I've Inherited a Cat (and Thankful Thursday)

This was supposed to by my Thursday post.

I didn't sleep very well last night but as I still feel rested and good this morning I can't complain.  Today it wasn't the dawn chorus that was the 5 o'clock noise though:  it was Comet.  Yesterday it became clear that she has been keeping Andrea company at The Cottage during the day (as sometimes, apparently, had Misty).  Comet was clearly miffed at having her new friend replaced by this old and decidedly less cat-doting Cottage occupant.

If you're not going to let me in I'm going to sulk (sorry about the reflections!).

 I'm just checking you are still here.

So much for 'no animals on the furniture'.

Comet crept into the spare bedroom and managed to stay unnoticed whilst I went out to town.

It looks as though I'm getting softer in my old age. So the thankfulness today comes from Comet and Misty.

A Dog, A Cat and A Carrot

One day soon after The Cottage had been built Catriona (then 6 or just 7 years old) came down from The House for a visit.   At one stage I asked if she would like anything.  What had I got?  I opened the biscuit tin and then the fridge to reveal chocolate and other goodies.  Her eyes alighted on the carrots.  Overjoyed and ignoring anything else she plumped for carrots.  Ever since when The Family come for dinner the starter includes, amongst other things, carrot sticks and dips.  They disappear at an amazing rate of knots.  Last night, however, we discovered something we all regarded as amazing.  Misty loves carrots too.  A dog eating carrots?  Absolutely woofed them down. 

Please!

Yes, carrots - the umpteenth carrot stick of the evening

What's all the fuss about?  Yuck.  What is she eating?

Can I Remember?

What I was going to tell you about yesterday?  It was all very clear at one o'clock this morning but by that time bed seemed a better option.  This morning yesterday seems so long ago and much less important.  It was, however, a very Good Day.  

The House is at the stage where all the alterations are coming to the point where the plasterers, electrician, builder and painters are all there together and there is nowhere to sit or think or eat allthough it's possible to cook and for some to sleep in their own bedrooms!

Even the pool builders have started on their bit of the job:

Martin, Jamie and Fraser are off camping with the Scouts so Wendy, David and Catriona came down for dinner (all prepared and sent down by Wendy to my oven).  After we'd eaten and watched Ice Road Truckers (if you ever get the opportunity it really is worth watching) the youngsters returned to watch DVDs or whatever in the safety of their bedrooms at The House whilst Wendy and I settled down with the cheese to watch The Girl Who Played With Fire - based on the second of the books by Stieg Larsson.  It is in Swedish with subtitles so one cannot even look away for a minute in case one misses an important point.  It's a very intense film and rather unusual in that the 'heroine' is not the most likeable of characters.  I thought I might have nightmares but I didn't and I'll watch the third film in the series very soon.

A piece of trivia for anyone who has seen the film.  The name on Salander's apartment door, V. Kulla, is a reference to Astrid Lindgren's character Pippi Longstocking and her house Villa Villekulla?

Misty was down, of course, and, having been newly shorn looks a fraction of the size she did a few days ago.

Newly shorn Misty and Catriona finishing her desert.

A more hairsuite Misty

After Wendy had returned to The House I decided to experiment with a few night shots.  There was some cloud and the moon was shining so I decided to see what I could do shooting North from the deck of The Cottage with Napier over the hill in front of me.  The result was quite interesting because the orange in the sky which is the result of the lights in Napier was not visible to the human eye (well not to mine anyway).  The visible stars were not very great either because I used a very low ISO and 30 sec exposure.  There's lots of fun to be had with these yet although I've discovered that my camera has severe limitations for nighttime use.

Misty and The Mysterious Piece of Driftwood

I brought a piece of driftwood back from Mahanga Beach.  Misty came down with Catriona yesterday evening.

Hello.  What's this then?

Hmmmm!

Come on say something!

I wonder if it bites.

Let's have a sniff.

Oh, it seems to be ok.  What's next?

Misty's Christmas Present

The Four Agreements

On 20 March I posted Blogging As A Reason For Living and mentioned a blog entitled The Last Visible Dog.   I have been reading the blog backwards to see what other gems I could find.  I’ve not been disappointed.  Yesterday I came across The Four Agreements on that blog and, with Katherine’s permission am repeating them here (with my own photo).  I, for one, could really benefit from adopting them although, to be fair to myself, I’d like to think that I’m reasonably ok so far as the first one is concerned.

After all, even though we may never be able to sit on top of the post, we should not stop trying:

 

1.  Be impeccable with your word and deed.
Speak and behave with integrity.  Say only what you mean.  Avoid using words to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.  Use the power of your word and deed in the direction of truth and love.

2.  Don't take things so personally.
Most of what others do isn't because of you.  What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dreams and hopes.  When you don't mind the opinions and actions of others, you won't suffer needlessly.

3.  Don't make assumptions.
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.  Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.  With this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4.  Do your best.
Even in small day-to-day tasks.  Remember however, that your best is going to change from moment to moment.  It will be different when you are tired or ill than when you are rested or healthy.  Under any circumstances simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse and regret. 

An Evening Stroll

On Thursday evening Catriona called to see if I would like to go for a walk with her and Wendy and, of course, Misty.  Yes.  It was a cold but lovely evening and a walk seemed like a very good idea.  It turned into more of a stroll than a walk but it was good fun if of limited exercise value.

