Sadly its the first anniversary of Sandras passing on the 6th April 2018 and I thought it would be nice to add a few updates and let you all know about the money raised and do some bits around the site.

So please have a wander around the site and have a look. I will do all the new stuff in red so you can find it easily!!!!

Kindest

dean xxx

My wife and friend Sandra Jean Van Stratten (Skane) was more than either of those things, she was sweet lady with a habit of telling the truth and a wicked tongue when she felt like it.  Some people thought she was a bit brusque, some thought she was honest, no one could say she did not speak her mind, and that included me.

I first met her on a beach in the South of France when camping at Serignan near the Spanish border.  She was living in Paris at the time and had come down the site for a holiday with her brother and Gwent Tenting.  I was iwth a friend called Mervin Hall, another LFB man, and staying with Chieftain Camping on the same site.  We kinda got together because she saw me as a nuisance and I got under her skin a bit.

Anyway things flourished and I got sick of phone bills of  750 quid a time and started to fly her out from Paris for the weekends.  It was the weekend she first came over that she missed the flight back from Gatwick and I had to go back and get her and asked her if she was hungry?  1000 oclock on a sunday night there is only one type of restaurant to go to - Indian.  Looking back now I wonder if we should have had fish and chips??????

Well we did our thing in the UK and London, then the Fire Service College for 4 years, then back to London, where she finally started work with Eurotunnel, then moved on to the European Commission at Canary Wharf.  Hundreds of trips to France ensued with us taking a long wheelbased Mitsubishi Shogun.  The port customs guys always wondered at our headlights shining into the sky cos we were full of booze and wine everytrip and smoking our heads off.

She loved riding horses and anything with a saddle on it including camels in Luxor - Egypt.  She loved her horses and her friends from the stables, whom we quite often had a few dinners with.  She shared a horse with Amanda, and riding with Julie, both of whom she loved dearly as she did the horses........for me it was a great way of getting free manure for my allotments.....magic.

When I was retired due to service by the Brigade I asked Sandra where she might like to go for a holiday.  She said you pick cos she always took us to war zones or terrorist attack destinations and say we would be safe there eh???????  Yes another set of stories.

I plummed for Goa and over we came, thought it was a toilet when I got here, and to be honest it still is, but it gets you after three days and after our first 2 weeks we booked another 2 weeks to maybe find a place to retire to.

Well she loved it, so when I asked her could she live here....that was that.

Built and designed the house, whilst living here, sold up in the UK and moved fully over here.

She bacame a veggie, the best place in the world to be one, and started her healthy eating and diet business -- https://goadietaryadvisor.page4.me/ - if you wanna take a look, I still cannot bring myself to close her site or this one.

We had a glorious 10 years of fun and frollicks, friends coming over, meeting Europeans from all over including Parwa and Bhuty from Italy who opened the La Fenice Restaurant.......thsoe days were like the days of the hippies.....we had money, everything you could possibly want and no worries.......she loved it.

Things changed when the Indian and Goan Government decided we were undesirable and changed the visa and residency rules for BRits and foreigners in general. That was around 2012 and the visa regulations made us have to work and run a business and also leave on a regular basis.

But the saving grace of all of it was our and her love for animals.  We got up to 43  cats, two dogs and a crow with one leg at one time.  Plus the animal shelter has 15 dogs as residents. plus a porcupine, a turkey, numerous cows and a crocodile with a  bad back in the local pond.

So she worked hard at her animals and was always happy to have guests.....even when I shipped my mother over to live with us for her last 6 months of her life in our living room.  She too loved Goa and passed away here with us by her side.  Sandra loved her too.

Sandra was ill for about 2 years before she died and I could not get her to do anything about it because she was an expert in healthy living and would not listen......she was very set in her ways and no one could move her.........thats my girl I am afraid.

