Today, I shall mostly be... Showing 4,351-4,400 of 4,717

[suzysunshine7]

Today I was mostly becoming an owner of a Cat who seems to have no Off Button! ... and wondering what on Earth we have let ourselves in for and whether we will survive another day of 'Wall of Death' zoomies! ... LOL!!! ;o>

[Serial]

In other news my oldest daughter is now eyeing up my new shed and suggesting it's make a great Cattery, and we should become a Cat Hotel venue for holidaying Moggy owners.

[suzysunshine7]

When can I book a room for Pixie and me?! ... ;o>

[Collette]

Looking forward to going to my pit at the back of 8 with my kindle and a bottle of cider.

[Serial]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "When can I book a room for Pixie and me?! ... ;o>"



An airbnb/cattery crossover....sounds good :)

[suzysunshine7]

We had one extremely agitated and quite manic day in which I actually started to feel as stressed as she obviously was and even wondered if we might have made a big mistake in thinking that we were ever going to be what Pixie might want from a forever home ... followed by two days of almost non-stop sleeping tightly wrapped around my legs at every opportunity ... and her now behaving just like she has lived here for all of her life.

She has increasingly become more and more relaxed and is being incredibly affectionate with us all and so I think she has decided now that she has found exactly what she was most wanting and hoping for ;o>

Interestingly she seems to be acting like a 'guard' cat who races to the door snarling at any sudden noises in the Porch? She looks back each time before racing off as if to say ... "Don't worry! I've got this! They will have to get past me first!" ... which is extremely touching and also makes me laugh out loud because she is still a Kitten and so tiny ;o>

[Isabella]

Sounds like the purrfect match, Suzy! (Sorry, I know it’s totally unoriginal but sometimes you just have to).

[suzysunshine7]

LOL! ... I still get odd twinges of the bittersweet feeling of how much I really would have loved to have had another dog ... but the more companionable and affectionate Pixie is with us the more those last lingering feelings are starting to fade now ;o>

[Collette]

Looking forward to a Chinese takeaway and a big bottle of Lambrini later when my sis gets her butt over.

[Serial]

Putting the sheet metal roof on the shed, and hoping for no wind gusts.

[Isabella]

Sorting stuff to take to Penarth as G has a conference at the beginning of the week. Be a good chance to catch up with friends.

[suzysunshine7]

Trying to help animal volunteers to find foster care places and funds for 4 feral 5 week old kittens in Kharkiv.

[suzysunshine7]

It's such a relief to log off most days and remember just how lucky and how good we have life here in this country.

All across the main areas of Ukraine most people are completely without electricity for several days at a time. At random times like between 3 and 4 in the morning they will get a notification that they will be given one or two hours of connection to have light, quickly try to boil kettles, wash themselves, cook something, do a quick light laundry load, try to charge power banks and phones in time, try to connect to the Internet to catch up with the news, make contact with family to let them know everyone is still okay and doing their best to stay strong and hold on ... but invariably the power suddenly cuts out and goes off again after only 20 minutes.

Meanwhile only brown sludge randomly comes out of the taps and the shops are rarely open for limited access to buying bottled water at huge prices. And it is 37 degrees in Odesa today and 34 degrees in Kyiv.

Everytime I flick a switch or turn a tap on ... I feel so damn lucky to live in the UK ...

[Val]

I'm guilty of not paying close attention to a lot of human suffering around the world but every time I turn on a tap I am very frugal, thinking of women especially, in third world and war-torn countries who may never have had the luxury of a tap inside their home or access to clean running water, never mind heated water.

[suzysunshine7]

Val wrote: "I'm guilty of not paying close attention to a lot of human suffering around the world but every time I turn on a tap I am very frugal, thinking of women especially, in third world and war-torn coun..."

I have always been aware of how lucky we are in our lives and have greatly appreciated these things but I realise that I still do things without ever thinking in that instant about how it would feel if I flicked a switch or turned on a tap ... and nothing happened ...

How I would cope and manage to get through every day without light and power and fresh water? It is a very scary thought to think on.

[Collette]

Looking forward to going into my bed at the back of 8 with my kindle (reading Graham Masterton's "Spirit" for the first time in over 20 odd years) and a bottle of Malbec. Bloody cold today so I think the electric blanket will be going on too.

