20/1/13 Snow!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! It has been absolutely FREEZING! The snow has fallen in blizzard conditions (which made for an interesting driving experience including getting slightly stuck trying to reverse.... ummmm but I won't go into that now!)

Bubbles was unimpressed when I flung open the back door, she stuck her head out but received a faceful of snow flakes. She yanked her head back inside at top speed, said "Miaow" really loudly then went to recover her composure by filing her nails!

She has not been able to play outside all week because of said snow (her choice not mine), however, today she bravely set foot outside into the crunchy white carpet & crept about the patio, taking giant, wide-legged strides in the snow!

13/1/13 Pinetrees

I decided to write this week's Blog post as a tribute to all the cats who lost their lives in the devastating fire at Pinetrees cattery, Staffordshire and to all their owners who must be going through the most unimaginable grief.

I am probably not the only cat lover who cried when reading one of the many articles reporting this devastating event and I feel also for the poor cattery owners who have not only dealt with the aftermath, the responsibility of telling the owners but also the grief of losing some of their own animals.

As a cat owner, I personally agonised over the "should I / shouldn't I" dilemma of whether to send Bubbles to a cattery or not during our holidays. Deciding eventually on the option of boarding her at a cattery as a preference to leaving her at home because I felt she would value the companionship of other animals and people, I knew people would constantly be around during the day to check on her to make sure there were no problems and predominantly I believed she would be safe.

My heart goes out to every owner who boarded their cat believing them to be safe then returned to this terrible tragedy.

6/1/13 Happy New Year! Balloons

Happy New Year everybody!

We performed the annual Christmas decorations taking down ceremony (well we dismantled the tree, untangled the lights, took down the tinsel etc) during which my other half was dangerously close to electrocution as he inadvertently dangled the still plugged in Christmas tree lights alarmingly close to Bubbles' full water bowl!

Bubbles was fast asleep upstairs; blissfully unaware of the shenanigans occurring in the living room. After her evening nap she came down to see us, marching boldly through the door then FREEZING as she surveyed the landscape. "What? No tree?" she seemed to say, giving a nod in the ex direction of the Christmas tree. Then her eyes narrowed to slits as she noticed the remaining balloons, no longer tied up safely in the corners of the room but floating freely about the floor.

Surprisingly, Bubbles marched straight up to one. Now, readers of previous posts will understand this is a very unusual phenomenon because Bubbles is not at all keen on balloons! She walked, or rather, bravely marched past it, lay down on the wooden floor and watched it float stealthily around. A few moments later, deciding there really was nothing to this balloon lark after all, she got up, walked towards the balloon and tried.... to take a bite!

"Bubbles! No!" I shrieked, moving considerably faster off the settee than I had for weeks (owing to my excessive Christmas food consumption.) Bubbles looked shocked at my outburst and backed away from the balloon. My other half and I looked at each other, grabbed the balloons and shoved them behind the settee. Bubbles looked impressed. Now the lounge was, finally, a balloon free zone!

31/12/12 December: New Year's Eve

This December has been mild and rainy (like most of the year!) It does somehow feel as though many of the seasons have been rolled into one this year with the weather being so unpredictable. I would definitely say that the UK has had a rather wet climate in 2012!

We have had a nice, restful, relaxing Christmas with my Mum staying with us. Bubbles has received lots of exciting cat presents (thank you to the friends who sent them.) She is very good about the Christmas decorations and has only fiddled with the Christmas tree once (we caught her sitting up on the table next to it, very quietly, gently patting the baubles on the lowest branch!) She has mainly been fascinated by the tinsel which glitters beautifully in reds and golds around the lounge.

I sincerely hope all my readers have enjoyed reading my Blog so far! I aim to try to update more regularly as one of my New Year's resolutions for 2013!

I really hope 2012 has been happy for everybody. Today I have been reflecting on the past year and feel grateful to have had a wonderful year with some lovely holidays spent with loved ones, happy events and some achievements I feel very proud of.

I hope 2013 is a happy and prosperous year for myself, my family and all my readers and wish you all a very "Happy New Year"

November

 We had the most fantastic mini break to the Lake District this November; visiting a little place called Haverigg, near Millom. The B&B we stayed in was BEEOOTIFUL, with luxurious bathroom fittings, a super comfy bed and THE most delicious breakfast. To top it all off, while we ate our breakfast in the dining room, garden birds were eating at the bird feeder right outside the window!

We knew Bubbles would love to visit such a place, with abundant wildlife to stare at through the window (as well as an amazingly comfy bed & window ledge to curl up on!)

I wonder if any readers know of any cat friendly B&B's or holiday rental places? If so, do please leave a comment, as it would be lovely to be able to take our furry friend on holiday with us, rather than always shipping her off to the cattery. I know she would prefer it!

Arriving at the cattery, Bubbles did her usual trick of hiding under her bed & pushing it along the floor, just so we would feel guilty for taking her to such a fearsome, horrible place. (The cattery is actually very nice! The owners always do their best to make her feel at home, playing with her toys & brushing her.) Then as we got ready to drive off in the car a little face appeared at the mesh doorframe looking so sad and folorn we IMMEDIATELY felt like the worst owners in the world!

Realising Bubbles was actually perfectly alright at the cattery, we got on with the business of enjoying our holiday in the Lake District, where we visited Silecroft Beach and were quite awestruck at the enormous waves, created no doubt from the tail end of Hurricane Sandy which a few days earlier had hit New York.

October

October was a busy month; getting to grips with new courses, new workload etc. But it was also a very exciting, very proud month for me because October was the month I graduated from the Open University!

I attended a graduation ceremony in Manchester and was so proud to finally get up on stage and receive my handshake, watched by my Mum, my other half and my Aunty and Uncle who had driven a LOOOOONG way just to come to see me graduate.

My Mum bought me one of those cool, funky helium balloons that float around the room to celebrate my graduation. Needless to say, Bubbles was HIGHLY unimpressed, eyeing it suspiciously every time she ventured into the lounge - just in case it chose to suddenly leap out from the corner where it innocently bobbed around next to the settee and attempt to lunge across the room at her. Of course, whenever it was time for her treats, Bubbles forgot all about her balloon fear and leapt up onto my knee to delightedly receive her treats whilst purring and completely ignoring the bobbing balloon!

September

 

September passed in a blur of busy days, lots of reading with plenty of cat cuddles to help me along the way!

The days were pleasantly warm and mainly dry, although I wouldn't go quite so far as to call it an Indian summer.

Bubbles has enjoyed plenty of pouncing opportunities; especially when attempting to "catch" Daddy - Long - Legs' in the garden.

She always looks so disappointed when they get away, until the next one looms out of the grass like a wobbly helicopter attempting to navigate itself out of a sea of green. Then she leaps across the lawn and smacks a furry paw onto the unsuspecting insect. You can almost feel it cowering in fear, until she removes the paw, looks disdainfully down and the Daddy-Long-Legs seizes its opportunity to make a jet propelled escape!