That cat will be the death of me

I've been having a difficult time with my little cat.

 I have a big cat, that goes nowhere, would get a gold medal in sleeping and she falls over at your feet a lot.  She's an easy maintenance, as a cat should be, cat.

 And I have Maisy.

 Maisy is, to be frank, a pain in the arse.

She is very clever and very sociable.

She spends a lot of time at the village hall doing playschool, karate, theatre group, hula, yoga.

She's been to church, she's been to school.  I've had calls from far and wide to fetch her.

Yes, people think it's really cute to be followed by a cat and encourage her with a chuck under the chin and then realise they can't get rid of her!

I was on holiday once and got a call at about 1am from a guy who had been followed by her, bless him, when I explained where we were he took her back to our close.  I've no idea how her managed to not be followed back home again!  She will go missing for days on end.  She has been shut up in buildings where I have heard her crying and had to go find the people with the keys.  But mostly I know where she disappears to.

There is an old lady who encourages her in, feeds her, lets her cuddle up in front of her fire and then when she's had enough of it she rings me and says 'I can't get rid of your damned cat and she's coming into my house all the while and I can't stop her.'  

I have told her to stop feeding her, I've asked her to stop encouraging her, I've even offered her ownership and vets bills, apparently that made me the rudest person she has ever spoken to.

She reported me to the RSPCA for animal cruelty.  She rings up at midnight and tells me to go to collect the cat because it's too late to let her out alone.  She leaves nasty messages on my answering machine.  She always calls my landline and withholds her number so I can't block her calls. If Cog answers the phone she shouts at Cog.  If I go round to collect Maisy, she won't answer the door.  She will answer it to HWMBO, but he works away a lot.

Maisy has a collar and an id tag, it has my mobile number on it.  The woman never rings that number, I assume because she doesn't know how to withhold her own number if she does that.  She has got other people to ring up and tell me that my cat is round there.  The last person to call told me that a cat is not a dog, that I can't control it and it can go where it likes (in-congruent to the constant requests to collect her).  I suggested that either the woman stops feeding Maisy or starts paying her vets bills.  She hung up.

I love my little Maisy.  There is no cat more spoilt (when she is at home!)  The RSPCA and my vet thought it preposterous that I had been reported.  They both told me to tell the woman to spray Maisy with water to stop her going into her house.  The woman said that was cruelty and would not do it.

She has finally broken me, I have changed my home phone number and taken on all the pain that goes along with that rather than have to keep dealing with this.  I just can't stand it any longer. I'm at my wits end with it.

I can't keep Maisy shut in, she goes loopy, she darts for the doors, she's brought down my blinds, bent my venetians, she can open some internal doors, she can open the locked cat flap.  Seriously, she has worked out that by tapping it gently she can create a bounce and catch her paw underneath it and lift it upward.

WITS END.

Bless Bob Martins today, who sent me a parcel full of goodies to help me pamper my already over spoilt kitty a little more.  See the rub downs, they are so cool for wiping grass stains off white paws (she has 1 white paw and 3 grey!)  And the new collar, did they know that Maisy loses on average 1 collar every 3 weeks and each time they cost me about £8 (collar, cat flap magnet, id tag).  They are often pushed through my letter box by strangers that find them though!

I'm wondering the next time I get reported to the RSPCA whether to ask them what pushed the reporter to do it, was it the 6 monthly vet checkups, the new collars. the clean litter tray, the healthy diet, the glossy coat or the snack treating that finally made them think that I was a bad owner!

I love my little kitty, truly I do but I swear the next time I want to get a cat I'm off to Battersea and asking them for their sleepiest, slowest, saggiest cat they have.  Yes, yes, the fat one in the corner that doesn't want to move - yup, I'll take it!

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Really, this is all I want

At work some of the men (I only work with men) were talking about buying a push present. This appears to be a present they give their wives when they have given birth. I assume after, not during, but perhaps it depends on the appropriateness of the gift.

The same men often talk about the birthday gifts they are planning or buying. In essence they seem to spoil their wives with love and attention at 'appropriate' times. Although I do remember my previous boss standing up fast from his seat one day and declaring 'SHIT! It's my wedding anniversary' and leaving the office.

You can see where these thoughts are headed can't you. HWMBO has never put much thought into gifting or spoiling. Not in the loving, treating, romantic sort of way.  He doesn't do romance at all.  He says it isn't him.  I think he is just romantically lazy. 

On my 40th birthday, we were on holiday, he gave me perfume bought on the boat on the way to holiday and a plastic ornamental dolphin bought from the holiday tat shop.  Whilst I appreciate he didn't have to give anything, I felt his forethought and planning were a little lacking.  I am now the very wrong side of 40 and I still haven't quite got over it.  I suspect I will continue to feel much the same way about the M&S voucher he gave me this year for a while to come. 

