During the last year we got a lot of visitors. Luckily not only me, but a lot of my friends also think that Amsterdam is an amazing place. I enjoy it when I can show them around in my new home. Usually I skip the city center part of the tour, but like to take them to places which are part of my daily life. We walk around the neighbourhood and go the market together. I buy some avocados and cheese to make quesadilla and guacamole for breakfast. On our way home we stroll through narrow bridges, say hello to my favourite baker and admire the newly erected mosque on the bank of the Kostverlorenvaart.
However, our latest visitor was different. He didn’t want to visit the Red Light District or the Rijksmuseum, and didn’t try to climb up on the ‘I Amsterdam’ sign behind the building. He didn’t ride a bike or take a boat to explore the canals. Basically, he just wanted to sleep under the desk all day and poop between the flowers of the neighbours.
My friend’s doggie sitting under my chair while I was beading brought back memories about my four legged helpers in the past.
One of these cuties wrestling at my grandma’s became my faithful companion. He ran to me when we parked the car in front of the house, and used to sit on my lap while I was enjoying the shade under the 30 year old leaves of the vineyard, planted when my sister was born. My grandparent’s household was very traditional, and Cica wasn’t allowed in the house. He used to sit in the window in front of my desk while I was studying, reading or beading.
One day he wasn’t waiting when I came home from college. Later we found him in blood, dying. He wondered into our neighbour’s lawn, and stepped into a trap set up against rodents wondering in from the nearby fields.
When my beloved grandpa passed away, I was living in the capital, where I had my bead shop. My grandma needed a companion, and that’s how Gipsy came into our family.
He was wild, big and strong. He chased the cats and barked a lot. We used to take long walks around the village, and went crazy together, playing in the grass. He had his faults, but he did his job well. Several burglaries happened that time in the village targeting old people, but he kept grandma safe.
Afterwards he moved in with us, and then Tara came into our lives, too.
Gipsy bit her left ear the first day to unsuccessfully prove he is still the boss, but afterwards they went along peacefully. We used to go hiking together, and my mum and sis brought them presents every year when they came to celebrate Christmas with us. I will always remember my Adam sleeping with Tara when she was in pain during the first night after a serious operation, and the time when Gipsy got scared of a firework and run away. We spent 3 days searching for him in the snowy fields, with the wind blowing strong and being cca. -20°C (-4°F) outside.
While living in Hungary, I used to bead and read on the patio. Tara rested her head on my lap, and Gipsy was playing with my feet while I tried to remain focused. They wandered into the shots when I were taking pictures about jewellery in the garden. Sometimes they managed to make me angry, but most of the time we had a lot of fun together. I will always miss them.
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