Friday 30th of may

Friday we didn’t have to work so we started the day slow and enjoyed the warm weather. For today we had a chill schedule. First it was time to use Megan’s camera again. Sibbi is leaving us on monday, so we wanted a few pictures with the whole nest together. They were very playful when we tried to take pictures so it took a while before we had a few that were decent enough to post. After the photoshoot we cuddled with them for a while and they slept on our lap. When it was time to eat we prepared the fire and had a lovely barbeque for the two of us. After eating, Jaime and Tarik joined us for a lovely Mario kart night by the fire.

Saturday 31st of may

Today we needed to go to the vet again. This time with Jan, which he didn’t like in the slightest. We only have one travel case and the kittens were in there. So Jan needed to put his haras on and Megan carried him to the vet. The people at the vet were very nice and took their time with the little ones and Jan. Normally Jan hates the vet, but here he could roam around and in the end even enjoyed it. All 6 kittens now have their first vaccination and Jan is also checked up again. When we left we even got a little present for all of the cats and they helped us clean the carrier (someone couldn’t hold it in any longer). After the vet we went to the supermarket to get some needed supplies and went back to Colina dos Moutinhos. Yesterday we took a few pictures of the kittens, but something was missing. Jaime gave Megan the great idea to use a picnic basket for the photos. So today we tried it out. It went like you expect. A lot of running kittens not sitting still and barely a picture with all 6 of them together. But it was fun nonetheless. In the evening we relaxed and looked through the photos.

Sunday 1st of june

Sunday we cleaned a bit of the camper, luckily we did most of the cleaning Friday and Saturday, so we were done quickly. We didn’t have much planned today, so Megan decided to go to Jaime for a crafty afternoon. We made dreamcatchers. Megan always wanted to learn how to make one and Jaime is an expert. She made a lot of them! So after a while of learning Megan made her first dreamcatcher. We had a lovely time! When Megan got back to the camper it was time to eat. We ate something special today! ostrich egg! The egg was so big, it didn’t even fit in the pan… And it was so much we couldn’t finish it with the two of us. In the evening we cuddled a bit more with Sibbi than normal, because tomorrow Sibbi will go to her new home! Megan went to bed with Sibbi in her arms.

Monday 2nd of june

Today is the day we have our first goodbye. Sibbi will go to her new family. We packed up our camper and drove to their home. On the way there we had a road that Megan didn’t like that much. A lot of height differences, with a lot of turns. When we got there the new owner of Sibbi was waiting for us and we brought all the kittens along. When we were inside we let all the kittens loose. We talked for a while about Sibbi and the other ones and knew. This is a great home for Sibbi. She showed the family that she is litter trained almost immediately and started playing with her brothers and sisters. We stayed for a while, but then it was time to really say goodbye. It was hard to leave her behind, but we were absolutely certain that this was the best place Sibbi could have ended up. When we drove home we got our first updates and we were smiling from ear to ear. Sibbi was sleeping on her shoulder like she used to do with us. Sibbi accepted her new family! 

We picked up some groceries on the way back and drove back to Colina dos Moutinhos. When we got back the little ones seemed a bit quieter than normal. They probably don’t know what really happened, but they knew something was different. Megan had a tutoring lesson and Bryan worked on a website. 

In the evening we went to Jaime and Tarik and had a lovely night full of talking and laughter. We heard that the new volunteers arrived today and we will meet them tomorrow.

Tuesday 3rd of june

Today we had to work, so we went down the hill to remove a tree. When we got there we met the new volunteers. They are a family with 2 daughters and a cute dog. We talked for a bit and started to work afterwards. Not long after we started, Merel came by and asked Megan to help Tarik and Jaime with the garden. So Bryan removed the tree and Megan helped Tarik and Jaime. We worked most of the day and we texted with Bryan’s mother and Megan’s grandparents. Megan’s grandparents arrived in Portugal today and we will meet up with them soon.

Wednesday 4th of june

Today was another workday. Megan cleared the driveway from weeds and Bryan went down the hill to remove parts of the tree with the new volunteer. When we were done, we decided that we needed to decide what to do next. After a while we figured it out and we will continue our journey in a few weeks. In the evening we talked with our friend from home and called it a night.

Thursday 5th of june

Thursday morning we worked for a bit and after lunch Megan had to give lessons. After all the work was done it was time for the weekend! We did all our hours on the farm and we were done with our own work.

Friday 23rd of may

We had a horrible night. Not because of a storm of heavy rain. No because of the kittens and Jan. The kittens liked the idea of  running around, jumping, fighting and most of all screeching our nose, lip, neck… And because of that we and Jan couldn’t sleep. So Jan started whining and made it a lot more difficult to sleep. 