It leaves me feeling unloved.  I don't want expensive.  I want 'thought about it', 'thought about you and what you like'.  I wonder why after 15 years of being together I still even let it bother me.  I have a general philosophy about marriage: either you are in or out; if you don't like it, accept it or leave.  So I wonder why, when this is so important to me, I don't just accept it.

Anyway, this wasn't supposed to sound like a counselling session.  I got an amazing rush of happiness tonight.  I was walking across the fields feeling a little dejected, wondering why I never got a push present from my first husband, or a 'I love you' birthday gift from either of them.  Yes, seriously...I know how spoilt brat that sounds!  Anyhoo, I looked across the view, at the golden sun, felt the warm breeze on my skin, watched the 2 buzzards, nesting on my regular route, call and fly around me, and had the most high brow thought.......

"ahhhh sod you all, I don't need anything, I have this and no one can ever give me anything that could compare to it."

Well ok it was more pouty than philosophical but actually it left me feeling really lifted, earnestly grateful for the glorious countryside close to where I live.

I felt so great about it all I texted HWMBO, who is working in Paris, to bring me a small gift back....in a loving and gentle way obviously....wouldn't want to sound demanding or anything!

I know this is going to go one of two ways:

1)  He will forget but declare in a very Australian accent "I was busy dunn-eye" (I have no idea what dunn-eye means but he always says it when feeling indignant!)

2) He will grab a bar of chocolate (European milky bleurgh) at duty free

What I would actually be looking to receive is a little pretty keyring,  I'm rather enjoying collecting little pretty key rings at the moment from places I go to.  I think pigs will be commercial airline pilots before he even twigged that this would be something that could please me.


So let's just go back to the aaaaaaaand breathe moment.

Really, this is all I want....no really.
Yes, this is my genuine face......shush there you!





 

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London walking and eating

 We arrived in London about 11am and needed to be in Battersea by 2pm so we took our time.  We caught a tube and walked across the footbridge to the Tate Modern for lunch.

Nice smoked chicken caesar salad for me and ham, eggs and chips for Cog.

We caught the stationary snog bus for frozen yogurt on the southbank.

 It was just like being in Hollister but without the 'me getting thrown out for taking photos' part!

 The skate 'park' was fantastically bright too.

 The river was very busy.

 We walked all the way from the Tate Modern to Battersea Dogs and Cats home and then back again!  It was hot but there was a warm breeze along the river and after Westminster you run out of tourists and it becomes quite pleasant!

Battersea is an absolute building site around the Power Station, that area is going to take off in a big way once the rich people move in.

 Such a long walk deserves the best treat.  Tea at the Perkin Reveller turned into diner with crab for me and smoked salmon for Cog, followed by lemon cake and a freshly baked chocolate fondant.

So overall it was a fine balance of exercise and calories with a heavy hole in the purse.

But it was a most content stomach that walked in the golden evening sunshine back to the tube toward home.

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Q is for Quokka

This week's gallery is Animals

This is the cutest, happiest animal I have ever met.

It's a quokka and lives on Rottnest island.  Rottnest is part of Western Australia, not too far off the coast of Perth.


They are very sweet, a little shy but also friendly.

You can see they are the size of a football.  You can also see I carted an urchin around with me that holiday! 

Got to love WA, never too fussed about dress standards, well at least not on Rottnest!  We fitted in very well!

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The Jewel Tower, London

In our usual quest to find a cheap attraction in London, we visited the Jewel Tower.  It is owned by English Heritage and is one of the only surviving buildings from the original Palace Of Westminster

Considering it is in such a prominent position I've never really noticed it before, it is right next to where the news reporters stand to do their 'and today at Westminster' report.

It is only accessible by steps and inside is a spiral staircase, so not one for the less-abled or buggy pushers.  The official blurb is "It was built around 1365 to house Edward III’s treasures and was known as the ‘King’s Privy Wardrobe’."  It was basically the royal cupboard!  There's really nothing in it now.

But I was very interested to find out it was the testing centre for the Board of Trade's Standards Department from 1869 to 1938. There has been a set of standard coins, weights and measures since the 12th century, the Standards Department was in charge of checking accuracy and uniformity across the country. The Tower's thick stone walls meant that it had an even temperature and was then vibration free. But by 1938 the traffic on the road outside forced the Department to move. 

It really is only a stone's throw from Westminster Palace.  I wonder who threw the stone that broke this window.

But it was a peaceful and cool haven away from the crowds, which Cog sat and watched whilst I read the boards.