[suzysunshine7]

Ahhh a typical British Summer ... bloomin' cold ... boiling hot ... and bloomin' cold again.

Each day a masterclass in temperature control ... the central heating ... or the ceiling fans! ;o>

[Isabella]

The great dilemma, sun hat or woolly hat? Parasol or umbrella? Flip flops or wellies? Or, some days, all of the above? Can’t complain of boredom.

[Collette]

Been the same up here. Stoating around in July with your winter parka on looking like a right daftie when the sun comes out.

[Serial]

Yes, feckin awful all over the shop weather.

Spent the morning strimming in the dry and the afternoon in the Polytunnel in the rain.

Currently lashing rain and reminding me yet again, as it drip, drips, that the gutter's blocked. :0

[suzysunshine7]

It's Saturday night! ... the time is right! ... and we are all wondering ...

What tipple of choice and programmes will be in Collette's plans for this evening? ... x

[suzysunshine7]

I made the very big mistake of letting Pixie sit on the bed and watch "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" while I was busy on my Laptop and now she is stood like a Meerkat on my bed and eyeing up the blades of my Ceiling Fan as a possible place to jump and swing on ;o>

[Collette]

Tonight's tipple is a bottle of Chardonnay while watching The X-Files. 🍷👽

Is Pixie settled in fine then, Suzy? Have you got any pics for us yet?

[Anita]

I do like the Xfiles Missing wine here,I'm in Hever babysitting.

[suzysunshine7]

She seems to be getting there, Collette. It has been strange adapting to having a cat after a lifetime of having dogs and only the one cat when I was a child.

She seems to desperately want to please and be a lovebug but it is very obvious that living in a home with a family is something that she has never had before. Everything seems to be a strange and a whole new experience for her but she is very accepting and also fearless most of the time. Little noises can sometimes give her a sudden scare but she is totally unfazed by having the Vacuum hoovering all around her ;o>

I can pick her up now when I want or need to and she will accept this but otherwise we let her set the pace of settling and bonding and let her come to us on her own terms. She seems very quickly and easily overwhelmed and over-stimulated if you try to push for too much contact. The occasional cuddle is now happening but only if she is allowed to initiate it.

I will put a few photos up on my profile later ... x x x

(EDIT: done ;o>)

[Collette]

Wee Ebony was born on the canal bank in Maryhill. We gave her a happy home and a lot of love but there was a part of her that never seemed to forget her crappy start in life. Her first few weeks with us she would hide between the sofas and hiss at us.


Miss Snowdrop felt love from the minute she was born. She used to like sleeping up on your knee when she was a kitten, but not anymore. She perseveres with being lifted up, but that's about it. Noises that startle Snowdrop and send her running out of the room include me spraying deodorant and D sneezing. She isn't a big fan of the hoover but sits in the way of it half the time and I nearly hoover her tail. And she likes shoving her head or full body into Asda carrier bags, but is frightened by crinkly ones.

Enjoy every moment with beautiful Pixie.

I ordered this for Snowdrop yesterday. Was meant to be for part of her Christmas but I'm just gonna give her it when it comes. Something you may be interested in yourself if you haven't already got one...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...

[suzysunshine7]

They really are completely unique little characters, aren't they? ... x x x

I would really love to buy a Pixie a bed but I decided to wait to see what she preferred when she first came to us and it turns out that she isn't keen on them at all ... at least not at the moment anyway.

We have kept our dog beds and mats where they always were and she will occasionally take herself off for a nap and we will find her on Mitz's most favourite mattress bed on the Landing that she slept in every night. But otherwise she sleeps on my bed or on one of my chairs or simply lies on the floor.

I have another big comfy bed that belonged to Mitz. It is under the Breakfast Bar in the Kitchen where Pixie sleeps every night but we can tell she doesn't use it. Instead she appears to be sleeping on the top of the higher cabinets or on a Bath Towel we have placed on the floor. She doesn't seem to like any kind of cushioning and comfort but I hope this will change at some point over the next few months.

[Collette]

Snowdrop has a plush sherpa lined fleece blanket on the sofa beside mine. Her other favourite places to sleep are the bedroom windowsill, under the bed and the living room coffee table. If she doesn't use her tent I will, ha ha.