So we started the morning sleepy and drank some coffee at the campfire with Tarik and Jaime. We are keeping Jan inside today because they want to mow the place he likes to play. We did need some groceries again, but after the last time Jaime offered Megan a ride to the supermarket. We worked and cleaned the rest of the day because we made our hours for the week already.

Saturday 24th of may

Today was a cleaning day. Normally we did it on friday, but yesterday we had to stand somewhere else than normal and it was easier to do it today. After a while of cleaning we contacted Merel about the barbeque we are planning that evening and she had the same idea. So we planned a little party and we had to get some supplies. Merel needed to go to Coimbra so Megan joined and we went to a big shopping mall. On the top floor of the mall there were a few over the middle of Coimbra and Megan had to take a picture. After a while of shopping we went back and were ready to start the barbeque. We ate, drank and played a lot of mario kart and after that Picopark. We had a lovely time and went to bed at a reasonable hour: 2 a.m.

Sunday 25th of may

Because we did not finish cleaning yesterday we had to continue today. We also had no time yesterday to post the blog so we rescheduled it for today as well. After the post was online and the camper was a lot cleaner than before, we called our best friend and talked for a while. In the evening we played a game together and had a great time catching up. 

Tomorrow we have a busy day so we need some relaxing time.

Monday 26th of may

We needed to do some chores today. First we went to get some groceries. Yes we drove with our own camper and made it luckily this time. There was no rain and Megan stood at the top of the driveway to make sure that there were no cars coming. Shopping went easy and we even had time to fill up the tank before going to the vet. We had all the kittens in the travel case and we didn’t have to wait long before we could go in. We were a bit scared because of the weight of the little ones, but the vet told us that they were looking good! That was a nice relief. The only kitten that was too small was Koos. And we knew that already. There were no signs of bad health, but it is weird that he has so little hair and is so small for his age. He even thought that his dad was a naked cat, but wasn’t sure. He looks a bit weird, but he is a lovely kitten and likes to do all the things his sisters and brother do. After the vet Megan had to tutor and worked for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday 27th of may

We didn’t work for Merel yesterday so we started today at 10 a.m. to help clean the garden of branches and grass. Bryan drove the tractor up and down and Megan helped Merel to get all the stuff to one place. After Lunch Bryan continued to help Merel and Megan had to tutor again. Megan worked till late in the evening and enjoyed the rest of the evening with a game.

Wednesday 28th of may

A workday today, because we want to get as many hours in today as possible. Why? Because tomorrow it will be 35 degrees C and working in that hot weather is not something you would do for fun. We had a nice job today. Cutting down a tree and driving it up in the tractor. Megan did the little branches and Bryan cut down the tree in pieces. After a little while of working a lot of the tree was cut down and we hoped we would get it done by the end of the day. After lunch we worked like a machine. Cutting it down, putting it in the tractor, driving it up, and again. By 6 p.m. we were almost done. Only the last pieces had to be done. By 7 p.m. we were done. And happy with the work we did for this day, but also time to relax.

Thursday 29th of may

Workday for Megan, Relax day for Bryan. Megan had a few tutoring lessons today and in between worked on the preparations for the next lessons. The lessons went great and after the last one was done, it was time for the weekend! It was so warm outside and also inside at that point, that Megan decided to jump in the pool to cool off. She enjoyed the sun and read a book in the shade. It was supposed to be the great start of a weekend. Until Megan got a text from her parents about something at home which made us make a lot of phone calls. Because of a holiday a lot of people we needed to speak to weren’t reachable which made the whole situation a lot more frustrating. In the evening a lot of things were cleared up, but we need to make a call later because the insurance company is closed today.

Friday 16th of may 

Friday is our cleaning day, but Bryan had some hours left to do so Megan cleaned most of the camper. Cleaning with 6 little kittens running around and chasing each other and your feet isn’t an efficient way of working. When they finally stopped, Megan could clean a little more. The little ones find really unusual spots to sleep now, but it always brings a smile on our faces when we find out. In the evening Megan watered the plants and called with a friend.

Saturday 17th of may

The blog had to be on time this week so we worked most of the day on it. The weather was nice and warm so we also enjoyed the sun. Megan is trying to learn some more Portuguese again and worked on some Portuguese crossword puzzle. Then we heard something around the camper and some really nice people from the camping came to see the kittens. We talked about our plans and they did the same. A little time passed after they left before the man came back with a painting. He didn’t say much, just gave it to Bryan and we thanked him. It was a painting of our camper at the current location and we loved it! It was their way of thanking us for cuddling with the kittens, but we would just give them that for nothing. 

