What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?

Little known fact – Bonnie Tyler’s husband is a cousin of Catherine Zeta-Jones who was raised in the same Welsh village. Better known fact is that Bonnie Tyler made some great music including in conjunction with Meatloaf. And another tip = you need to play her songs on high volume whilst singing at the top of your voice (in a private space of course).

Meantime it is heartache all around here as Mr Gato D.U. has moved on to another and different home. It was with a lot of sadness and some tears that Scout and I waved him goodbye a week or so ago. We are heartened (there is that theme again) that he has gone to a good home with a Sunshine Coast couple who are keen to explore Australia just as we have over the past four years. Mr Gato will know the way and maybe we will see him on the road, face into the wind, looking for new territory and adventures. We certainly will be.

So why the parting. Because it was time. We don’t have parking or storage here at North Shore Village and we are planning a year of different travel. New Zealand as soon as we can (play the game Cindy) and the US later in the year – even a return to France if we can. We have good friends in France and one dear friend who was laid very low by Covid. We want to enjoy these peoples company before it is too late. Mr Gato didn’t fit in to these plans. We will miss him but there are exciting things ahead.

Anyway, it is a new year and we wish you all well for 2022. We must make the best of things and were privileged to have had Brigette, Ralph, Elodie and Alex up from Sydney for the holiday period once the Queensland border opened. And, of course, Nick and Tehruna and Josh and Sasha are nearby. We indulged in a Christmas day lunch together and thanked our lucky stars that we are where we are and together. We look forward to visiting the Americans in Boulder in May this year and doing a bit of tripping about there – maybe Washington, the East Coast then Chicago. The South beckons and as I am an Elvis fan then, obviously, Gracelands and Nashville nearby. New Orleans perhaps. We have booked for ten weeks!. My God it is making me nervous already.

We will raise a glass (probably several) to Mr Gato and Mr Gato Down Under and remember with hearts full of love and some heartache the marvellous times we had together.

Nous nous souviendrons tous les deux avec emotion.