Attitudenal Animals

I have a bunch of Woosie Cats but it's not their fault- I'm the one who insists they come inside at 3pm and stay there until 7.30 the next morning. They punish me by pinning me sideways in bed, one behind, one in front and another perched on my right hip ramming my left one down into the mattress. They don't understand it's for their own protection. I don't want them outside at night roaming the roads, taking up with disreputable toms and getting stoned on cat nip.

Last night I heard Demelza whining and growling. When I peeped out from behind the curtains I saw the startled face of a brown tabby cat by the front door. It appeared to me extremely friendly, sleek and well fed- the very epitomy of the type of cat I would like my girls to take up with. However they were having none of it as one by one they took turns to hiss and swear through the glass. When I finally let Mish out to water the lawn it took off. Shortly afterwards it returned to the front patio where Kit and it had staring/snarling session from their positions on either side of the glass. How long this stand off lasted I have no idea as I fell asleep.

Next morning after a quick trip outside in the frost in order to read her pmail Kit took up residence on my unmade bed. We've had a couple of stand offs this past week. If I lift her off she tends to turn on me and become extremely stroppy. Several times I have had to leave the bed unmade for most of the day until the call of the litter tray becomes too strong for her to resist.

Rain and Dusting Pain

Nothing sadder to behold than a wet sheep except perhaps a wet donkey. Two more lambs were born overnight but one died. Whenever I went outside to collect some firewood Mishka would stand at the fence looking longingly at the afterbirths. His mind never strays far from food.

Stuck inside I was driven to dust which is very disturbing in itself. It's worse when you know you're only moving dead skin from one place to another and that it'll all be back tomorrow. Whoever invented dusting was a sadist of the first water. I must say that following some of Flylady's hints on housework have really helped me. Firstly to make sure your kitchen bench is cleared of dishes every evening so you don't face them first thing in the morning. Secondly to target "hot spots" in each room for five minutes for a spot of dedicated sorting. Swooping down for brief tidying blitzs takes much of the fear out of tidying as you don't feel so overwhelmed when you know you only have a few minutes to work and can leave the remainder for another day.

Heard a wise woman say that an untidy house full to the ceiling with clutter is indicative of how the person living there is feeling about themselves. Living in total chaos can mean you feel out of control of your own life. On the other hand a layer of dust on the mantlepiece doesn't mean you're a bad housekeeper- it could mean you're too busy enjoying life and doing more important things to be bothered shifting the dead skin around.

Winter Arrival

Just when you think the winter can't get any more dreary a reminder of the coming Spring appears. This morning a black faced ewe lambed right next to my boundary fence. Briar the donkey has taken on the role of nanny donkey and general protector. Not that the ewe needs any help- she's already has charged Mishka who had decided to roam the paddock in search of the afterbirth as well as Gypsy who thought she'd come and say hello to the new arrival. However the sheep was quite happy for me to come within a few feet and snap away. I was even allowed to pat the baby. Perhaps I am a latent sheep whisperer.

The Baking Monster Strikes Again

I ran out of chocolate biscuits this morning. Probably for anyone else this would be no big problem but if I go without something with cocoa in it for even a few short hours I am prone to blow up. Therefore I decided to ignore the mocking I usually receive when I mention to anyone that I intend cooking something and actually baked. I decided to make a slice with weetbix and coconut in it that usually turns out half edible, even for me. It didn't take long to cobble together and only 20 minutes to cook but then I remembered the reason I don't like cooking- having to do the dishes afterwards.

Not only am I out of biscuits but dried cat food as well. However I have a small stash of spare food for them. Whenever friends lose a pet cat they bequeath me its beds, its electric blanket (yes really) as well as any leftover cat food. I pulled out a packet that wasn't past its used by date and quelling any qualms that it was sold by The Warehouse I doled it out to Kit and Gypsy. Gyps turned her delicate black nose up at first smell but Kit gamely tucked in. Within a minute though she bomited it up. She then had a few more "bomiting" episodes. I blamed the cat food but later realised that I'd left the slice cooling on the stove top within feline reach. Perhaps Kits greed had finally got the better of her and she was paying for it with my cooking which rates as a weapon of mass destruction. She has been determinedly dieting since.

Flu, Pooh and Moulting Balls

Peaches got all frisky in the middle of the night, got off the bed, pulled all the cat toys out and began batting a polystyrene ball around the house. The next morning there were little pieces of dead ball lying around the dining room but Peaches had put the it back where she'd found it so she got a B for tidiness.

My brother was rushed to hospital by ambulance a few days ago with flu that developed into pnuemonia. He was placed in isolation for a day while being tested for Swine Flu but turned out he just had the ordinary human variety. After being given a nebulizer three times and oxygen throughout his stay he was released home. The worrying part of all this is that he has emphysema and even though he had his flu shots he still got sick.

The sun actually came out today so got a few outside chores done. Dug out more couch grass and cleaned out the chook house which is not a job for the faint hearted or anyone with a sensitive nose. Which reminds me- heard about a man in Papua New Guinea who tried to commit suicide by throwing himself down a long drop toilet. A woman who went in heard someone calling for help but ran off thinking it was evil spirits. The man was eventually rescued but I'm sure he found himself in more s**t with his wife who had to do his laundry.