Sunday 18th of may 

We had to get some groceries again so we packed the camper and got ready to drive to the supermarket, but it was raining a bit and the driveway was slippery. Too slippery for our campers liking. So we started slipping and couldn’t get over the last bump. After a few tries we finally made it, but it will be a problem if we can’t make it every time. 

The kittens had to stay in the travelbox so when we got home they were very active and they played with anything they could find. The rest of the day we played with the kittens and rested for next week.

Monday 19th of may

In the morning Megan got a text from Merel asking if she could check in 2 campers. Ofcourse she didn’t mind and even enjoyed it. When they were settled in, the real work started. We worked in the garden. We also sat down to see what our plan would be, because it is almost the end of the month and at first we wanted to stay here for only a month, but we truly enjoy our time here!

Tuesday 20th of may

In the morning we helped the people from the camping out of the steep driveway. They had a similar camper as us and were scared they couldn’t make it. We blocked off the road and he made first try, luckily. After that we had to get to work. First in the ducks place freeing the trees. Then we went down and helped Jaime and Tarik. We needed to wait and decided to call it a day. Back at the camper we worked for our jobs and enjoyed the sun. Bryan helped Merel in the evening with cutting a tarp, before calling it a night.

Wednesday 21st of may

We worked on the gravel path. When we were done with it we went down to the other volunteers and helped them for a little bit. The petrol was empty so we were done sooner than usual. When we got back it was a cuddle and relaxing time.

Thursday 22nd of may

In the morning we got a call from Merel to move the camper away because a tractor is going to mow the road behind us. We decided that it was a short way so we could check how the kittens would react if we didn’t put them in the travel case. It went better than expected and they never stopped playing. So we moved everything and went to work.

We worked on the gravel again for batch 2. We had a little bit extra so we made a sitting area and even after that we still had 2 hills of gravel extra. Bryan went down to help the other volunteers and Megan had a tutoring lesson. After that we were going to put the camper on the new gravel path we made, but the camper got stuck again so we could park it on the camping spot for a night. In the evening we had a lovely time and even talked with another volunteer till late in the evening. When it was time to go to bed we had a bit of a new experience. The kittens can climb on the bed now and they are ready to stay the night there. Jan didn’t like that and went up and down the stairs meowing like usual. But the kittens loved it. At one point we had all the kittens and Jan on the bed with us. (a bit crowded for our liking) And if we put them down they would just climb back up again.

Friday 9th of may

The kittens and ourselves made a mess of the camper. So a big cleaning was necessary. We cleaned most of the day and enjoyed the sun. The kittens are doing great and some of the people here wanted to meet them. 

Saturday 10th of may

The little ones are playful and really like to cuddle. Once we sit down we will have 1 to 6 kittens on our lap/neck/feet. We didn’t update last week so we are trying to catch up. We thought it would rain the whole day, but the weather was pretty nice. We enjoyed the weather and talked with some residents. 

Sunday 11th of may

We were invited to a pizza party today. Before we could go Megan had a tutoring lesson and Bryan helped in the garden. He even drove a tractor. After helping the pizza party started. We talked, ate and drank. It was a lovely time. After the party we checked on the kittens and Koos wasn’t feeling well. We gave him something else to eat and he got better soon after. He just switched from milk to wet-food. The other ones are doing fine, we are monitoring their weight. They are still a bit small, but they are getting better. Kim even enjoyed the sun today by the window. 

Monday 12th of may

Today was grocery-day so we started with cleaning up the camper, kittens in position and time to drive. We bought a cute tent for the kittens and hoped they would sleep in it. We weren’t disappointed with the outcome. After grocery shopping Megan continued with the sign until the evening, because it started to rain. The sign is nearly done now. In the evening we had a little time for ourselves and cuddled with the kittens.

Tuesday 13th of may

It was supposed to rain today so Megan didn’t paint today. Bryan and Megan were asked to tidy the garage so we could find the tools better in the future. In the evening we called with a very special friend and played some games. It was nice to hear from him and we had a lovely time. 

Wednesday 14th of may

In the morning Megan fed the kittens and they found a special sleeping place after feeding: in the hood of Megan’s hoody. They were very active today so we decided that they were ready for a few steps outside. One at a time we let them play outside while we were watching. After some outside play it was time to go to work. When Megan was done she texted with her mother, which was very difficult when all 6 kittens are climbing and jumping all over you. Then there was a knock on the door. A resident that visits often to see the kittens brought a gift. 2 hats she made herself. One was for Kim and one for Jan. Jan didn’t mind the hat, but didn’t seem thrilled either. Kim was a little too small for the hat, so we had to wait a bit longer for her to wear it. In the evening the little ones were playing and running all over. It was fun to watch.

