Monday 17 February 2014

Then and Now....

Can you believe that it has been 6 months since the day my life was turned up side down with the arrival of my baby brother?


I have to admit now that it's not so bad having him around.... there's always someone to take the blame   else being naughty to distract Mum. He always looks like he's up to something, but he can't help it... that's just the face he was born with.



We do have fun together though. Ollie is loopy and loves to run around the house chasing me.

Look how much he has grown!



Ollie is such a friendly pup. Whenever we go to the dog park, he loves to go say woof to every single dog there. Mum and Dad always say, "He is so friendly, unlike someone else we know." I have no idea what they mean by that. I don't know why he has to say woof to every single dog though.... I prefer to be more selective in making friends.

 
We have our own beds but Ollie has no concept of personal space and loves to "share".



I'm glad now, that I didn't give Ollie away when he first came home. I've really grown to love him, and I've almost forgiven him for destroying the doughnut bed I've had since I was a baby.

 

Sunday 5 January 2014

Jane is Love

This blog post is dedicated to an amazing woman called Jane who was a dear friend to me and my Mum.

We returned from our Christmas holidays to the devastating news that Jane had passed away on Boxing Day. It's been almost a week, and to be honest we are still in shock.

The only reason we knew Jane wasn't very well, is because she chose to share with her friends that she had MS. You would not have guessed she was not well because she was always so full of life, fun and love for everyone around her, never once complaining about anything.

We got to know Jane and her beautiful cat, Jessie, in 2012 on Twitter. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship filled with so much fun and laughter, as we shared our love for footy and cooking programs. I'm sure @Whatdoingdugal and @clingycat would agree, we could have provided entertaining commentary for MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules.

Jane and Jessie loved the Pies as much as Mum and I love the Swannies. Yes, those of you that know me well, will find it hard to believe that I became such good friends with a Pie supporter, but it was impossible not to love Jane.

She cared so much about animals and people. She spent so much of her time just loving everyone, even when things were hard for herself. If someone was down or sad, you can be sure that Jane reached out to them. Whenever anyone new joined Twitter, it was Jane who introduced them to me and the rest of the Anipal community.

I am heartbroken that I never got the chance to meet Jane in person. In our last phone conversation, before I went away, we talked about meeting up when I was in Melbourne next, and it breaks my heart that this will never happen now.

I will always cherish our friendship and the memories, and I know if everyone tried to be even a tiny bit like Jane, the world would be a better place.



Jane was  a passionate supporter of animal causes and in her memory, a fundraising page has been created on Animals Australia.

Click here:    In Loving Memory of Jane Forster

I also want to take this opportunity, to tell all my Anipals how much I love them and that their friendship means a lot to me.