Emmeline's last bow

Emmeline

After losing our Darling Dinky, it was sad to say goodbye to Emmeline just two months later.

Just before leaving for Japan, I instructed my family: "do not euthanise any cats in my absence". It was said half in jest, but little did I know that a few days after my departure Emmeline would suffer a serious ear infection which led to a vet visit, and diagnosis that she too had feline cancer.  She was treated for the ear infection, and so was still alive (but feeble, not eating well) when I returned.  She fell ill again shortly, and had difficulties breathing - difficult to watch.  So we took her back to the vet, and said goodbye one last time.

Emmie and her little pirates

Emmeline started off being called "MC", itself a short form for "mother cat".  She was the mother of our cute little "pirate kittens" (her first and last litter, for we sterilised her after) and was a very devoted mother to them.  

After the little pirates got adopted, MC continued to hang around and from an occasional visitor, became a regular inhabitant of our front yard.  She was on good terms with Mollie and Paddy (our late tom cat), and snuffled amiably at the indoor cats when she caught glimpses of them through the open door.  Eventually we decided that we had been thoroughly adopted and therefore formally named her "Emmeline", or "Emmie" for short.

Watching over her kit.

Emmie's health had its ups and downs.  She developed a mouth infection which resulted in expensive dental treatment and the loss of numerous teeth (she became our $500 cat).  From the front yard, we moved her to the back yard to watch over her recovery.  But she was hard to budge - even after her health improved, she became the undisputed queen of the yard, with all our other cats watching her warily whenever they ventured into her territory.  She happily invaded the house too, lying on our sofa in the afternoons.

It's hard picking out her photos; she looks a great deal like Mickey (our other dear departed black & white) so I'm picking out the ones I definitely know are of her....

Emmie indeed gave us many warm and fuzzy moments, and we miss her.

Last Stop Hakodate

Nightfall - Mount Hakodate

We reached the last destination of our Hokkaido trip, Hakodate, where we would stay one night before flying back to Singapore via Tokyo the next day.  The good thing about flying ANA is that we can make use of the extensive domestic flight network, enabling us to see more cities.

Anyway, Hakodate, like Otaru, has lots of trade links to Russia, and from there to Europe.  It has imbibed considerable European influences as can be seen in the old city at Motomachi, where there are a few churches - Anglican, Catholic, and Russian Orthodox - next to each other. The British consulate is not far off, as is the old Hakodate Public Hall.

Converted Warehouses in Hakodate 

We had gotten a 2-day tourist bus ticket, so we happily rode around the old town, getting off whenever we felt like it.  Aside from the churches, we went to the old pierside area where the ships used to unload their goods, to be stored in the long warehouses along the pier.  Today, these warehouses have been converted for retail use, with little shops selling food, handicrafts etc within.  And it was here that we found out that just as Furano has "Delice" and Otaru "Le Tao", Hakodate's major cheesecake maker is "Snaffles"!  Snaffles have a few branches in Singapore, and I must say I rather enjoy eating their "catch cakes".  We had the opportunity to sample a wider range of Snaffles' products here too.

The number one tourist activity in Hakodate, though, is to see the night view from Mount Hakodate.  We  went up early - or at least so I thought - but by the time we got there, the place was really crowded with people lined three deep in order to get photos of the view. The view was beautiful, with the glittering lights outlining the city.

Hakodate morning seafood market

The view was nice, yes, but the highlight of our visit was definitely the morning seafood market.  Situated across the road from our hotel, we walked over for our seafood breakfast.  We started with sea urchin - freshly opened up, with some cooked shellfish on the side.  We ate it all up with gusto.

The market itself had many other little food stalls.  After hearing that Hokkaido (aside from melons) was also well known for its potatoes, I was glad that I finally managed to get one freshly baked potato with a dab of fresh butter inside.  It was indeed a good and satisfying snack and I also thoroughly enjoyed the matcha ice cream which rounded off my meal.

After going to Kyoto last year, Hokkaido presents an interesting contrast.  Settled in the early 20th century, it has a far more modern feel to it than the ancient capital.  I enjoyed the Hokkaido produce - potatoes, vegetables, melons and dairy products, and marvelled at the scenery - the majestic volcanos, serene lakes and the pastoral beauty of its flower fields. I look forward to my next visit to Japan....