Thursday 15th of may

We worked again and the sign is finished! The weather is much better now and we enjoyed it. Only to find out that exposed legs aren’t great around kittens. Megan’s legs are covered in scratches. In the evening we called our special friend again to play more games.

Friday 2nd of May

The puppy is still here. He slept ‘’in’’ the tent on the outside layer where he could see Megan’s sister. We took some pictures and were thinking of a name. Meanwhile, the kittens got diarrhea so we made an appointment with the vet. Turns out that the kittens are a little dehydrated so the vet gave us some medicine. She didn’t say much about the little ones, only that they look a little sickly but nothing she can do about. The dog was also here with us to the appointment and got his own set of medicines as well as a lot of removed ticks. After all that, we drove back to the camping. Megan and her family went to the lucky home while Bryan fed the kittens. Tomorrow we will drive to our next stop.

Saturday 3rd of May

Our 3 day vacation is coming to an end. Bryan did the night shift again, so Megan was up early. After feeding Megan went to her parents and found out that the owner of the camping would like to adopt the puppy. His name will be Mao, which is chinese for ‘’hairy.’’ Megan went with her parents to the place where they will be leaving their caravan in the future. When she got back it was cleaning time and we were ready to say our goodbyes. We will see them in 2 months. The trip was wonderful and Jan even tried to drive. When we almost got to our new destination we decided to go get some groceries. At our destination we found a spot, but due to the rain and muddy terrain we got stuck….  A tractor pulled us out and the kittens needed feeding. Pearl wasn’t looking too good and she was colder than usual, so we wrapped her and her sister, Crystal, in a blanket to keep them warm. We got a new spot and set up for the night. It was raining a lot.

Sunday 4th of May

Jan escaped tonight, but luckily Bryan found him. Pearl and Crystal were getting worse, Megan put both of them in her bra to get them warmed up. The older ones are eating properly and are very playful. At 12 o’ clock we had a tour of the property and it looked wonderful. a lot of animals: pigs, goats, horses, ducks, chickens and even an ostrich. The owner is very nice and we talked a lot. Megan had to cut the tour short to tutor, but Bryan stayed a little longer. Tutoring with the little ones is a little difficult, but it worked out in the end. In the afternoon Crystal got worse and worse…. We tried everything but knew the end was near…. and around 5 o’clock she passed away in Megan’s arms. Megan was a hot mess, but Bryan comforted Megan and we buried her here. The whole evening was about the kittens, and Megan went to bed early. Bryan stayed up to feed the kittens. When he went to bed he said his goodbyes to Pearl thinking she wouldn’t get through the night.

Monday 5th of May

When Megan woke up, Pearl was still breathing. Megan put her in her robe and fed them all. Today we are going to do some work on the farm for the first time. Megan pulled weeds and finished an art project on a wall. Bryan mowed the grass. Every time one of us got back to the camper we expected the worst, but Pearl was stronger than she looked. Megan had a little bit of hope again and hoped the prebiotics were working. After the last feeding time Pearl started moving again and Megan stayed a bit longer with her. She looked like she was improving, but when we got back from working another hour, Pearl passed away. Now all 3 gems are stars in the sky and we hope that they are better now.

Tuesday 6th of May

Megan woke up and fed the kittens. Then it was off to work sticking stones to a wall. When the artpiece was done there was time to work on the blog. The last couple of days were hard on us. Losing the kittens, lack of sleep and we did not even have a lot of time to explore more of this beautiful farm.(That is the reason our blog is a week late…) When Bryan woke up we had to get some groceries. The kittens were going with us of course, but this time they were more active. When we got back we packed everything up and went back to work. Bryan mowed the grass again and Megan pulled some weeds. When Merel came Megan got a new art project to work on: The sign at the street. We worked for a bit and called it a night short after. Megan wanted to show the place to her parents, so she called home.

Wednesday 7th of May

Megan fed the kittens in the morning again, but a bit later now. The kittens are slowly able to eat less often, so Bryan can go to bed a bit earlier and Megan can stay in bed a bit longer now. After feeding Megan cuddled with Jan, before he thinks we aren’t loving him anymore and are trying to replace him. We will keep one of the kittens, but the other ones are already assigned to a family. We try to keep the families in the loop for updates. Donna and Kim (our own) are loving the sunshine, so they lay in a spot where the sun will be. 

