The arrival of three surprises.

So to the surprises!

One evening, about 3 years ago, Malcolm told me

that we had a problem in the barns, in fact he said we had 3 problems !!! I was to follow him.

So up the ladder in the dark I went and in a cardboard box, one of so many up there, were 3 siamese kittens with their mother.

She had been around in the garden for a week or so and seemed hungry and we had felt sorry for it. We didn't know what sex she was and certainly didn't know she was pregnant then.

So there we were 4 cats more.

Their mother was so good but she wouldn't let us near her and that we had to respect.

Gradually 2 of the kittens wanted to come and we were able to stroke them, even hold them.

Weeks went by and we nursed the two boys through cat flu, sadly their sister, who was so beautiful wouldn't come near and wanted always to be with her mother.

They had won our hearts and we named them, Fleur, Samuel and Jacob.

Eventually Fleur and her mother left, they preferred the wild life and Samuel and Jacob stayed.

Always together, playing, eating sleeping curled up, so happy.

Then one evening Jacob didn't come home, which he always did. We looked for him, we called for him, Samuel didn't settle and we went to bed hoping that Jacob would be outside in the morning.

He wasn't and later we found him, he was dead. I remember walking back along our lane Malcolm carrying his poor body, we were both crying and feeling so empty and also feeling so sad for Samuel.

Jacob stays with us surrounded by roses in the garden and I know that we both sometimes spend a few minutes in the garden talking to him.

Samuel has now healed in his loss for his brother and happily now Tortue often chooses to curl up and sleep with him. He loves that.