Rainbow Bridge

It's been nearly three weeks since my darling Mr. Tig passed over to the Rainbow Bridge. I guess he never really adjusted to life in Portland, Oregon although - two years ago - he came close to leaving us so I try to think of having those extra two years with as a wonderful gift.

Nothing prepares you for the loss of a beloved pet but what has absolutely touched my heart is the amazing support from other animal lovers through countless emails, Facebook messages and phone calls.

Mr. Tig started his journey with me when I moved to California. He was a rescue cat and it was only by chance that my daughter Sarah and I saw him that boiling hot Saturday on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, California. We weren't looking to adopt a cat but there was something about him that made us change our minds. Mr. Tig's cage was on top of a little Spaniel and every few minutes, he'd push his paw through the grill and tap the Spaniel on the head and then, retreat and hide. It drove the poor dog crazy because he couldn't figure out what was happening ... so we took Mr. Tig home.

His name wasn't always Mr. Tig. The rescue society named him Flipper because he could turn somersaults... but we thought that a little unmanly so we called him Tiggy. It was only when the wonderful Ben Scuglia, pet psychic extraordinaire said Tiggy disliked that name and wanted to be called Mister Tig that we did as we were told.

Mr. Tig stayed with me when my daughter returned to England to go to college; he comforted me through the loss of my Dad ... and he fought for my affections when I first met Jason who became my husband (and Mr. Tig won Jason over, too). And finally, he stayed with us for the 1,000 mile drive to Oregon, making sure that all was well before saying goodbye.

And a huge thank you to Susan Van Hyning and Carolyn Hart for telling me all about Rainbow Bridge.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. 
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. 
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. 
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. 
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. 
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. 
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. 

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... 

Author unknown... 

Till we meet again ... R.I.P. my dearest boy - April 24, 1996 to March 25, 2013.

Mr. Tig Moves to Portland

It is no secret that I am obsessed with my cat, Mr. Tig. With his 17^th birthday fast approaching, he and I have been through a lot together. In fact, when I first met my husband Jason (who is really a dog person) Mr. Tig was very put out and was determined to sabotage my blossoming relationship. But that is a whole other story that ended with Jason giving me an ultimatum along the lines of, "it's me or the cat." Suffice it to say, I still have both in my life. Jason and Mr. Tig bonded (eventually) and these days, they can be found watching hockey together or just hanging out doing guy-things.

But I digress. When my husband got a promotion and was transferred to the Portland office a few weeks ago, my wonderful boss agreed that I could work "remotely" from home leaving me more time to write. It's early days but so far so good. My biggest challenge seems to be finding a structure to my day. I was far more productive when I had less time! 

Mr. Tig's challenge is to adapt to his new surroundings. —especially the weather. If he had been human, I suspect he would be a surfer, say “dude” a lot and drive a Wrangler. Now he has swapped the Californian sunshine for English-type weather (I feel right at home) – dreary gray skies where, when the sun does come out, it’s optimistically called a “sun break.”  It’s the land of vampires up here for sure (The Twilight series was filmed locally) but I’m told that when Spring finally comes it is gorgeous.  The countryside is stunning, the food in Portland is beyond delicious and there are a gazillion coffee shops all roasting their own beans. And of course there is a strong writing community along with the world famous Powells of Portland, the biggest bookstore in the world.

…. I absolutely love it here and I do hope that Mr. Tig will adjust eventually. 

Mr. Tig

 Our holistic vet Lisa Hoberg  says that moving a cat—especially an old cat—is very stressful. To help him along I purchased a Sol Box from Pawsitive Lighting that is specifically made for animals. It made a huge difference to his mood. 

I still venture down to Los Angeles once a month for work but in the meantime, Mr. Tig and I share the Sol Box light and listen to a CD called  "Songs of Garden Birds."  I've never been able to listen to music as I write but the sound of birds in the background is quite lovely and along with the special light, reminds me of a perfect English summer day. All that is missing is a jug of Pimms No. 1. 

NEWS: The first book in my new series will be published by Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Press next Spring.  If you’d like to be added to my mailing list for updates on this as well as the Vicky Hill Mysteries (yes another one of those brewing too,) send me an email to Hannah@hannahdennison.com with Mailing List in the subject line. 

The Challenges of the English Language

Even though I'm English, there are still words I struggle to pronounce correctly. Nothing is ever what it seems and pronouncing certain names phonetically doesn't help much either. Here are some examples:

Althorp = all-trupp. 

Beauchamps = beecham

Berkley = barclay

Cockburn = co-burn

Derby = darby

Hertfordshire = hart-fordsheer

Leicester Square = lester square

Magdalen = maudelen

Pall Mall = pal mal

Saint John = sin jun

Thames = tems

I have often thought how confusing it must be to learn the English language and can't think of a better example than the following poem from Dutchman,  G. Noise Trenite.

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.

I will teach you in my verse

Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.

I will keep you, Suzy, busy,

Make your head with heat grow dizzy.

Tear in eye, your dress will tear.

So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,

Dies and diet, lord and word,

Sword and sward, retain and Britain.(

Mind the latter, how it’s written.)

Now I surely will not plague you

With such words as plaque and ague.

But be careful how you speak:

Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;

Cloven, oven, how and low,

Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery,

Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,

Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,

Exiles, similes, and reviles;

Scholar, vicar, and cigar,Solar, mica, war and far;

One, anemone, Balmoral,Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;

Gertrude, German, wind and mind,

Scene, Melpomene, mankind.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,

Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.

Blood and flood are not like food,

Nor is mould like should and would.

Viscous, viscount, load and broad,

Toward, to forward, to reward.

And your pronunciation’s OK

When you correctly say croquet,

Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,

Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour

And enamour rhyme with hammer.

River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,

Doll and roll and some and home.

Stranger does not rhyme with anger,

Neither does devour with clangour.

Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,

Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,

Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,

And then singer, ginger, linger,

Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,

Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Query does not rhyme with very,

Nor does fury sound like bury.

Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.

Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.

Though the differences seem little,

We say actual but victual.

Refer does not rhyme with deafer.

Fe0ffer does, and zephyr, heifer.

Mint, pint, senate and sedate;

Dull, bull, and George ate late.

Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,Science, conscience, scientific.

Liberty, library, heave and heaven,

Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.

We say hallowed, but allowed,

People, leopard, towed, but vowed.

Mark the differences, moreover,

Between mover, cover, clover;

Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,

Chalice, but police and lice;

Camel, constable, unstable,

Principle, disciple, label.

Petal, panel, and canal,

Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.

Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,

Senator, spectator, mayor.

Tour, but our and succour, four.

Gas, alas, and Arkansas.

Sea, idea, Korea, area,

Psalm, Maria, but malaria.

Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.

Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,

Dandelion and battalion.

Sally with ally, yea, ye,

Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.

Say aver, but ever, fever,

Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.

Heron, granary, canary.

Crevice and device and aerie.

Face, but preface, not efface.

Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.

Large, but target, gin, give, verging,

Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.

Ear, but earn and wear and tear

Do not rhyme with here but ere.

Seven is right, but so is even,

Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,

Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,

Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)

Is a paling stout and spikey?

Won’t it make you lose your wits,

Writing groats and saying grits?

It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:

Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,

Islington and Isle of Wight,Housewife, verdict and indict.

Finally, which rhymes with enough,

Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?

Hiccough has the sound of cup.

My advice is to give up!!!

I am so grateful I never had to learn the ropes!