We worked the rest of the day. Well worked… Merel is giving jobs for things we like to do, so time flies by. Bryan cleaned the driveway and Megan painted the sign. In the evening Megan called with a good friend and we caught up.

Thursday 8th of may

We worked most of the day again, cleaning and painting. At the end of the day the sign looked a lot better, but still isn’t done yet. Bryan even came to help, because we thought it was going to rain the next day. At the end of the day we talked about our stay here and we both had the same feeling: We love it here. We work, but it doesn’t feel like work and the people here are nice and friendly.

Friday 25th of April

A morning we will not soon forget. Megan went to feed the little ones and unfortunately found out that one had passed away in the night. It was the same one that escaped just a week ago and we hoped that she would get stronger, but it just didn’t happen. We tried everything, but it wasn’t enough. Bryan was already working in the garden and Megan came up the hill to tell him. We buried Jade and had to go back to work. Megan stayed inside, watched and puzzled with the children, because they stayed home from school due to a national holiday. After lunch we stopped and had time to clean up the camper. We tried to enjoy the weather for what it was worth. Today was also the last day of deworming the kittens. In the late afternoon we went to the supermarket and had to do the laundry again. When we came back we saw that the neighbour was spraying pesticides on the property. We weren’t too happy with that because it could get on the kittens, so we decided to move them into the camper…. and the mothers couldn’t help us anymore.

Saturday 26th of April

An early rise for Megan, 7’o-clock to be precise, which means time to feed the kittens again. After feeding time, a little time to wake up and then we had to work again. Megan’s ‘’work’’ was playing mario kart in the morning with the boys while Bryan helped Frank and Denice with digging. Then we had lunch together and after that we fed the kittens and let them loose in the camper which they loved! Eventually they had to go back in their box because we had to go to Guarda for supplies for them. Which means their very first ride in a car, this went better than expected and were silent the entire time. When we came back, play time could begin and they were fed out of their new bowl. A ‘’great’’ success… A few of them are slowly getting the hang of using the litter box and we are feeling like proud parents. While Megan slept Bryan stayed up to give the kittens their nightly feedings.

Sunday 27th of April

Today was a day with not many plans. Feeding the kittens and Megan had a tutoring lesson. This morning the little ones really made a mess while eating…. But 2 out of the 4 older ones are getting used to the wet food. In the evening a few kittens even started playing with the toys we got for them.

Monday 28th of April

Soon we are leaving this place and move on to the next. Bryan helped Frank and Denice for the last time while Megan cleaned up the camper and made it travel ready. the weather was nice today so we all ate together outside. After lunch we had a lovely time cuddling and playing with the kittens. There wasn’t much to do because of a large power outage which affects parts of Portugal, Spain and France. In the evening we had to bring the mother cats to Annie(star mountain animal sanctuary) to get them sterilised. Megan’s parents came along and afterwards said hello and cuddled with the kittens.

Tuesday 29th of April

Megan had to wake up early again and had a hard time with the kittens. They started climbing on things which they couldn’t before. After feeding time Megan got a message about one of the mother cats escaping her travel case…. Luckily it was inside a facility and they managed to capture her in no time. While Bryan was sleeping Megan took a shower and got our belongings out of the house. When Bryan was awake we set out to go to the supermarket. When we got at the top of the hill in front of the house, the camper stopped…. luckily we found out that the tank was empty and the tank meter was not very accurate. So we pushed the camper to the side of the road and Bryan jumped on the bi-cycle to get gas. After shopping, more cleaning and then we got the text that we could pick up the mother. We let them stay in the travel case till the next morning to ensure the first night after surgery was spent in a safe environment.

Wednesday 30th of April

Today is moving day! Yesterday we already cleaned up most of all the stuff so we were done really quickly. Megan let the mothers out in the morning and gave them food. They were doing fine after the surgery. We fed the kittens, said our goodbyes and drove to the camping Megan’s parents were staying at. It wasn’t a long drive, but the road we chose wasn’t the best. The kittens were as calm as ever but Jan didn’t enjoy it as much. He was laying on Megan’s lap for most of the trip. When we got to the camping, we said hi to Megan’s parents and little sister before settling in. Megan’s little sister helped with the kittens and we had an evening filled with kitten antics.

Thursday 1st of May

We didn’t do much today. We are on a camping and we feel like we are on vacation. In the evening we spoke to the gardener of the place and he told us about a secret spot. It was a lovely waterfall. While Megan was ready to go to bed her dad knocked on the door with the news that there was a little street puppy. They gave him some food and water to calm him down, after which he was a lovely happy boy.

