At about 4:20pm GMT on 3 June 2008, Anna took her last breath. It is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But she was sick and was just getting worse. Carolyn and I took her to the vet and pet her until the very end. She was a trooper. Words can’t express the sadness and emptiness I feel now. Chewy notices something is amiss. I hope he is healthy and has many more years left in him.

Anyone who has been to my house knew Anna. She was always at the door waiting to greet you. And, the second you sat down, she was in your lap, purring. She was a constant, loving companion and friend to Carolyn and I. She had the chance to travel and explore many homes and meet many other wonderful animals. I will miss waking up in the middle of the night to have her purring contentedly by my side. I hope I was able to provide a life, short as it might have been, that was caring and loving. She will be missed.

Evidence that this was one of the sweetest cats in the world. Rest in peace Annabelle.

Hi. Sorry, I’ve been silent in the past few weeks. My cat, Anna, one of the sweetest animals I’ve ever had the privilege to know, has just been diagnosed with Feline Leukemia. Tomorrow morning, I have to take her to the vet and have her put to sleep. I can’t describe the sadness I’m feeling at the moment. She’s only 6 and all I can hope is that I’ve given her the best life she possibly could.

Regular postings will begin soon enough and they’ll be filled with all the happy things that have been going amidst this sadness.

For the four or five of you who regularly read this, sorry for the lack of any news. Everything is pretty routine right now. Carolyn’s parents are in town and we had a lovely meal at what can only be called either neo-american tapas or dim sum. Tasty stuff.

Anyhoo, I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed by all of this. I just try to get something accomplished every day that will get me closer to being able to leave the country on March 5th. I’ve only got 3 weeks to go, which is pretty daunting. So, until I get myself moved, things will probably just consist of “woke up, went to work, did some moving related crap, feeling stressed”. Hopefully, this will be sprinkled with plenty of “hung out with X and did Y for the last time before i leave”.