The Homemaker

Some days are days of plenty; others ones of slim pickings.  Today is one of the latter; yesterday one of the former.  Hence today another one of yesterday’s

From the Facebook Archives

26 July 2016 at 10.07

We are blessed with excellent next-door neighbours. 

They are diligent and caring cat-minders when we are away, and generous payers when Thunderthighs returns the favour with their cats.  

So my heart fell a little when I got this text yesterday morning.

"Does Thunderthighs deliver the Homemaker newspaper?"

Worrying that they may have got fed up with the noise and smell of the family I replied:

"No but we should still have the one that came with Saturday's Journal if you want it.  Ferretfingers hoards them.  We are out 'til tea time."

"Ah. In that case, does that explain the half-hundredweight of copies that are in our recycling bin?  I assumed they'd been dumped by a delivery person."

"Yes: it was a megameltdown & tantrum day and he'd already dug them out of our bin twice so I wz desper8.  He's 2 idle 2 go all the way 2 your bin."

"Ha OK That explains everything.  I couldn't work out if they were the surplus at the end of a delivery or something.  You get to give the lad credit, they were in pristine condition 😀"

Cat Tales #45: Chat Eau?

Matilda 2000-2016

From Facebook Archives

26 July 2015 at 10:12

Yesterday afternoon, Benton Chippy being closed for refurbishment, Thunderthighs wanted to go to the pizzeria at FourLaneEnds to fetch his tea (a very good. pizzeria with excellent Italian coffee).   

Being shy he wanted me to accompany him as he hadn't been there before.  

It was persisting down so I put on my PeterStorm raincoat.   

When I let the cat out at dawn this morning I noticed the coat had fallen onto the floor in the hall. 

"I should pick that up" I thought in passing "or a cat will piddle on it" but I was mostly asleep so didn't.   

This morning I picked up the coat and it was dripping, and there was a small puddle on the hard floor where it had been.   

The problem is:  

Is it rain from yesterday that hasn't dripped off because it's been flat?   

Or is it chat eau?

The coat is currently hanging in the garden until I can tell one way or the other by smell.

 

Getting There

When Ferretfingers finally came home from hospital after his ankle infection (how simple that sounds!) he was able to go to the day centre, however they weren’t happy to take him on the minibus with his wound and the

pico-vac in case it, or he, were accidentally damaged by another service user.  They made sure the room he uses was cleaned and disinfected and that he could keep his leg up.  As I take him in on a Wednesday, doing the same on a Monday wasn’t much of a bother.  Especially as it meant things getting back to normal, and time for myself.

From Facebook Archives

24 July 2025 at 08.36

When I picked Ferretfingers up from the day centre yesterday the care-worker asked about his wound.

The good news is it has got to the point that it only requires a simple dressing - in fact it hasn't had a pico-vac on for weeks.

"Would he like to come in on the minibus again on Mondays?"

"Can he?"

"We were waiting for you to ask us ..."

So he can go on the minibus to the day centre from next Monday; which means I get more of Monday back as I won't be transporting him.

I'm surprised at how emotional I feel about this.

Thunderthighs will be pleased as we'll be able to do the big shop immediately after he gets back from the gym.

 

Piped Up

My radio alarm is set to catch Radio 3’s 07.30 news.  We decided long ago that the Radio 4's Today Programme’s attitude was tiresome, and the other music stations not for us.  Radio 3’s news headlines cover the essentials and the music either side enough to wake me up and usually not too annoying.

From Facebook Archives

23 July 2024 at 17.04

We woke up yesterday morning to an interview with the Duke of Northumberland's piper followed by a lovely rendition of Chevvy Chase on the Northumbrian pipes.

It was part of Breakfast Live from Lindisfarne “voices and sounds of nature from 

Radio 3's tour of north east England”

As I put the light out last night Fester said "... and can you arrange that I'm not woken up by Andy Piper's dulcet tones tomorrow morning."

Andy Piper  I'll come and play the half longs under his bedroom window to remind him of old times if he likes........

Bentonbag  He says "Any time you like, I like them. The neighbours might mind."

Actually I think numbers 15, 12 and 11 would probably be fine with it.

Also "Ask him if the pipes he was playing were the ones he made at school. I remember they sounded really mellow."

Miss Doozer  We have the Northumbrian pipes for congregations and I really like them.

 

 

 

The Joy Of Cats

From Facebook Archives

22 July 2017 at 11.54

This morning, so far, at Chateau Midden:-

"That ginger git's been using my balls as a trampoline"

"Go away Felix you're wet"

I protest he's not that wet

"He's wet enough to ruin my work by walking on it"

Felix then sits next to the A4 pad and proceeds to drool on it.

Woolerwoman  They love paper don't they.  Remember trying to read the papers around a very large, six-toed ginger, and little but cunning black&white socks. 🐱

Bentonbag ... and they always know which bit of the paper you're trying to read.

Fester comes into the office this morning in his socks and underpants.

"I put my socks on and the ginger git sinks his teeth into my big toe through the sock.  So I pick him up by the tail and swing him to the right and the bugger keeps on chewing on my toe.  Totally unmoved, un-phased, un-anything the little bastard!"