Gullible's Travels
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Lion and cubs playing in Madikwe Game Reserve
Mary pointed out that my new camera (early Christmas present) has video capability so I started taking a few video clips to supplement all the photos. This is Mary's favourite:
Mary pointed out that my new camera (early Christmas present) has video capability so I started taking a few video clips to supplement all the photos. This is Mary's favourite:
Labels: cats, southafrica
¶ Permanent link: 8:25 PM 3 comments
Monday, March 19, 2007
Cleo's Ashes
Saturday morning I collected Cleo's ashes from the Vets. They are now nourishing the roots of a rosebush and not just any old rosebush.
When we lost Oliver, our Persian ginger tom, to an RTA a few years back we buried him near the bottom of the garden. You can do that when you have half an acre. Our neighbour, cat feeder and house-minder Mike bought us a rose called appropriately "Whiskey Mac" which we planted next to Oliver. When we lost Oscar ["Saddest news about Oscar"] we buried him next to his chum Oliver.
When we sold the cottage the rose was the one plant we had to bring with us; by that time we already knew Cleo's biopsy results. A small London garden is not really suitable for an inhumation so we had an individual cremation for Cleo. Her ashes went in first then a little soil to cover, then some fish and bone meal then the rose.
I cannot be doing with this macho "boys don't cry" b*ll*cks. I had a good old sob but in the summer I can look at the roses and smile.
Saturday morning I collected Cleo's ashes from the Vets. They are now nourishing the roots of a rosebush and not just any old rosebush.
When we lost Oliver, our Persian ginger tom, to an RTA a few years back we buried him near the bottom of the garden. You can do that when you have half an acre. Our neighbour, cat feeder and house-minder Mike bought us a rose called appropriately "Whiskey Mac" which we planted next to Oliver. When we lost Oscar ["Saddest news about Oscar"] we buried him next to his chum Oliver.
When we sold the cottage the rose was the one plant we had to bring with us; by that time we already knew Cleo's biopsy results. A small London garden is not really suitable for an inhumation so we had an individual cremation for Cleo. Her ashes went in first then a little soil to cover, then some fish and bone meal then the rose.
I cannot be doing with this macho "boys don't cry" b*ll*cks. I had a good old sob but in the summer I can look at the roses and smile.
Labels: cats
¶ Permanent link: 1:24 PM 0 comments
Thursday, February 22, 2007
End of two eras
Yesterday was big day for us.
We are happy to say that we finally exchanged contracts on Avon Cottage yesterday and the sale will complete on Friday. We had a great 13 years there and feel like we are passing a piece of history over to a new set of caretakers in a better state than we got it. From talking to Karen and Andrew, our buyers, we are sure that they will take as much care of it as we did.
We are sad to say that Cleo passed away yesterday. The problem with her tooth at the end of January proved to be an aggressive form of cancer and the vet warned that she did not have long left. We watched her very carefully and yesterday we knew that the time had come to take her to the vet, while she was still purring. She was almost 17 years old and we are very grateful to have had her for so long.
Cleo at eight weeks / Cleo as an adult
Both Mark and I are relieved that the stress of the last few weeks is over, Cleo is not suffering and it now feels like a new start in Fairfield Street.
Yesterday was big day for us.
We are happy to say that we finally exchanged contracts on Avon Cottage yesterday and the sale will complete on Friday. We had a great 13 years there and feel like we are passing a piece of history over to a new set of caretakers in a better state than we got it. From talking to Karen and Andrew, our buyers, we are sure that they will take as much care of it as we did.
We are sad to say that Cleo passed away yesterday. The problem with her tooth at the end of January proved to be an aggressive form of cancer and the vet warned that she did not have long left. We watched her very carefully and yesterday we knew that the time had come to take her to the vet, while she was still purring. She was almost 17 years old and we are very grateful to have had her for so long.
Cleo at eight weeks / Cleo as an adult
Both Mark and I are relieved that the stress of the last few weeks is over, Cleo is not suffering and it now feels like a new start in Fairfield Street.
Labels: avon cottage, cats, moving house
¶ Permanent link: 8:07 PM 4 comments
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Cleo's teeth
Poor old Cleo had some teeth out yesterday. Thank goodness she goes in regularly for blood tests for her thyroid levels. Since her last visit she had taken to dribbling a bit and recently got a bit smelly. It never occurred to me it was bad breath indicating dental problems.
I took her in yesterday expecting a five minute visit to take a blood sample and walked out minus cat having signed a waiver form for an operation. A worrying few hours passed until the vet called at 1pm; a general anaesthetic always has some risk and for a 16 year cat that has to be a concern.
