Losing Lisa-cat

From Facebook Archives

14 September 2010 at 10:42

Lisa cat has been killed.  

Just had a knock on the front door - 

my neighbour and a woman in tears - 

Lisa lying dying in the road - 

driver had no chance to stop -  

at least I was there when she went - 

feel awful - 

how do we tell Thunderthighs? 

and comfort him?

Paganess  I'm sooo sorry Ben, it's right to grieve. Have a funeral and then a Thunderthighs style wake?

Bentonbag  I do grieve, she was my familiar, shoulder climber, would come into bed and lie tented under my legs while we did the crossword.   

We nearly didn't get Lisa.

The kitten I wanted had a hernia lump by its navel so Drifter's Reach kept him and we brought her home instead.  

Black cats are not easy to photograph so we don't have many pictures of her.   

Matilda and Felix are both lovely but not the same.

Mrs Frayarn  Oh Ben, I'm so sorry to hear that.  At least you were there and honestly that will be a comfort in the long term, you'll know she didn't go on her own.

We lost our son's cat Scrappy the same way last year.  The husband was with him.   

It would have torn me apart if he'd died on his own.  We sat our son down and told him and let him see Scrappy and he helped organise his wake and final departure.   

It is a family bereavement.  The husband even took the next day off of work.

Strawangel *dislike* Ben, I'm really sorry about Lisa, wish I could give you some advice to help with Thunderthighs😢

Faye  Sorry to hear about Lisa Ben.  It will be upsetting for Thunderthighs whatever you say, I guess.

Gobiron  Unlike

Miss CA Dunn  Poor you, and Lisa, and Thunderthighs- not to mention the woman who knocked her over.  Thinking of you all. xx

Later 18.01

Mrs Frayarn  How is Thunderthighs?

Bentonbag  Getting less emotional but still a bit wobbly - me too. 

We still have Matilda and Felix but I really miss her because she was the littlest and stayed closest and was such a feisty little character.

*** 

As soon as my neighbour and the motorist told me I went and fetched a towel and picked Lisa out of the road.  She was still alive but died a few minutes later as I held her on my lap.   

Before Thunderthighs came home from school I arranged the towel to hide the damaged side of her head and body.

Telling Thunderthighs about it is one of the few occasions that I’ve seen Fester near to tears.

Thunderthighs stroked her one last time before we folded the towel around her and buried her near the apple trees in the back garden with Dominic, Tiddles and Mrs Elswitch’s Bagpuss.

Matilda is up there with them now, under the rhubarb.

Lockdown Day Out

As the first Lockdown eased and we were allowed to drive short distances Druridge Bay was the first place we went.

In truth Thunderthighs and I had already been there on Mother’s Day as I needed to get away from the house and be somewhere wild for a while, so much so that I was willing to argue the toss with any authority that might try to stop us.

From Facebook Archives

13 September 2020 loaded 9 new photos to the album Spring 2020 Summer

Lockdown

Although for me it started on 7th February when Ferretfingers broke his ankle.

It's been the strangest Spring and Summer I've ever known.

Thank God for the garden, and that we're fortunate to have a house big enough to get away from each other, and the technology to keep in touch with friends and family (however unsatisfactory zoom etc are) and a car and a beach within reasonable distance.

Even so it has been hard.

I threatened to skinny dip but Thunderthighs looked like he might be ill. 

There was one bloke walking along the beach in a state of nature (but wearing shoes) with a woman, presumably his wife, carrying a back pack.  I did wonder for a moment whether his clothes were in there.

 

Pot/Kettle Washing Roulette

From Facebook Archives

11 September 2020

Just heard Fester say to Thunderthighs 

"You've got a great grumpy face ..."

Mrs Banjoman  And what did the kettle say back to the pot?

11 September 2025 at 11.14

The washer just finished spinning and it starts to rain – 

at least it's not hung out.

A few minutes later

Bentonbag  It's stopped. 

It's going out. 

A few extra rinses won't harm.

Mrs Bun  Exactly Ben

Dulcima  In the last week or so, I have managed to bring in nearly dry laundry minutes before it started to pour down, three times!