And she sat and chilled whilst I pootled around.

It is £4 for adults and £2.40 for children, but I had printed a 2for1 voucher from the Railcard website. (It is free for English Heritage members and London Pass holders.)  There is a small cafe and cool drinks and ice-cream but no toilet facilities.  (There are good clean toilets in Westminster tube station - entrance 50p  or the Methodist Central Hall is around the corner and those are free)  Check the website for more details and opening times before visiting.

I did wonder as I walked around in the quiet how many secrets the walls held and also how many people rock up here expecting the see the crown jewels!  They are in the Jewel House in the Tower of London.

For £4 it was a peaceful break in a busy day, in a busy area, not amazing, but different.

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A visit to Battersea Cats Home

 On our latest sojourn to London, Cog and I headed down to Battersea.  It is famous for its iconic power station towers and also the Battersea Dogs and Cats home.

The home opened in 1860 and never turns a dog or cat away, it also doesn't have a time limit on a stay for an animal.  There have been 3.1 million dogs and cats through their doors since it opened.  There were 3000 cats last year.

It gets no funding from the government at all and is totally dependent on public donations to raise the £12.7 million in costs a year.  It also has 1000 invaluable volunteers.


Bob Martin has been helping us to care for our animals for 120 years.  The original powders from 1893 are still the basis for food formulations today. It is still a UK based family run business. They have partnered Battersea and will be providing them with 83,000 litres of cat litter over 4 years.  That's 28,000 full litter trays a year!

We can help with that by buying Bob Martins new Felight cat litter. You can't miss it's shocking pink packaging and it's marked with the Battersea logo.

We met the managing director of Bob Martin and some of his family (and Bob Martin's family too!), he's a really cool guy and they were also clearly animal lovers, enjoying the kittens as much as we were!

We were invited to see the cats home by them but it is open to the public.  It is £2 for Adults and a £1 for children, there is a cafe and a shop.  You can see the opening times and visiting details on their website.

 There are lots of bouncy kittens that refuse to stand still for a camera and lots of older cats that mew at the glass doors dying for a chin scratch or an ear pull.

Half of the cats here are strays but half have come straight from homes.  They come in because of allergies, moving house, money, tenancy rules and unwanted litters.

 I love cats, always have.  They are incredibly intelligent and don't need you.  It is a privilege when they choose to share their love and affection.  They know the cosiest spot in the house, the way the sun moves across a room and when you need a bit of company.  There is a mutual benefit from the contact of the leg rub, chin chuck and stroke.



We cuddled kittens and if we lived closer, this chap called Nemo would have been coming home with us!  He only had one eyebrow, that was enough to melt my heart!  He curled straight up into our arms and wanted so many cuddles.

We had a lovely afternoon.  After the cats we went to see the dogs.  There are many there from the small and waggy, through tall and gentle and into very large and frankly (to me) scary - although the volunteer playing with the large and scary said he was soft as anything and in fairness he was playing like a puppy!

There was a doughy eyed grey hound that touched my heart strings, they are so lovely.

If you are planning on being down that way, there is a Kitten shower on Thursday 24th July 10:30am-1pm and 2pm-4pm.  £5 for adults and £3 for children.  You can book to play with the kittens in the kitten crèche and learn about the importance of caring for a pet from the Battersea expert.

All the money raised goes towards caring for the animals there.

Just to let you know if you have a cat or dog from Battersea you are in posh company, Larry the current 10 Downing Street cat is a former resident.  As are a pair of Jack Russells now owned by the Duchess of Cornwall!  I wondered as I looked at the cats if they were thinking:

 'Walk on by love, I'm holding out for the caviare here not your sardine offering' !

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Impassable Paths

This week's Gallery is 'My View Right Now'


I spend a lot of time out in the fields.

One of my regular running routes looks like this.  It's actually dangerous to run, I'm tripping and getting wrapped up in the neck high grasses just walking.

This was one of the paths I followed geocaching at the weekend.  Don't be fooled by the picture, that gap you see was not as wide as me.  The dry rape seed scratched my arms very badly.

Please, please Mr Farmer man...is it time to harvest yet?!!!!

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I can't believe it's not funny.

No, it's not funny and it's what was in my fridge door.

Why?! 

I showed it to HWMBO and his response was 'what does that represent?'

Excuse me whilst I sit in a corner counting to 11 slowly and trying not to push them into a matching number of orifices and asking him what he thinks they represent now.  Bitter me? Nooooooooo!

But them why would I be?!  Shall I tell you?  Shall I?......

I was sent a pack of Cadbury's marvellous mix-ups.  Marvellous thought I, they will go down nicely whilst I do the Friday twiz.  This picture isn't them. 

