his journal that he had wrote whilst coming up with the themes for Labyrinth. It will certainly be something that I can relate to while coming up with the background for The Cat and her Mistress.

All together I would have to say that this book receives 5/5 stars from me and well worth purchasing for your home library. I hope that my kids will one day treasure this classic like I did as a child!