Poor Cassie-Cat

Poor old Cassandra is missing Merlin a lot these days. She keeps systematically sniffing around rooms, as if she's trying to pick up his scent. I don't know how long a cat's scent will stay around once the cat is no longer there, but maybe Merlin's scent was around until recently but is now wearing off. It's two months since Merlin died now :-(

To add to Cassie-Cat's woes, she seems to have a problem with one of her eyes. Emily took this picture of her yesterday which shows it quite clearly:It's the brown spots on the iris of her right eye. She's had them for a long time - bad owners that we are, we assumed it was just an old cat thing - age spots, if you like. However, I've just been researching it having seen how noticeable it is on the photo, and it looks like it could be iris melanoma which sounds pretty drastic and is basically a tumour or tumours on the iris, which can spread throughout the body. Having said that, Cassie generally seems in very good health. She doesn't seem to have any problems with her vision at all, she spots movement of toys etc immediately and is generally very purry and affectionate. I guess we ought to take her to the vets and hear what they have to say about it, but since all of the treatment options (if it is that) are extremely invasive....I don't know. I'm loathe to put Cassie-cat through the kind of stressful treatment that Merlin went through :-(( We shall have to see.

Anyway. In happier news, Emily's been busy doing lots and lots and lots and lots of Easter crafts, most of which are secret surprises for me and Daddy tomorrow, bless her. Today she made this scrummy looking almond, marzipan and chocolate cake ready for our Easter family meal tomorrow.
Emily has also been busy practising tap. She had a tough time at the tap lesson on Thursday and seemed to spend a lot of time being made to do things on her own at the front of the class while the teacher shook her head a lot. Charming. I really dislike that woman. Emily says she's nervous about the tap in the lessons, and that's why she makes the mistakes - there's probably something in that, since she does the routines fine at home. Doesn't say much for the teacher's people skills, I have to say. Emily is finding it hard, though, and it's knocking her confidence. Not long now until the exam on the 1st May. I wish she'd decided not to do it, but she used to like tap so she wanted to enter for it. I say used to, since I'm not at all sure that it's very much fun any more :-(( What is is about teachers that destroys the enjoyment of things??