The rest you know, we sent her off with dignity wearing her best salwa chemise, on a beautiful day. with friends around her, and a lot of love in peoples hearts. English expats were a great help to me including Steve and Sarah, Julie and Shelley who found it in their hearts to watch me for months afterwards until I found Chaow who now reveres Sandra and prays to Madam Sandra regularly hoping that she finds it in her heart to welcome her into her home that she left behind.

All is peaceful and quiet now, and Sandra lives on in my and your hearts, I will never forget her and will be happy to see her again in whatever part of the Universe we might cross swords once more.

I loved you, thank you for being my wife.

xx dean

Sandras ashes came back today, they are in the same cupboard as my mum and her animals ashes just waiting for me to join them, then we are into the sea by arrangement. Then we will all be together.

I have recorded over 150 individuals and family sending condolences and messages about my Sandra, all are wonderful quotes and anecdoes about her and our life together.  Once they stop coming in I am going to put them all up here as best as I can with my eulogy as the final statement about a wonderful wife and a wonderful human being.  She has left a great legacy behind especially with animals.

Please keep the donations coming in as we plan to name the cattery at the rescue centre after Sandra in memorium of her work and deeds, a fitting tribute I think.  Will put pictures of it as we have already paid for its construction. With this money we plan to fit it out with recovery cages, a big run and an outside play area for the cats to have fun and games with each other separated from the dogs.

Thank you all.

17th April 2017.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS PLAN FOR SANDRA 13th April 2017

(she loved the colour coral)

The only group she ever mentioned was the Bay City Rollers from her era......so please play Bye Bye Baby by them found on youtube here  .....  (Beware to right mouse click on this blue shortcut and click open in new tab otherwise you will lose this page, then just click the tab at the top of the browser and it will start playing and then go to the tab which is Sandras page and it will play in the background)                

Bye Bye Baby - Bay City Rollers

Thank you everyone for your messages of sorrow and condolences, it makes my heart warm that she knew so many people.  A lot of you I know, or have met, and a few I have not had the pleasure of having made your acquaintance; but that makes no difference to me as any friend of Sandras is a friend of mine. 

Because of the bureaucracy in Goa and the amount of paperwork to be sorted, add the fact that it is the weekend, we cannot submit the necessary paperwork until Monday 10th April, which means that we aim to have the open pyre-cremation on Thursday 13th at noon in the Capital of Panjim and a gathering afterwards at our house.  Roman Catholic church here refused to say any words over my mother because she was CofE when she died and because of the burial practices here that are archaic to say the least, the Hindu Crematorium allowed us to cremate her on an open pyre in the city.  I had to light the fire as of duty and I have to say that as a fireman it is the hardest duty I have ever had to bear, but I must do it again for my beloved Sandra, God give me strength.

I know that many of you would wish to attend but she and I both understood, that when we moved out here, that being this far away from our roots would make it difficult for anyone to just "pop over for a day" so I will invite you all to attend to see her off but we understand fully that it will be impossible for all of you to really actually do it so please do not feel guilty in the slightest because we do not expect you to come.  Be there in thought and spirit please.  Our house will always be open for anyone wanting to come for a holiday to Goa, so please also consider that.

I have asked you not send to cards and flowers because we do not do that, we have always made a donation to our animal rescue centre, that we are a big part of and support wholeheartedly so if you wish to donate to this centre instead of of flowers then I will put up what to do after this message.

I would be extremely grateful, though, if you would raise a glass to celebrate her life, as will I, she loved G&T, and wish her a final farewell at 1900hrs if you are in England, or at any other time on Thursday 13th April 2017 if you cannot do 1900hrs.......and have a picture taken of you doing so. Then send it to me by email, facebook or snail mail with all your names (faces in the photo) and location attached to it and I will place it in her remembrance book at home so that she, all her animals (43 cats, 2 dogs and a crow with one wing + 19 adopted dogs at the animal rescue centre) and everyone else can see those family, friends and people that she knew throughout her life.  It will also help me at odd times to look through them and think about her and you, when I get a bit melancholy.  

