Today has been real funny, I've kept busy, but 6pm has loomed every closer like the inevitable armagedon of the Terminator movies. You know it's coming, you know when it's coming, but try as you might you can't change it. I said good-bye to all my faves, hell they didn't know what was going on, it was just another round of petting and fussing for them.
I was out in the ruins today, and a new volunteer came out with me. She said she hadn't been around for a while and was catching up on the changes. Man, she knew every cat out there by name. We're talking 30-40 cats that we saw. It was amazing, and they recognized her too, or at least their names. We searched for one girl, Greta Garbo, for 30 minutes, but she eventually turned up, strolling out from somewhere large as life. About 50% will come to you to be stroked, but there can be some serious jealousy if something thinks someone else is getting too much attention and some hissing and swiping ensues, but overall everyone is generally good tempered.
The last hour was the worst when we were finishing off checking litter for the day, or warming up the heating pads for some of the cats just out surgery. Sylvia, the other original organizer of the sanctuary, was there today to see me off and said she wished could clone me... "100 times". I not niave enough to think they don't say it to alot of the volunteers but she said I would be missed and hoped I could come back soon - well, here's hoping to, but I don't expect it to be this year, but who knows what 2009 will hold...
I have to say I DID enjoy my time there and want to thank everyone who made me feel so welcome. Even the Italian-only speaking staff helped me out... gestures and a muddled English got us through :+} I have to say the enthusiasm of the student volunteers for the cats is great. Like us all, they have their faves, but they all seem genuinely pleased to be there helping the cats in general. Most are American, either at school, or studying here. Most get down there at least once or twice a week. Although it mainly seems to be the fairer sex who volunteer [what's up guys, not macho enough for you?], a new guy did show up yesterday, from New Zealand here for a month, He was here 2 years ago and said he just wanted to come back. So yesterday was like a guy-club affair. There was Keith, myself and the new recruit. Wow, you could almost smell the testosterone in the air :+}.
But I have to say, no matter where the people were from, no matter what age, or sex, they were, I can honestly say I have never seen so many people, so happy, to shovel shit all day!
Anyway, back to England tomorrow. I'll start posting photo's over the next week, as I previously said, and hopefully some more commentary and anecdotes to go with them.
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