Little Surprises

First, a Nice Surprise: Kindy Graduation in the afternoon. 

On Wednesday, I sauntered into the office in search of flash cards for my class to find Manager at the photocopier.

"So, what about the graduation?" I said.

"Oh", she said, "It's in the afternoon".

"Oh really? tasukatta!"

"Of course", she said, "We want you there! It's important".

*blush*

Then she added that she has a school graduation in the morning too. ;-)

Next, a Sad Surprise: Kicked out of kindy - again

We turned up at the other kindy the next morning, to be told that they were terribly sorry, but they were very busy, booked up since a long time ago, and would not be able to look after Erica again this month. Or next month. Or ever. Well, they didn't say that last thing, but since she is starting the public kindy in April, no more this or next month meant that this would be her last day!

This is the second time she's been kicked out, the last time was in October. The teacher herself is lovely, and very apologetic, so I couldn't get mad at her, but I just hate this system! Erica is kind of enrolled on a daily basis, and they can only take her when they have staff to spare or something. In practical terms it doesn't matter too much as she still has the English kindy, and I only have one more week of work before having the whole month of March off, but still. It was so sudden. I guess I should have taken the hints being offered in the form of not being given, as I usually am, a list of all the available dates for the month. I was being given just the next one date. Still. Oh well, we'll get Erica to write a Thank You and Goodbye letter and bring it back. And then look forward to next year, when we'll be down to just ONE kindy and while public kindy PTA duties can be a bit rough, it has to be easier than juggling two places and such awkward times.

Finally, a very Odd Surprise: Kitty peering at me from inside the roof!

I rushed home after work to get the camera that day so I could get some pictures of Erica and her teacher on what was now her last day of kindy. I saw Kanji's car in the drive, so I thought I'd also grab him, since it was her last day.

Walking towards the door, I heard a rustle and looked up - and there was Cinnamon, peering down at me from inside the roof! Our front porch has a square flat roof overhanging it, and I'd noticed some time ago that the wood strips on the ceiling (the underside, what you see when you look up when you are in the porch) were coming loose. She had crawled through the roof space from the broken ceiling panel in the toy closet, followed by Genki, who was now peering out behind her. I had no idea the two spaces were connected! It was obviously too high for her to jump out - yet. It doesn't take cats long to get up the courage to jump!

I called Kanji to come outside; we had to hurry up and get these cats out, and then back inside, so we could get to the kindy in time to pick up Erica. I kind of flapped about a bit, wondering what to use to get up that high, until Kanji pointed out the chair. Amy's old desk chair, which had literally fallen to pieces, hence it being kicked outside until our next trip to the rubbish centre. So I dragged it over and literally held it together, sliding the wooden pegs back in their holes and grabbing the edges with my hands while Kanji clambered up to the hole.

Of course they wouldn't come out. They are cats, after all! And Kanji is, well... too nice. So up I went, feet carefully placed wide to attempt to balance the rickety chair, and I got Cinny by the scruff of her neck and dragged her out. I don't allow the kids to pick up the cats by the scruff of the neck usually, but it's okay for emergencies! I handed her down to Kanji, and reached in for Genki, who avoided my hand. I missed her scruff, and got her head, which of course caused her to retreat even further in!

Meanwhile, Kanji took the cat and walked off! Leaving me balanced precariously on the chair, unable to move - I could feel that if I lifted one foot, the shift of weight to one side would cause the chair to completely collapse, and me to tumble off with it. As I had a concrete wall corner in front me and rocks in the garden behind, and a few rubbish bags of unburnable trash beneath me, no direction seemed safe to either fall or take a leap of faith.

So I called out to him, Kanji! What are you doing! He turns to look at me, so innocently with that sweet fluffy little cat in his arms, "What?" he says. "I'm going to fall off, hurry up!". So he hurries away from me to go and put the cat inside. Finally he comes out to save me, and I rush inside, having decided to try to lure Genki out from the inside of the toy closet this time, by calling her for food. It only took a few whistles and her stomach led the way, I made once last lunge, caught her, and quickly dragged out a shelf of board games so Kanji could climb up into the closet to replace the ceiling panel that had fallen out, giving them their entry to the roof space. Luckily he got that done fairly quickly and we could rush off to kindy to say goodbye to Erica's teacher.