Friday 18th of april

A day full of working and talking. First Megan called with her best friend and her family back in the Netherlands. Just to see and talk to everyone over there again. Afterwards it was time to work again. Bryan was working on the blog while Megan was busy tutoring. It was truly a day to stay inside since the rain has still not gone away.

Saturday 19th of April

Today the weather wasn’t any better than yesterday. Megan’s parents and little sister were on their way to Portugal and luckily hadn’t seen much of the rain yet. In the morning we checked on the little ones and one was missing….. We found her cold and barely moving in the back of the garage. We tried everything to warm her back up and to get her drinking by her mother. This was the second time something like this has happened, so we decided to get the little ones and the mother inside the camper. The mother loved it and fed the little ones well. We took a few pictures and cuddled with them. When Jan came home he wasn’t very pleased with the mother in his home and started to growl. At night it didn’t get any better so Bryan stayed up a little longer than usual.

Sunday 20th of April

We woke up tired. Jan growled almost all night and Bryan had to check on the little ones throughout the night. We can’t keep doing this every night. Megan gave a tutoring lesson while Bryan tried to get some shut-eye. After lunch we needed some groceries, but due to the lack of sleep we forgot something kind of important…. Happy Easter everyone! so every store was closed. Instead we stayed and weighed the little ones. To our shock some were way too small. The rest of the day was spent looking for ways to help the little ones and keeping a watchful eye on them to make sure they will be healthy, and of course sleep.

Monday 21st of April

Today the stores opened again! So we packed our stuff and did some groceries and laundry. We stopped by the vet as well to ask about the weight of the little ones and deworming medicine. We got the necessary supplies and when we got home we fed the kittens with a bottle for the first time. The 3 smallest kittens were fed first and the most, after which we put them in the camper for surveillance. We fed them through the night, which was yet again, not very good for our sleep.

Tuesday 22nd of April

After another horrible night and an early rise for Megan, we started the day. We were going to see Megan’s family today, so we left the little ones with their mother for the day and fed them before we left. Megan was happy to see her family again after some time. We drank some coffee and tea before going to the piece of land that Megan’s parents are trying to purchase. We will go back on a later date to enjoy a small vacation. When we got back we checked the kittens first and after Megan gave a tutoring lesson. After all that it was time to relax and for Megan to go to bed. Bryan stayed with the kittens till 3 o’clock.

Wednesday 23rd of April

Megan had to wake up at 7 again to feed the little 3. When they were fed it was time to lay them with their mother. After Megan did that she slowly started waking up and got ready for working in the garden. The weather finally improved. Bryan worked on a ditch for a water supply line and Megan cleaned the floors of the terras. Today was also the first day we were trying to feed the kittens wet food. 3 out of the 4 older ones were interested and ate some. We also weighed all of the little ones, and they weren’t growing as fast as we had hoped.

Thursday 24th of April

A new morning has risen and a new day to work in the garden has come. Megan helped Frank with mowing the grass and Bryan continued the work he started the day before. The weather was pretty hot today so we stopped after lunch. Megan had to give a tutoring lesson and after that it was feeding time again. We start to have a rhythm and we can finally go to bed early again for once.

Friday 11^th of April

In the morning we spent some time cleaning the camper because yet again it was time to go grocery shopping, as well as the laundry had to be done. Today it rained yet again every once in a while so we didn’t have to water the plants.
The rest of the day was filled with doing some work related tasks and relaxing. We made some pictures of the kittens tried to figure out their genders, which came out to 7 females and 2 males.

Saturday 12^th of April

Today was filled with updating our blog and Instagram post. The morning & a large part of the afternoon was spent doing this. When everything was done and dusted we chose to not do much and enjoyed our time inside since the weather was less than enjoyable and it was slowly putting a damper on our moods.

Sunday 13^th of April

By now weekdays and weekend days are starting to look and feel very similar, because today we mostly worked. Megan her tutoring was called of for today so she spent most of her time working on documents for helping with teaching that are yet to be released on her website. After work we called with the home front and talked about the little ones and some other things. Next it was dinner time and after that Megan called with her best friend. The rest of the evening was yet again spent relaxing and making sure all kittens were okay.