Bentonbag  Winning in washing roulette!

A Way To Amaryllis

For the first time since I bought it for pennies in a Lidl clearance sale in 2006, the amaryllis didn't flower this spring.   

Possibly because it was pot-bound, but also perhaps because it has grown a bulbule.   

It hasn't been repotted in years, or watered in months as I've been waiting for the leaves to die back before repotting, but they keep going.   

Anyway last Saturday I took the pot down to the pottiserie, took out and separated the bulbs, taking off a lot of old dry bits and bits of roots and shaking off a lot of exhausted compost.  

The mother bulb is back in her big terracotta pot with a mix of fresh and old compost.  

The baby in a 4inch terracotta pot inside a planter with new compost.  

Both have been well watered and I shall drought them again in December to see what happens in the New Year.   

One of four things will happen: they will both thrive; mother bulb with thrive and baby die; or the other way around; or they'll both perish.   

Watch this space.

See also https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2023/03/blooming-bargain.html

The Rule Of Six

Something so impossible to apply in the real world, 

outside the Westminster bubble, 

that we posted about it twice in one day.   

And it didn’t work in preventing the spread of Covid 

so there had to be a return to lockdown.   

Nor was it strictly adhered to by those 

inside the Westminster/Downing Street bubble.

From Facebook Archives

9 September 2020 at 09.08

Feeling a little less than a ray of sunshine this morning.

Ferretfingers appeared to enjoy his day back at the day centre, and says he did ‘gardening’.

But will it happen next week?

Because there’ll be more than 6 people there from more than goodness knows how many households.

Does it count as a workplace?

Well it does for the staff, but what about the attendees?

Miss Fiddle  or does it count as an educational establishment, in which case they'll be in bubbles.

Mrs Quilt  Gyms have re-opened with pre-booked, timed slots, limited numbers but greater than six.  So I wonder what rules they'll need. Presumably "Gardening" is mainly outdoors and six trainees would be quite a large group to be in a confined space.  Good luck

Kentishlady  Wondering about the Silent Adventures too where my son has just started back to work. Too many grey areas.  Once again, we need some clarification.

Ms Delune  We don’t have that rule but the husband just did bloods of work for someone in Caerphilly and can’t return the kit now to get paid because it’s non-essential

The Squireen  If it counts in a workplace I have a major problem about 29 households in my bubble

9 September 2020 at 18.45

So, the rule of 6 ...

We are a family of 4.

Twice a week Emil comes in to take Ferretfingers out, that makes 5 in the house.

If Miss Doozer next door comes in, that makes 6.

But if my friend Mrs Leftfoot calls with her daughter then we're over the limit.

Who do we report ourselves to or should we rely on one of the neighbours to do it?

Mrs Leftfoot   Isn't it six at any one time?

Mrs Lasagne  Yes at one time we just need to space visitors x.

Mrs Leftfoot  And what's a moonshot?

Ms Delune We’re a family of six.

Bugger!

(I know I’m Wales but family Somerset)

Bagdragon  Another scenario. I'm away with the Coven. Since Paula's death that's 6 of us.  We're in a different city but, on the street/in the beergarden/ wherever I see an old friend and his/her spouse.  What do I do?  Do I ignore them?  They may also know other members of the Coven. Does us now being, unplanned, in the same social space mean we are breaking the rules?  Can we shout "hello" at each other or just nod conspiratorially?

Mrs Leftfoot  Well if you all say you're testing your eyesight, you'll be able to do what you like.  Maybe I’m just too cynical in my older age?

McChurch  You all run out into the carpark, stand 2 metres apart and shout and wave at each other and stuff until you are all hoarse and kinda sore throated and all you want to do is go home and go to bed until you wake up in a better world!  Howzat for a sentence?

Bagdragon  The sad thing is, when I heard the rule last night the thought "well with Paula gone there's only six of us so we're ok" flashed across my mind.  She would have laughed, and I know in the great scheme of things this is a minor upset, but even so ...

Mrs Leftfoot  No, that is sad and it's not minor.

Mrs Walker  But we can still go grouse shooting so everything is ok!