[Collette]

Watching the end of Diagnosis Murder, then I'm off to bed with a whisky & coke and my kindle. Reading and enjoying The Girl Who Ate Maggots.

[Anita]

The girl who ate maggots!!Im going to have to go and look at that .

[suzysunshine7]

... EUWWWWWWW!!! ;oO

[Isabella]

Keeping cool! We seem to have summer, at last, although it's not forecast to last long. In Penarth for a few days, (MOT etc). Looking forward to seeing friends.

[Collette]

Really looking forward to a horror movie and tonight's bottle of red. And I'm gonna have a lie in tomorrow (Snowdrop permitting) for the first Sunday in almost 4 months. My Mum got out of hospital last night after being in since the 5th of April. Feels like myself and D and my sis and her man can actually start living again.

And Miss Snowdrop loves her new Princess Tent. Beautiful tent for a beautiful girl.

[suzysunshine7]

Collette wrote: "... My Mum got out of hospital after being in since the 5th of April. Feels like myself and D and my sis and her man can actually start living again."

Ohhh WoW!!! ... what absolutely wonderful news, Collette! I am SO very happy for your Mum and for you and your family ... x x x

I am really glad to hear that little Miss Snowdrop loves her beautiful new glamping tent. Does it also come with a little bell and full maid service? ;o>

[Collette]

Thanks Suzy. Just glad it's hopefully over with now. Been bloody exhausting. xxx

I honestly thought Snowdrop would have ignored it, but she loves the thing. Sound asleep in it right this minute, bless her. 😽

[suzysunshine7]

Pixie has just decided that she likes to sit and even take naps on Mitz and Tia's mattress beds just so long as I remove all the furry blankets so there is only the canvas fabric cover on them.

She has also decided to sometimes gently pat my leg and then suddenly sink her teeth into it while I am plating up her meals! I get the distinct impression that the initial soft and seemingly loving pats of the paws may possibly be testing exactly which part of my leg might be the plumpest and most tender! ... LOL!!! ;o>

[Collette]

Ha ha ha.😆😆

[suzysunshine7]

Today I shall mostly be online shopping ... as it seems that only yesterday we still had plentiful supplies of pretty much everything that we need and yet today we are suddenly really close to running out on Toothpaste, Fabric Softener, Disinfectant, Kitchen Rolls, Pan Scrubs, Rennies, Cat Pooh Bags, Pears Hand Soap, and Shampoo!

I feel certain that we must have some Little People living somewhere in our house who sneakily steal our stocks by night and then probably sell them off on eBay! ;o>

[suzysunshine7]

I will also be watching via Parcel Tracking with fascination and bewilderment as an eBay order that was dispatched into Yodel's care at 11.15pm on the 19th of July continues to make it's own slow and easy meandering mini break journey via the scenic route way from Yodel Hayes to arriving at Yodel Hatfield at 10 am this morning ... !

The Delivery estimate has finally updated from arriving by the 23rd of July ... to arriving on the 2nd of August! ... so I am guessing there is only Yodel Delivery Van in the entire country and it must have broken down after picking up my order so the Courier is now planning on walking all the way to Stockport? ;o>

I have never seen anything take so long as this when in the care of Courier. Has anyone else had this happen to them?

[Isabella]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "I will also be watching via Parcel Tracking with fascination and bewilderment as an eBay order that was dispatched into Yodel's care at 11.15pm on the 19th of July continues to make it's own slow a..."

Slightly different but just as perplexing, Suzy. A couple of years ago, I ordered a plant as a Christmas gift. It was sent but after a couple of weeks, when the weather was freezing, it was still at the depot, 'awaiting delivery'. I complained and the supplier sent another. A fortnight went by and the second plant was down as 'delivered' but we didn't have it. A third was sent and actually arrived! Another week went by and the first plant came, in a very sad way, having been kept in an unheated depot for over a month in really cold weather. The second is probably in the ether somewhere or maybe with someone who acquired it less than honestly ...

[suzysunshine7]

I really dread seeing beautiful and fragile living things like Plants become the sad victims of poor packaging and slow or careless Courier delivery ;o<

To be honest, I am thinking, as paranoid as it may sound, that maybe this tracking is being deliberately falsified to simply give me the impression that Yodel have it when actually they don't?