Monday 14^th of April

Today it was time for groceries again, however this time we went a bit further than where we usually go because in Guarda there is an Action. Which is a store we actually quite missed. The real reason we went there was it was one of the closest locations where there is a dedicated animal store and luckily the 2 stores where not all that far apart. After we went to the Action we went to grab some food at a McDonald’s which was close by for lunch. Then it was off to the animal store to look for supplies for the kittens. Unfortunately they didn’t have any deworming medications for kittens but they did have food for them. Afterwards we saw Casa China and thought to ourselves “we can take a quick look” however that turned out to be a bit more difficult than we thought. The moment we stepped inside we didn’t know where to look and Megan was very proud at us since we didn’t buy the entire stock of the store. Back to our spot and finish the grocery run. Once we returned we took some time experimenting with all our new stuff and after that we decided to have dinner. Around 20:30 we got a notification that we dreaded, turns out Megan her personal Instagram was hacked. The rest of the evening we tried to get it back and fix related problems regarding it however unfortunately her account is now lost.

Tuesday 15^th of April

The day consisted mainly about working, calls, trying to get Megan her Instagram account back and communicating about the little kittens. So we have good and bad news. To start with the bad news, Megan no longer has a personal Instagram account. We have tried everything however because of Instagrams terrible customer service and horrible recovery methods it is impossible to reclaim her account. The good news is not just good but great! We found a home for every little kitten, 6 of them stay in Portugal while 3 will go to the Netherlands. Who will get which kitten is still being decided. The rest of the day we cleaned up.

Wednesday 16^th of April

And of course it is yet again raining cats and dogs, so we stayed inside for most of the day. Megan started her paintings and figuring out which kitten is who to keep them apart. The pictures of the kittens have been sent to their prospective families so they can choose which ones they want. A few have gotten their names by now.

Thursday 17^th of April

Today is a planning and grocery day. We stopped by the vet, a pharmacy, a few grocery stores and even an optician (The support of Megan her glasses broke). After all that we went home to set some things straight. In the evening we relaxed a bit and made plans for the next day.

Friday 4th of april

Today is a day of rest, we didn’t have work and the weather was stormy again. Not as bad as the storm we had a couple of weeks ago, but not weather to be outdoors. We checked every once in a while on the little ones, but the mother was taking good care of them and they grew well. When we wanted to go to bed we went looking for Jan. And where did we find him? Looking at the little kittens. He was also checking if the little ones were okay. Or he just was looking at what it was with a confused look in his eyes. Both could be possible.

Saturday 5th of april

We woke up to the surprise we were expecting. A few new kittens had arrived. Five tiny kittens were laid besides the other four. So nine kittens in total. We made a nest for the other ones, but the mother decided that all the little ones should be together. We now have the task of getting all the kittens a loving home. Luckily the mothers are getting used to us checking on the little ones and they also like to check in with us. Sometimes we leave the camper door open and we find them inside. The rest of the day was spent reacting to the comments of our facebook post and in the Portugal groups we are part of. At the end of the afternoon we went to the supermarket and bought some greenery for the camper. We had 3 house plants in the camper, but now we can grow some herbs too.

Sunday 6th of april

We now have the routine of waking up and going straight to the kittens. All nine of them are doing well. We saw that the mothers had ticks, so we removed most of them and bought a flea and tick collar. One of the mothers is really used to us, so it was not that difficult to get the collar around her neck, but the other mother was a bit more difficult. We worked the rest of the day.

Monday 7th of april

This morning we called with a person where we might go at a later date this year and had a lovely conversation about the goals we want to achieve. After the call Megan got out her camera again and took some pictures of the kittens. We also wanted to know which gender the little kittens were. We didn’t really know how, but we tried. We thought we had 5 boys and 4 girls (later we found out that was wrong…) After lunch we worked in the garden and the weather was lovely. Megan was pulling out weeds while Jan was supervised. After pulling out the weeds she found out that there were beautiful plants underneath. Bryan worked in the sanitary building. When we were done in the garden we enjoyed the weather. Megan even got to read her book in the sun. In the evening we sprayed the flowers. While we were doing that we got a call from home. It was Megan’s bonus grandma’s birthday. We showed everyone around the place and did not forget the little kittens.

Tuesday 8th of april

It was very hot today. The weather is changing a lot, a few days hot and then a few days rainy/stormy weather. After lunch we did the groceries, but working in the garden was not feasible. Megan had to tutor in the late afternoon and Bryan worked as well. When the sun was going down, we had time to spray the flowers. After that it was time to relax.