The person that opens 3 tubs of butter also leaves empty sweet packets in the sweet cupboard.  I bought a second packet of marvellous mix-ups to replace the first so I could tell you how they tasted.  This picture isn't them. 

That packet also emptied.

This is the 3rd packet that forced me to yell 'do NOT eat them until I find the camera, DON'T EAT THEM' immediately on return from the shops. 

I conclude that they taste good enough to have to yell at the family to leave them alone. 

Should any other sweet company decide to send me tasty treats please hide them in a box marked 'rats tails' or 'cochroach legs'.  Thank you muchly.

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Patellofemoral pain syndrome following Microdiscectomy

I mentioned that my knee had started to play up when I wrote my 2 years post-operative post.

I went to the GP who told me I had fluid on my knee and nothing else of merit,  fluid is a symptom not a cause, so I came away no wiser.

My plan then was to start the squat challenge to try to improve them.  Luckily I didn't and I went to see a physio instead. Turns out that, for once, was a wise move. The squats would have broken it completely!

She told me I have tibial tuberosity patellofemoral pain - "ooooh" I said and my eyes glazed over "Now tell me how to get rid of it!"

When I had my severe sciatica, before my operation, my leg wouldn't work a lot of the time.  I used to lift it with my arms a lot, even just to get it in and out of the car.  I had noticeable muscle wastage on my right thigh.  Even after my operation, as I started to improve and started running again, I noticed my running trousers didn't grip properly on that leg and didn't stay up properly.

I wasn't given a physio routine after my op, I got no post op recovery support in terms of getting back to fitness. I just walked until I could run and started running.  With no quad muscles!

This meant my knee was talking a beating it didn't deserve and it finally gave up the ghost.

Since I've been paying to see a physio she's given me exercises to do to build my quads back up again, and the knee pain is getter better slowly.   Much like my back issues, this is an injury I could have avoided if I'd have been better informed.  Isometric exercises are important to build back muscle strength when you lose it for any reason.

Part of me thinks these injuries I keep getting from trying to keep fit just aren't worth it.  But the lovely physio cheered me up immensely,  She said:

You can either be fat and unfit and suffer all the medical issues that go with it or exercise and be fit and suffer the injuries that go with.  Life is all about choices!  She was joking obviously, she does understand the route is to be fit and avoid injury but she made me smile for the day.

It has set me thinking a lot though about how one medical issue seems to lead to another and how easy it can be to end up in a vicious cycle of medication or physical issues.  I guess the answer is to get on top of things early.


On the upside the crops are so high at the moment, in some places I am up to my neck, that running is almost impossible and I'm back to walking through them and walking is the best exercise there is.  Easy on the joints, fast enough to be good for the heart and still slow enough to be able to take in the beauty around.

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Living the dream in a field

A Guider is never far away from a field, I've spent this weekend in one, which is lucky because this week's Gallery is 'The Great Outdoors'.

I was trying to get an arty shot and totally didn't spot the main part of the picture, can you?

It suddenly got very loud and in shot mum to quieten down her brood with a few insects.

Saturday was a fairly relaxed day.    I was supposed to be supervising these guides on the equipment.  An easy task as they were quite content just chillin' for a while.  Time to sit and stare.

And who can blame them when this is what they were quietly looking at.

 

These were walking off to the camp fire, as we sat by the fire I look up and 2 buzzards settled themselves into the trees above us.  Quite beautiful.

Nothing quite like living the dream in a field. 

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Rainbow Cake

I mentioned the food colouring trial a while ago.

Cog had tried to make some coloured cakes at school to layer.  The supermarket food colourings she used went dreadfully flat and affected the taste of the cake.

After reading around I bought her some Wilton gel colourings. As you know, my experiment with them went a bit strange but we hoped it was just the violet that was the issue.

She made the same mix again and avoided violet.

These were the cup cakes made with left over mix, totally different.

She made a big one.

It came out brilliantly.  This picture isn't enhanced at all, the colour really is that good.

She took the new sponge off to school.

And came back with this and a second place in the competition.  It is a bit battered as it had just done a race for the bus, followed by a 10 mile journey in the heat and had been cut by the teacher, obviously, for judging.

The red has been slightly lost in the edge icing, so the lesson learnt is to use a lot more mixture for the outer layers than the centre layer.

It tasted really good, these gel colours don't affect the taste of the cake at all as you use such a small amount even to achieve this strength of colour.

She's doing really well at Food Tech in school.  She's really pleased she 'got stuck' with it.  It wasn't a first choice subject, but actually it's turned out to be the one she enjoys most and is turning out A*s in.

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