I've Been Asked (er... Ordered By Viki) To Apologise...

...to this one of the cats on my sister & brother-in-law's farm.

Why? Because I keep pointing out that it's got one leg that doesn't look like it belongs... it's a dark cat, with just this one light-coloured leg... and it always reminds me of these people who drive around in cars with one door a different colour because the original one got dented and had to be replaced, and they've not got around to painting the new one yet!

So, I apologise unreservedly for laughing at you, puss... you are very pretty and not at all strange looking...

(lalala)

Hunclett Cat In Mouse-Catching Shock!

Peedie Ginge actually doing what (s)he's meant to!

Keeping Things In Perspective...

Here are 2 of the semi-feral cats that live on my sister's farm, christened by my brother as "Peedie Ginge" and "Peedie Peedie Ginge"...

Their father is a ginger tom that has visited a few of the farms in the area, and I think has possibly been persuaded on his way with the aid of a rifle a few times, so I suspect that there might be one or two of his nine lives missing... and my brother has christened him... can you guess....?

Big Ginge, of course!

As you can see, I didn't quite manage to get the perspective right in this photo, as Peedie Peedie was further forward than Peedie, so looks about the same size... In reality, he(?)'s about half the size of his / her half brother / sister (it's not easy to discover the sex of a feral... unless they're pregnant! However, I have helpfully labelled them so you can tell the difference).

In the time my sister & brother-in-law have been away on holiday, and my brother has been out looking after their elderly dog, those cats have been living a life of luxury... going from a diet of cat food, bread and munchies to having cooked chicken and mussels! Is it any wonder they're not that motivated to catch the rats that they are meant to!?

Leia & Gizmo

Gizmo tries to get the video recorder working while his mummy looks on with trepidation:

Aww... mummy & "baby" having a cuddly sleep:

Riding Of The Marches, August 2009

The Riding Of The Marches is a recently-revived tradition in Kirkwall, where horses and riders ride around the boundaries of Kirkwall, celebrating the time when Kirkwall was granted the Royal Charter, giving it the status of City...

The parade lining up in Broad Street before setting off:

Lol... an Emohorse:

(Photos by Viki)

Be Vewwy, Vewwy Quiet...

... we is photogwaphing wabbits...

My brother took a photo of this bunny on the path in front of us on the Brough o' Birsay earlier this year...

Gizmo Comes Visiting With Us

As is our usual Sunday routine, this afternoon, we wandered around the corner to my brother's house to go for a run...

But this time we had company... Gizmo decided he didn't want to be left at home... he wanted to come visiting his uncle David... so he followed us all the way down our road, and along the front, past the oil tanks and in through the gate to David's.

First he spotted the hole that had been cut into the bottom of the door through to the yard for my auntie's cat (both auntie and cat now deceased), and he disappeared through it, pausing to peep back out at us just to check where we were...

before reluctantly coming back to us...

We rang the doorbell, David answered, and in wandered Gizmo, cool as you like... making a beeline for up the stairs!

After a wee while, we went out to the yard to feed the gulls, and you can see Gizmo exploring and meeting the birds here.

After his visit, we walked back round the corner and he followed us all the way home like a peedie dog. Gave him some cat food and, while he was distracted, we legged it back to David's so we could go for a run... although I'm sure Gizmo would have happily got in the car with us and come too!

Dozy mog!

Whites? Delicates? Boil Wash?

Lol... daft cat...

I took in the washing, folded it all, and we went to put it away, leaving the empty washing basket on the sitting room floor...

Came back a bit later, and there was Gizmo in the basket, poking his paws out the sides to putter at the pink fluffy thing you can see on the floor...

And then Leia, his mum, appeared to see what the hell he was doing...

Welcome To...

Leia and Gizmo

As you can see from the post below, my beloved Minnie had to be put to sleep on 16th April, leaving me catless for the first time in about 7 or 8 years... and that left a very big hole. Every time I heard a seagull outside, I thought it was her meowing for in, and I kept expecting to see her peedie face peeping up at me when I was working with any kind of food.

And then I saw an appeal on the Cats Protection Orkney website looking for homes for a mother cat and her grown-up son. They were to be rehomed together, as even though the "baby" was 2 and a half, he was described as "very much a mummy's boy" and she was very attached to him as well. And it had been my intention to have another cat anyway, ever since Minnie's mum, Harriet, had gone missing last August... just I wasn't sure it would have been fair to Minnie to try to get her used to sharing her house with a stranger.

So we've now adopted the 2 cats... Leia, the mummy, is 3 and a half, and is lovely... very calm and friendly... white, with a few tortie markings. And Gizmo... Gizmo is 2 and a half, bigger than his mummy, and daft as a brush! He's ginger & white, and very playful, but the website was right... he's definitely a sook!

My Beautiful Baby...

Minnie, who became an angel cat on 16th April 2009...

This was probably her cheekiest sleeping place - we went out and left the airing cupboard open... and there was no sign of Minnie when we came home... until we peeped in the door!

There she was, fast asleep on the top of the towels.... and she just gave us a "Go away, would you?" look...

Minnie... thank you for being my cat for a few years... for all the cute and cheeky things you did... for always being there with a cuddle when I needed one... for all the happiness you and your mummy brought me (I hope you've found each other again)... and never forget that me and your Auntie Viki loved you very, very, very much...

xxxx

Minnie Has No Concept Of Floor - 11, 12 & 13

Part of an occasional series, here are some of the latest places my daffy mog has claimed as her own private sleeping areas...

Under the clothes screen in the bathroom:

Sitting on top of her food on the shelf in the kitchen (I think it may have been a hint that feeding time was due):

And the latest one, taken last night... on the ruddy chopping board where I'd just been chopping onions!:

Pass the Domestos, please!

Silly Videos...

My daft cat, Minnie, playing with one of those laser pointer things...

See her a bit less interested here on my main blog...

Counting Sheep

See if you can count them all without falling asleep!

First photo my brother took at the top of Burgar Hill...

Second, Viki took - the window of a local shop, and I think she would have loved to have him...

Third, I took a while ago to show Viki what fresh haggis looks like...

So, how many then?

Minnie Has No Concept Of Floor - 10

Finally found this photo!

This was Minnie's favourite place when I first moved house... on top of my stereo speaker in the bedroom!

She loved to curl up and sleep there...

(Apologies for the quality, but it was taken with my cameraphone).

Minnie

Taken in bed, in the half-dark, with a cameraphone, as Minnie settled down to sleep... on me!

I love the fact it's just her cheeky wee face illuminated in the dark!

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 9

Last one of these for the moment...

Behind my monitor... Viki took these with her cameraphone:

Good job I've got a flatscreen, or that would be a very tight fit!

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 8

On top of the cupboard where I keep my shoes!

David - Coo-Eee!

Think this was in Birsay, but I can't remember... It was one David took of a cow inside her front door just saying "cheerio" to a visitor!

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 7

On top of the shelf unit in my bedroom!

She's the reason I can't put any ornaments up... she'd just bowl them off so she could take their place... *rolls eyes*

Minnie Doesn't Understand The Concept Of Floor - 6

Back of the couch...

(Er... I'd only just moved in, that's why the boxes are still there).