Wednesday 9th of april

Today the weather was a bit more endurable and we worked in the garden again. We mowed and shaved the grass. Megan was working close to the kittens when she heard a quiet meow. When she looked she saw one of the kittens away from the nest. First the nest was sitting on top of something and if one of the little ones went outside of the nest it could have been the end of the little one, but luckily Bryan put the nest down on the ground. When the kitten was back by the rest of the kittens, she got back to work. After working in the garden it was time that Megan cut her own hair for the first time. It went better than expected. When it was time to check on the kittens again it was worse than the first time. Another kitten got out and was further away from the nest. When Megan put the little one back by the rest of the kittens, she felt a little cold. Megan stayed with the little ones for a little bit until the one that got out was feeling warm again. It was then that we realised that one of the mothers fed less than the other one. A mother cat has eight nipples and we have nine kittens, so one of them is left out most of the time. We are keeping an eye on them and if they all get enough to drink. In the evening we relaxed and checked regularly on the kittens. 

Thursday 10th of april

The morning started as usual by checking on the little ones. Luckily no one escaped the nest at night. Then it was time to work again. Not in the garden this time but for our own businesses. Bryan had new work and Megan had a tutoring lesson. After Megan’s lesson she worked on auxiliary material and worksheets, which will be published on Megan’s website later. Before it was time for the evening meal we checked the socials and responded to a few of them. After dinner Megan called home to talk about what we need to do about the kittens. We want the kittens to stay with the mothers as long as possible. While calling, Megan saw something we did not see before. The mother that did not feed as much as the other mom took one of the kittens out of the nest (not her own) and took it outside. When she saw Megan she dropped it, but did not put it back with the other ones. Only when the other mother came to look she looked guilty and put it back. We do not know what that means and it left us very confused.

Friday 28th of march

Today we started in the garden, we put our sunscreen on and went outside. Bryan went up the hill to mow the grass. Megan helped Frank, Denice and Everon to shovel away the dirt. After lunch we stopped and Megan had a workcall. We spent the afternoon cleaning and we worked on the blog. In the evening we called home and enjoyed the rest of our night.

Saturday 29th of march

We enjoyed our weekend and played some games. The only thing we had to do today was go to the supermarket. This time we did not bring Jan and it went smoothly.

Sunday 30th of march

In the morning we took it easy, but after lunch we went for a walk to a monument. We enjoyed the walk and took some pictures on the way there. After 2,5 km we found the monument and dug up some crystals out of the ground. When we got back we did some hobbying. In the evening we ate pancakes and Megan’s stomach did not like that, so we went to bed early. 

Monday 31th of march

Today we started in the garden again. We mowed the grass and shoveled some more dirt. After lunch we continued for a little while until it was too hot outside. We went to get some soil for the garden and sow some grass. Then we had to go to the supermarket again, we cleaned up the camper and were ready to drive when we heard Frank shouting. One of the stray cats gave birth. We thought they were just fat from eating at the house and hunting, but that was not the case. Four little kittens were laying in a crate with pinecones. So we got a blanket and laid it in the crate. The mother liked that so much that she started making biscuits and started purring. We now think that the other cat is also pregnant and will soon give birth as well. We did our groceries a little later and when we got back enjoyed our evening.

Tuesday 1st of april

We started the morning by checking on the kittens and their mother. They were all doing okay. We worked in the garden, because we had to fill the garden bed. Every so often we checked on the kittens and it was all going okay. The mother was taking good care of the little ones, but we had a problem. The little ones can not stay here and the mothers need to be sterilised, so it won’t happen again. After lunch we worked for a while and some time later the garden bed was finally full. So we got more soil to finish it off before we put in the seeds. After work we cleaned up and then it was time for our own work. Bryan worked on a website and Megan gave a tutoring lesson. In the evening we discussed how to go forward with the little ones.

Wednesday 2th of april

This morning we woke up with Jan by our side. We did not have to work today so we spent our time looking up places to bring the kittens to and to sterilize the mothers. Unfortunately, unlike in the Netherlands, animal shelters and veterinary sterilization is rather uncommon so it is fairly difficult to find a decent home for the little ones and a safe method to get the mothers sterilised. We also checked on what we had to do for the kittens, but luckily the mother did most of the work. We are keeping an eye out for their growth. Because of the low quantity of animal shelters here we started to call around. We got a few maybes and even fewer yes’s later. We found out that we did not share the morals of the Portuguese people when it comes to taking care of animals, so we decided that we had to take matters into our own hands. We started a donation campaign to take care of the kittens and the mothers. Luckily we have support from home and most likely have found a place for 4 kittens, but we know a few more kittens will follow.

Thursday 3th of april

This morning we discussed our plans with the family and about what needed to be done in the time they are away. After the conversation we ate lunch and then it was time for our own jobs. When we were done Megan took some pictures of the four kittens, Mama is very proud of them and made sure nothing happened to her little ones. That evening we continued searching for a place for them. After that we took a little time for ourselves.