What's been happening chez nous - several abortive attempts to capture Beryl the feral but she is more wily and elusive than Lord Lucan. Beloved Husband can tice her in but we cannot get her into the cat basket and get it zipped up before she escapes. Darling Daughter Is now planning to build a bespoke cat-trap. If successful, we may try to flog it via Dragon's Den. Can just see Duncan Doodah's face!
Kittens thriving though still struggling with the conjunctivitis situation - some days good, some bad. Eating like pigs. Crapping like billyoh. Adorable though, so lovely to hold and play with.
Ah well, they'll soon be off. Daphne is already spoken for and possibly Nelson or Captain. Stevie is my favourite and would like to keep her but BH is loyal to Beryl and stern about number of cats in household. All animals female too...
Weather has been a bit uncomfortable, hot and dusty, supplying me with hay fever on top of the COPD - nice. But time we had some good weather, I think, although this is due to go on for a week or so according to the weather forecasters. My poor plants are wilting.
Can't get cool in bed at night. Fans are worse than useless, just batting warm stale air around the room.
Lovely reading group meeting early in the week. Always enjoy meeting my ladies who are full of fun, wisdom and quirkiness. Not much reading but lots of gossip and laughter.
Also met former workmates for a great lunch. nice to catch up with people and find out what's happening at the old workplace. Next meeting in October as people have grandchildren with holidays and their own little pieds-a-terre in Bulgaria and Greece. Where did I go wrong? Although the thought of frizzling in steaming heat in some Mediterranean country is too much at the moment. A visit to Rome or Florence or the Riviera in the spring or autumn - ah, wonderful.
Our last formal MAES classes last week - very sad. But the two tutors we are hiring for our independent class came along to meet everyone and take our measure, as it were. They seem fizzing with enthusiasm and ideas for new projects so I am really looking forward to seeing what they come up with.
Before that though, the exhibition which is drawing inexorably nearer with its headaches of framing pictures, sending out invites, putting up posters, organising food and drink for the preview evening and so on and so on. Am sure it will be alright on the night. If it's not, it's just tough.
the week has been busy as usual. In addition to continuing battle with MAES (where do they recruit these jobsworths?), had a wonderful class on Wednesday. Last classes next week at which we will probably have a small party. It will be like a wake because however hard we strive to replicate the classes independently, we will undoubtedly lose some people along the way and it will be sad and frustrating.
Also continuing with plans for the Summer Exhibition, producing posters, invitations to the preview party - oh goodness, must make a list of food and wine to buy for the preview - and exhorting everyone else to get framing and painting etc while doing sod all myself. Note to self - must do better.
Crazy Hattie sitting beside me as I type smelling heavily doggy as she has a trick of leaping into the path of the hosepipe as I water the plants and is thus exceedingly wet, steamy and pongy. Not quite as pongy as the kittens, but pongy all the same. She is most curious about the kittens and thinks it is a superb opportunity to hoover up all their leavings if I don't quell her. Perhaps she wants to take over the Nana role from Peter Pan...my own two cats are pretty disdainful of the kittens and jealous of the attention being given to them.
Weather is wonderful - hope it will be like this for preview party as we can sit out in those wonderful gardens. Sat out in garden today with BH and DD and Beryl was weaving her way back and forth between us but extremely wary. We must try again to catch her next week before she becomes pregnant again. Couldn't face looking after another litter of feral kittens, cute though they are.
Mad Best Friend suffering the effects of the chemo, hair coming out and starting to feel a bit queasy. Art tutor, though, has had wonderful news on the effects of the trial she is undergoing - the stuff has reduced her tumour by 50%! That is so wonderful even though they don't know long term effects. Can tell it has impacted greatly on her attitude to life and she ha started painting again.
Beloved Sister trying to get me up to Scotland to visit but cannot at the moment. Fingers crossed can soon make a date.
Phew, what a day Monday was. Got the four feral kittens and what a state they were in, their eyes were all gunged up and they could hardly walk - not surprisingly since Beryl the feral mum-cat has kept them stashed away in a cardboard box not much bigger than a box of beer. Despite best efforts of me, Beloved Husband and Darling Daughter, Beryl was not for being caught and imitated a tiger with toothache and bad hangover to boot, so trotted off to vet with kittens. He advised keeping them away from Beryl, said they were in remarkably good nick all things considered but that they had bad conjunctivitis, something feral cats are prone to, starting them off on chicken food and simulated cat milk. Thus began five days, so far, of cleaning their bums, cleaning their eyes, putting cream in their eyes, cooking special kitten food, feeding them, making them milk, and now have introduced them to drinking water. And they have blossomed. In five days, they have become active, attractive and pro-active - wow. Want to keep one of them, BH says no - he is loyal to Beryl. Despite best efforts, cannot find anyone to help us catch her. We could bring her back to the feral life once she's neutered, if that is what she is comfortable with, but need to catch her to get her to vet. My God, these vets must be brave to attempt to release a feral cat from its cat, sedate it, fillet it and check on it before returning to equally brave soul who brings it in.
And here they are - Captain, Daphne, Nelson and Steve having a catnap in the laundry basket which they climb up and down with the greatest ease
