Say hello to Bailey and Tia!

Things here have been a little quiet on here lately and I can only apologise. It was quite the year. There were a lot of publicised deaths in the press (still massively in shock that Alan Rickman and Victoria Wood have gone), as well as one a little closer to home whereby I lost a member of my family. Any loss is horrible, but one where it's unexpected and someone just dies in their sleep and never wakes up... I was in pieces. I didn't take any time off from work to grieve properly and then amazingly work took a dramatic u turn and transformed 2.5 years of happiness to making me feel like nothing. It really hurts putting your heart and soul into something and then finding out it has all been for nothing. That you are invisible and undervalued because you are a woman. This in itself warrants its own blog post, but I'll save that for another day.

I don't want to dwell too much on the negatives as there was also plenty good with this year. One highlight was buying and moving into my first property after waiting almost a year. It's starting to feel more like a home now there's a dining table and chairs. But the main reason it's starting to feel more like a home is starting my own little family. A family of the furry variety. Say hello to Bailey and Tia!

Those of you who follow my Twitter or Instagram will have seen their adorable little faces already! One weekend I went to my local RSPCA but never imagined I would be putting my name down for two eight week old kittens that very day! With this particular rescue shelter, it's very rare that they have kittens that are still available or even that young / small. But as soon as I saw them, I knew.

They came from a litter of four and they were all named after drinks. Tia (Maria!) was the only girl, and their two other brothers were called Brandy and Bourbon (one pure brown tabby, the other identical to Tia). It was heartbreaking to separate the gang, but Brandy and Bourbon were more independent and preferred their own company, whereas Tia and Bailey were inseparable, following each other around everywhere - so it was an easy decision which two to adopt!

I am still really happy with my decision to adopt not buy. Although cash was obviously handed over, being a charity, I see it as a donation for the good work that they do and the care they give the animals there. But also the money paid towards the chip, registering, flea and worm treatments, neutering etc etc. - additional things I would have had to pay for on top of if buying from a pet shop or breeder. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking down on people who buy from pet shops. Everyone is their own person and makes their own decisions. But I liked the idea of rescuing a homeless animal rather than handing money over to people who have intentionally bred an animal for profit. For example, a local pet shop were charging £400 for a kitten and that sort of money is madness. I don't know how anyone can justify that.

But back to Bailey and Tia. They are growing fast but have great chemistry. They follow each other around everywhere and I can sit and watch them for hours playing and darting around chasing one another. Both have very different personalities. Bailey (black and white) is more shy around people, but is slowly becoming the biggest softy of them all. He sits up close to me most evenings and loves rolling over to have his belly rubbed. Tia (tabby) LOVES people and knows damn well that she is cute and takes it to her advantage! She purrs whenever she is picked up, chirps when she is looking for you, and loves hitching a ride on your shoulder / back. She has the cutest tail which she walks with all curled up like a husky.

Every day I look at them and they melt my heart. They seem to have that affect on any visitors we have too! They are cheeky little things and typical curious kittens who must see / do / play with everything. But so, so loving. And I can't imagine life without them.