Lord of the Dance

                                                             PREFACE

It's late November now. A long and difficult year is drawing to a close. 2021: the second year of Covid. One that few of us will ever forget !

Outside I hear the thunder and the noise of water trickling down the guttering. It's been raining hard. 'Raining cats and dogs' some may say but not those who know better! Our cat sits in the doorway looking out; while - our  new dog shuts her eyes when we put her 'welly' on. Who would blame them? I guess there are few of us that want to sing in the  cold November rain!

This takes me back to last September.  If thunderstorms on removal day wasn't enough, within days  our Mercedes is in the garage. The 'rainbow' on the horizon seems to come in the form of a cheap courtesy car.a Suzuki Swift. Despite assurances of the reliability of said 'Swift', with a dodgy clutch and low HP it was struggling to mount the hill from Camgliano. Furthermore the suspension was knackered and we had a very sick relative on board.  She had a blocked intestine and hadn't eaten for days. She was clutching her stomach and could clearly feel every bump. 

The whole situation was so surreal. But I had barely time to take it in. I had to think on my feet. Search through the packing boxes to locate some spare sheets. Construct  a makeshift drip  of a broom handle. And then phone my nurse friend for advice. By the time a retired surgeon is asking me to pass him items in Italian, the whole scene is resembling something from MASH. Little did I know then, that almost a year later I would be  doing a video lesson on said bed the day after an operation on my knee!

By the time our house hosted its third patient, I seriously began to wonder if it was built on the site of an old infirmary!

Lara came to us in August. Driving back to Giano, we  had just completed a favourable viewing of the flat in Capua. We were fairly confident of soon being footloose and fancy free. Little did we know that soon we'd be dancing to someone else's tune!

We had just cleared Vitilazio and were 15 minutes from home.  It was then we spotted our furry Ferrari, covering ground at a brisk pace, running on 3 paws. Indeed it took us some time to catch up with her.' The cripple', they say, is always the one to lead the dancing'.

We have been following her ever since:

1. To the Vet Van at Calvi:

2. To the Vet hospital at Naples

3. To the wrong Canile at Nola

4.  To the right canile at Francolise

4. And finally to her newly refurbished convalscent home here in Giano:

Indeed Lara has led us on quite a merry dance! We thought we'd lost her  after an impriviso  Tabbaci Tango at dawn. I should have known better.  Once a dancer , always a dancer.

 Several operations later,  she hobbles still. Lara: My Lord of the Dance!

                                                     POSTFACE

'I'll lead you all wherever you maybe and I'll lead you all in the dance said he'.