It’s four months later but it is still difficult knowing where you start something like this. It’s very difficult when Clyde has been a part of your lives for over fifteen years and then suddenly he is gone. Clyde was incredibly affectionate, sociable, talkative and seemed to think he was a dog. He was an important part of our family. I don’t want this to be a morbid post but more of a celebration of everything Clyde was to us and others.
Back in 2010, shortly after Maria and I got married, I was working away a lot, mostly abroad for extended periods. It was hard on Maria, uprooted from her neighbourhood and family and not knowing many people in Colchester. She suggested that she needed some companionship and suggested cats, knowing I am allergic to cats! But apparently this breed are fine and do not cause the same problems – it didn’t take long to prove that assumption wrong. Anyway having been brought up with cats I wasn’t against the idea and Maria decided that Ragdolls were the one and found a breeder.
As we went in to the breeder, the litter were everywhere in the front room. One boisterous kitten, with a gorgeous dark face caught Maria’s eye immediately, as they all ran around a lot. Maria saw another that looked the same and thought that would work well, the other was Bonnie. However, I wasn’t convinced by the speed merchant, I thought there may be a screw loose up there and that would be difficult. I did see a quiet little boy on his own with a white flash on his head. A great looking cat and one that would definitely not suit the name Clyde, since the pretty girl had to be called Bonnie but that didn’t matter. We put down a deposit and agreed to collect the cats. Shortly before collection the breeder informed us that the cats were unwell and there would be a delay. I hadn’t been happy with the conditions when we first met the cats and I said to Maria that I had the cash and we should bring their baskets, just in case.
When we arrived, it was clear she was a bad breeder, the final straw for me was the fact she had taken all of the cats to a firework party and locked the kittens in the utility room. I can’t imagine how scared they must have been. She reiterated that they had to see the Vet, but I wasn’t having that – we have a vet, here’s your money and I will take my cats today. A few weeks later, we found that the mobile number she gave us was no longer obtainable so I suspect they were ripping people off.
When we took the cats to the vet we found they were very ill and it would likely cause them problems later in life but with the right treatment they overcame the initial illness. However, that first vet fell in love with the two of them and made us promise to treat them like normal cats and not make them house cats with no life. We agreed and based on the next fifteen years, there is no way they could have been cooped up in a house!
It became clear that the damage done by the breeder was huge. Bonnie still has a terrible fear of shopping bags, I can only imagine she was put in one. Clyde was also withdrawn when we got him. For the first two weeks he hid behind furniture and hissed at you if you picked him up. During this time, I would return from work and spend a few hours laying on the conservatory floor trying to engage with the cats. After two weeks I decided a different tack was needed with Clyde and picked him up. He hissed at me and I hissed back – it took him by surprise and he changed immediately to consider the “big cat” his best buddy! There was one disadvantage from Clyde’s change in demeanour, the first few weeks had seen Bonnie being quite outgoing and loving. Clyde being quite a bit larger took over some of this and Bonnie took a step back but she was still the gorgeous loving cat that we were getting to know.
In the first year, the cats did become unwell and Clyde in particular seemed to be suffering. our vet couldn’t work it out and referred him to a specialist hospital, at great expense to our insurers. They had Clyde for a couple of days and it broke Maria’s heart when she went to see him – a forlorn cat who appeared to be a pin cushion! That didn’t continue, he’s coming home right now and within a couple of days he was back to being the loud boy we had grown to love. This was the first instance of him being the comeback kid.
A perfect example of his personality was one summer when we had a few friends over for a BBQ. Clyde was out wandering around and being sociable as always when suddenly he disappeared as we sat down to eat our burgers, unusual to say the least for Clyde, who likes to share others food! A few minutes later, Clyde reappeared and his absence was explained, he had a live mouse in his mouth. He wandered through the group and those who knew him, knew what was coming next. To various challenges of “no Clyde, don’t!”, he sat in the middle of the lawn and looked at us all. I’m sure you could perceive a nod, oh yes, it’s happening. He ate the mouse in front of us all, including slurping the tail like spaghetti! Terrible cat!
When I was working in London, I would often leave early and as part of my regime open the doors for the cats to go out – Clyde didn’t like using a little tray unless absolutely necessary and preferred to go outside. Maria would still be tucked up in bed. One morning, Clyde was being vocal on his return as he wandered upstairs to find out where mum was. maria pretended to be asleep as he jumped on the bed and lay on top of her, still shouting. It was then he dropped the dead rat on her face! As I said a terrible cat!