Fortunately she is a robust old girl and came through it and recovered well from the anaethetic. After discussion with the vet, Emma, we decided to leave her in overnight and collect her this morning. So now she is back home with a heap of antibiotics and pain relief. Now we await the results of the biopsy to find out whether it was a nasty infection or something worse.
Poor old Cleo had some teeth out yesterday. Thank goodness she goes in regularly for blood tests for her thyroid levels. Since her last visit she had taken to dribbling a bit and recently got a bit smelly. It never occurred to me it was bad breath indicating dental problems.
I took her in yesterday expecting a five minute visit to take a blood sample and walked out minus cat having signed a waiver form for an operation. A worrying few hours passed until the vet called at 1pm; a general anaesthetic always has some risk and for a 16 year cat that has to be a concern.
Fortunately she is a robust old girl and came through it and recovered well from the anaethetic. After discussion with the vet, Emma, we decided to leave her in overnight and collect her this morning. So now she is back home with a heap of antibiotics and pain relief. Now we await the results of the biopsy to find out whether it was a nasty infection or something worse.
Labels: cats
¶ Permanent link: 4:45 PM 4 comments
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Cleo behind bars
Mary got so fed up with Cleo widdling on the wainscoting that she bought a dog gate to confine her to the kitchen. We let her out when we are home but when we are out or asleep she is herded back behind bars:
A-h-h! Cruel owners!
From a distance Mary spotted a warning label on the frame and into her head popped the thought that it might read "Warning this gate may contain cats!"
We do let her out into the garden but without a cat flap this is a human-operated cat kitchen-back-door. Tuesday afternoon our friend John, who is doing a bit of decorating for us, let Cleo out. And would she come back in? No, the little Minx ran away whenever John got near and would not be herded. So she was locked out until Mary got home from Italian class at 9:30pm. In Cleo rushed with much loud protesting! That'll teach her (maybe, maybe not).
Mary got so fed up with Cleo widdling on the wainscoting that she bought a dog gate to confine her to the kitchen. We let her out when we are home but when we are out or asleep she is herded back behind bars:
A-h-h! Cruel owners!
From a distance Mary spotted a warning label on the frame and into her head popped the thought that it might read "Warning this gate may contain cats!"
We do let her out into the garden but without a cat flap this is a human-operated cat kitchen-back-door. Tuesday afternoon our friend John, who is doing a bit of decorating for us, let Cleo out. And would she come back in? No, the little Minx ran away whenever John got near and would not be herded. So she was locked out until Mary got home from Italian class at 9:30pm. In Cleo rushed with much loud protesting! That'll teach her (maybe, maybe not).
Labels: cats
¶ Permanent link: 3:39 PM 0 comments
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Furry monsters
Cats love company, well ours do anyway. We have been concerned for their welfare as we have been working away from home a lot. OK, they get twice daily visits from the cat feeder and entertainer Mike (or sometimes his son, Matthew) and they see us at weekends but even so it really isn't fair on them. Even more so as they have to be kept indoors and apart. Oscar is a softy with humans but very territorial with cats, both the neighbours' cats and our other cat Cleo.
We were even looking at re-homing them which would have grieved me deeply as they are surrogate children, Oscar especially. Now with Mary in Dublin full-time and me in London full-time we have decided to relocate them to the flat in London for two weeks as an experiment. They will just have to fight it out and come to an uneasy truce.
Despite spending entire evenings with me for company they still want more and, finding the bedroom door shut, Cleo scrabbles at the laminate flooring at 3am and Oscar shouts at 5am. I can see why sleep deprivation is such an effective technique for breaking people resistance.
Cats love company, well ours do anyway. We have been concerned for their welfare as we have been working away from home a lot. OK, they get twice daily visits from the cat feeder and entertainer Mike (or sometimes his son, Matthew) and they see us at weekends but even so it really isn't fair on them. Even more so as they have to be kept indoors and apart. Oscar is a softy with humans but very territorial with cats, both the neighbours' cats and our other cat Cleo.
We were even looking at re-homing them which would have grieved me deeply as they are surrogate children, Oscar especially. Now with Mary in Dublin full-time and me in London full-time we have decided to relocate them to the flat in London for two weeks as an experiment. They will just have to fight it out and come to an uneasy truce.
Despite spending entire evenings with me for company they still want more and, finding the bedroom door shut, Cleo scrabbles at the laminate flooring at 3am and Oscar shouts at 5am. I can see why sleep deprivation is such an effective technique for breaking people resistance.
Labels: cats
¶ Permanent link: 1:02 PM 0 comments
