meet fudge...

fudge is my new feline 'house' guest... she's 18 years old, deaf, and a real sweetie... as you can see she's not averse to walking all over the furniture - her new surroundings haven't fazed her at all...

of course there have been the mandatory hissing and mewling sessions with my boy shadow, but that's all settled down now and they seem to have a healthy disrespect for each other... they can actually walk passed each other without the paws getting raised or 'words' said to each other now... they were pretty good actually, it only took a couple of days for them to 'sort themselves out'... they're still at the giving-each-other-a-wide-berth stage, but they can be in the same room within eye contact without hackles being raised now!

life and living arrangements haven't always gone as planned these last few years for various reasons, but change is again on the horizon...

having been notified of a rent increase 'due to improvements made' to my friend's bed-sit - they were putting the rent up $40 per week after 'repairing' his floor where dry-rot had resulted in a hole that needed fixing immediately - hmmm, definitely maintenance, not improvements, and something that should have been fixed before he even moved in 6 months ago - and huh, the 'repair' entailed a 'bandaid' silicone type fill that certainly won't last long - improvements, yeah, sure - rip off, more like it!!!! now that would have taken his rent up to $320 per week for a 'bed-sit' - a tiny, tiny space - so we sat down and discussed our respective predicaments - personal and financial - and our options, and decided sharing a house would be cheaper for both of us, so rather than pay an exhorbitant rent hike, now was the opportune time for brann and fudge to move into my flat and help pay the rent here, giving us a chance over the next few months to get enough money together for bond and rent on something larger yet cheaper than what we both currently outlay...

we have both found solo living is becoming increasingly expensive these days - and, for me, being a part time worker reliant on the private rental market certainly has its drawbacks - and chances are my rent will increase too at the end of my lease in 6 months... to stay in the area close to my chronically ill mother is important, but living in st kilda and surrounds means high rent, so two incomes means greater choice - and of course, the cost of living just keeps going up and up, from groceries to utilities, with electricity set to rise yet again... 

added to that is the dog-shaped hole in my heart which couldn't be repaired while renting a one-bedroom flat - a terribly depressing prospect - it's been 10 months since my beautiful old girl allie's life journey ended and my need for canine companionship is growing daily - i desperately need a dog in my life!!!! loneliness plays a part too, so a close friend's companionship will be nice as well - especially as we have always shared a similar sense of humour, cynicism and skepticism - and we both work in libraries so both understand where the other is coming from when we need to have a good gripe about 'the workplace'...

it will be a bit of a squeeze in my small flat for 2 adults and 2 cats, but the end result will be worth it... a house - a larger space that will allow us the ability to live a bit more cheaply and to offer a forever home to a rescued dog in the near future...