New Humans

Today was a real adventure and I really enjoyed most of it.  I was taken on a Bus Contraption, a sort of half size thing with no upstairs like the other one.  I did sit down most of the time but kept my eyes on the door and plotted my escape.  Unfortunately it would appear that my human was wise to this and she kept me close and on my lead.

We got off the Bus Contraption and had a nice walk through some old hospital place or other, my human didn't seem too impressed and kept telling me about it being a disgrace that it's going to wrack and ruin.  I think I'd rather enjoy ruins, especially if there were rabbits and other jumpy things living there.  I decided to behave well on my lead today because my human had my favourite toy in her bag and I get it to play with when I'm good.  I suspect she may be trying to bribe me but I don't mind too much because it's a nice bribe.  Not like going to the vet where I have the indignity of getting poked and prodded then only end up with a biscuit.  I think a vet visit is worth at least a new ball.

After we'd walked we got to another hospital but this one was busy and not in wrack and ruin.  Well, I don't think it was but what do I know.  We went to some building with a garden and trees around it but the most exciting bit about the walk there was the squirrel I saw.  I was pulling, jumping...trying anything to let my human know I wanted to go and play with it.  She had other ideas and said no.  One thing about my human is there's no point arguing if she says no because she really means it.  I'll have to work on that.

So this building we went to was really lovely and there was a huge bowl of water waiting for me.  That was a great relief because it was very hot today.  A few humans were sitting at a table, talking as usual because that seems to be all humans ever do.  When they saw me coming they all came to say hello and make a big fuss of me.  My human said I'm antisocial because I mostly wasn't interested in them but I was really just pretending not to be interested.  Under my calm and aloof exterior I was loving all the attention.  I think my human will take me there again because she says it's a very special place.  This is why she says that;

A long time ago there was a lady called Maggie and she wasn't very well.  Maggie wanted to make a special place for humans who are ill to go and be able to talk and have a nice place to sit together and get help or support.  Maggie cared such a lot about getting it right and did design and everything to make it just right.  It's very sad but Maggie died before it was all finished and so she never got to see her special place.  Maggie's husband has been into the special building and he thinks it's brilliant.  The name of the building is Maggie's Centre and it's in Edinburgh but there are others all over the place now, even in Hong Kong which is a very long way away.

My human goes to Maggie's Centre because she isn't very well and the other humans there help her to figure stuff out and they make sure she understands all the hard medical bits.  She told me that Maggie's is not only a special place because of the lady called Maggie but because everyone who goes there is really kind and understanding to each other.  I like it because I get biscuits.

When we were finished meeting all the new humans we had to go on another Bus Contraption to come home.  I was tired after the day of adventures and I decided to lie down and sleep.  After we got home I had some dinner and water and now I'm going off to cuddle down for the night.


PS, my human says I need to share the URL for Maggie's Centre so other people can read about what it is, what it does and a bit more about it.  So I'll oblige - here it is: http://bit.ly/pHVmWd