We have other fond memories from the time at the house. Clyde would always be next to me when I mixed music on the decks in the bar. I’m sure he was quite critical at times but he would always be there wanting to be with us.
He was always quite loud but also had a gentle streak. When I was very unwell with food poisoning, I couldn’t leave bed for 24 hours. Clyde was with me the whole time, I swear he knew I wasn’t well and was supporting me in the best way he could by lying full stretch next to me.
We sold the house in Colchester and moved to Ipswich marina on board Mariadz. Clyde enjoyed the freedom and wandering around. He would even go for walks with us around the Marina, stopping with us as we chatted to someone before continuing the walk! When we first had the cats, they were often walked on leads but it became clear that Clyde liked to walk on the heel, told you, thought he was a dog! On the boat, he was constantly on the table or the chart table and one photo got him the cover shot for a yachting website! His sociability meant he always wanted to be on the table and amongst people. Maria having watched “A Streetcat named Bob” decided she wanted to teach him to do a high five which he learnt really quickly although I am sure that the constant treats when he did it contributed to his learning! But being on the table meant he could see what we were eating which obviously looked a lot more appetising than his food as he mithered Maria for a bit off her plate. As Maria said, if she has filet steak he would want it, but cook him a filet steak….. hang on, who cooks their cat a filet steak! Clearly spoilt rotten and it led some of our friends to want reincarnation so they could return as Maria’s cat. He did eat his own food, a lot of it but he used a lot of energy so although a big cat, he was never really a fat cat. However, you didn’t want to forget to fill his bowl when you went to bed, around 4am he would become incredibly vocal, jump on the bed and be really affectionate. I would always respond but Maria learnt the hard way that pretending to be asleep would result in a “friendly nip”, a bite on the nose, gentle but hurt all the same – you would then get up and find his bowl empty.
The cats have been well travelled, whether by car, motorhome or boat and have adapted and settled with whatever we have thrown at them. On our motorhome trips, Clyde would want to go outside and explore as soon as we arrived somewhere new. I was concerned because some of these places we would be at for twelve hours but Maria had faith in her boy. Faith that was, on the whole, well deserved. However, like a child being called in when out playing in the summer, Clyde would moan when we called him back. He would shout for the whole of the slow walk back to the boat or motorhome. A number of people asked why our cat was crying, he isn’t he is just chatting and moaning at having to come home. He didn’t always wander off though, sometimes he just wanted to hide in the bushes and chill which brought a game for one summer on Facebook of “where’s Clyde” with a photograph presented and people having to guess where he was hiding this time!
One day in Chablis, he didn’t return to the motorhome. He had gone outside quite late in the evening and we always had a rule that the cats were in at night when we went to bed. Despite a number of calls, Clyde didn’t come back which was very unusual for him. We left the door open but he didn’t return. The next day I spoke to the owners of the vineyard and we searched the village for him fearing the worst. There was no sign of him. We contemplated our second night without him having delayed our departure and again leave the door open. In the early hours, I awake from a light sleep to hear munching at the food bowl. Bonnie is a gentle eater but Clyde attacks the bowl with gusto. This doesn’t sound like Bonnie, the light goes on and our boy has returned after just over 24 hours. He got a lot of affection from us and a clip round the ear from his sister who had spent the whole day outside the van looking for him. The next day we discovered that the vineyard next door had opened their warehouse at 11pm and he had snuck in before they locked up. Our wonderful vineyard owner had spoken to them and asked them to check and he apparently flew out there and ran back to us.
Just after Covid, we decided to rent a house in the UK partly so that Clyde could have a garden again! He loved the garden and field in Rettendon and spent a lot of time there. This was also the time that we started to have grandchildren. Kids were not his thing and he would disappear when they arrived, the only exception being recently with Harrison who Clyde responded to!
Clyde started to feel his age and the sun was always something that helped him, warmed his bones and made him feel better. However, you would see him flit from full sun to shade as he got too hot or cooled down.