I already knew the Seller was based in China but this item was the only one of it's kind (on Amazon as well as on eBay) that was listed as being already shipped to the UK and waiting in a warehouse in London.

I trusted the Yodel tracking to be independent of the Seller's influence and to be honest and straightforward ... but? ... now it seems that either Yodel are being utterly incompetent or maybe the item is in fact coming from China and they are still waiting for it to arrive while lying about having it?

I feel confused as I would expect for a Courier company to be honest about whether they actually have a parcel or not ... but it has supposedly taken TEN days for this order to travel just 35 miles across London from one Yodel hub to another ... and that has me quite baffled now as to what is really going on.

[suzysunshine7]

Well! ... Guess what turned up today! ... my eBay parcel!!! ... LOL!!!

I think Yodel must have read my Post on here and decided it was time to restart the Music and continue with the game of playing Pass The Parcel ;o>

The box was a bit of a battered mess but thankfully my stainless steel Soup Pot with Handle and Lid turned out to be exactly what I wanted and arrived in immaculate condition.

I have a beautiful big fresh Cauliflower in the Fridge and so I have decided I shall christen my Pan this afternoon with a lovely recipe that Helen very kindly gave me a few years ago for Cauliflower & Coriander Soup ;o>

[Isabella]

So pleased your parcel arrived, Suzy. Cauliflower makes brilliant soup. Cauliflower and almond is one of my favourites along with cauliflower and cheddar. If there’s any cauliflower cheese left over, blend it with some milk before reheating. Serve it with grated cheese on top.

[SussexWelsh]

Please stop, you're making me hungry :-)

[suzysunshine7]

Isabella wrote: "So pleased your parcel arrived, Suzy. Cauliflower makes brilliant soup. Cauliflower and almond is one of my favourites along with cauliflower and cheddar. If there’s any cauliflower cheese left ove..."

I am currently experimenting with making various homemade Soup recipes because unfortunately, over the last three weeks, my Dad has suddenly become only able to tolerate a Soft Food Diet.

So I start off with a bland and basic recipe for him and focus more on the nutritional content of how many kinds of vegetables I can incorporate as even just the mere presence of some light seasoning will often set off many hours of nausea and vomiting.

But it is equally important for Mum and me to still eat properly and so I use some of the basic recipe to create extra portions for her and for me with lots of extra yummy flavours and textures ;o>

[suzysunshine7]

SussexWelsh wrote: "Please stop, you're making me hungry :-)"

I am sure that Helen will not mind me sharing her Soup recipe with you as she has already shared it with me in an old Post on the Forums ...

HELEN'S CAULIFLOWER & CORIANDER SOUP

Serves 4 - 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
Zest of up to 1 lemon (according to taste)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 litre hot veg or chicken stock

Heat oil in large deep pan. gently fry onion for 10 mins until softened. Add cauliflower, lemon zest and ground coriander and stir well. Cook for 2 mins and then pour in stock and bring to boil.

Simmer for 10 mins until cauliflower is tender. Whizz soup until smooth and season with salt & pepper if desired. Serve.

[suzysunshine7]

I am making Helen's recipe with some additional Cheese topped toasted bread for Mum and me ... and Dad will be having an unseasoned Cauliflower & Potato Soup liquidized with some freshly cooked Chicken breast and served with a Carrot, Swede, and Parsnip mash ;o>

[SussexWelsh]

That all sounds great

[Helen The Melon]

suzysunshine7 wrote: "I am sure that Helen will not mind me sharing her Soup recipe with you as she has already shared it with me in an old Post on the Forum..."

Of course not, always happy to share. I hope your Dad enjoyed his version. It was homemade carrot soup for me today (& probably tomorrow too).

Isabella - there is never ever any leftover cauliflower cheese. I can't believe such a thing ever happens!!

[Isabella]

Helen The Melon wrote: "suzysunshine7 wrote: "I am sure that Helen will not mind me sharing her Soup recipe with you as she has already shared it with me in an old Post on the Forum..."

Of course not, always happy to sha..."

Large cauliflower and G on a diet, so he only has a token spoonful. My version isn’t diet friendly …