I have no intentions of leaving here even though she has gone.  Her possessions and her presence I shall preserve here as much as I can till I go.

She had a great life and the life was great in her.

Thank you everyone and God bless you all.

Sandras favourite charity.

Because of the regulations in India, no charitable organization can be sent funds direct from organizations outside of India.  I think we all realize that terrorism and its funding is the guilty party for this one.

However, because I have lived here in India and transferred money direct from my bank accounts in the UK direct to my bank accounts in India for the last 14 years……it means that I can pay whatever funds are deposited into one of my dormant accounts in Barclays Bank in the UK and transfer the money to my India accounts and then pay that cash to the recipient organization direct without a problem.

So please see below:  Please note that I got this wrong the first time round....it has been verified is now fully functional for donations, thanks for your forebearance.

SUM RAISED TO DATE:       550 pounds     as of    2nd April 2018

The money has been spent on technology for the shelter including:

ECG (ElectroCardioGram monitor for the animals under anaesthetic)

GPS Camera and recorder to take photos of where dogs and animals are found and can be returned to accurately.

CCTV cameras for monitoring the animals at the shelter.

Plus lots of other bits.

I and the shelter thank you so much for the donations they have been well used.

In the UK please donate to the following account: 

Barclays Bank

Dean Ronald V Stratten

a/c  20799777

sort code 20-84-17

and I will send it to India and pay the www.noahs-animal-care-shelter.page4.me organization.

We are very involved with Noahs Animal Care Shelter (NACS) in Calangute, the next village up from where we live.  We are very much under development and construction as regards web sites etc, but we are in full swing neutering and caring for sick animals……….

Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=noahs%20animal%20care%20shelter%20calangute%20goa

Website:   https://noahs-animal-care-shelter.page4.me/   - please note I am the designer of this website but have had a bit on my plate because of recent events so it is still under construction.

The bank account I took a print screen of today and this is what it looks like, you can see the start balance, anything above that will be paid direct to NACS and I will post up the receipt for all to see…..trust me I do not need to cheat on anything or anyone.

kindest and thank you for your generosity xxxxxxx  MY girl will love you forever when she sees you again!!!!!!

This testament has been posted on my facebook page from Margaret Richardson, a resident of Goa who is also an animal lover, it speaks for itself:

As a testament to Sandra's favorite charity Noah's Animal Center, Calengute this facility has been invaluable to me and my beloved pack of jungle dogs. One recent incident is where Lucky a female who i was not able to catch had eight puppies...i found her collapsed on my drive...action by Noah's was taken immediately and they saved her life. The clinic is spotlessly clean...i have had endless dogs steralised there...i cannot think of a better place to donate in memory of Sandra who i saw nursing and caring for her 'babies' hours on end...
Pics of Lucky receiving life saving treatment...some of her puppies 7 of which were girls...the majority now steralised....consequently saving thousands of unwanted strays...
Dean and Sandra always supported and encouraged me regards animal welfare and i learnt a lot from them. 13 years ago i took one of their rescue kittens Pom Pom who is the love of my life and still doing well
This is just one incident of many over the years.
So donating to Noah's will be a true legacy for Sandra.
Gone but not forgotten Sandra your love forever remains.
It is said that all the animals you have cared for on this planet await for you in the afterlife...that being the case you will be busy in heaven..

and this is the owner of the NACS response:

Agostinho Proenca Thank you Margaret Richardson for your kind words towards Noah's Animal Care Shelter. Yes Sandra like Dean has always supported us

The following Guest Book is provided for your personal messages, as her friends.  It can also act as an information centre to her other friends and acquaintances whom you do not know who may be would like to add snippets, anecdotes or just a story about Sandra that they have and would like to share.  .

It will always be at the end of this column!!!!

The following video helps me, I hope it will help you too.