Note for those with dial-up or slow broadband:  I have tried to limit the size of these photos whilst using the extra-large setting on Blogger.  There are, however, more photos than usual on this posting.  Please let me know if you have difficulty downloading it.

 I must look these up.  There's a clump down the drive

 

 A happy Catriona

 

 There's water in the lake again

 

 Why do children have the urge to pick animals up all the time?

   Paddling through the pondweed

 

 Keep away from our babies!

   Cormorants on a handy branch

 

 Fallen down a hole

 

 Oh that poo tasted so good!

 

A Paper Wasp in the agapanthus

Le Pauvre Chien

Would you do this to a dog that you loved?

Before and After

Wee Misty has been clipped. She is no longer a furry rugby ball with legs!

Before

After

It Seems Like A Long Time

The Funeral for Colleen's husband will take place today at St Thomas More Catholic Church.  The celebration of the life of Ralph in Palmerston North will take place on Sunday at the Awapuni Racecourse.  I didn't really know either men well but I do know some of  those who will be touched by the deaths: wives, children, grandchildren, friends, colleagues and many more whose lives they touched.  It has been a sad week.  But I cannot dwell on the sadness because it reminds me too much of the loss of Andy and the negativity of such feelings.  When I eventually depart this mortal coil I want people to be happy that they've known me (well, I hope so anyway) not sad that I've gone.  Although I fully accept that there will be some whose feelings are quite the reverse!

Anyway back to this week.  I've missed Blogland  where people I know have become such a part of my life that I really miss not keeping up. I've read one, perhaps, two blogs this week and I may be struggling to read many more for a few days.  My days seem to be more full than ever.  When I think of people like Heather with a family and a job and Blogland and all the other things she does and the conflicting needs of her self and her family; when I think of Cynthia who has to fit in studying with several jobs and a life;  and when I think of those whose lives are constrained by constant pain and fatigue and illnessI realise just how lucky I am that I am able to make the choices.   I chose family who are here with me, I chose croquet which has become a part of my life and I accept the reality of life here which is busy and full.  But none of that stops me missing my friends in Blogland.

So what's happened since I arrived back from New Plymouth (about which I will blog in due course)?  Well I've had children and dogs and family 'things' more than ever before.  It's been wonderful.  I've never really seen myself as a grandfather and now to have that role - albeit a surrogate one - is terrific.  Yesterday was a good example of a day: a wonderful day.

Woke.  Checked emails.  Breakfast.  Shower.  Phone call or two.  Children arrived  (as a family we are down from 3 to 2 cars temporarily until the 'new' one arrives from Japan next week so Wendy has to go to the Practice with Martin instead of separately as they usually do) with Misty. 

Off to the school bus

Mrs Smith (the driver not the horse!) with her pony and trap.  Unfortunately the pony does not like dogs.  Especially not yappy fluffy rugby balls on legs.  Misty slipped her lead.  Fortunately the outcome was ok: the pony was impressive in its tollerance.  Drama averted.

 

The school bus which had been waiting for the drama to end arrives and everyone goes off to school. 

 

And I'm left with Misty - what's that saying about butter not melting?

 

One phone call later and my mat has been well and truly attacked!

At 9am I set off for a morning's croquet.  Because it was my first day back on a Club Day I was presented with the silverware for club events that I managed to do reasonably well in last season:

 

It was ironic therefore that (althogh we won the first game that goes in the local newspaper!) I played as badly as it is possible for a person at my level to play and covered myself in whatever the opposite of  glory is.

And that was just the morning.   I arrived home at lunchtime, collected Misty from The House, and set out for an afternoon's catching up.   Wendy arrived home early and asked if I would look after Catriona.  Of course.  When Wendy arrived home at about 6.30 she popped down and I put a gin and tonic in her hand.  We caught up on the day's events.  Wendy got up to go home and make dinner for her and Catriona.  Where were all the others?  Gone to Sea Scouts.  So I made poached eggs and we sat and chatted and then watched Coronation Street or Corrie as it is generally known (for those of you from the US that is the longest running UK TV soap opera and it's also followed here in NZ).

Later that evening I had a long chat on the phone to a friend and eventually went to bed around midnight.

Days don't come much better than that.

But I still missed Blogland.

Girl with Puppy

The path is long and windy.
Says it all really.

I'm a Big Dog, I Am.

On Saturday evening Misty came down to me whilst The Family went walkabouts. Now, whilst I love animals I'm not known as a great lover of domestic pets. Which is rather odd because I love Briagha (Pat and Dave's dog - and I'd say I did even if I didn't 'cos Pat wouldn't forgive me otherwise) and I was even getting attached to Misha before I left my Island home. And I absolutely loved BP (the cat I inherited on Lewis years ago and who died in my arms in 2005) who seemed to think he was a doat (a cat with the loving nature of a dog). So an evening spent with a happy, tiny bundle of fluff who seemed to enjoy my company was a good experience. But my lifestyle in two countries just wouldn't suit keeping a domestice pet even if I became a convert.

I'm a BIG dog (well, bitchlet, actually)

Hello. What do you want?

Who brought all these?

Oh the choice!

I think I'll have a chew on this one