A few years before he passed, we went to a new vet in Essex who gave us the terrible news that Clyde had bone cancer. They suggested breaking a bone to take a biopsy to prove what it was. It was clear that this would not change the treatment but would cause him a lot of distress so we didn’t allow the procedure. Having been given only a few months at this stage, it was clear six months later that he didn’t have cancer and this was just his arthritis. We were so glad we listened to our hearts and didn’t cause him unnecessary discomfort. He kept going for two years after that diagnosis.
For the last part of his life, Clyde was in Italy, once again keeping his mum company while I was in working, this time in England. He took to being on the sofa and had his spot, again he would move around as his old bones wouldn’t let him stay in one position for too long – we all know that feeling. At this stage, he had arthritis and skin conditions which needed treatment. It meant a regular injection for him, which for a long time we did but as his muscles reduced we preferred the vets to do it. He was always good with vets, as long as they were female, always liking a girl but not trusting the men, apart from his dad :). The medications kept his pain and general discomfort manageable but you could see in how he walked that he was getting old.
Throughout his time in Italy, there have been other cats in the vicinity desperate for some food. Clyde as a big cat was not backing down and would take them all on. Unfortunately a bite from one of these cats has very different effects to cats in the UK. On more than one occasion an infection took hold of Clyde and we needed antibiotics to get him back. Sometimes he would be in a terrible state but would always bounce back.
Clyde’s last fight against Giardia was a bridge too far for our lad. He fought gallantly and even when in hospital wanted to be close to us when we visited him every day. Our last visit was seconds before he went and one consolation is that he was with us when he passed, incredibly upsetting but he wasn’t alone which was important to us.
So our plan of two people, two cats, one dream has been adjusted slightly. As I said to Clyde’s ashes when he returned to us. I wanted him back but not like this! He will still be with us as we go through our adventure but not quite the same.
Clyde was, and still is, our fantastic boy-cat. He was so loving and sociable and we miss him terribly. Bonnie is definitely missing him a lot although like all brothers and sisters they fought as much as they loved each other. He is irreplaceable and I know he was “just a cat” but he was family to us.
Miss you mate.
and like the character in the film, I’m back.
I have been fortunate to have Pete and Linda as neighbours
for the last two years and one of the things I have noticed as they fit out the beautiful Haven Voyager is that Pete designs a lot in cardboard before making it or buying it. This gave me the inspiration to mock up the steps prior to buying any wood or hinges! I can also thank my son Matthew for drinking the cider that made this all possible.
There are basically three types of joint in the design. The outside of the box 
requires a joint that forms an L so that the top of the box is supported on all sides for stability. This means that the flush hinges need to be brought in by the width of the wood and recessed into the wood to provide a flush finish (I would now recess these differently to the picture with the larger part of the hinge being recessed but I did the first as in the picture and wanted to stay consistent at least on the inside of the box). Two of the concertina sides are joined to each side of the back using this method and the other two are joined to the top step in the same way, I used two hinges for each joint irrespective of size. Having built the U of the back and two sides and the same U shape for the front, we can join these together with the butt hinges. You now have a box with one end which is only half covered and has the front of the top step. We can now fit the top step itself, which is the top of the box, by fitting two flush hinges onto the top edge of the back on the outside and then the smaller top piece can be fixed. The larger top piece is then attached to the smaller with two butt hinges (on the inside). Our top step is taking shape. Now to avoid any unfortunate accidents it is a good idea to attach two bars on the underside of the longer part of the top step. These will stop the concertina collapsing inwards. They should be mounted a wood width from the outside edge and have at least a wood width on the outside edge at the front.
to waterproof and protect the wood, 
to stop any accidents and the boat name in gold, which isn’t too clear with the wood colour unfortunately. The final element is a weathermax bag for it to go in, and I’ll probably throw some silicon sachets in there.
In that time, a lot has happened and I thought it may be worth pointing out some of our highlights for those who have caught up with us more recently.
with Richard and Janet on Easily Led. It did prove to us that what we had in mind was not going to be all plain sailing even in benign conditions. 
we can have as much fun in the motorhome on a journey to Italy. 
We are also fortunate to see some amazing sights and the pictures from the Thames barge race were a favourite of mine.
Our new teacher has a slightly different approach and a new book (
). We are looking forward to developing our language skills further….I think our Italian friends are probably looking forward to it even more than we are :). Having had our first lesson, it has reignited our love for Italy and I think will help us to keep the dream alive when we are in England. Our final help will be a 
which will apparently help perfect our pronunciation.
Mariadz 