What to do with the cat...

Two years or so ago, I was intrigued by a mewing sound outside the house which I couldn't quite place. It seemed to be coming from our 'garden' but I couldn't find the culprit. Needless to say, he eventually turned up, 400 grams or so of frightened and hungry Siamese kitten.

At the time, the closest our daughter could come to saying 'miaow' was 'bao', which quiclky became the cat's name. For some reason that became doubled - bao bao - and, as she developed her linguistic prowess, Monsieur Bao Bao. This is what we call him to this day.

Now we are leaving Vietnam. An integral part of the family, he will be coming with us. But we're off to France first for 2 months, which means he needs looking after. The ex-pat community here flies the coup for the long vacation, so we have to resort to catteries. Having checked out one such place here - a two-foot cubed metal barred cage - we're investigating provision in Bangkok, which is where we're heading to after France.

Mmm...feeling just a tad guilty and sorry for M. Bao Bao...

Loreto Vietnam

The colour sample came back and was fine. I have Monday 28th May as delivery date. The book will be on sale at ISHCMC Grade5 Exhibition, with 20% of profits being donated to the Loreto foundation in Vietnam. Loreto runs several programmes in Vietnam:

The program's two shelters for street children in Ho Chi Minh City, Sunrise House for girls and Sunlight House for boys, takes in children from the streets or unhappy family situations and provides them with a safe home.

The program helps to put these children into neighbouring schools to learn to read and write or into vocational training centres, where they receive training for future employment.

In the shelters the children experience a sense of security and receive counselling about health issues such as drugs and sexual transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS.

Many of the children also suffer from the legacy of chemical warfare, medical problems during pregnancy, hereditary traits and unhygienic living conditions.

There are about 70,000 children who are blind in Vietnam and of the 5.2 million disabled people, many who have lost arms or legs or both to the unexploded landmines left after the war, about 22,000 disabled children live in Ho Chi Minh City.

LVAP is involved in the Nguyen Dinh Chieu School where more than 200 blind children are taught English to help them increase their job prospects.

The program also provides financial support for a music program and to train teachers.

LVAP also supports the Sunrise Special School in Ho Chi Minh City to help train teachers in theory-based disability studies, participatory approaches for children's learning and community based rehabilitation.

Visit my website to order your copy of 'Benny and Binny' and make a contribution to the valuable work of this charity.

Samples

I am due to get the colour sample of 'Benny and Binny' today - a historical moment. My first published children's book will be in print and available in ten days' time if I sign off on the sample today...

Maybe one day I'll be able to do this full time. Meanwhile, thoughts are turning to teaching Drama and Geography next year in secondary school. I must brush up on my Shakepeare, forsooth!

Plutarch on Pythagoras

"Can you really ask what reason Pythagoras had for abstaining from flesh? For my part I rather wonder both by what accident and in what state of soul or mind the first man did so, touched his mouth to gore and brought his lips to the flesh of a dead creature, he who set forth tables of dead, stale bodies and ventured to call food and nourishment the parts that had a little before bellowed and cried, moved and lived. How could his eyes endure the slaughter when throats were slit and hides flayed and limbs torn from limb? How could his nose endure the stench? How was it that the pollution did not turn away his taste, which made contact with the sores of others and sucked juices and serums from mortal wounds?" ~Plutarch

The more I think about it, the more abhorrent it becomes. I also stumbled across this little gem from The Old Testament, no less:

“Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who kills a human being; whoever sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering, like one who offers swine’s blood; whoever makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. They have chosen their own ways and in their abominations they take delight.”
Isaiah 66:3

Thinning down the guitar collection...

As part of the moving process, I'm reducing my guitar collection by two - a SAND acoustic and a SANGWHA electric. It will give me more of a chance to regularly play the other two, at least. Sniff.

Adverts

Not sure about these Googlified adverts, but I thought I'd at least try them out. It's not too invasive...

My son has four teeth pushing through together and my daughter has tonsils the size of golf balls. Isn't being a parent just wonderful?

The countdown

Actually, I am operating two countdowns. One of these is professionally helpful. The kids are running their PYP Exhibition in two weeks time, so there is a 10 school-day countdown on the board. It's good, as this helps me focus as well. After the Exhibition, there will be two weeks of, well, not thumb-twiddling exactly, but, shall we say, less focus...

Leaving is always hard to do well, I find. And we have booked our flights for the evening of our last day at work, so it really is as though we are running off at the earliest possible moment. Actually it's more that we're keen to get to France, to the house we bought last summer, and start working on it. Keen to see family too. Keen to leave Vietnam? No, not especially. We've had good times here - many more than bad, at any rate. It's also the only home our kids have ever known.

After 6 years, we have 4 weekends left then. That's 33 days. Including today.