Today is the first anniversary of our bleary arrival in Berlin.
Only another three years to go! Enough said...
Tim and Rhiannon are having a blast in Disneyland, Florida. I keep receiving breathless updates telling me which 'awesome' roller coasters they've been on and what American goodies they've bought.
As for me, I'm holding the fort; looking after the pets, letting in meter readers and making progress with my coursework at long last. It's amazing how solitude helps me. I must try for more of this.
Today, however, I am on tenterhooks. Kita has gone into the vets to be spayed. My poor baby! At this very moment I am awaiting a telephone call from the vet to tell me all is well. They probably tried to call a little while ago but I was on the phone to mum.
The appointment at the vets was 9am today. Poor Kita was all excited to be going somewhere in the car, but soon changed her tune when we got to our destination. I think she can smell anxious dogs in the vicinity and digs her heels in when walking to the surgery.
Ah, the vet's just called: all went well and she's coming around. Phew! I will collect her in an hour and a half.
We were ushered straight in and the (admittedly very handsome) vet told me, in a mixture of English and German, what to expect.
I certainly wasn't expecting to sit with her while they anaesthetised her!
He explained that the intra-muscular injection would 'sting her a little', and that she might be sick and that this was all normal. Kita required an extra pair of hands to hold her while she got the injection which obviously did more than sting a little. She went nuts and gave a loud and extended 12 inch version of the Shiba Scream. I had to tell the vet that was normal for a Shiba and he hadn't hurt her as much as she was making out as he looked quite worried.
Then I was invited to sit down while the drugs took effect. Kita came over to me for comfort, bless her, and so I fussed her a lot.
Gradually her eyes started to look a little glazed. She took exception to a photograph of a coyote pup on the wall - I think she thought it was real. Most of the time she just gazed in a stoned way at the door.
She sat down and swayed a little. Finally she flopped into a tense laying position. Then she got up and vomited. At least she proved she hadn't eaten anything!
All was calm for a short while. She was beginning to doze off, but refusing to give in and lie down. A nurse walked into the room carrying a stunningly beautiful Maine Coone kitten to be weighed. Kita was instantly up and alert again! Hmm.
Anyway, she vomited yet again, then sat heavily down, head hanging pathetically.
I think then they all got bored waiting for her to pass out so lifted her onto the table and started to advance with equipment.
At that point I asked if I could please leave now and got out before they could do any more in my sight.
I hope she will be a good patient...