supertinks | (no subject)

Yesterday was a funny sort of day, in the end.

I was woken at 7.30am by Mitzi yowling at me because she thought it was breakfast time. I ignored her and slept some more, only to be woken at 9.30am by Katie's far more intelligent attempt - she jumped up on the bed, climbed onto my chest/head, started kneading me with her claws and miaowing in her cute imitation-siamese voice. she has very sharp claws.
So I got up and fed the cats, settled down in front of the TV. I was meeting Catherine at 12 so I had plenty of time. Managed to watch the 2002 film The Importance of Being Earnest, starring Rupert Everett (i like him), Colin Firth (i lurve him), Reece Witherspoon (i like her) and Judi Dench (wow). So that was very good. It also finished at exactly the right time for me to leave.
or so I thought. I have always been successfully late whenever I meet cath anywhere. I was 5 mins late yesterday. I underestimated how much longer it takes to walk the distance into town (from here to the library where i met her is about the same distance as from my flat to where i work) when you have to go down a big hill, up a big hill and then down another hill. its very hilly here.
Town hasnt changed all that much. There are a few new shops, shops I would associate with towns bigger and more connected than Haverfordwest, such as Accessorize, Game, and H. Samuel. But for the most part it hasnt changed a bit. I got Nana's ring tested and they are diamonds, so now I need to get it valued so I can insure it. I found the ultimate present for Beav - Trapdoor on DVD. I took some pictures, and we had lunch in a nice little cafe.
Over lunch we talked about many things, not least of which the full detail of exactly what Cath has been through in the last 3 years. Most of it isnt nice, and she has suffered a lot. I am not going to go into details here, because that wouldnt be right. But she seems to be on the mend now, not least because of two things. Firstly, she has moved out of her mother and step-father's house into a small bedsit of her very own. Secondly, she appears to have found a decent bloke this time. Scott, who I met for the first time yesterday, is older than her (32 this year), is a chef in the army, but seems to be an ok kind of guy. He is really interested in coming LARPing with us too, which surprised me a bit. He seems to like Cath a lot and wants to look after her. I'm glad, because after learning everything, I feel much better knowing she's not alone.
I stayed at her bedsit till about 12am, drank some wine, watched some movies and tv, and chatted about all sorts of stuff. It was pleasant. I did arrange for them to come over tonight but now I feel as if i'd rather be alone this evening.

I did learn one thing yesterday that I can talk about here.

When I was about 7 or 8 I became friends with a girl called Christine. We were best friends all through primary school and the first few years of secondary school. We only ever had one major falling out that I can remember, and to this day, even though we hardly ever speak to each other through circumstance, we remain friends. I spent many happy times in their house (she has 4 brothers and sisters) as a child, felt like part of the family almost. Her father Albert (who was taken to court after a girl claimed he assaulted her - he was never found guilty) died of a heart attack several years ago, leaving her mother with the 5 kids, she got a brain tumour and was very ill, almost died herself. They managed to struggle through it all, the 3 oldest children all work full time in Tesco now, helping to support the family. the two youngest are still in school. Marion (her mother) died last week, or the week before (Catherine wasnt too sure of the exact dates, only that she was buried last week in the same cemetary as her husband). I have not cried, yet, although I plan to visit both the cemetary and Christine's house, and I think that will start me off. In truth, I'm not entirely sure how I should feel. I havent seen the family for years, but I know they have not forgotten me - every time my mother goes to Tesco she sees Christine and talks to her, and Christine always tells my mum to say hi to me for her. I even got a belated message congratulating me on my engagement from her. To be an orphan at 22 is not good. To be an orphan at 22 with 4 younger brothers and sisters to look after is another thing altogether. I dont think they have much family to help them out either. And then I think of the youngest ones, Charlene (14 or 15 we think) and Carl (a few years younger, 12 or 13 I think), to be orphaned at that age. Its terrible. I dont think Marion was even that old. Albert was older I remember, but Marion I think was a fairly young mum.